Abstract A compact representation for non-transferable utility games founding on answer set programming is proposed. The representation is fully expressive, in that it can capture all games defined over a finite set of alternatives. Moreover, due to the knowledge representation capabilities of answer set programs, it can easily accommodate the definition of games within a wide range of application domains, ranging from scheduling, to routing and planning, just to name a few. The computational complexity of the proposed framework is studied, in particular, by focusing on the core as the prototypical solution concept. A system supporting the basic reasoning tasks arising therein is also made available, and results of experimental activity are discussed.