The game is a complex element which has been faced from many disciplines. On one side we have disciplines which have approached this concept focusing on animals and the physical and biological roots that motivate it. It's the case of biology, primatology or ethology. Obviously there are also approximations to the game concept, from disciplines which have focused the game as a human characteristic, such as anthropology, sociology and psychology. Also, the game has been studied from other branches of knowledge, in some cases under an utilitarian point of view. In example, John Nash's games theory in economy or the analysis of the game's educative advantages in pedagogy. It is also necessary to talk on ludology. It is a discipline which, from the early 21st century, pretends to be an object of study itself, independent from other sciences, with the objective of studying games and video games, and emphasizing the aspects which have usually been left aside, which are the ones which can be linked to the human sciences. However, it is a young discipline still under development. On this course we will focus on these approaches which have more relationship to video games. The first thing to do is differentiate the concepts of game and play. In Spanish we use the same words, game and play, but both concepts have different shades on their meaning. Game has a meaning relative to the elements which define the playable experience, such as mechanics, rules or objectives. It's a more formal point of view. For its part, play refers to the behavior and contextual aspects of the game. It's a much more open concept. Many definitions of the game focus only on the formal elements, on the game concept. Also we usually distinguish between game and play by saying game is a structured and regulated mode of play. The important thing while studying the game is taking both concepts into account. It is also very relevant to know which elements the games have, how to know why we play and what does playing represent to the individual. To begin, we will see some approximations to the game focused on the game part. The first definition, made by the game designers Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman, talks almost exclusively on formal elements, such as players, rules and the quantifiable results. It also inserts the term conflict, which we will later recovery. The second definition is quite similar. The games designer Jane McGonigal remarks four formal aspects including the voluntary factor. This third definition also points formal elements, but probably, as its author Roger Caillois comes from sociology, there are more elements included related to the human experience, such as fun or fiction which is just one more way to say narrative. So, if we only analyze the games focusing on formal aspects, we can overlook psychological, social and cultural aspects of the game, which are totally necessary for the game design. Next we will talk on approaches to the game concept which have focused more on the play aspects. Let's start with the animals game, from perspectives such as biology, ethology and primatology, we have been told that the animals game has a nature which is mostly -but not exclusively- instinctive, as most game behaviors can also be learned. We also understand animal games as imitations of behaviors on other vital contexts, which means animals, while playing, interpret and scenify behaviors which themselves or other members in their specie can make in other situations, such as hunting, gathering, using tools, cleaning themselves, etc. and due to this we also understand that the game is a way so that animals learn to do things effectively and practice these behaviors. It is also very important to remark the social aspects of the game related to hierarchy and social bonds creation. So the game in animals ends up bringing more knowledge of the environment, both physical and social, and this helps to the environmental adaptability. So, the game is an animal behavior, and in humans it's also present, and we dehumanize elements which animals don't have or have in a less developed way, such as language, symbolic capacity, conscience or culture. These elements are the ones which multiply the game's significance and possibilities. Before totally getting inside the game studio in the human being, we need to see in which context the game phenomenon is associated in our species. To begin, the concepts of playing and game are especially linked to a childish behavior made by babies and children. Since the teen age we begin distinguishing the game practice from the sports practice, which can be both amateur and professional especially from 18 or 20 years old. This way, we commonly assume that adults, unless they do sport or play with a kid, don't play regularly. Board games or cards games are linked to certain moments of a bold social and familiar character, as well as to pastime practices for older people, and we also find gambling and bet-based games: slot-machines, poker, black jack or sports bets have a more transversal presence and are more linked to an adult public. Finally we have video games, which have always had the aura of a childish product. Slowly they have been linked to both kids and teenagers and also to adults, thanks to the identification which has been produced in other media such as TV or cinema.
