Which statement about games is true?

Which statement about games is true?

• A. They are simply harmless social exchanges.
• B. In a first-degree game someone gets seriously hurt.
• C. They always lead to immediate insight.
• D. They prevent true intimacy.

Answer: (B)

Games in interpersonal interactions are patterns with hidden motives and a built-in payoff, often emotional in nature. In the simplest, first-degree form, the structure leads to an immediate emotional hurt for someone involved, which is a hallmark of these exchanges. That is why this statement is the best fit: it captures the typical consequence of a basic game—hurt that arises directly from the interaction’s hidden purpose. The other ideas miss the essence: these aren’t merely harmless social exchanges, they don’t guarantee instant insight, and while they can undermine intimacy, the most precise point here is the hurt that occurs in the straightforward case.

Games in interpersonal interactions are patterns with hidden motives and a built-in payoff, often emotional in nature. In the simplest, first-degree form, the structure leads to an immediate emotional hurt for someone involved, which is a hallmark of these exchanges. That is why this statement is the best fit: it captures the typical consequence of a basic game—hurt that arises directly from the interaction’s hidden purpose. The other ideas miss the essence: these aren’t merely harmless social exchanges, they don’t guarantee instant insight, and while they can undermine intimacy, the most precise point here is the hurt that occurs in the straightforward case.