Na na na Na na na Na na
Na na na Na na na Na na
Talkin’bout you and me, yeah
And the sports people play
No, this is not a new song that I wrote/heard. This is the incorrect version of Inner Circle’s Games people play. I’ve always been wondering what is the difference between games and sports, and after several discussion, arguments and a class in strategic decision analysis later I have the answer. So here it is…
The difference between a game and a sport is that in posrts there is not interaction between the players, and hence, because of this lack of interaction, one player cannot affect other player’s strategy by the way he or she plays the game. A game is played between two or more players, when they’re consciously (or sub-consciously) aware of the other player’s presence, and when the opponent’s strategies change the way they themselves approach the game.
To make the distinction clear, lets talk about some examples:
Soccer:Game
Why? Because the opponent team’s actions (or passes, kicks and movement) affect the way my team’s going to apporach the game.
Chess:Game
Do I really need to explain why chess is a game? I don’t think so.
Swimming:Sport
Now this is interesting. Now matter how the other swimmers swim/float, my game-winning strategy is to swim as fast as you can. And in the most basic of setting, I’m going to win 99% of times I swim faster than others (and of course not using PEDs).
Athletics:Sport
Same as the above unless we’re talking about a marathon or a long distance race where opponents can change lanes and everyone’s looking for the shortest route.
Na na na Na na na Na na
Na na na Na na na Na na
Talkin’bout you and me, yeah
And the games people play
I feel relieved now 
