Life (video games)

Not to be confused with Health (game terminology).
A generic character has a total of three lives, indicated as light-blue orbs. The character has currently lost 3.5 out of 11 health points – losing all would cost a life.

In video games, a life is a play-turn that a player character has, defined as the period between start and end of play.[1] Lives refer to a finite number of tries before the game ends with a game over.[2] Sometimes the euphemisms chance, try, rest and continue are used, particularly in all-ages games, to avoid the morbid insinuation of losing one's "life".[3] Generally, if the player loses all their health, they lose a life. Losing all lives usually grants the player character "game over", forcing them to either restart or stop playing.

The number of lives a player is granted varies per game type. A finite number of lives became a common feature in arcade games and action games during the 1980s, and mechanics such as checkpoints and power-ups made the managing of lives a more strategic experience for players over time. Lives give novice players more chances to learn the mechanics of a video game, while allowing more advanced players to take more risks.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Power Play was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rouse was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Chance". Next Generation. No. 15. Imagine Media. March 1996. p. 31.