What Defines a Video Game? Interactive Digital Entertainment Explained

A video game is an interactive digital experience defined by five core pillars:

1. Player Agency: Meaningful input alters the system state.
2. Rules & Goals: Explicit or implicit objectives, constraints, win/lose/progress conditions.
3. Feedback Loops: Audio, visual, or haptic response to actions.
4. Computational Medium: Runs on hardware (console, PC, mobile, arcade, VR).
5. Voluntary Participation: Entered willingly for entertainment, learning, competition, or art.

Boundary Cases

Walking simulators (low challenge), idle games (low input), educational software (primary goal learning) — debate continues as the medium evolves.

Key Distinction: Unlike linear media (film, book), games require performance from the participant.