This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games.

Normally, there are at least two players in a game, but one-player games exist and are collectively known as solitary games (such as the Solitaire card game and many video games).

[edit] Players in competition

In most games, one player (or team) is declared the winner, the player who performed the best. Some multi-player games can have multiple winners, but in Western societies, one player (or team) is normally considered to be the "1st place", or best, among them, and ensure the existence of tie-breaking structures to ensure a singular "1st place". This is not true universally; for example, in Japan ties are considered to be wins for both sides. Some games use multiple means of scoring or determining the conditions of victory; in these games, it may be possible for two or more players or teams to simultaneously win, which, depending on the game, may be counted as wins for both or simply a tie.

[edit] See also

• Agent (economics)
• Gamer