Caillois’s Terminology

Caillois names and defines four categories of games: agôn , alea, mimicry, and Ilinx. Finally he explains the differences between paidia and ludus.


Paidia


 “physical or mental activity which has no immediate useful objective, nor defined objective, and whose only reason to be is based in the pleasure experienced by the player”. A simple game of catch is a perfect example of this, because although players can implement their own 'rules', such as 'the person who drops the ball loses', the basic concept behind it has no limitations.




Ludus


“activity organised under a system of rules that defines a victory or a defeat, a gain or a loss”, a good example of this would be chess, where the only way to win is to follow a large list of set rules and mechanics.




Agôn - Competition


Games with elements of compeition in them could be referred to as Agôn, these games include genres any fighting games such as Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, as it pins two players against eachother.




Alea - Chance / Randomness


Games which have elements of chance in them could be reffered to as Alea, these games include most board games and a lot of puzzle games such as slot machines because the outcome is always random.




Mimicry - Simulation games


Simulation games can be referred to as Mimicry, as they mimic real-life events and situations. Simulation is an extremely broad genre because it includes typhoon games where you run your own businesses / armies, but also any game which involves an element of roleplay. Games like Roller Coaster Tycoon and Age of Empires would fit into the description nicely.




Llinx - Movement


These games have a large emphasis on how you move during the game. Genres such as platforming games or free-roaming games fit into the definition of llinx, as you move around in certain ways to get to the finish. Just Cause 2 and Super Mario Bros. are good examples of this as they require skill in terms of movement to complete them.