In the game?: an everyday analysis

What do we mean when we use the term 'the game' in analysis? What is diluted by this all-encompassing phrase, what is devoured entirely? Playing Naughty Dog's The Last Of Us, I shift uncomfortably in my seat as sunlight obtrusively peppers the entire 42 inches of television screen. The Playstation 3 controller, after years of familiarity, lies transparent in my grip. I direct my avatar, incognito, through an abandoned University populated by the undead.