Lives (Concept)

Lives

CONCEPT

The concept of lives in video games evolved to let the player get a second chance after failing once. The most recognizable symbol is the heart.

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Overview

Lives are a form of limitation on the number of times that a player is allowed to retry a section of a game before being forced to restart. Each time the player character dies or otherwise fails a mandatory objective, a life is taken from the player's stock. Depending on the game, running out of lives will either result in a Game Over (Concept), forcing the player to either start over from a save point or from scratch. In games that offer continues, the player will be given the option of using a continue upon running out of lives. Doing so allows the player to continue playing the game from a set point with the default number of lives, but only as long as the player has continues to spend. In many games, it is possible to increase the number of lives a player has in stock by collecting extra lives that typically take the form of 1-Ups. In coin-operated games, players may increase the number of lives that they have in stock by paying the requisite amount of money for an extra credit.

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