The evolution of Books

Since the earliest stages of human’s evolution of linguistics, stories have been created to pass information. Originally, these stories were oral traditions but overtime they developed into a written form that allowed these stories and tales to be recorded and passed along from generation to generation. Books and literature have been around for centuries and have helped educate people and teach them many valuable lessons. Today, some feel that books are being lost due to the increasing use of technology, and the advancements being made in that field. Sven Birkerts, author of The Gutenberg Elegies, believes that reading, in the modern age, has become obsolete. What Birkerts fails to understand is that books have evolved into a type of electronic text, or hypertext. The hypertexts have become interactive and are called videogames. Many people feel that videogames are simply a mindless addiction that have no real value, but they are truly an interactive story.

In the Gutenberg Elegies, Birkerts says “The major media shifts from oral to print and from print to electronic”(Birkerts 154). This is very true, but he would say that videogames are a negative development of society. He feels that these electronic games take from the readers of books and that books are dying out due to videogames.  He questions “are we dealing with a change of degree, or a change of kind?”(Birkerts, 154) and this is a good question.

This question is tough and may not have a real answer but it’s true that both are correct. Books could be undergoing a metamorphosis into videogames as a new form of literature. A great example of this is the videogame Final Fantasy Tactics, Grimoire of the Rift. This game is based around the idea of a book that takes a character inside of it to create there own story in this new world.  This videogame is able to incorporate a book, and tell a story of its own.

In the game itself the main character is given a journal and as he progresses and matures as a person, his journal is magically imprinted with different major events the main character experiences. This journal is recording his life and his story. As a player, people can decide what to make the main character do. Players can control different events and decided their own way of completing the story. The game is directly related to books, for stories are told through them. The game still also has the same basic concepts of a book. It still has a conflict that escalates into a climax and then has resolution afterward.

When the game starts, the main character is in a library and finds a book that becomes blank in the middle of the book. The last thing that is written in the book is, “One is fated to fill these barren pages. Know you his name,” and the main character writes his name (you can write whatever name you want in the book, thus giving the main character his name). This then takes the main character into the book where he has to complete his journal to get back to the real world.

This game is very similar to the sequel of the game, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Just like any sequel of a book, the usage of characters from the first novel, are used again in the second. Many of the characters from the prequel make appearances and come back into the main plot of the story. This is a great use of story writing and helps further the value that the game is trying to get across.  Videogames have such a similar plot structure that it is hard to say that videogames are not a different type of books. There are even videogames that are based on books themselves. This is a great example of books being transformed into something new.

When I was growing up, my life was completely different than Birkets. As a child, I never enjoyed books, and hated reading while Birkets, “loved just thinking about books”(Birkets 39). I never read for fun and would barely even read the books that were assigned for class. There were many points in my childhood when I can remember my mother yelling at me to go read.  I think the main reason for my dislike of reading is due to the difficulty I have reading. While I was in elementary school I found out that I had a learning problem. I was a very slow reader, and I could barely write coherent paragraphs and papers. Class made things much worse too, I would get very frustrated because of my fellow students’ reading speed and their skills at writing. There were many days when I despaired that I would never be able to fulfill my dreams, or future career, because of the difficulty I had with reading.

There was only one place that I could take refuge from reading, in the world of videogames. I have been playing videogames ever since I can remember. Some of my earliest memories were playing videogames with my brothers. I grew up in a house with two older brothers who loved videogames. They were five and seven years older and I feel because of this I developed a love for them.  They were the first to introduce me to videogames, even when I was too young to even really understand what to do in the game. As I grew up they showed me the fun and enjoyment you could get from videogames. My brothers were the biggest role models for me and without them I do not think I would have developed a strong love for videogames, as I have now.

People can learn just as much from books as they can from videogames. Using myself as an example again, while I was in English class, it was easy for me to understand and learn about the parts that make up a story, such as who the main character is, who the main antagonist is, or even what the climax and resolution are. While I was young, I picked up on many new vocabulary words while playing videogames as well. My skills with mathematics increased significantly from playing videogames. In some games I would have to figure out what weapon, spell or move would do more damage versus the speed that it took to use it. All of this, “number crunching” as it is commonly referred to, forced me to become better in math or else I would be unable to play the game as successfully. Videogames should be viewed today in a more positive light and should be used more often in school to assist in educating the youth.

Many people believe, my mother being one of them, that videogames were the anti-book.  These people were convinced that books were tools for education and videogames would just rot the brain. I feel that videogames are just books in a different form. In many cases a fiction novel is a story that goes beyond the boundary of the real world. Some books take you to a world where the hero is in great battle with his nemesis. Birkets says that books could “be converted into an environment, an inward depth populated with characters and animated by diverse excitements”(Birkets, 35) and although Birkets would never admit it, videogames can be described in the same way. There is only one difference between videogames and books; in videogames the player is able to decide how the hero interacts with his nemesis.

