Editing Game classification

{{Short description|Taxonomy of game activities}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{For|board games classification|Board game#Categories}} 
{{For|folk taxonomy|List of game genres}}

'''Game classification''' is the classification of games, forming a '''game taxonomy'''. Many different methods of classifying games exist.

== Physical education ==
There are four basic approaches to classifying the games used in [[physical education]]:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Swain |first=David P. |title=Developmental Physical Education for Today's Children |last2=David L. Gallahue |last3=Frances Cleland Donnelly |publisher=Human Kinetics |year=2003 |isbn=0-7360-3388-2 |pages=571–573}}</ref>
;Game categories: This is a classification scheme proposed by Nicols, who classifies games according to three major categories: the game's physical requirements (i.e. what the game requires in addition to the players — equipment, size and nature of playing field, and so forth), the structure of the game (i.e. number of players, groupings of players, strategies, and so forth), and the game's personal requirements (i.e. what the game requires of the player — motor skills, fitness levels, numeracy, social skills, and so forth).
;Games for understanding: This is a classification scheme proposed by Werner and Alomond that classifies games according to their strategies. It divides games into target games (e.g. [[archery]]); net or wall games (e.g. [[tennis]]); striking and field games (e.g. [[cricket]]); and invasion games (e.g. [[association football|football]]).
;Core content: This is a classification scheme proposed by Allison and Barrett<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rink |first=J. |title=Investigating the Assumptions of Pedagogy in Journal of Teaching in Physical Education |publisher=Human Kinetics Publishers Inc. |year=2001 |volume=20 |pages=112–128 |issue=2}}</ref> that categorizes games by their form (i.e. whether they are novel games proposed by the teacher or children, or whether they are existing games already widely played), by the movement skills that they require, by the "movement concepts" and game tactics that they require, and by the educational results of the game.
;Developmental games: This is a classification scheme proposed by Gallahue and Celand that classifies games into four developmental levels, as part of an overall educational strategy of applying, reinforcing, and implementing movement and sports skills. The levels, in ascending order, are "low-level", "complex", "lead-up", and "official sports".
Games further divided as per the physical activity are mainly divided into three categories: soft active sports, medium active sports, and highly active sports. 

== Video games ==
There are several methods of classifying video games, alongside the system of [[video game genre]]s commonly used by retailers and player communities.

Solomon<ref>{{Cite book |last=Solomon |first=Eric |title=Games Programming |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1984 |isbn=0-521-27110-X |pages=10–11}}</ref> puts forward a "commonsense, but broad" classification of video games, into simulations (the game reflects reality), abstract games (the game itself is the focus of interest), and sports. In addition to these, he points out that games (in general, not just video games) fall into classes according to the number of players. Games with two players encompass [[board game]]s such as [[chess]]. Games with multiple players encompass [[card game]]s such as [[poker]], and marketed family games such as [[Monopoly (game)|Monopoly]] and [[Scrabble]]. Puzzles and [[Solitaire (game)|Solitaire]] are one-player games. He also includes zero-player games, such as [[Conway's Game of Life]], although acknowledging that others argue that such games do not constitute a game, because they lack any element of competition. He asserts that such zero-player games are nonetheless games because they are used recreationally.

Another method, developed by Wright,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wright |first=John C |last2=Huston |first2=Aletha C |last3=Vandewater |first3=Elizabeth A |last4=Bickham |first4=David S |last5=Scantlin |first5=Ronda M |last6=Kotler |first6=Jennifer A |last7=Caplovitz |first7=Allison Gilman |last8=Lee |first8=June H |last9=Hofferth |first9=Sandra |author-link9=Sandra L. Hofferth |last10=Finkelstein |first10=Jonathan |date=January 2001 |title=American children's use of electronic media in 1997 |journal=Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology |language=en |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=31–47 |doi=10.1016/S0193-3973(00)00064-2}}</ref> divides games into the following categories: [[educational video game|educational]] or informative, sports, sensorimotor (e.g. [[action game]]s, video games, [[Fighting game|fighting]] and [[shoot 'em up]] games, and driving and [[racing simulator]]s), other vehicular simulators (not covered by driving and racing), [[strategy game]]s (e.g. adventure games, war games, strategic simulations, [[role-playing games]], and puzzles), and "other".<ref name="CAATM">{{Cite book |last=Strasburger |first=Victor C. |title=Children, Adolescents and the Media |last2=Wilson |first2=Barbara J. |publisher=Sage Publications |year=2002 |isbn=0-7619-2125-7 |pages=122–123}}</ref>

A third method, developed by Funk and Buchman,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Funk |first=Jeanne B |last2=Buchman |first2=Debra D |date=February 1995 |title=Video Game Controversies |journal=Pediatric Annals |language=en |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=91–94 |doi=10.3928/0090-4481-19950201-08 |issn=0090-4481 |pmid=7724256}}</ref> and refined by others, classifies electronic games into six categories: general entertainment (no fighting or destruction), educational (learning or problem-solving), fantasy violence (cartoon characters that must fight or destroy things, and risk being killed, to achieve a goal), human violence (like fantasy violence, but with human rather than cartoon characters), nonviolent sports (no fighting or destruction), and sports violence (fighting or destruction involved).<ref name="CAATM" />

