Video Game as a Medium

In the past 40 years, since the birth of video gaming, games have exploded tremendously, but only having a large cultural influence for the past 30 years. With its new and innovative colors, graphics and storyline video games have truly become an art form for this digital age. Even though there's still a lot more to examine with video games, the culture of gaming is rising in a similar way that film rose in its early years. However unlike film, video games are obviously more interactive, and some leave room for multiple endings where its up to the player to discover different paths. On the contrary to film, where filmmakers create the story, and you simply sit back and watch. Since gaming brings new ways of entertainment, not only visually but interactively, in addition to giving leeway to the players to discover new boundaries and endings, video gaming has then become a new addtion to the art medium, and a part of our daily lives.

Archetypes on Acid

This article is about how video games have evolved from the arcade arena to the comfort of ones home. It goes into dept how playing video games at home has become more economical --you don't have to keep putting money into a machine to continue playing once you die-- and less stressful -- not having a line of people waiting to play the same game. It also goes into the psychological aspect of gaming, and how it has become a social activity for not only friends, but among families too. in addition, gaming is no longer thought to only be for young boys, but for girls and adults as well, being that most adolecents continue playing through adulthood. THe psycological theories that involve gaming are behaviorism, social learning and pyscoanalysis. Something that i found interesting was that every game follows the same archetype that was set in the early games of PacMan, which is the quest to find a meaning in life, also including the fact of good over evil, regardless of the game. Another cool fact is that arcade or home people are still playing the classics.

Batman

The Batman game reminded me a lot of the Batman movies, keeping true to the mysterious persona of the character and his enemies. The graphics are also ridiculous, the details within every scene puts the player in a trans as you concentrate in finding the Joker. It feels as if you are in the game. When it comes to the characters, they seem real too, not just characters from a comic book that we've all grown to love. Its a true example of art, in my opinion. Something that I really appreciated and liked was the fact that the Joker's sidekick is a woman and she's not displayed as a hooker. Yes she's dressed a little provocative but she's not simply a bystander to the Joker, she even taunts around with Batman making it difficult for him to find the Joker, which I thought was cool because we finally have a woman trying to do something significant in a game. Also, Batman has an oracle that helps him out through the game, which is also a woman. i found it refreshing to finally play a game that women have some sort of power and influence in the story.

The SIMS

The article on the sims was absolutely hilarious for me, yet at the same time a bit scary to think that there's actually people who carry their experiences in a game into reality. I can understand why someone would play the sims, I've played the sims, but i would never want to reenact my life to make it better or what not. the whole point of games is to detach yourself from reality and be able to relax and have fun from a hectic day, in the comfort of your living room. The game can be fun, because you create a new reality, but i have issues when people do things like the example in the article, where they recreate their actual reality. That's a given route to failure in your actual life. Like the article said, 9 out of 10 times where you recreate your personal life in the sims, you have problems in your real life because of the game, since in real life you cannot control every single thing, but in the game you can. This can be an even bigger problem, when a person is a control freak to begin with, you may have the virtue world in the palm of your hand, but there's only one who really has full control of everyone else's life.

Uncharted2

When i first heard about this game, i thought that the boys were being boys, and yes a bit stereotypical by thinking that this was just one of those killing games that guys are obsessed over. But i have to admit, its actually very interesting how the makers of this game made it feel soooo real, how it seemed as if you were inside this film. Even if it was pretty violent, and maybe at times a little tasteless in my perspective, you still couldn't take your eyes off the screen. It was as if you were inside an action film. Not only did it have great action and graphics, the storyline was pretty awesome too.. The great thing about this game, is that it keeps you emotionally involved, something that i couldn't really say about previous games played in class. It keeps you intrigued through out the entire game, because of its realism. Also, i liked how the storyline would take you to past and tell you the story of how and why things were happening the way it was; which also gave that film like vibe. I have to say if I had the console for this game i would definitely buy it for myself.

Art form for the Digital Age

Video games, is it a new art form or not? Whether its a console or computer game, according to Henry Jenkins "games are art - a popular art, an emerging art, a largely unrecognized art, but art nevertheless". I would have to completely agree. As time passes and the more advanced games become, the more they seem to appear as a film. Story lines are becoming more intricate, graphics are more vivid, even in cartoon like games like Super Mario the graphics are becoming more realistic and 3-D; so doesn't this alone make it an art form? Games have become more captivating and enhanced as time passes, intriguing people and making players more and more involved as technology progresses. Video games are part of this digital era, and i believe its the same type of art as any other animated film or show.

It's a Video Game, Certainly, but is it Art?

In this article Dr. Jenkins argues on the stereotypical views of video games, being a past time for boys, and the expanding industry that is becoming an art form. The article also makes an interesting comparison to film, where video game fans or as mesmerized by the games and the characters as audiences are in a film with its story and actors. Also, like in film, music sets a mood, which is now heavily used in games as well. These details really caught my attention, because its stating an emotional involvement within games, which would explain why one would get mad when the character we're playing dies or gets hurt, we continue to play until we win. Now I personally think that if a film triggers the emotion and imagination, and it is considered to be an art form for these reasons and much more, why can video games not be considered an art. I think that video games are an art. For one, without a doubt it triggers the imagination and the emotional aspect --to a extent. Like film, with the new technologies of today, video games are graphically enhanced, making it simply captivating; all because it isn't a painting or statue, it doesn't mean that it isn't art, it is digital art. Art is often what we make of it, what we experience through it, and what provokes our imaginations. Therefore video games is an art of this era, which not only does it interest boys but girls, and many adults alike.