This is a piece of writing about video games in a philosophical context.

ANY COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED! :)

A video game is simply a form of media, just like television, and yes, even books. the largest difference between video games and other media is that video games are interactive. In fact, the key trait that defines all video games is not violence, or any other aspect. It is simply that you can interact with it, affect it. Its a television show you star in, where the other actors' performances (and even the story) are affected by your actions on the show. Or, for another example, a book where the author writes you in as a character, and you tell him what your character does in each chapter, and he adjusts his story based on your input.

What causes most people grief about video games is not the fact that their children are pressing buttons in order to create their own dynamic "story" within the game of course. the problem comes in when we look at what kinds of games they are playing. all games give you choices, and all games give you different information to help you decide. when either a game gives you inane, violent, hurtful, or even hateful information and/or only gives you choices that do not give you an opportunity to affect the game morally, you get an experience that could affect more suggestible children negatively. But to be morally outraged by what you see in a game is no different than being morally outraged by what you read in a book, or watch on a screen. What I'm saying is that, like all media, the content is the key, not the medium. in fact, most games allow more flexibility when it comes to your experience, since you get to control it to varying degrees.

Now, if you have not experienced a single game that you would think has a story or morals as sophisticated as a book, this is because your child prefers a simpler, less subtle experience, like watching reality television and pro wrestling or reading the tabloids. Do not let this convince you, however, that a videogame comparable with a great work of fiction or a classic film does not exist. they do, and they are called Role Playing Games, or RPGs. the first RPG was not in a videogame form, it was in fact a sort of board game, played with pencil, paper, and dice called Dungeons and Dragons, or D&D for short.

In the media, D&D was once seen as a waste of time, dangerous, or even demonic. When you play Dungeons and Dragons, one person (called the dungeon master) is an author reading out a story he has written, describing in words what you would read if it was in a book. the interesting part comes when the author of this live book writes YOU into his fiction as a character, and then asks YOU what YOU do in the story. Your interactions change the story based on what you tell him your character does. he then advances the story live as he gets your information, using his creativity to weave a narrative around your actions. This was an early example of interactive storytelling, and it could be argued that it requires as much or even more creativity and high level thinking than passively reading a book.

The first RPG video games were an attempt to take the Dungeon Masters role and replace it with a computer. Due to technology limitations, this meant that the earliest RPGs were much less creative and epic in scope, simply because a person's imagination simply could not be translated properly with the technology they had. more than 25 years have passed since then, and through the years newer RPG games were made using better and better technology. today, teams of 25-50 writers are typically used to create an interactive story for the player, which is then transferred to the video game using more realistic and powerful hardware. The magic of a Dungeon Master's imagination creating a story that you can affect is something we will never completely obtain, but today we are closer than ever.

In the best RPGs, as in the best works of fiction, there is beauty. You fall in love with the characters you play as, and the ones you interact with. Moral themes, tough questions, epic narratives, and a story engaging enough to make a person laugh and cry can be found in these interactive novels. the beauty of interactive media such as video games is that, when made with love and care and skill and imagination, a person can experience something as amazing and transcendent as any novel or movie. the only real difference, is that when YOU are in the book, when YOU get to decide how the story plays out, you feel even more engaged in the narrative, and your experience is more personal. This leads to all the same educational and even spiritual and philosophical benefits of any creative work, and perhaps more.

I honestly and thoroughly hope that someday you will experience the joy of taking part in a transcendent RPG, a work of art where you can shape your own experience.

Its a little bit awesome when your own nostalgia for a game is just a little bit different from another person who played that same game :)

ANY COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED!