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| Movie vs. Film |
As a gamer, I feel especially nerdy asking my girlfriend or parents for the latest video game to come out. Why? Because it makes me feel like a child again, asking for a toy. Do I see video games as a toy? Of course not, but this is what comes to mind. As a 23 year old in graduate school, I feel compelled to come up with a new label for video games. Just like how movies can be called "films" or "cinema", why doesn't video games have another title? Sure, movies that are labeled "movies" can be dumb flicks that are released to negative reviews, but when you call a movie a "film", that implies a sort of indie or art-house style. Better "pinky out" like Spongebob if you're going to a "film".
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| Everyone pictured can die because of you. Even yourself. |
Anyways, the gaming industry has evolved over time, and it caters to the young and the old, male and female. While a majority of gamers are under 18, I find myself in my mid-twenties still calling them video games. Because I don't know what else to call them. They are more than just games you play on your television nowadays. Some games even rival movie productions released by major studios. Uncharted 2, for example, gives you a cinematic experience that is uncommon in gaming, though that trend is starting to change. I feel gaming, while interactive, is starting to drift into psychological aspects, like making your own decisions that can save or condemn people, like in Mass Effect 2. The game is built on choices, and then you live with the consequences. People live, or they can die, based on what you decide. I think that is more than a video game. That transcends into something far greater.
Like i mentioned earlier, movies can be called "films", which brings up connotations of an art-house or an indie. I am not saying we need a fancier word to call video games, all I am asking is that we treat the experience we have with gaming with a little more respect, since it too is growing with us. As I get older, I want to be able to label my gaming experience with something other than "video games", because to me, it is so much more than that. This is in no way finished, mainly because there probably are some other topics to cover under this, but this thought has been on my mind lately and wanted to see if anyone agreed with me.
