Gaming is a global phenomenon, with billions of dollars invested in the industry. Games are played on a variety of platforms, including video game consoles, computers and mobile devices. They come in all shapes and sizes, from the casual games of Candy Crush and Bejeweled to massively multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) titles like World of Warcraft. Some are simple, requiring players to hit a ball or reach a finish line; others present an immersive world where they must interact with multiple characters, battle gnarly monsters and solve puzzles in order to progress.

A key feature of any game is the set of rules that dictate how the game is played. These are often called the “meta-rules” and they govern how games work, such as time-keeping systems, player rights and responsibilities, scoring techniques, preset boundaries and each player’s goals. Some games also have a set of tools or elements that define them, such as baseballs or dice.

While there are many different types of games, most share the same core features. There are a few main categories of games:

Role-playing games

RPGs have been around since the first game, Dungeons and Dragons, was released in 1974. These games put players in the shoes of a hero and ask them to take on world-beating odds. Players meet lots of cool characters, gain new skills and abilities and fight gnarly monsters.

Casual games

Most of us are familiar with casual games, like Tetris, Candy Crush and Bejeweled. These games offer a relaxing way to pass the time and challenge players to find patterns in chaos, creating order from randomness. They are also fun and addictive.

The most popular of these games are mobile apps, which are available on almost every platform. These games are easy to pick up and play, often requiring just a single touch to activate. In addition to being fun, these games help develop hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills. They can even improve a player’s ability to multitask.

Many people are worried about the negative impact of gaming on their eyesight. They believe that staring at a screen all day will lead to eye problems, but a recent study has shown that this is not the case. The research involved 18 gamers and 18 non-gamers. Both groups were asked to follow green dots on a computer screen, but the gamers were able to do so with more speed and accuracy than the non-gamers. The researchers believe that this is because gamers have a greater ability to learn sensorimotor patterns and movements, which they may then use in the real world. This is why it is important to take regular breaks and to avoid staring at screens for long periods of time. However, if you do spend a lot of time playing games, make sure you use a good quality monitor and adjust it to your eyesight. This will help to prevent headaches and eye strain. Also, be careful not to hold the game too close to your face.