In 1972, the famous video game Pong was released and quickly became the first popular arcade game. A simple game based on ping-pong with archaic graphic design and controls. Thirty-nine years later we have gone from Pong to elaborate Hollywood style games that are based around narrative like Call of Duty or Metal Gear Solid. Video games have come from simply being games to becoming what some argue is a new medium for narrative that can tell a story uniquely and completely unlike film and literature.
Now Pong included no narrative, but other early video games did. Mario Bros. tells the story of an Italian plumber who must travel through a magical kingdom to defeat a dragon-like turtle who has captured his love, the princess. A very shallow fairy tell that is only used as a back-drop for the icon of video games. The classic game Space Invaders tells its narrative by the title and game play alone. There are invaders from space that must be stopped, and that is exactly the game. The narrative simply gives you setting for the game. (Juul n.pag.) This was the basic use for narrative within a video game.
Current games like the Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda series prioritize and even sell around their stories. The Final Fantasy series play as turn-based role-playing games with a huge focus on story and character. Playing and completion is encouraged through engaging in and reaching the end of the narrative. The Legend of Zelda games stray from linear story-telling and use a more open-world game. That roughly means the player is able to explore many things at their own leisure and continue on with the story when they wish.
Since it is now established that video games past and present tell at least some form of a story, what...
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...jectives, player choice, engagement, involved narrative, exploratory worlds, and entertaining game play are the lifeline of a new narrative. In the very end, a game needs to be fun and engage in the player to live out and explore this new narrative medium.
Works Cited
Bissell, Thomas. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. New York: Pantheon Books, 2010. Print.
Kent, Steven. The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2001. Print.
Ebert, Roger. "Video Games Can Never Be Art." Chicago Sun-Times. 16 Apr. 2010. Web. 18 Feb 2011. < http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/04/video_games_can_never_be_art.html>
Juul, Jesper. "A Brief Note on Games and Narratives. " GameStudies. 1 July, 2001. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.
An examination of videogames in popular culture is a complicated one. There is a large debate as to what is the very first video game. The supposed earliest known video game was created by Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann on a cathode ray tube in 1947. The game was a missile simulator similar to radar displays from World War II, and overlaid sheets of paper were used for targets since graphics were unknown at this time. On May 5, 1951, the NIMROD computer was presented in Britain. It used a panel of lights for its display and was used to play a game called “NIM”. Later, in 1952, Alexander S. Douglas made the first compu...
“Drawing on appropriate theory, deconstruct a narrative to show how it operates on the psychological, cultural and/or ergodic level within the interactive text of your choice.”
In pages 20-24 of Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, I agree that there are many different video games. For me, I am a fan of single-player games with story modes because I can play by myself and go at a pace that suits me. However, I enjoy playing online multiplayer when I have friends I can play with because it is fun interacting with friends and doing stuff together. I play on a console or my computer, but I have played on my phone and a hand-held device. I have not played a board game or card game in a while, but I would play it if the opportunity presents itself. The video games genres I play are sports, action, and adventure. I agree with Jane McGonigal that video games share four defining traits,
The history of video games began in early 1950s, and it continued in development until today. video games gained popularity as movies and T.V shows, and like movies which producers focus on the story plot, each character role, and the way they are being represented, videogames have the same concerns, especially character 's role and, representation, because most of players will not care about the game’s story, they just want to have fun playing the game, but the player will play as a character, or meet other characters from various gender, and that what make game designers care about the gender and, characters representation. and by the way of presenting gender, it will control the number of players of both genders, because it could connect to their life. games industry made researches about what both genders want in their game,
Mythology is constantly being reincarnated into new mediums. It began centuries ago as oral stories being passed from generation to generation and has weathered the test of time to present day. Mythology influences current day literature, movies, and even video games. One video game that heavily draws on mythological themes is The Legend of Zelda created by Japanese video game designer and producer Shingeru Miyamoto. Through Zelda, gamers are exposed to and are able to play through a hero’s journey filled with mythological motifs such as the idea of creation and destruction, the struggle between light versus darkness, the subconscious in relation to reality, and the idea and distortion of time.
Glazer, S. (2006, November 10). Video Games. CQ Researcher, 16, 937-960. Retrieved February 11, 2010, from CQ Researcher Online
Inside the games there are “objectives”, such as killing the dragon or saving the princess, or in Math Games like dreambox to learn/practice Math, but actually the main purpose of a game is than to please the human inside, to keep the player happily entertained.
“The History of Video Arcade Games.” BMI Gaming. BMI Worldwide, n.d. Web. 6 May 2014.
Video games have come a long way. They have evolved from the simple game of Pong into a complex, multi-platform, multi-genre, multi-billion dollar industry.
3. “Video Games” by Chris Jozefowics. Published by Gareth Stevens Publishing 2010. Pleasantville, NY 10570-70000 USA. Produced by Editorials Directions Inc.
Bell, Chris. "Video Games: The Sport of the Future?" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 26 June 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
There are many different examples of mythology affecting video games some big and some small. The first example is Turok, a game which is affected by Native American mythology. Turok is a six game series that is based on Native American Myths almost entirely. It shows us the myths of the Native Americans in fun and interactive ways. It shows mythology as an influence on games because the game became popular causing it to release six other titles in the series. Turok shows us a Native American time traveler attempting to save the Earth from characters of Native American mythology. This game shows the players Native American myths Another example, and most probably the biggest one, is God of War. God of War is a game that mythology has influenced it so much that it does not appear in references and allusions but the entire game is Greek Mythology. God of War shows Kratos, the son of Zeus and the God of War fighting all of the enemies from ancient mythology. God of War quickly became an extremely popular game, due to its great and immense story, and its characters. This game showed people elements of Greek Mythology through a fun and interactive way that showed people the culture of Greek Mythology through Video Games. Another example is the game Ragnarok, which is like God
We should develop games that people want to spend time on that are also educational, increasing the attention span of people, visual acuity, and multitasking abilities of all generations. The author very effectively portrays her message of by connecting with her audience charismatically, visually, personally, and logically. In the age of technology we must come to terms with the changing hobbies and daily activities around us. Rather than passing them off as bad campaigning for them to be cut back, censored, we should be focusing on the good that is already done by video games and how we could continue to improve
The experience of game play can be described as an activity in which the player is virtually embodied in the game world. Anyone who has experienced the world of gaming knows how the engaging experience can manifest itself with “sweaty palms and chills down the spine” (http://www.eludamos.org/index.php/eludamos/article/viewArticle/80/147) when coming face-to-face with alien creatures; or with the adrenaline rush we get when racing a high speed automobile head-to-head with a friend. Gaming is an excellent source of entertainment. It provides an opportunity for social growth, provides a meaningful form of exploring expression, and provides heightened sensitivity.
There are several negative stereotypes associated with video games and those who play them; some of these may often hold true. However, there are plenty of learning opportunities in video games. While the direct purpose of some games is to educate or train, other games that do not directly have this purpose can still become a learning experience for the player. As Ntiedo Etuk, president of the educational video game company Tabula Digital said, “The traditional view of video games has been that they are distractions from the task of learning” (Electronic Education Report 1). Video games are an effective tool for learning and retaining skills both inside and outside the classroom environment. The basic cycle of game play--the introduction to the game, game play, collaboration, improvement of these between each round, and evaluation at the end of the game (Klievink and Janssen 159)--are nearly parallel to the traditional classroom learning cycle of reading a textbook or listening to a lecture, taking a quiz, studying, focusing on items missed on the quiz, and taking a test or exam. Within this cycle, there are many opportunities to develop and perfect both educational, life, and occupational skills.