Portal:Games

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A game is a structured type of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such as jigsaw puzzles or games involving an artistic layout such as Mahjong, solitaire, or some video games).

Games are sometimes played purely for enjoyment, sometimes for achievement or reward as well. They can be played alone, in teams, or online; by amateurs or by professionals. The players may have an audience of non-players, such as when people are entertained by watching a chess championship. On the other hand, players in a game may constitute their own audience as they take their turn to play. Often, part of the entertainment for children playing a game is deciding who is part of their audience and who is a player. A toy and a game are not the same. Toys generally allow for unrestricted play whereas games present rules for the player to follow.

Key components of games are goals, rules, challenge, and interaction. Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often both. Many games help develop practical skills, serve as a form of exercise, or otherwise perform an educational, simulational, or psychological role. (Full article...)

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The GISHWHES logo as of 2013

The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen (GISHWHES, pronounced gish-wes) (now shortened to just "GISH") was an annual week-long competitive media scavenger hunt originally held each October or November, but more recently each August. Teams of five to 15 (previously nine to 15 before 2022) competitors earned points for submitting photos and videos of themselves completing prompts from a list they received at the beginning of the week. Actor Misha Collins officially founded GISHWHES in 2011 after a publicity stunt to help the television series Supernatural (in which Collins appeared) win a People's Choice Award. The competition held a world record for being the largest media scavenger hunt ever to take place, and several additional world records. The hunt also raised funds in support of several charities each year, and was affiliated with the Random Acts 501c3. (Full article...)

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...that the internet casino GoldenPalace.com won a bid to name a type of New World monkey: the GoldenPalace.com Monkey?
...that the F-Zero series of video games is renowned for its sheer visceral impression of speed?
...that Eduardo Iturrizaga became Venezuela's first and only chess grandmaster, at the age of 19?
...that the Pacific Pinball Museum (pictured) has 800 pinball machines in storage in a secret location?
...that in the computer game Crush, Crumble and Chomp! the player controls a disaster movie monster and destroys cities?

General images

The following are images from various game-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Historically, card games such as whist and contract bridge were opportunities for quiet socializing, as shown in this 1930s magic lantern slide photo taken in Seattle, Washington. (from Card game)
Image 2The Mansion of Happiness (1843) (from Board game)
Image 3The number of board games published by year (1944–2017), as listed on BoardGameGeek. Expansion sets for existing games are marked in orange. (from Board game)
Image 4A fantasy LARP group (from Role-playing game)
Image 5Chinese mother-of-pearl gambling tokens used in scoring and bidding of card games. (from Card game)
Image 6Ancient Egyptian senet game board inscribed for Amenhotep III with separate sliding drawer, from 1390 to 1353 BC, made of glazed faience, dimensions: 5.5 × 7.7 × 21 cm, in the Brooklyn Museum (New York City). (from Game)
Image 7The Card Players by Lucas van Leyden (1520) depicting a multiplayer card game (from Game)
Image 8Hounds and jackals (Egypt, 13th Dynasty) (from Board game)
Image 9A ball-in-a-maze puzzle requires fine motor skills. (from Game of skill)
Image 10A selection of pieces from different games. From top: Chess pawns, marbles, Monopoly tokens, dominoes, Monopoly hotels, jacks and checkers pieces. (from Game)
Image 11The modern German board game Catan is printed in 30 languages and sold 15 million by 2009. (from Board game)
Image 12The board game Monopoly is licensed in 103 countries and printed in 37 languages. (from Board game)
Image 13Patolli game being watched by Macuilxochitl as depicted on page 048 of the Codex Magliabechiano (from Board game)
Image 14Han dynasty glazed pottery tomb figurines playing liubo, with six sticks laid out to the side of the game board (from Board game)
Image 15Senet, one of the oldest known board games (from Board game)
Image 16A group playing a tabletop RPG. The GM is at left using a cardboard screen to hide dice rolls from the players. (from Role-playing game)
Image 17The Card Players, 17th-century painting by Theodoor Rombouts (from Card game)
Image 18Two Qataris playing the traditional board game of damah (from Board game)
Image 19Backgammon is a game of skill. Strategy can give players advantages, but there is also an element of chance. (from Game of skill)
Image 20Young girls playing a board game in the Iisalmi library in Finland, 2016 (from Board game)
Image 21Association football is a popular sport worldwide.
Image 22Playing Cards, by Theodoor Rombouts, 17th century (from Game)
Image 23An adventurer finds a teleportation portal while exploring a dungeon in the role-playing video game Falcon's Eye. (from Role-playing game)
Image 24Students using dice to improve numeracy skills. They roll three dice, then use basic math operations to combine those into a new number which they cover on the board. The goal is to cover four squares in the row. (from Game)
Image 25Typical MUD interface for God Wars II (from Role-playing game)
Image 26Royal game of Ur, southern Iraq, about 2600–2400 BCE (from Board game)
Image 27Mamluk playing card (king of cups), c.15th century (from Card game)
Image 28Tug of war is an easily organized, impromptu game that requires little equipment. (from Game)
Image 29Preferans, a trick-taking card game version popular in Croatia (from Card game)
Image 30Parcheesi is an American adaptation of a Pachisi, originating in India. (from Game)
Image 31 Men Playing Board Games, from The Sougandhika Parinaya Manuscript (from Board game)