Games can only be created by the administrator. When a game is created, its name, editor, and prompt are specified. The state of the game follows a simple state machine:
* When a game is initialized, the `turn.current` setting is null. As long as the current turn of a lexicon is null, it is considered to be in a **pre-game** state. In this state, all settings can be changed by the editor. Once the editor enables `join.open`, players can join. While the game is in the pre-game state, players can create characters.
* When the editor begins the game, `turn.current` is set to `turn.start`. Both of these settings are locked. Once `turn.current` is non-null, the game has entered the **ongoing** state. Character creation is no longer available. Players will be given access to the editor, and they can begin writing and submitting articles. While the game is in this state, it transitions from each turn to the next turn, incrementing `turn.current`. The turn-by-turn state machine is covered just below.
* When `turn.current` exceeds `turn.max`. the lexicon is **completed**. Players are unable to further affect the lexicon.
### Article workflow
The article writing workflow proceeds through the following states: