Purpose and Games

     

  Games are one of the most effective and powerful avenues for giving a human being a sense of purpose and a reason to exist. 

       To start, lets define a game as any interaction between two or more conscious entities or  between a conscious entity and a force of nature where there is a clear goal you are trying to achieve, a set of objectives to complete to reach that goal, and a procedure specific to that particular game that you follow over the course of time needed (or set in the case of games with time constraints) to reach the objectives and goals.

    By that rather long definition, a lot of situations in life could be considered a game. Football is a game in this sense, or chess, but by this definition of games so is war.

     I must clarify, not all games are fun. Some are brutal and dangerous, but I consider them to be games still because of the dynamics and structure of those situations. 

      As for purpose? Games create a massive sense of purpose for an individual, especially when you are in the midst of playing them. 

Whether zero-sum (one wins at the expense of another) or mutually beneficial cooperative games, games provide an occupance of time that creates fulfillment and satisfaction in the player and gives life meaning and purpose over the course of a particular game scenario being played out, even if that meaning and purpose subside when the game is over.

Games are integral in the searching and achieving of purpose and meaning. Some games are more intense and more real than others. The level of purpose you have playing an old man in chess versus commanding an actual battalion of soldiers in war is obviously significantly different. 

One is a game of low consequence, the other is a game of life or death. Strangely enough, much of the same thought processes in strategizing in a board game are also used in war. The primary and extremely important difference is that in an actual conflict the consequences of your choices are much more intense, much more real, and mistakes can lead to the death of yourself or others around you.

Often the more real the game is and the more real the consequences are the higher the intensity and quality of the sense of purpose and meaning and individual has. We can get this from our careers. Soldiers get this sense of purpose from war. Athletes get it from their sports. 

Even so, games with less real consequences are still extremely useful in their educational value. Games are one of the best teaching methods to prepare children for real world game scenarios they will face as adults. Skills like leadership, values like respect and teamwork, and senses of belonging and meaning are essential for a well rounded development of any human being. Much of this can only be taught through gameplay

To conclude, I would argue that aside from love and service, games form one of the most important components of a human's search and achievement of purpose and meaning. I would also argue games are a core component of reality in general, and most likely wired into the structure and nature of all of existence. Without games, purpose and meaning for human beings is exceedingly difficult to achieve.