The term “video games” encapsulates a broad variety of interactive media.
The first video games invented by humans, in the 20th century, were very simple, with inputs of 4 directions and a general button and monochrome displays of very few pixels.
Today, video games can be enjoyed in a wide variety of formats. Many are played on general-purpose computers, whether through the basic keyboard/mouse/screen or through more advanced attachments. Games can also be played on phones, whether directly through the touch screen, connecting a controller, or interacting with projected holographic elements.
Some gaming systems exist as all-in-one headsets which display output into the user’s entire field of vision. Input to these devices can be through controllers, keyboards, real motion, or, in recent models, direct neural signals. The latter allows a new level of control within games, letting the user manipulate every aspect of their avatar as they do their own body.
Display output for headsets can exist as Augmented Reality (AR) onto the user’s own environment, a simple digital display, or, again in recent models, beaming visual information directly to the user’s optic nerves. The last option, however, is banned in some jurisdictions, due to the danger of “sucking in” the user, making them go hours without taking a break for food or to use the bathroom, or completely losing track of time. In all cases, such headsets are required to always display the current real time in the corner of the user’s vision, and alert them every so often to take a break.
Dedicated gaming systems may include a general-purpose AI core, which games can leverage to generate infinite content such as locations, NPCs, quests, and rewards. These are known colloquially as infini-games. However, many gamers dislike infini-games, preferring smaller, hand crafted experiences.
Esports, or playing video games competitively, is nearly as large as traditional sports. Competitions are viewed by millions, and take place on large stages where the competitor’s displays are mirrored onto stadium-sized screens for audience viewing. Neural-controlled game esports are a quickly emerging market, showing the skill between competitors who are not hampered by any control method, becoming a true display of mental skill.