Story Telling And Video Games: A Love Story | The Odyssey Online
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Story Telling And Video Games: A Love Story

Video games are the new story telling standard.

Cobe Wilson
May 09, 2016
College of Coastal Georgia
46
Story Telling And Video Games: A Love Story
The Imaginative Conservative

You've heard it all before. Video games rot the minds of young people; video games cause violent behavior; video games are causing our young people to lose touch with reality. The truth is, this isn't true. Video games do not do any of them except in rare cases where underlying conditions play a major role.

So, what are video games really? Over the course of human history, stories have evolved from just being pictures on a cave wall to full blown movies that make you feel right in the middle of the action. However, one aspect of the story has always escaped humanity. The aspect of participation. That is really what video games are. They are the ability to participate in the story. They are the ability to make the story happen and cause the outcome.

Storytelling is an art. Stories can be made up or they can be the true histories of the world. Either way, video games make it possible to experience the story while taking part in it. Stories can transport you to other worlds and video games put you in control of those worlds, in control of the outcomes and choices. Video games are the new storytelling medium. Video game sales have steadily increased and video games are becoming more and more realistic with decision making by the player directly influencing the outcomes and intricately experiencing the story.

Whether you are a traditional bookworm, movie buff, or a good old word of mouth kind of person, you can't deny that video games are gaining steam. An international e-sports phenomenon is sweeping through country by country with participants earning hundreds of thousands of dollars as professional players on teams. Video games are becoming popular with not only kids and young adults but with middle aged and older adults as well. Video games are no longer a few minutes or few hours of entertainment. Video games and the stories they bring provide days, weeks, even months of possible entertainment. Maybe, just maybe,video games will stop being victimized and start being heralded as the new story telling medium that they are.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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