Games and rules.

Why are games without rules no fun and basically no game at all.? Are there any games without rules? I could not find one.Even with a game like Patience,(no top fun)you get bored when you change the rules during the game and cheat on yourself.

You can run , jump , dance, swim in a playful way;call it 'play'; it's no game.

I once saw a bullterrier (not a pitbull), do this little game by himself. He ran the slanting sandstrip alongside the surf. On the highest crest of the strip he let go of his tennisball that slowly rolled down to the water and just before the water would touch it, he was there to pick it up. He did this over and over again.(Maybe he did not want get his nose wet, but still there was a basic game rule.)

I saw two sea otters in the tank of the Monterey aquarium.
A very slow current took the two, floating on their back, from one side to the other. When their feet touched the tankside they pushed themselves back against the weak current and reapeated the act.(over and over) If for some reason they did not arrive at the other side synchrone, the first one waited for the second and they synchronized their push-off. They had a rule.

Don't know about dolphins, but I suspect they have rules.

I think a game is only a game if you make agreements on how to proceed. You can change or bend the rules only if all players agree.There are many games that can be played in various ways, but when each player plays his own variation the game is down.
You can change rules all the time, but only on a consensus basis. Are there games without rules?