There's probably a spectrum between "problems people pay to solve" and "Wagnerian total art." On the one end, something like Wordle or the crossword puzzle; explicitly puzzle games. On the other end, something like Mass Effect 1; loosely structured, narrative-driven, and wildly associative games with participatory, aesthetic, and musical elements.
And, of course, we're talking solely of computer games. Sports that people play in real life are "problems of motion through space," but they're quite different in how they're approached and in the sort of person they attract.
There's probably a spectrum between "problems people pay to solve" and "Wagnerian total art." On the one end, something like Wordle or the crossword puzzle; explicitly puzzle games. On the other end, something like Mass Effect 1; loosely structured, narrative-driven, and wildly associative games with participatory, aesthetic, and musical elements.
And, of course, we're talking solely of computer games. Sports that people play in real life are "problems of motion through space," but they're quite different in how they're approached and in the sort of person they attract.