Games are a unique aspect of the human condition.

Science has shown that there are other animals on this planet that ‘play’, but the organization of ‘games’ is, as far as I know, a strictly human thing.  And it is a wonder of our wondrous world.

Games take on an incredible and wide range of forms.  Board games like Monopoly and Scrabble or such; card games like Go Fish, Poker, Blackjack and so on; roleplaying games like Pathfinder, Dungeons and Dragons and the like; yard games like badminton and horseshoes and lawn darts; video games like Super Mario Brothers and the Final Fantasy Series; online multiplayer games like World of Warcraft; no matter how you play or the game you prefer, games are a part of almost everyone’s life.

For some people making the mundane into a game is how they cope with unpleasant or difficult topics.  Whether it is memory games for math and spelling in school or name games to help remember who people are, games are a part of life.

We use the term “games” in a lot of different ways, some good, some bad.  We play games to relax and have fun and friendly competition among friends.  But playing games in the context of relationships or business can be unfriendly, malicious and ultimately bad.

Games can be both grand and small.  Golf, for example.  You can play nine holes or eighteen holes, or skip the long game and go straight to miniature golf.  But the game of golf has many levels, from the rankest of amateurs to highly paid professionals.

Games factor into numerous songs and stories, from Peter Gabriel’s Games without Frontiers to Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.  Games can be found with every class of person, in almost every echelon of society.

Games can be skill and chance, nuance and supposition, tactics or strategies.  Games can be quick, or can take days or longer.  Games can involve little to no physical activity, to running over long distances or across woodlands.  Games can be a distraction, or a focus to help improve mental capacity.

No matter what games you choose to play, games are an undeniable wonder of this wondrous world.

I am MJ Blehart, “Wednesday’s Wondrous World” author.  Every week I share a magical wonder of this amazing world, and I hope you will enjoy the journey with me!

Check out my blog, The Ramblings of a Titanium Don, for more of my work.

Also now available, Pathwalking: A 21st Century Philosophy in Book and Kindle form!