JackFrost2012 said:Please tell me one party game or word game without competition? Even with something like Spin the Bottle, there are winners (those who kiss) and losers (those who sit the round out).
You also conveniently left off the next dozen competition-related definitions.
what about solitaire? No competition except with yourself and the luck of the cards.
Nintendogs (and Animal Crossing) seem similar. You can think you are helping to train/interact with the god and help it develop its personality and abilities. Whether you actually are or not is moot. You are deriving entertainment and enjoyment from the interaction.
If you want to be pedantic about it, lets not call it a game. But then you simply need a larger pigeon-hole called 'entertainment' which includes both games and 'whatever Nintendogs is'.
This argument just sounds like old schoolers trying to defend games. Much like some defend 2D or the NES.
I think a lot of its score may simply be down to a combination of the type of game, the portability aspect, and its accessiblity to other people than regular gamers?