Computer Chess Games Involve the Game Pieces, Just Like Traditional Games
A game is essentially a structured type of activity, normally undertaken for fun or entertainment, and at times used as a teaching tool. Games are different from work, which frequently is carried out for monetary reward, and from literature, which is usually more of an expressive or aesthetic medium. Work is performed for profit; in the case of a novel, theatre or film, the reward is that the work is seen, read and enjoyed by other people. Games are played for fun. They tend to have social significance, such as games of war, sports, chess and card games. Games can also be competitive, with one person aiming to beat another in a game of skill.
The game of snakes and ladders was originally a game show put on by Lord Tweedmouth, who promoted it by attaching a harness to each of his players, each one walking around with a rope attached to him or her. It was a great success, because there was something hugely humorous about a game that involved walking around with a whip in your hand! A similar game, still in circulation, is the Caves and Ropes game, in which players are required to search for items using only turns of the rope.
Physical skill is required in many video games involving strategy. One classic, Backgammon, required players to build up their own house before playing against another player. Building the house required careful consideration of terrain, and planning. A similar game is the Great Balls game, in which a player has to roll a ball across an open field, while trying to avoid obstacles. In both games, careful consideration of the terrain is necessary to avoid being trapped or running into a bump, and to be successful, strategies must be applied in a manner deemed to minimise the possibility of traps.
In many of the more modern board games such as Monopoly, players must use their real-world resources (money and properties) to buy the properties they need to build their empires. Board games like Risk also require players to think ahead, and can provide great entertainment when players develop advanced strategy to beat the odds. Advanced tactics can be employed to overcome various odds, although in most cases, a nash equilibrium is required, meaning that if everything fails, then the chances of success are small.
There are many different games involving players who need to develop strategies in order to beat the odds, but all require a certain amount of skill. Some examples include Scrabble, in which players must build pairs out of tiles that are placed on the board, and Chess, in which players must use their pieces (capture them and then move them to a adjacent square) in order to defend their positions. The most popular board game, Candy Land, requires players to build rows of candy, choosing the same color of candy each time from a variety of different candies. While the colors of candy may seem relatively harmless, each candy symbol has a special power associated with it. For example, one symbol can allow you to move your candy from a specific location to another, while others can give you an advantage if you capture more of a certain type of candy with a single move. Players will often develop a strategy in these games, devising ways to gain the upper hand by discovering new, more powerful techniques for beating the odds.
Some of the best-selling board games are now available on computer as well, allowing players to enjoy their favorite strategy games without having to travel to a local store. The traditional concept of a game piece being on a game board can still be enjoyed through the use of a mouse and keyboard, or a game pad, as is often the case with the best designed PC computer games. However, computer chess programs are revolutionizing the genre, offering players the chance to play every classic game on their computer screens for virtually no money whatsoever. These programs are often superior to the best versions of the most popular games, providing hours of enjoyment and entertainment for hundreds of dollars, as no real physical game pieces are involved.