Skip to main content

About Me as a Gamer

Video games have been an ongoing importance in my life since I was four years old. Hours and hours spread out over two decades may appear to be a waste of time to some people, but not to me. Throughout my life video games have taught me invaluable lessons, such as developing empathy, understanding complex puzzles, overcoming failure, and moving past intense bouts of anger; without them, I would argue that I would not be the person I am today.

Recently, since entering adulthood, video games have become slightly less important too me, but I still rely on them to lower my stress levels, escape the real world, and enjoy quality alone time. When I first began playing video games, what kept me enamored was not the sophisticated video games I love now, but mostly games that would be classified as pure games, such as sports games, racing games, Mario, and Mortal Kombat. I was a very competitive child, so the intrinsic value of a game to me was the ability to beat everyone and everything to become the best. As time past and maturity set in, I became less invested in the idea of beating other people and more interested in beautiful graphics and immersive story-lines.

Occasionally I will play some of the pure games of today, which to me are the most popular among gamers. What I considered a pure game may not be completely accurate, but I would deem online multiplayer shooters, such as Call of Duty and Fortnite, the pure games of today's video game world. Although entertaining at times, these games become stale and boring to me, so instead, I find myself engulfed in mesmerizing games such as The Last of Us, God of War, or any Zelda Title. I will spend hours upon hours playing these games, enjoying every little magnificent detail and attempt reach that elusive 100% completion. Beyond games such as the previous mentioned titles, the main game type I still play consistently are sports games, mainly NHL, NBA 2K, and MLB: The Show. The type of gamer I have become will likely continue for the rest of my life.

When considering if video games are literature, I would agree with the handout "Core Elements of Video Games as Literature," in stating that yes, some games are literature, while others are not. Video games such as God of War and The Last of Us have storylines that are so in-depth with plot, character development, setting, graphic design, and cinematics that it would be insulting to say they are sophisticated pieces of literature. The plots pull you in, making in difficult to put the controller down; the characterization creates a sense of empathy, and allows for a player to put themselves into the character's perspective; and the graphics and settings are so gorgeously crafted that some people have a hard time deciphering whether its television or a game. The immersive "I" talked about in the previously mentioned handout, could not be more accurate. You will always find yourself yelling "I can't believe I died," or "I am going to open this chest." These characteristics are necessary in a piece of literature, so it cannot be argued that certain video games are not literature.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God of War: Breaking Barriers with the Thematic Use of Fatherhood

Traditionally, video games are an unexpected medium to find an empathetic handling of issues, but throughout consistent growth, video games have advanced in their abilities to tell a story, develop characters, evoke emotion, and thematically represent real issues. God of War, 2018 Game of the Year, is among the most accomplished video games because of the game’s successful depiction of the complexities surrounding fatherhood. Specifically, God of War follows Kratos’s journey of caring for his son Atreus after his wife Feye passes away. Kratos finds himself within the nine realms of Norse mythology, seeking to disperse Feye’s ashes atop the highest point of the nine realms, all while caring for his son. On their journey, Kratos must endure the stress of keeping them alive, fathering Atreus, and fulfilling Feye’s request; Odin, the All-father of Nordic gods, senses something unique about Kratos and Atreus and aims to upend them with whatever means necessary. While God of War is a master...
Post a Comment
Read more

Columbia: The Immersive World of Bioshock Infinite

Recently I began playing the third installment in the Bioshock trilogy, Bioshock Infinite. I am about half-way through the game and there is quite a few aspects I want to touch on that have stood out to me. Bioshock Infinite has continued what the first Bioshock introduced, which a beautiful, immersive world that is one of the central focuses of the game. A second mechanic is the use of similar gameplay and tropes as the original Bioshock. Thirdly, a mechanic that stood out to me is the character development that is more noticeable than the original Bioshock. The first aspect I am diving into is the emphasis on world and setting. Bioshock Infinite does exactly what Bioshock does, which is make the story-line take place in a uniquely located city that was developed by a man trying to create his own society; Comstock, the main antagonist in Infinite, created Columbia, and Andrew Ryan created Rapture in Bioshock. In Infinite, Comstock built Columbia, which is a religious-based city tha...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is Using Cut-Scenes Lazy? Maybe, Maybe Not

A common element of successful video games is the use of cut-scenes, which are cinematic sequences that progress with story without playable elements. There is a question of whether games need these cut-scenes, and if they do, when is the line drawn on the amount they are used. All over youtube there are videos of all the cut-scenes of video games compiled together, without any of the gameplay in between. One specifically that seemed intriguing was of the immensely popular Gears of War. After watch the Gears of War video, which was a decent amount of cut scene footage, I realized that the cut-scenes are there to aid in completing the story, and that they are not there to tell an entire story themselves. Without the game-play between the cut-scenes, everything going on was confusing and certain events transpired without the view really knowing because the only action of certain situations was via gameplay not cut scenes. One major idea to consider is whether you'd care as much ...
Post a Comment
Read more