Will my ability to play games be significantly affected compared to Windows?

Depends on the game. In general no, unless it has kernel anticheat, which Linux will not allow because that’s a glaring security risk.

Can I mod games as freely and as easily as I do on Windows?

Yes.

If a program has no Linux version, is it unusable, or are there workarounds?

Most Windows software can be run on Linux using Wine. But there are advantages to using Linux-specific alternatives - they are often lighter and faster.

How do OS updates work in Linux? Is there a “Linux Update” program like what Windows has?

Yes, each distribution has its own update tool. They also install and update software (like in Android, where Google Play installs and updates all apps and not just the OS). No need to download exe files from random websites.

How does digital security work on Linux? Is it more vulnerable due to being open source? Is there integrated antivirus software, or will I have to source that myself?

Linux is generally much more secure than Windows, because it is open-source. Most internet servers and supercomputers use Linux partly because of its security.

Are GPU drivers reliable on Linux?

Nvidia is notoriously bad but getting better. AMD is good.

Can Linux (in the case of a misconfiguration or serious failure) potentially damage hardware?

No.

And also, what distro might be best for me?

Linux Mint. It is stable, reasonably up to date and does not make confusing changes every update. It also tends to work on most systems.

Short answer: off

Long answer: If you won’t use your system for gaming (or anything requiring third-party drivers) and trust Microsoft to not fuck up and will also encrypt your disc, then Secure Boot makes you safer. Otherwise it just causes trouble.

I don’t think that’s the meaning OP is going for. In philosophy, idealism is the position that ideas exist independently of materials, or even that ideas are the true reality and the material world is either false or just a reflection of it. Many religions argue for some form of idealism.

Materialism, in contrast, is the idea that the material world is the primary one, and that ideas are at best descriptions of materials. Marxists and physical scientists hold this view. Finally, dualism is the idea that there is both a material and an ideal (i.e. ‘of ideas’, not ‘perfect’) world. Descartes is probably the most famous proponent of this school.

In the modern age, pretty much all serious thought accepts materialism, often implicitly, to the point that the material world is often called the ‘real world’ or even ‘the world’. But this was not always so, and there are still relics of idealist and dualist thinking.

It’s memes all the way down.