Win and lose states
Also said as End conditions, Game over, Fail state
The conditions that end the game, for better or worse: the flag is reached, the health runs out. Some games have one, both or neither.
They decide what kind of question the game is asking. Only a lose state asks how long you can last, only a win state asks how soon you will get there, and both together give every moment something at stake.
Say it
“Win is reaching the exit. Lose is the timer hitting zero. Falling down a pit is neither: it just costs you ten seconds.”
Where you’ve seen it
Classic Tetris has a lose state and no real win: the stack rises until it reaches the top. Animal Crossing has neither, and you simply live there.
Not to be confused with goal
A goal is what you are trying to do. A win state is the exact check the game runs to say that you did it.