Caillois’ Terminology - Categorising Games

Play is a word that holds many different meanings, Caillois attempts to put these into categories in his book "Man, Play and Games" and here I will post both a description of each category with examples and my thoughts on them.
It should be known that Caillois also sorted game into two larger categories, Ludus and Paidia, which refer to how and why the game is played. Most games played by adults fall into the Ludus category, these are games with set rules and regulations. Paidia, however, describes what children do when they play; children playing is spontaneous and changeable, there are no rules or restrictions governing what they do they simply 'have fun'. Within both of these categories are the four sub-categories previously mentioned, although the type of game is changed by whether they fall into the category of Ludus or Paidia.

First comes Agon - which is essentially competition. Ludus examples of Agon that include sports (football, tennis, rugby, etc), most board games (monopoly, ludo, risk, etc) and a large quantity of online gaming (Call of Duty, Battlefield, Starcraft, etc). Paidia examples of Agon are harder to find as the meaning of Agon is competition and when you compete against someone there are almost always rules. However, an example of Agon that would fit into the category of Paidia is something along the lines of when two children play with sticks pretending they are swords, there are no rules governing the play they are simply play-fighting. Pay-fighting is, probably, the best example of Paidia Agon.
Agon appeals to the competitive side of humanity, the primal need to prove yourself better than others of your species; the primal urge that exists within us to assure only the strongest genes survive.

Second is Alea or games of chance. Ludus examples include card games such as poker and role-playing games where the player must role dice to pass various 'checks' and progress with the game. Paidia examples would be slot machines or Russian roulette, no real rules or complexity, simply chance.

Third in the list is Mimicry, simulation. A Ludus example would be, as may seem obvious, simulation games where the player simulates various situations. Mimicry is one category that fits into Paidia better than Ludus, children's games of imagination, such as 'playing house' or 'cops and robbers', where children take on certain roles and act out scenarios. These don't have any rules, it's simply having fun using one's imagination.

Finally we come to Ilinx, pertaining to vertigo in games. Ilinx is, perhaps, the catagory that is hardest to explain simply, it is not limited to the nauseating sensation one may feel when looking down from a height but also encompasses experiences that cause a physical sensation. For example, the vertigo felt when spinning, watching a high speed car chase or the reckless abandon of mindless destruction in some games.
Unlike the first two categories a Ludus example of Ilinx playing is hard to find, however we can find examples in racing games and games such as the 'Grand Theft Auto' series where players can cause as much destruction as they like without having to worry about real world repercussions.
Paidia examples of Ilinx, however, are much easier to find. If we look at children playing we will often see Ilinx: spinning in a circle then stopping abruptly, building the highest tower of blocks possible before knocking it over... These simple joys sum up Ilinx and are inherent in simple play.