Tuesday, 22 February 2011

Can You Log on so You Can Come Out And Play?

According to FIFA 715 million people tuned in to watch the World Cup final in South Africa. Football fans will consistently tell you how the world loves football, and love to talk about why they support the teams they do. I've been lucky enough to go to a few games in my life and in the stadium there is defiantly and atmosphere that cannot be replicated anywhere else. It’s a feeling of unity between supporters and excitement all around. It’s a great conversation starter and a fun team sport to play. Once the game is over that sense of team unity does not end however. Can this feeling be replicated with video games?

As humans we are playful by nature. Everyone used to play when they were children and use make believe to create new games. With digital games we can see many of these actions replicated. We have games that simulate physical activities like running and jumping such as in Sonic the Hedgehog or Doritos Crash Course. Then we have games in which we can do whatever we want. Things we could not do in real life like steal a car and shoot people. All these games are fun and challenging in their own ways, they instill feelings of elation and panic just like playing a real sport. Multiplayer games where you can play with your friends do increase the feeling of unity, however for me personally once the X Box is switched off there isn't this feeling of unity doesn't linger like it does after a football match.




The most important thing in a game for me is the narrative and how the game flows. If I get stuck on one level for too long I will lose interest. That might just be because I have short attention span. Also I think the game has to have strong characters and in games where you can build your own character I feel more involved; it’s more interactive. I have no issues walking away from a game however, but I do know someone, who refers to himself as the dungeon troll, who can happily sit in front of a game for more than six hours at a time. I knew a new game had come out when I saw him appear from the basement (his dungeon) and come back for a while with a whole case of red bull. He had planned to try complete the game all in one go. Impressive? Or has he become addicted to the rewards gaming gives him? It’s not my place to say, but as long as someone is enjoying themselves that’s all that matters. Life is a game. You can choose how you want to play.
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