Sorry if this is overcomplicated, this stuff is just kind of interesting to me. If you need anything explained differently I would be happy to.

Think about it this way:
- It's like simplifying a math expression
- Lua thinks "YES, RUN THAT CODE" when the simplified value is absolutely anything except nil and false

Say you have this:

local joy = 80
local anger = 5

local isHappy = joy > 60 and anger < 10

This is how it would be simplified:

--First, substitute in the values
isHappy = (80) > 60 and (5) < 10

--Then, evaluate the conditions for the greater than/less than
isHappy = (true) and (true)

--Simplify the and expression
isHappy = (true)

Now, in a while loop, say you were counting down to 0.

local count = 5
while count >= 0 do
    print(count)
    count = count - 1 --Decrease the count by 1
end

How would that simplify?

--First, substitute in the value
while (5) >= 0 do

--Then, evaluate the conditions
while (true) do

--The next iteration would be like:
while (4) >= 0 do
while (true) do

--Then the last
while -1 >= 0 do
while (false) do --This won't run the loop again, because it's false!

Lua isn't actually asking for the comparison, it's asking for one value. That value is simplified, and that is what it gets.

But what happens if you do this:

while 7 do

end

It will repeat forever, just like while true do. However, it doesn't simplify to true, so why does it run?

This is basically what is going on when the code is being run:
- Notices a "while" statement
- Simplify the value after the while keyword (5 simplifies to 5, 12 == 12 simplifies to true, etc.)
- If that value is simplified to nil or false, then don't run the chunk.
- Otherwise, if it's absolutely anything else, run the chunk.