What explains the great fascination that some computer games exert on their players? To answer this question, the study develops a model for the audience success of digital games, taking into account acquisition, selection, player experience, and word-of-mouth. The author uses the theory of subjective quality selection as an explanatory approach. In a mixed-methods design, she investigates whether the dimensions of audience success can be explained by players positively assessing certain characteristics of the games. The results show that especially those games find great appeal that offer players an atmospheric world inhabited by strong characters and that respond comprehensively to the players' actions.