What distinguishes the Airbus-Sidestick from an ordinary gaming joystick?
First of all, I'd like to make clear that I highly respect Airbus cockpit design and implementation of envelope protection.

Now to the question. The Airbus side stick is a lot stronger than a game joystick and very reliable, but is functionality-wise the same as a gaming joystick, just a stick loaded by a passive spring force sending back position signals. It had to be that way in the 90s when the sticks were designed, although we were already running digital force loops in real time @ 5000 Hz on a Motorola 68020, and had the technology to couple two sticks in software. Did it for Mercedes and for quite a few simulators, but sadly not for Airbus.

So how it could for instance be implemented for the A320 side stick: program the passive forces that are there now for normal operation but always couple the sticks, program a stick pusher for when in alternate law and stalling, and leave the current override button solution in for when the Control Loading System fails. We were part of an aircraft company then and making the system airworthy would not have been a problem.