cct300-Lab1

In the article Computer Game Studies, Year One, by Espen Aarseth, she discusses the way that video games and computer games are combined forms old mass media mixed with new technology to create a new interactive experience for the gamer. Media, being a topic studied heavily through many different universities, she brings in the argument that Video games incorporate a type of media therefore they too can be studied academically in a variety of institutions. Aarseth states "it might be the first time scholars and academics take computer games seriously, as a cultural field whose value is hard to overestimate." The most crucial part of games that make them so interesting to study is the fact that they are simulations. This can be taken to a new extent where reality is discussed. What distinguishes them as virtual reality besides the fact that they are hosted in a virtual environment? Gaming engineers have gone above and beyond to convince their audience of something that seems so real, but is actually contained in a medium of media. The medium being the game. Realistic scenes of violence, driving and more have allowed people to engage in something that is different from their everyday lives it is used as an escape. This topic in itself is so broad yet so particular to media studies and the study of psychology that the article addresses that there is an underlying importance to studying games and their effects on people. Aarseth states that the simulation part of gaming is crucial because they are complex systems that are based on rules. People engage and are forced to follow a set of rules and then engage in the simulation. The logic behind the simulation is what is found fascinating. To be able to engage people on a different level that movies and music cannot it drastic. It is something that creates a whole new type of media incorporating aspects of old and creating the new categories of new media.