There are many games that do not have these concepts, and these are some of the games that people would call a mindless addiction. Some will rely on these as their main argument of videogames not having any value. There are many novels that do not have meaning, and even ones that completely lack a plot line. A textbook for example, does not have a story or a plot but tells information. As a book its only value is categorizing information. There are even videogames that are just informational and educational, and this even furthers my point that videogames are just a new age form of books.

Originally, books were a form of entertainment, and an explanation for the unknown. As time progressed they became a source of knowledge and were read by all.  As technology developed, books have become less and less vital to society, and videogames have become increasingly popular. Videogames should not be viewed as the rival of books, but rather an evolution of them.

Birkerts, Sven. The Gutenberg Elegies. 2006 ed. Union Square west, NewYork: Faber and Faber, inc, 2006. Print.

Videogames; an Interactive Story

Since the earliest stages of human’s evolution of linguistics, stories have been created to pass information. Originally, these stories were oral traditions but overtime they developed into a written form that allowed these stories and tales to be recorded and passed along from generation to generation. Today, these written scripts, or books, have evolved into a type of electronic text, or hypertext. The hypertexts have become interactive and are called videogames. Videogames have been around for approximately fifty years but have been quite popular. Many people feel that videogames are simply a mindless addiction that have no real value, but they are truly an interactive story.

Ancient verbal stories were told many times and each time different aspects of the story were changed, added or omitted. The teller of these verbal stories was able to decide what happened because they became the narrator and had full control of the story. With modern novels, the writer is the only person who is in control of the story. Since these stories are in print they are unable to be altered in any way. Videogames revert back to the way of the ancients, where the player, or narrator, can decide what happens and how to accomplish certain goals. The player can determine the finer details for each story. The story is now being placed in the hands of the player, not the writer. This jump for stories is a good jump, because more is left up to the player and they still experience the major points that are trying to be put across.

In the Gutenberg Elegies, Birkerts says “The major media shifts from oral to print and from print to electronic”(Birkerts 154). This is very true, but he would say that videogames are a negative development of society. He feels that these electronic games take from the readers of books and that books are dying out due to videogames.  He questions “are we dealing with a change of degree, or a change of kind?”(Birkerts, 154) and this is a good question.

This question is tough and may not have a real answer but it’s true that both are correct. Books could be undergoing a metamorphosis into videogames as a new form of literature. A great example of this is the videogame Final Fantasy Tactics, Grimoire of the Rift. This game is based around the idea of a book that takes a character inside of it to create there own story in this new world.  This videogame is able to incorporate a book, and tell a story of its own. Videogames have developed into a new form of literature.

In the game itself the main character is given a journal and as he progresses and matures as a person, his journal is magically imprinted with different major events the main character experiences. This journal is recording his life and his story. As a player, people can decide what to make the main character do. Players can control different events and decided their own way of completing the story. The game is directly related to books, for stories are told through them. The game still also has the same basic concepts of a book. It still has a conflict that escalates into a climax and then has resolution afterward.

When the game starts, the main character is in a library and finds a book that becomes blank in the middle of the book. The last thing that is written in the book is, “One is fated to fill these barren pages. Know you his name,” and the main character writes his name (you can write whatever name you want in the book, thus giving the main character his name). This then takes the main character into the book where he has to complete his journal to get back to the real world.

This game is very similar to the sequel of the game, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Just like any sequel of a book, the usage of characters from the first novel, are used again in the second. Many of the characters from the prequel make appearances and come back into the main plot of the story. This is a great use of story writing and helps further the value that the game is trying to get across.  Videogames have such a similar plot structure that it is hard to say that videogames are not a different type of books. There are even videogames that are based on books themselves. This is a great example of books being transformed into something new.

There are many games that do not have these concepts, and these are some of the games that people would call a mindless addiction. Some will rely on these as their main argument of videogames not having any value. There are many novels that do not have meaning, and even ones that completely lack a plot line. A textbook for example, does not have a story or a plot but tells information. As a book its only value is categorizing information. There are even videogames that are just informational and educational, and this even furthers my point that videogames are just a new age form of books.

People can learn just as much from books as they can from videogames. Using myself as an example, while I was in English class, it was easy for me to understand and learn about the parts that make up a story, such as who the main character is, who the main antagonist is, or even what the climax and resolution are. While I was young, I picked up on many new vocabulary words while playing videogames as well. My skills with mathematics increased significantly from playing videogames. In some games I would have to figure out what weapon, spell or move would do more damage versus the speed that it took to use it. All of this, “number crunching” as it is commonly referred to, forced me to become better in math or else I would be unable to play the game as successfully. Videogames should be viewed today in a more positive light and should be used more often in school to assist in educating the youth.

