Technically a game is an app ( app stands for application ) even if you don't "experience" it like that.

"Video Games in the gaming community are called games or more technically software."

Apps are software, you kinda contradicted yourself there. It's all software. No one in the gaming community refers to games as "software". Microsoft Office is also software.

@ChickeyCantor

Actually that isn't correct, technically an application by definition is program or piece of software that would be written within a video game, using a computer or something of the sort to display the image. So it actually is a separate thing.

An application by definition is not a video game. He is right in every sense that it is mainly just a buzzword created by smartphone and tablet users but also in a sense for smartphones and tablets, they generally are by definition just applications. As most the video games on phones are still just video games but people call them apps anyway. An application is something that can be manipulated by the actual end user to get a desired effect out of their hardware, video games don't necessarily do that, as the developers are the ones using the applications and software needed to get that desired usage and the end user is just left with a video game.

In an easier way to understand, think of applications/software like Garage Band on iPhone. That by definition is an application as the end user is able to do whatever they please with it to achieve the results they want out of it.

People can't just put in a game and start editing the software written within it, so it is different and if they could then you could go ahead and call them apps. A mod for video games on PC would be an application or software used to achieve that result but in a consoles sense since they are more restricting in that freedom, calling consoles games apps, that is even more far off.

Hence why the word application and video game are two different words, also no where will you find in the definition of the word video game, it says anything about it being software or an application. Because in order for a video game to work it has to use an already written program, app or piece of software whatever you want to call it to display that image, giving you what is called a video game.

Or another example on PC would be something like Photoshop, that is an application. A game on a PC, again is a video game.

@afterthought,

Application:
" a program or piece of software designed to fulfil a particular purpose."

It doesn't matter who made up what. Definitions don't change like that.

"People can't just put in a game and start editing the software written within it"

Completely irrelevant. Because you can actually change finite data within a game ( such as your name and high-score, path branching, etc). Do we actually touch the games software itself? No. You don't edit the software within Photoshop, do you? What was your point?

"A mod for video games on PC would be an application "

No the application would still be the game itself. The mod is an extension to that application. The mod on its own does nothing. It is however definitely software. Applications have purpose, in this case entertainment. An engine on its own is an application to build games on top of it. The engine on it's own would not have any significance outside of the development of a game. That does not mean the game itself is not an application.

"it says anything about it being software or an application. "

Are you seriously claiming it's not software? Oh Lawd.

"A game on a PC, again is a video game."

It's still an application. No matter what you think of buzzwords. The term application regarding computing has existed way before mobile snobs called everything an app.