Tag Archives: #whatisagame

What is a Video Game? – It’s a Connection

Photo taken by Hatm0nstar

Earlier this month  we decided to take on the question of “What is a video game?” and challenged our fellows to do the same. At first I thought it was a difficult question to say the least. I mean how do you come up with a definition that actually reflects everything that games have become without first coming up with definitions for everything that makes up a game these days? What counts as gameplay? A goal? A story? Are they all needed for something to be a game? How many? And on it goes. Defining a game based on its components might not  be impossible, but it’s definitely a tall order (a very, very, tall order). Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that hard. In fact, defining what video games are doesn’t have to be hard at all. In order to define what a video game is, one need only look at what a video game does. Continue reading What is a Video Game? – It’s a Connection

What is a Video Game? A Conversation (with Myself)

Image by Flickr user Pure Geekery
Image by Flickr user Pure Geekery (CC)

As I ponder this question, (“What is a video game?“) my mind can’t help but go back and pose it to a teenage me. Me, around 1989, with Atari histories, Nintendo fancies, and PC realities. The conversation goes something like this.


2015: So, me from 1989, what is a video game?

1989: (thinks…stares contently) Any game that’s played on a screen.

2015: Alright, good start. Does it matter if you’re playing on your Nintendo or the computer?

1989: I guess not, though I tend to call games I play on the computer “computer games,” but I guess they’re the same. All played electronically.

2015: Okay. (pauses) So what about that typing tutor program your Mom bought. Is that a video game?

Continue reading What is a Video Game? A Conversation (with Myself)