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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Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ends. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called pips or dots) or is blank. The backs of the tiles in a set are indistinguishable, either blank or having some common design. The gaming pieces make up a domino set, sometimes called a deck or pack. The traditional European domino set consists of 28 tiles, also known as pieces, bones, rocks, stones, men, cards or just dominoes, featuring all combinations of spot counts between zero and six. A domino set is a generic gaming device, similar to playing cards or dice, in that a variety of games can be played with a set. Another form of entertainment using domino pieces is the practice of domino toppling.

The earliest mention of dominoes is from Song dynasty China found in the text Former Events in Wulin by Zhou Mi (1232–1298). Modern dominoes first appeared in Italy during the 18th century, but they differ from Chinese dominoes in a number of respects, and there is no confirmed link between the two. European dominoes may have developed independently, or Italian missionaries in China may have brought the game to Europe. (Full article...)

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...that the virtual economy of massively multiplayer online games sometimes attracts virtual crime, which is punishable by real laws in some countries?
...that since 1998 All Nippon Airways has operated Pokémon Jets (pictured)?
...that the World Chess Hall of Fame originally used cardboard plaques to honor past grandmasters, and was located in the basement of a New Windsor, New York, building?
...that the Japanese role-playing game Night Wizard! was adapted into an animated television series consisting of thirteen episodes?
...that a 2009 Pennsylvania court case ruled that poker is a game of skill, thus not subject to the state laws related to gambling?

General images

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

Image 1Tug of war is an easily organized, impromptu game that requires little equipment. (from Game)
Image 2Two Qataris playing the traditional board game of damah (from Board game)
Image 3Hounds and jackals (Egypt, 13th Dynasty) (from Board game)
Image 4The 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 5Ancient 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 6 Men Playing Board Games, from The Sougandhika Parinaya Manuscript (from Board game)
Image 7Patolli game being watched by Macuilxochitl as depicted on page 048 of the Codex Magliabechiano (from Board game)
Image 8Young girls playing a board game in the Iisalmi library in Finland, 2016 (from Board game)
Image 9Students 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 10Parcheesi is an American adaptation of a Pachisi, originating in India. (from Game)
Image 11Historically, 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 12A 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 13A ball-in-a-maze puzzle requires fine motor skills. (from Game of skill)
Image 14Playing Cards, by Theodoor Rombouts, 17th century (from Game)
Image 15The board game Monopoly is licensed in 103 countries and printed in 37 languages. (from Board game)
Image 16The Card Players by Lucas van Leyden (1520) depicting a multiplayer card game (from Game)
Image 17Preferans, a trick-taking card game version popular in Croatia (from Card game)
Image 18The Mansion of Happiness (1843) (from Board game)
Image 19The Card Players, 17th-century painting by Theodoor Rombouts (from Card game)
Image 20The modern German board game Catan is printed in 30 languages and sold 15 million by 2009. (from Board game)
Image 21Han dynasty glazed pottery tomb figurines playing liubo, with six sticks laid out to the side of the game board (from Board game)
Image 22Mamluk playing card (king of cups), c.15th century (from Card game)
Image 23Association football is a popular sport worldwide.
Image 24Royal game of Ur, southern Iraq, about 2600–2400 BCE (from Board game)
Image 25Backgammon is a game of skill. Strategy can give players advantages, but there is also an element of chance. (from Game of skill)
Image 26Senet, one of the oldest known board games (from Board game)
Image 27Chinese mother-of-pearl gambling tokens used in scoring and bidding of card games. (from Card game)
Image 28A selection of pieces from different games. From top: Chess pawns, marbles, Monopoly tokens, dominoes, Monopoly hotels, jacks and checkers pieces. (from Game)
Image 29Typical MUD interface for God Wars II (from Role-playing game)
Image 30A fantasy LARP group (from Role-playing game)
Image 31An adventurer finds a teleportation portal while exploring a dungeon in the role-playing video game Falcon's Eye. (from Role-playing game)