How do I define a game?(Mike Demarest)

Well I never really looked into a personal definition of a game before, I like many other people in this world always felt like I recognized a game when I played it. However, after playing several of the games presented in this class I think I do need to find a personal definition of a game so that I can truly understand when I am playing a game, and when I am just fooling around with another activity to fill the time of my day. Now when looking into defining a game I have come upon a few things that all game must have to be considered a game.
First, a game must have an objective. While links that Kim has given us such as Endora's dream, Mr. Picassohead, and Opniyama are fun and a great way to kill time, but they have no goal or objective for the player. Therefore no matter how long, hard, or involved a person is with these activities they will never gain an achievement(s). I personally like Greg Costikyan definition in I Have No Words & I Must Design by "A game is a form of art in which participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in the pursuit of a goal." and David Parlett "It is a contest to achieve an objective “I agree with these definition that the player(s) and or participant(s) must have a goal to achieve. The goal doesn't have to be stated, but it must be understandable for the player(s) and or participant(s). Without a goal a game is long and pointless, similar to other unpopular activities including homework and studying.
Second, a game has a set of rules that is apparent to the player. These rules do not need to be stated but they must be understandable to the player. The player(s) and or Participate(s) must follow or abide by the rules to achieve the goal presented to them. If their were no rules the player would not be able to achieve the goal at hand. David Parlett states rules as "an agreed set of equipment and of procedural (rules) by which the equipment is manipulated to produce a winning situation." An activity can have rules such as Endora's dream, Mr. Picassohead, and Opniyama but they have no goal so therefore they are not games. This may confuse some people because they assume that an activity is a game if it has a set of rules, but without all the components of a game, an activity remains an activity.
Finally, an activity must have a third component of interaction to be a complete game. If their is no interaction it is just more of a viewing than a game. A player(s) and or participate(s) can’t really be involved unless their is interaction between they and the game. The interaction should be based off of the goal that is at hand and the rules that are setup to achieve that goal. Without interaction a player or participate is limited in their actions and their fore is limited in the result or their actions. The player is limited by the actions he can partake in and therefore winning and losing are not options to the player. Greg Costikyan definition can be seen again here with "A game is a form of art in which participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in the pursuit of a goal." The decisions are interactions that the player is making with the game. Elliot Avedon and Brian Sutton-Smith define it as "exercise of control systems: game involves some form of physical or intellectual activity." I see this activity as interactions and decisions that alter the outcome of the game.
Now I am not the best at defining things and I might be completely wrong so please don't get angry or upset at my definition of a game. This definition is mine and mine alone. Feel free to critique it or compare it to your own, but this is my definition so it can't be wrong, because it is made of personal opinions.