[Daedalus]

Originally Posted by NLS

Guys "sandbox" is a game where you do whatever you want (within the scope of the game), whenever you want, allowing the reshape of the virtual world you are in (where "shape" can mean virtual economy or whatever, not actually shaping a game graphic-wise). If there is a story, then this is either not enforced OR at least the game turns to sandbox after you finish it.
Very few of the games mentioned above, satisfy this.

Is this an official definition, or your own personal interpretation?

Populous for example could be this (great game anyway), if there is a mode to play (I don't remember and I doubt there is such mode), where there is no story, just land generated, people generated and you to... torture them at will and with no story end.

Pretty sure that's not the case (unfortunately).

Elite is not like that (and love Elite and was Elite rank in C64 originally and now in ED), because it is huge and "open world", but you don't "shape" anything than yourself (you don't affect the economies of systems, the balance of power, thargoids, whatever).

But, it is an open-world game, and in the definition quoted by Epo above:

A sandbox game is also known as an open-world or free-roaming game.

Either way, even if Elite doesn't qualify by some measure or some opinions, economies etc. can be somewhat influenced in Frontier (which, for me was a far more engrossing "world" than Elite's).

Edit: Just to add, that sandboxing in a more general term, refers to isolation of influence, not widening. Theme Park, for example, has Sandbox mode in which the player is isolated from the larger influences of the economy, competition etc., and is free to do what they want without worrying about such things. So, by switching *to* sandbox mode, you actually remove some of the gameplay elements you believe are required for sandbox play. SimAnt has a similar sandbox mode that isolates the player's activities from the wider world. And think of sandboxed applications, free to do whatever they want within their strictly limited arena with no scope for influence outside that.

Playing in a sandbox essentially means doing whatever you want (the open world element), without requiring consideration or allowances for anything outside the play area.