When someone says they’re playing a game, you might think of a violent video game about war or the kind of puzzles like Tetris that are popular on mobile devices. But games are a lot more than just entertainment. They’ve been shown to improve health, help people learn new skills and even make real-world connections with other people. And the genre is expanding, with virtual reality games and other immersive experiences bringing players into other worlds.

Unlike toys, which allow unrestricted play, games have defined rules that are designed to provide entertainment and achievement. They can be played alone or in teams and may have an audience of non-players, such as spectators at a chess championship. They can be electronic, like video games and board games or physical, such as sports and mind games. They can be played by amateurs or professionals and can be geared toward education, such as the pedagogy of management.

There’s been a lot of debate about what qualifies as a “game,” with some academics trying to overlay literary and film theory on a medium that was created in the digital age. Other scholars are taking a more pragmatic approach, focusing on what it takes to make a game. The guiding principle is that games must be interactive and offer a level of player agency that isn’t available in other media.

As it turns out, that’s exactly what makes games so fun to play. Whether it’s a virtual reality game that allows you to walk around the inside of an ancient pyramid, or a first-person shooter that puts you into a simulation of a war zone, the best games are immersive and engaging. They take you out of your everyday life and into a world full of new possibilities, challenges and rewards.

Many people have argued that games have no value outside of the context in which they are played, and are just entertainment. Others have argued that they’re valuable because they can be used as educational tools, for example to teach children how to use computers. And it’s true that games can help to develop social skills, as demonstrated by a study where participants who played a virtual multiplayer game together performed better on tests of teamwork and collaboration than those who didn’t.

Studies have also suggested that playing video games can increase cognitive function and improve memory, which is why so many people play them. In addition, the activity can improve physical health by encouraging users to stay active and preventing them from becoming too sedentary. This is especially true of VR and other physically-active games, which will often have you on your feet instead of just sitting. Some researchers have even found that playing games can boost your mental health and reduce stress, as well as increase your attention span and ability to multitask. This is because gaming encourages the brain to work in new ways, which helps with creativity and problem-solving.