"The Profession of IT: Computing is a Natural Science (Peter J. Denning - 元 ACM president)," ACM CACM Vol. 50, Issue 7 (July 2007). Information and computation are being discovered as fundamental processes in many field. Computing is an infinite game (open computations, games are seen as models for rules of interaction governing large complex adaptive systems that never terminate). Computing is the study of natural and artificial information processes.
The three main stages of computation were tools (1940s -, solving equations, cracking codes, analyzing data, etc), methods (1980s -, discovering new knowledge), and fundamental processes (2000s -). "Computation had become a third leg of science, joining the traditions of theory and experiment (computational science)." by Nobel Physics Laureate Ken Wilson. "Nature is written in the language of computation." Computing artifacts have become matters of style and culture (iPod, eBay, Wii, Google, Wikipedia, etc).
A principles framework for computing - Computation, Communication, Coordination (among networked entities), Recollection (storage and retrieval of information), Automation, Evaluation (performance prediction and capacity planning), and Design (building reliable software systems).
There is a trend in the computing field involving games. Business and military organizations are turning to virtual reality simulation games as effective training grounds for various skills. Evolving knowledge communities such as eBay, Google, iTunes, Wikipedia, Blogosphere, and Amazon.com have become the research laboratories for innovations, social networking, trust, influence, and power. The Web and Internet, both infinite games, are opening up new areas of science on account of computation ("Web science" - Tim Barners-Lee).