Saturday, January 26, 2013

Games

Game is a really hard word to define, most people have an idea of what a game is, and many different examples come to mind. However if they had to explain a game to someone who had no prior knowledge or preconceptions about a game it would become a little more difficult. For the most part however games seem to have rules, a narrative or story-line of some sort and players that are working towards a certain goal. When I think of games I usually think of games that I played as a child, mostly make believe, with intricate plot lines about one thing or another.

While reading the story telling animal it was so interesting to see the connection between our need for stories, and narratives aligned with games.  As a kid imaginations run rampant and create all sorts of stories within games, save the princess, playing house, wars against boys and girls. As adults this outlet is exercised as well in the form of video games, and things like dungeons and dragons and Live Action Role Playing (Larping).

I believe that a child's work is play, it is something they need to do to learn their way around the world, and to have the honor of being a kid. I think it is interesting the story telling element, and how important that can be to their play. And even more interesting that humans display this as well, when we play we love telling each stories, and sharing gossip as well as creating our own game of make believe. Video games I think have been so successful because of their narrative. The story draws people in making them forget everything else becoming completely immersed.

I see immersion in my everyday life, the way when I do sports I get caught up in the game and forget what is going on around me. How I can become lost in a game while babysitting, or working with kids. or how when reading a book I become completely lost and will not be able to function until the book is over. If only adults could have play as work as well.

This week I started playing a video game, Harry Potter actually, the beginning of the 7th book. I know how this story goes since I have grown up with the books and have watched all the movies. But now I am taking the adventure as being part of the adventure, playing the game and getting to be the characters and battle their battles. It will be the same story but a whole new adventure. 

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