Outline of games

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to games and gaming:

Games are structured or semi-structured activities usually undertaken for enjoyment. They are usually fun activities that can be educational or purely just for fun. The term "game" is also used to describe simulation of various activities e.g., for the purposes of training, analysis or prediction, etc., see "Game (simulation)". Games are a universal part of the human experience, for all cultures, genders and ages. Key components of games are goals, rules, challenge, and interactivity. Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and sometimes both. Many games help develop practical skills, serve as a form of exercise, or otherwise perform an educational, simulational or psychological role.

Purpose

Individuals participate in game-play for various reasons, depending upon the aspect the particular game covers. These include:

Types of games

Alternate reality game
Ball game
Board game
- Chess variant
- Eurogame
Brain teaser
Business game
Car game
Card game
- Collectible card game
Casino game
Children's game
Clapping game
Computer or video game
- Puzzle video game
- Online game
Connect the dots
Conversation games
Counting-out game
Crossword
Dice game
Drinking game
Educational game
15 puzzle
Game show
Game of chance
Game of skill
Group-dynamic game
Guessing game
Jigsaw puzzle
Lawn game
Letter game
Location-based game
Logic puzzle
Mathematical game
Missing square puzzle
Nonogram (a.k.a. gridders, paint by numbers, etc.)
Open gaming
Paper-and-pencil game
Parlour game
Party game
Peg solitaire
Play-by-mail game
PowerPoint game
Pub game
Puzzle
- Anagram
Quiz
Riddle
Role-playing game
Rubik's Cube
Sangaku
Simulation video game
- Business simulation game
- Government simulation game
Singing game
Single-player video game
Situation puzzle
Sokoban
Soma cube
Spoken game
Sports
Spot the difference
Strategy game
Street game
String figure
Sudoku
Tabletop game
Theatresports
Three cups problem
Three utilities problem
Throwing sports
Tile-based game
Tower of Hanoi
Wargame
Whodunit
Word game

Game components

Dice
Playing card
Game board (or simply board) – the (usually quadrilateral) surface on which one plays a board game; the namesake of the board game, gameboards would seem to be a necessary and sufficient condition of the genre, though card games that do not use a standard deck of cards (as well as games which use neither cards nor a game board) are often colloquially included. Most games use a standardized and unchanging board (chess, Go, and backgammon all have such a board), but many games use a modular board whose component tiles or cards can assume varying layouts from one session to another, or even as the game is played.