A game is an organized, logically structured form of playful play, normally undertaken for purely fun or entertainment, and at times used as a teaching tool as well. Games are very different from homework, which generally is performed for remuneration; and from painting, which is usually an expression of personal or aesthetic elements, rather than academic. The main difference between these games and homework is that the latter is a self-directed activity that is usually done with a teacher or instructor present, whereas the former involves group participation. A game can be described as a game when it is being played. It could also be described as play if it is being played by an individual, such as a child.
Board games have been around for hundreds of years. Early examples include a game called Maori, which evolved from an existing game of hide and seek (Maori language Wikipedia) played with pieces on a round wooden board. Examples of today’s board games include; Scrabble (a board game similar to solitaire), crossword puzzles (usually played using a grid of 16 tiles), and bingo (a popular game played with a bingo card containing four numbers). Chris Crawford, in his famous book Everyone Has Their Secrets, identified bingo as one of the hundred most popular leisure activities in the world.
Computer games have grown in popularity over the last twenty-five to thirty-five years. Computer game addiction is actually quite a recent phenomenon, but research shows that over the past three to ten years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people playing video game consoles. These video game consoles include; Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation, Xbox, and others. The increase in popularity of video game consoles has spawned an entire industry centered around the creation, manufacture and sales of electronic boards, such as those produced by Chris Crawford and his team at Glasto. Chris and crew have created numerous electronic boards called Clue, including the popular game-board game played by members of all ages in the British television series “The Biggest Loser”.
Computer games can be programmed by anyone with knowledge of programming languages. There are many independent software companies that have created computer games that are specifically designed for use by the gaming public. One of these companies, Glasto, actually has a fourteen-year track record of producing electronic boards and accessories. The company has created a game that is called Tic-Tac-Toe, which can be programmed by any person who has experience in programming languages. In addition to creating a computer game, the company has developed a series of books, music CD’s and other products that feature original music and board game concepts.
Glasto has created several hundred electronic boards called Tic-Tac-Toe and Tic-Tac-Out, featuring characters from its own lines of clothing and accessories. All of these products have created a demand for Chris Cagle and his teams of designers, artists, printers and makers. These companies have created numerous lines of products, including clothing, puzzles, clothing accessories, board games, trading cards and even electronic versions of the game. The electronic game has even won several “Knights of the Round Table” awards and has been featured on numerous television shows including “Fantasy Island” and “The Simpsons”. If you are looking for a computer game that is similar to the ones created by Chris Cagle and Glasto, there are several different lines to choose from. However, before you buy one of these electronic boards, it is important to make sure that you are purchasing an exact replica of one of Cagle’s creations, as many companies duplicate products and pass them off as originals when they are not.