Birkerts, Sven. Gutenberg Elegies. New york: Faber and Faber, inc, 2006.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift. October 25, 2007. Square Enix. June 24, 2008.

The book inside of a game

Videogames have been around for only 50 years but stories have been around since the start of man. Videogames are just a interactive story.  Many people feel that videogames are just a mindless addiction however I feel that videogames are just stories or books of today.

In the Gutenberg elegies, Birkerts says “The major media shifts from orality to print and from print to electronic”(Birkerts 154). And this is very true but he would says that videogames are hurting books and won’t feel that books are dying out.  He questions “are we dealing with a change of degree, or a change of kind?”(Birkerts, 154) and this is a good question.

This question is tough and may not have a real answer but it true that both a correct. Books might be changing in to videogames as a new form. A great example of a videogame is Final Fantasy Tactics Grimoire Rift. This game is based around the idea of a book that takes a character inside of it to create there own story in this new world.  Here is a videogame still incorporates books and the media of the old in this new from of media today.

In the game inself. The main character is given a journal and as he progresses and matures as a person his journal is magically imprinted with different major events the main character has. This journal is recording his story, his life. As a player, you can decided what to make the main character do. You can control different events and decided your own way of completing the story. The game is directly relating to books and stories told from them. The game still has the same basic concepts of a book. It still has a conflict that escalates in to a climax and then has a resolution afterword’s.

When the game starts, the main character is in a library and finds a book that turns blank in the middle of the book. The last thing the book writes is “who should tell the story of the book” and the main character writes his name(you can write what ever name you want in the book, thus giving the main character his name).

the art of reading electronically

Since the start of computers, main litary scholars have been very sceptical about the idea of reading electronically. Before computers, reading has been only been done by written script.  Written script was a way of recording these stories that originally where verbally told and passed down through generations of people. Most of these readings where different kinds of stories and tales. at first man had to pass down the stories to keep the stories alive. Many of these tales would not leave the boundary of the the group that passed them down. When written script was invented and these stories written down. The tales were able to be recored and people beond the spectrum of were the story was started were now able to experience it. The invention of written script expanded story sharing.

In today’s world, written script seems almost old fashion. Most people feel reading is boring and unexciting. This is the increasingly thought idea of most of our youth today and because of this most kids play videogames but in many ways the kids today are doing the same things people did when reading stories. They are experiencing tales. although the tale isnt being told to them or they are reading them, they still are experiencing them. Videogames are just these tales but experienced in a different way. In videogames you can decided your own way of going through the story.

Videogames are just a new way of experiencing stories. Most videogames follow the same basic prinicple of stories. There is a main character. This main character has a antagonisnt and a basic problem that they must over come. The games also have a rising action that does lead into a climax where the highpoint of the game is. After that there is a resolution and a end to the game. the games are very much like the stories people read in school. There are many dramtic scenes with many important points trying to be shown. The games give people many good values and morals, if understood correctly.

Many people feel that games dont have any of these qualities and give people many bad values. They are correct but only if the games isnt understood for what it is. Some games are made with out good values and morals but these games must not be taken seriously and viewed as a game for kids. Videogames are just the new art of reading. they are electronic reading and a new form of media for literature.

Frankenstein dodges bullets in The Matrix

As a basis for many plot lines, modern film often relies on great works of literature. The film, The Matrix Reloaded, is one of these instances for it contains many plot and structural ideas that are very similar to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In the movie, the matrix is an alternate reality computer programs created by intelligent machines in order to enslave the human race and harvest them as an energy source. Some people manage to break free of this matrix and escape to the rebel force that is trying to free the rest of mankind.

When viewing the movie and its similarities to Frankenstein, the computer race is analogous to the main character, Victor, and the character, Neo, would portray the monster. The computers of The Matrix are much like Shelley’s Victor because they are both creators. In the novel, Frankenstein, Victor creates the monster and the computers unintentionally create Neo. They both created extremely powerful beings that were capable of great strength. Much like Frankenstein the monster, Neo is an extremely powerful superhuman, that cannot be defeated.  Neo, like the monster denies society, for he does not accept the matrix. Just like the computers of the matrix gave Neo his power, Victor created a “being of gigantic stature”(Frankenstein,58) and gave him all the power and strength.

In the dialogue with the Architect, the architect tells Neo that there have been multiple people who have denied the matrix before him. He says that there have been five before him and implies that there will be more after him. The movie relates to Frankenstein, for in the novel Victor tries many times to create a being. Although his previous attempts have never worked, unlike those of The Matrix, they still both share the possibility of having multiple monsters. Also, in the novel Victor creates another monster after Frankenstein, much like the architect’s statement that there will be more monsters after Neo.

