Glossary of Game Terms
Published by wlsonheim on Thursday, January 22, 2026
This is a glossary of game terms I have come across, and generally what I mean by them. This list is by no means complete, and I will likely be very inconsistent with them.
Gamestate — The status a game is in as a result of in-game action. In Chess, for instance, the gamestate is altered by making a move.
Participants — Anyone who participates in the game activity. (Includes referee or GM/DM, as well as anyone else component to a game)
Players — Anyone playing a game. Smaller than Participants, but still fairly broad. In many situations Players excludes the referee, though this isn’t always the case.
Rules — Conventions which govern, regulate, or define play in games.
Ruleset — Like Rules, but more concrete. Often Ruleset refers to a specific written set of well-defined rules, although it could be unwritten. The Ruleset is the entirety of what you might email to someone if they ask what the rules are.
Scenario —
Situation — A state of affairs constitution a gamestate which offers game participants interesting choices.
