Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) was released a few days ago. It’s a game that has received as much praise as criticism. The rise in popularity of gaming was actually very recent. A decade ago, games like GTA V would not have garnered as much attention. Video games are now considered mainstream works of art. Triple A titles such as GTA V even require budgets only seen for expensive Hollywood films. Why is it so great that mediums like video games have become popular?
Unlike films, video games are experienced in a different manner. These days, both have characters and a plot, but films will always be the same experience; the way the director intended it to. Video games, however, offer unique experiences despite having fixed plots (sometimes this is untrue and the plot may take different turns). They are an interactive experience, and in one play through I could take a course of action that you may not have taken. We are now offered different choices. Today, we are offered many choices in video games. We expect to have choices.
Of course, with higher production values, games will become of higher quality. Gaming is something that can evolve, and we expect it to do so. In fact, the internet has allowed gaming to evolve to another level that many felt was unimaginable before its conception. Before the internet, gamers would have to literally judge a game by its cover. We did not know what games were good or bad until we either tried them ourselves, or heard some input from our friends. The internet and social media has brought upon an age of information. Now gamers can research about the games they are interested in before they buy them. Word of mouth has a new meaning. We don’t just hear about games from friends anymore, we hear about it from the internet.
Video games are a medium that allow us to experience something together. They can be cooperative experiences, or competitive experiences. They’re accessible, and offered on many platforms including your phone. You can play with the person sitting next to you, or someone from across the planet. It’s quite a spectacle to see how fast gaming has grown thanks to the internet.
Video games are now a big part of our lives, just like films and novels. A decade ago, we had to hide the fact that we gamed. Today, it’s cool. It’s good to be a gamer today.
I found it interesting how you compared gaming to a film with a plot, but we can be the ones in control of the story and how i develops. This helped me see gaming in a different light, since I was never one to play video games. I would like to see what new developments the industry is trying out and how far-fetched can some of their ideas be. The fact that we can use our bodies as a remote must have been an insane idea way back when, but now its the new way to play.