“Let Us Make This A New Age Where We Show Our Gratitude”

Tom Bissell, in his essay, “Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter” has described video games and how they are unique and different from movies, books, or even interactive films. Bissell says “I came to accept that games were incompetent with almost every aspect of what I would call traditional narrative.” This is showing the readers that even though there is a plot and story line, as characters can control and alter the story line or outcome by what you do or see throughout the game.

Using persuasive writing, Wright begins to influence his audience that game play is a beneficial source of entertainment not a wasteful one. Playing video games increases creatively, self esteem and improve problem solving skills of the players. Video games are becoming test runs that appear or feel close to the real thing. Where you can control everything with added effects like magic or future technology. Games have the potential to exceed almost all other forms of entertainment media. They tell stories, play music, challenge us, allow us to instantly communicate and interact with others. Encourage us to create things, connect us to new communities, and let us play with people across the world. Unlike most other forms of media, games are inherently tangible. According to Wright young children spend their days in imaginary worlds, substituting toys and make believe into the real world that they are just beginning to explore and understand. Wright states that games are the result of imagination and that they consist of rules and goals. Generation of teenagers has grown up with different set of games. Teenagers use the scientific method rather than reading the manual first. Games today maybe a person’s only place to express a high-level of creativity and growth. Older generations have a lot of criticisms for games, the games can help a person learn to think on his or her own.

Video games are progressively becoming a crucial medium today, despite the light connotation of its initial categorization. Today they are a business that produces billions of dollars and employs engineers and artists alike in an art form connecting interactive games, to virtual societies where millions of people dwell. However, like all human products, our same emotion, flaws and injustice show in the games, with the impression of hatred, racism and stereotypes that are our everyday background. What are the creators of these video games real intentions in the desire they produce in the human?

Tom Bissell presents an article in 2010, to college students of which is “Why Video Games Matter.” Bissell isn’t intending for the argument to be about video game criticism, the history of the gaming, or an assessment of anything. On the contrary, he wants to articulate his own opinions and thoughts on what playing games feels like, why he plays them, and the questions they make him think about. Being a gamer myself, I have also endured the struggles of what being obsessed with a video game feels like. It is understood that when first purchasing a video game, all one thinks about is getting home and popping it in the console, disregarding everything else that is happening in the vicinity.

He shows how video games enhance creativity, community, problem-solving skills, and self-expression. By engaging players in simulated worlds, video games expand their minds and their imagination. Rather than using the linear approach, players learn to play a video game and master the various levels through a creative problem-solving approach based on the scientific method of hypothesis, experiment and analysis. Video games entertain and educate on a level beyond any other medium by allowing the player to be actively engaged and interact with various aspects of the game environment. Through amplifying the power of human imagination rather than denigrate society, video games benefit and enhance

In Trigger Happy, the author Steven Poole elaborates on the many aspects of video games, ultimately revealing them as complex. Poole covers in this book his explanations on the purpose of video games, past influences, art and icons, and a number of other fascinating details, along with his own opinions on video games. Besides revealing the reason for playing, Poole’s details on games ultimately serve to show the author’s positive opinion on the subject, along with his argument against the negative viewpoint of critics, who regard them being a waste of time and being detrimental for one’s mental health. One important point that Poole continues to stress is the importance of engagement between the game and the player;

Video games can teach children many different life lessons. For instance, Games like “ultima forever” can teach you virtues of life, and by learning these children can become better people in life. Kids will learn these skills and use them in their daily life. In the article, “Ultima forever returns for kinder, gentler, thoughtful, gaming”, Kate Flack, lead designer for the game says “‘... They will start to recognize these same choices in their real life and become better people.’” This quote shows that the game ultima forever prepares children for

So by playing video games you learn how to analyze each choice you make to see if the overall outcome is beneficial. He also states that many videogames now allow it players to “build, design, and populate”. This gives the gamer the ability to be creative and expand their mind. “Dream Machine” all in all defends the use of videogames by stating the favorable characteristics of gaming - “creativity, community, self-esteem, problem-solving”. The author uses his authority and knowledge of video games to display a position towards video games that most people have never seen before.

Due to this “possibility space,” people can not only imagine different scenarios, but they can be involved in and create them. Gamers expand their people skills learning “creativity, community, self-esteem, and problem-solving” because they are able to “create and interact with elaborately simulated worlds, characters, and story lines.” Thus, video games have become a vehicle for self-expression. Moreover, in the near future, these games will adjust themselves in accord with who the players are and what they like. “And more than ever, games will be visible, external amplification of the human imagination” (279-283).

Will Wright, the winner of relevant awards because of his brilliant work in the development of games argues in this article about that playing video games it is not a waste of time but it can contribute to the imagination and it stimulate the brain making people become more creative.

Video games created an innovative new electronic art form since the early years of the 1950's. Video gaming has even made an impressive mark in world history in the early 1970's to the 1980's with arcades and a generation of home consoles. With almost 40 years of gaming, within half of those years, a Japanese gaming series known as Pokemon has made an global impact rather than just Japanese culture. Everyone, even those who aren't so much into the game, can call out a Pikachu; the cute as well as interesting creatures we can capture in the game has stolen the hearts of many. Today, a decade or so since 1990, generations have experienced the Pokemon fever; fans can even recall the 1990's anime lyrics

The term pop culture can be defined as ‘The culture of the people’ a culture that flourishes through social interaction and mass media that is most actively involved in by the public. Pop culture can cover a wide range of materials and as such should be looked at as a topic open to discussion, interpretation as to why it is popular and what makes it popular. Since pop culture includes an expansive spectrum of subjects I am going to be focusing on one of those and that is Video games. In this essay I will be exploring the ideas and theories of why I believe video games have made a shift into mainstream pop culture.

Storytelling has always been an ancient art form, taking people back to past cultures. Some believe stories were first printed on rock, carved into clay tablets, stone, bark and other materials. With the beginnings of writing they moved on to parchment and paper and now are digitally produce. “When we experience a story, we allow ourselves to be invaded by the teller” (Gottschall XV). If the author is good at his job, we are completely taken over by the story and our mind is working hard to absorb the characters, theme, colors and scenes. Early video games did not have a story but with the new digital forms, stories are necessary to keep players involved. Storytelling in games gives the gamers the opportunity to be involved in the game, experience the characters, stimulate feelings like fear and excitement and let the player know they make situations happen and the choices they make affect the outcome as well as motivate them to continue on. Graphics have always been important to the game, but developers are now realizing that the story is equally as important if players want to stick with the game.

Video games are highly designed with artistic expression in the digital world. There is a

Accept it or not, video games and “gaming” are a large part of Australian culture. The average Australian 21-year-old would have spent over 10,000 hours playing games (that’s how long it takes to complete school from year 5 to year 12). For immeasurable reasons such as involvement, freedom, entertainment and story-telling are games such a powerful medium of creative and interactive media7.