How do you define what a "video game" really is?

[Skylar1]

Back in the day, things were simpler. Games were planned and created> came out on console/PC> people played.

nowadays, it's becoming more difficult to define given that there are more resources available to your average joe to make a flash game. How do these stack up against the more "traditional" standard model of what a video game is.

I highly doubt that we can give the same status to a phone app as we can to epic timeless titles. We need to come up with a lot more terminology if we are to differentiate between this huge influx of all this software.

How do you you think we should change/add terms/definitions to better organize all this extra stuff? Because if we don't, I fear that the larger titles that require far more time planning development and money to create and produce may get knocked out if all "games" are lumped together.

[GameGeeks]

I've always just tossed things like flash games and phone games (minus things like pacman which is technically a port) as mini games. Something you play for five minutes her or there and then stop. Though some phone apps like Plants vs Zombies really pushes the envelope. And new terminology isn't really needed. When you say flash game people know what you mean. And games on the phone are already referred to as apps.