# Erislover's witnessing thread

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erislovers-witnessing-thread/78865>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [August 30, 2001, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erislovers-witnessing-thread/78865 "2001-08-30T02:27:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Alex\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Alex\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_B)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erislovers-witnessing-thread/78865/61 "2001-09-05T21:11:54Z")

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**erislover** , my earlier point was that there is nothing that uniquely defines games. If your only definition of game is something that is done by certain rules for a certian goal, your definition is pretty much empty. I don’t see how you can define any activity without there being

1. Something you achieve (or fail to); and

2. Things you do to get there.

> [@](#):
>
> As you may have noted, I personally couldn’t think of an activity that wasn’t gamelike;

Equally, I can’t think of an activity that isn’t art-like, if that’s your game. Think about it: come up with a loose enough definition of art and any activity can be lumped under that banner. Therefore life should be approached as if it’s a work of art? No doubt some would agree with that conclusion, though not because of my straw argument. Now I’m on the subject, I can think of lots of things that everything is like if you’re going to play that fast and loose.

How exactly is life game-like? It has rules? That’s hardly an earth-shattering revelation. No offence, but I just can’t see what the insight is you’re offering here.

Alex

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**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erislovers-witnessing-thread/78865/62 "2001-09-05T22:51:09Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Alex B \*  
> I don’t see how you can define any activity without there being
> 
> 1. Something you achieve (or fail to); and
> 2. Things you do to get there.

Which is why I say everything is a game; really, I’m not loosening the definition any.

> [@](#):
>
> Equally, I can’t think of an activity that isn’t art-like, if that’s your game.

Heh. I’d be interested in hearing you try to develop that if you think you can. Perhaps if we were all living in a movie… but movies, if nothing, exhibit inconsistencies. Why don’t the laws of physics seem to do that? As well, art has no rules…

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**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\
**Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erislovers-witnessing-thread/78865/63 "2001-09-06T04:11:39Z")

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And I was just about to say something…anything! ☹

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