== Classification by cause of uncertainty ==
[[File:Causes of uncertainty.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|Causes of uncertainty in a game]]
Games can be categorized by the source of uncertainty which confront the players:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bewersdorff |first=Jörg |url=http://www.galois-theorie.de/pdf/luck-logic-white-lies.pdf#page=11 |title=Luck, Logic, and White Lies: The Mathematics of Games |publisher=AK Peters |year=2004 |isbn=1-56881-210-8 |page=xi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kastner |first=Hugo |date=January 2014 |title=100 Highlight among games |url=http://www.spielemuseum.at/WIN/75pdf9/win460e.pdf#page=36 |format=PDF |journal=WIN the Games Journal |volume=38 |issue=460 |pages=36–37 |issn=0257-361X}}</ref>
* [[probability|Chance]]
* [[Combinatorics]] (a large number of sequences of moves)
* Different states of [[information set (game theory)|information]] among the players (each player knows only his own cards)
Based on these three causes, three classes of games arise:
* [[combinatorial game theory|Combinatorial games]]
* [[bluff (poker)#Bluffing in other games|Games of bluffing]] and [[Strategy (game theory)|strategy]]
* [[Games of chance]]

== Game theory ==
{{main|Game theory#Game types}}
Game theory classifies games according to several criteria: whether a game is a [[symmetric game]] or an asymmetric one, what a game's "sum" is ([[zero-sum]], constant sum, and so forth), whether a game is a [[sequential game]] or a simultaneous one, whether a game comprises [[perfect information]] or imperfect information, and whether a game is [[determinacy|determinate]].

== See also ==
{{Portal|Games}}
{{Commons|Game}}
{{Main|Outline of games}}
* [[Entertainment Software Rating Board]]
* [[Game of skill]] and [[Game of chance]] – another classification scheme
* [[Video game genre]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite web |last=Tveit |first=Amund |last2=Gisle B. Tveit |year=2002 |title=Game Usage Mining: Information Gathering for Knowledge Discovery in Massive Multiplayer Games |url=http://abiody.com/gamemining/publications/2002/GameUsageMining.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031005052908/http://abiody.com/gamemining/publications/2002/GameUsageMining.pdf |archive-date=5 October 2003}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Bunker |first=David |last2=Rod Thorpe |last3=Peter Werner |year=1996 |title=Teaching Games for Understanding: Evolution of a Model |url=https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&se=gglsc&d=5002249790 |journal=The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance |volume=67 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040310021230/http://www.educ.uvic.ca/Faculty/thopper/WEB/articles/Cahperd/gameclass.pdf |archive-date=10 March 2004}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Vossen |first=Deborah P. |date=21 April 2004 |title=The Nature and Classification of Games |url=http://people.stfx.ca/dvossen/3-CV/AVANTEPaper2004.pdf |journal=Avante |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=75–77 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090424021236/http://people.stfx.ca/dvossen/3-CV/AVANTEPaper2004.pdf |archive-date=24 April 2009}}
* {{Cite web |last=Lindley |date=3 October 2003 |title=Game Taxonomies: A High Level Framework for Game Analysis and Design |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/game-taxonomies-a-high-level-framework-for-game-analysis-and-design |website=Gamasutra |first=C. A.}}
* {{Cite book |last=Pivec |first=Maja |title=Guidelines for Game-Based Learning |last2=Anni Koubek |last3=Claudio Dondi |publisher=Pabst Science Publishers |year=2004 |isbn=1-59326-072-5 |pages=54–57}}
* {{Cite web |last=Pape |first=Sebastian |last2=Laura Dietz |last3=Peter Tandler |date=2 April 2004 |title=Single Display Gaming: Examining Collaborative Games for Multi-User Tabletops |url=http://www.ipsi.fraunhofer.de/~publications/ambiente/2004/0402_pape-dietz-tandler_gaming_applications_-_final.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626023541/http://www.ipsi.fraunhofer.de/~publications/ambiente/2004/0402_pape-dietz-tandler_gaming_applications_-_final.pdf |archive-date=26 June 2007 |publisher=Fraunhofer Integrated Publication and Information Systems Institute}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Hopper |first=Tim |last2=Rick Bell |title=Games classification system: Teaching strategic understanding and tactical awareness |url=http://www.educ.uvic.ca/Faculty/thopper/WEB/articles/Cahperd/gameclass.pdf |journal=Cahperd |volume=66 |issue=4 |pages=14–19 |access-date=9 February 2007 |archive-date=22 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091222011713/http://www.educ.uvic.ca/Faculty/thopper/Web/articles/Cahperd/gameclass.pdf |url-status=dead }}

[[Category:Game terminology]]
[[Category:Classification systems by subject]]