The definition of video game

[Benjamin Kuli]

(MODS: I'm not sure if it is the correct forum for such a thread, but if it is not, feel free to move it or delete it.)

Today we had a discussion with some of my acquaintances about the type of games we enjoy and the way we treat video games. On one hand, I usually play games to enjoy the story and/or to relax and have fun. On the other hand, these other people (almost all of them) were playing it for either achievements or competitive purpose. This made me realize how interesting this new medium is compared to everything else, as we don't even have a clear definition for it thanks to its interactivity and different uses. For some people, it is a medium to create art. For others, it is an (e-)sport. For others, it is just a thing used to waste time, nothing more, nothing else.

But what really *does* make a video game? How would you define it? And the most important: what do *you* want to get from a video game?

 

[Arisa]

I feel a video game is a distraction, though a break from reality. What is usually desired from a game is an enjoyable time playing it, but I'm looking for a decent story, good mechanics and a good ending.

 

[Poryg]

A game offers some features, it is only up to you how you exploit these features. I'm an achievement hunter too, but if a game is boring to me, I won't waste any more time than I need. So for me the game has to bring me well wasted time if I say it like this... I feel that what *does* make a video game is a badly asked question though.

 

[KayZaman]

My mission of the video game is to beat the game.

@Benjamin Kuli You know what players get when they finish the game? 'Credits'. Those names of staffs and developers plus publishers listed rolling from down to up who we never recognize them unless they're popular people like Hideo Kojima, Tetsuya Nomura, Hans Zimmer, Mick Gordon, Justin Roiland, etc. But I should thank them for their awesome games.

 

[Benjamin Kuli]

A game offers some features, it is only up to you how you exploit these features. I'm an achievement hunter too, but if a game is boring to me, I won't waste any more time than I need. So for me the game has to bring me well wasted time if I say it like this... I feel that what *does* make a video game is a badly asked question though.

This question obviously has two parts: one that defines the word objectively, and one that defines it subjectively. As the way how the medium works (pure interactivity), I think answering it subjectively is more than fine if we want to define it. In other words: we probably will be able to tell what we *enjoy* in the game, and not what the medium actually is.

 

[Poryg]

In that case I have to mention two things that make a video game for me.
One is challenge. A game shouldn't be too hard, but not too easy. And the game shouldn't have a crackable system, meaning it should be challenging even if you understand the game mechanics.
Second one is impact. Whether it is a desire to play a game longer, to play it again, to explore for info or trivia about it or join a community around it, the will to crack its' mechanics or just deeply influencing my mood... This is a game that I can appreciate.
And there is also one hidden thing... I must want to return to that game someday.

 

[Wavelength]

As far as "what do players want to get out of a game", the MDA Framework is extremely useful for clarifying why people play games and how people enjoy games. The "A" stands for Aesthetics and those are the end goals of game design that are the ways that people can derive enjoyment and value out of the things they play.

For me, personally, Fantasy, Expression, and Fellowship are probably the Aesthetics that captivate me the most. Competition and Expertise (what I might call "game as judge of self-worth") are other things that mean a lot to me when I play games, and I'm not necessarily sure what Aesthetics they fall under.

As far as "what is a video game", I think the answer is very simple (but also fairly vague). It's any computerized game, where a "game" is an interactive activity with a set of rules and a clear goal. (I suppose this excludes "games" like Electroplankton or Mario Paint from the definition, and I'm comfortable with that. I feel those are very fun computerized tools, not games. FL Studio isn't a game, either.)

 

[Gallia]

I feel a video game is a distraction, though a break from reality. What is usually desired from a game is an enjoyable time playing it, but I'm looking for a decent story, good mechanics and a good ending.

And thats the truth.

 

[DestinyBattle]

Fun.

 

[Matseb2611]

I'd say a medium of digital entertainment designed to provide some degree of fun, where user input and interactivity is required in some way or form.

 

[BoredSoul]

a game
that you can play
digitally
^ probably the standard definition

 

[trouble time]

A digital game? Digital is easy to define, I don't think game is as easy to define. I'd say that perhaps a game needs to delineate between success and failure, but then I'd have to say minecraft is a game then suddenly isn't a game in creative mode. I'll have to think more on this.

 

[Ebontope]

What makes a video game? It has to be fun, it has to be digital, but most importantly it has to be interactive and actively require your input. Otherwise, you're just watching a movie.