Refers to the imitation of the real world by games, or the imitation of in-game behaviours by players outside the game world. The two definitions, owing to video games’ interactive nature, overlap and intertwine so much as to make separating the ideas difficult. It is still very much up for debate how much influence games have over a player’s mind in the short and long term, but there are demonstrable connections.

“A wonderful kind of mimesis happens when a child manages to use the creativity discovered in building games like LEGO Worlds to experiment further with physical toys.”