Lab+1

Computer games are a common and important aspect of our lives. Today we have numerous consoles and platforms that are dedicated entirely to computer games. Advances in computer technology, memory and storage capacity lead to better, more complex and realistic games. Our generation and the rest that follow have experienced computer games since childhood. Computer games took a huge part of my childhood, from the Nintendo NES to the PS3. Espen, the author, provides a valid point. Computer games have indeed integrated into contemporary society, numerous sites are solely dedicated to games and some entirely dedicated to game reviews. Computer games have led to the emergence of many contemporary subcultures dedicated to specific games or platforms. Computer games shouldn’t be regarded as a “Nintendo-Hollywood” industrial complex; there re many different typed of computer games. It’s like saying that all video based media can all be categorize into one category. Most computer games produced now must have a multiplayer feature. So now gaming has transformed to a global experience. Video games differ from videos in one very important way. The video audience is a passive audience, receiving predigested images, sounds and information in clusters. The video game audience is an active one. In terms of Video games, the audience (the players) is involved in the story and the plot; it is up to the audience to carry on the story. We are not presented with the information like books where you can flip the pages, or movies where you can fast forward or just wait and see what happens. You, the audience are involved and in a sense, part of the medium. You have to use your brain and motor skills to achieve the certain goals and through time and practice, get better at it. Does this mean our thinking skills or motor skills improved? This could be the case. Video games require certain skills to master. Naturally there are better gamers than others. Some people master a one games but would suck at another. Why is that? Are their game specific skills and intelligence? Does personality, mood or intelligence determine skill level? Does mastering video games lead to improvements in mental capabilities in other aspects? These are all important questions that need to be examined. Answering such questions could shed some light on to other empirical fields. There are many variables involved. Creating a Computer Game Studies field would help to answer these questions.