So I guess the thought I’m supposed to respond on is: will games become better than reality? I sure hope not. The whole point of decision making and experiencing new things in real life will probably become null and void if that is the case. Why travel all the way to Europe when you can enjoy the European sights and culture from the comfort of your own home? When those two parallels become equally stimulating, then we know there’s been a crossover between fantasy and reality in the gaming world.
I can see where the argument holds water though, will all of these evolving graphics that make the characters and settings more real to the player, it will inevitably begin to evoke emotion and attachment to the game and those in it. Instead of parents worrying that all of this senseless killing that occurrs in some games will harden their children and numb them to the reality of death, it will do the opposite. if a player’s character forms a bond with another in a game, and that other gets killed, there hopefully will be an emotional response. Games also allow the player almost total control of their character and what happens to it, as opposed to a feeling of lack of control in real life.
I really enjoyed the video that David Perry showed by the gamer who became addicted… his fantasy world outweighed his reality, and so his life shifted to living through his games. It’s an interesting concept but frightening at the same time; will we become so frustrated with our own lives that our escape from reality will take over the way we live?
