People always seem to demand choice and customization when it comes to their games. They often say that “they wanna be able to do almost anything”. Ah, the mark of a non-gamer. Ok, alright, a lot of “real” gamers also want a large number of choices, but they often have an idea about what’s realistically attainable in a game’s programming and hardware platform. The “do anything” notion for a game, however, really means you want a toy, not a game.

What’s the difference? An actual game must have some goal in mind, no matter what it is. Take for example The Legend of Zelda. In terms of controlling Link, and even in having a world to interact with, you are being given a toy. It is only by the course of the story events and the obvious goal of defeating Ganon that you are actually given a game; otherwise, it would be a sandbox title. Of course, that’s not all that makes a game. The Myst series throws you into a world with no explanation and lays a lot out in front of you-a world to explore and obstacles to be reasoned through. However, you can only reach certain parts of the game by surpassing certain thresholds, as in the case of entrance puzzles to gain access to the other worlds in Myst. So, in addition to story elements, sometimes the structure of a game is determined by the barriers that someone is presented with. In a sense, you could think about the plot as a set of barriers as well-a channel that helps determine where you can go and what you can do at any given time.

It is possible for someone to pick up a toy and devise something they want to do with it, thus making it into an instrument for their own game. However, in order to put in the storyline and dialogue and everything else we want in terms of the standard game, there has to be some structure to the flow of play-and where does that structuring lead, but to an ultimate culmination of some sort?

Sandbox titles more or less allow you to do anything you want, but often feel somewhat soulless and bland. There are very few of these sorts of “games” on the market, and with good reason-they don’t provide any value beyond what one can do in the game. No good story, characters, dialogue, events, sense of accomplishment or challenge. So before anyone starts to say that they want to have every choice in the world in the form of a non-game electronic toy, remember that without form, there’s no container for meaning. Of course, who knows… virtual toys might gain huge momentum someday, especially with some sort of VR technology accompanying them.

Game... or virtual toy? In this case, a fair helping of both