Definition of Video Games

Core Definition

A video game is an interactive digital entertainment experience where a player manipulates electronic images on a display device through input controllers, governed by programmed rules, objectives, and feedback systems.

Essential Elements

• Interactivity: Player agency affects outcome.
• Digital Medium: Software executing on hardware (CPU/GPU).
• Visual Output: Raster/vector display (screen, HMD, projection).
• Rules & Goals: Explicit or implicit win/lose/progress conditions.
• Feedback Loop: Input → processing → sensory response (visual, audio, haptic).

Broader Lenses

• As Media: Narrative, aesthetic, cultural artifact (like film/literature).
• As Art: Expression via mechanics, systems, player agency (e.g., Journey, Papers, Please).
• As Technology: Driver of GPU, AI, networking, VR/AR innovation.
• As Social Space: Communities, economies, identity formation (MMOs, sandbox).

Boundary Cases

• Interactive fiction (text-based) — minimal graphics, still a video game.
• Visual novels — heavy narrative, limited mechanics; debated.
• Simulators (flight, surgery) — serious purpose, game structure.
• Gamified apps (Duolingo) — game elements, non-game core.

Ultimately, "video game" is a cluster concept — family resemblance, not necessary/sufficient conditions.