Throughout their scene together, Neo talks to the architect and as the background walls are covered by televisions that spans the entire room.  These televisions represent the choices that Neo can make. This is comparable to Victor and his incessant internal thoughts of the outcomes of the choices he has made to bring the dead back to life. Neo can see his choices flashing all around him but still makes decides to use his own judgment.  The camera, after rotating around three hundred and sixty degrees to show all the televisions, then zooms in to one of the televisions. This screen shows the choice that Neo takes, while he is being faced by his maker. The televisions also show close-ups of Neo, which could possibly symbolize the importance of Neo and the impact he will make. The monster of Frankenstein is also extremely important to the plot of the novel, and the crux of the story line.

This scene with the architect also shows Neo from every possible angle and aspect. His creator, the architect, is able to view him in the television screens and is able to see him in any respect. The architect can see him from any aspect and knows him completely. His creator will always be able to Neo in this way. Much like the imprinted image Victor gets when he sees his creation during a “flash of lighting [illuminating]… the wretch… whom [he] had given life too”(Frankenstein, 75),the architect will always have Neo on his mind and in his thoughts. Both creators will never be able to get the idea of the monster out of their heads. Their monsters will always be in view and always in their inner-most thoughts.

The architect is also very similar to Victor because of the level of intelligence they possess and their communication skills.  Their level of intellect far surpasses everyone else’s for they seem to be the smartest people within the plot line. Victor in the novel, had “made some discoveries in the improvement of some chemical instruments, which procured [him] great esteem and admiration at the university”(Frankenstein, 55) he studied at. Victor’s communication skills are very sub par at the beginning of the novel, for he lives his life as a recluse. The architect also seems to be slightly out of touch with the rest of the world. These two influential men both possess a great mind, which makes them unable to hold the communication skills that the rest of the world has.

In the scene, the architect is sitting down in a chair and looking up at Neo. The architect looks up to Neo,  which represents the idea of Victor figuratively looking up to the monster. The monster stands “about eight feet in height and proportion ably large”(Frankenstein, 58) In this case it is the monster looking up to the creator unlike the monster in Frankenstein where the creator was always looking up to the monster.
The matrix puts a very interesting spin on the idea of Frankenstein. The movie takes the idea of a creation of a monster and makes the human race the monsters. This radical idea changes the way Frankenstein is view because there is more sympathy towards the monster and less of an abomination feeling to it. Neo is often forgotten that he is really a monster to the computers but he truly is demon and causes great troubles for the computer race.

*Honor Code statement: I pledge my honor that I have completed this work in accordance with the Honor Code.

I feel that my conclusion was the strongest part of my essay because I wrote the conclusion and the intro after completing my essay. I also wish I could have worked more on my connection between each paragraph.

The matrix Reloaded. Dir. Andy Wachowski.” Fox Studios: 2003, Film.

The Ancient Frankenstein

Contrary to popular conception, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is an extremely complex and intricately woven novel. This brilliant author uses many inter-textual references to make connections within Frankenstein. One of the references Shelley makes is to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. This poem is placed within the story right after the death of Dr. Frankenstein’s first creation, and he plans on going to bed, defeated. At the time the poem originally seems like a description of Frankenstein, but it is really foreshadowing what is to come in the story.

The main theme of the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is of a person who is walking a lonely road. At first glance the poem seems like it is about Dr. Frankenstein, because he is feeling very lonely and sorrowful, his mother had died and his work seems to be failing. After the completion of the entire novel, readers should recognize that the Mariner is truly Frankenstein’s monster; while he lives he is forced to wander a lonely path, without compassion or love.

The phrase  “doth walk in fear and dread” from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem could possibly describe Dr. Frankenstein and his recent failed creation. He might be walking in “fear and dread” at the thought of being considered a failure by his peers and even his beloved father. This interpretation is trumped by the foreshadowing of the life of Frankenstein’s monster. The monster is forcefully sequestered from society and dreads the fact that he will never be accepted. He also fears that other people will always judge him and he will live an unhappy life of solitude.

The line that states, “And, having once turned round, walks on”, are originally mistaken as a description of how Dr. Frankenstein “once turned” from being alone to having company, the monster, but now “walks on” alone with no companion. The true meaning of this line in the poem “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is about the monster of Frankenstein. The Monster at first follows his master, but then “turns” to “walk on” and has Dr. Frankenstein follow after him.

At the point in the novel, when Shelley inserts Coleridge’s poem, Dr. Frankenstein does not view his creation as a monster. Unbeknownst to the Doctor his life’s work is truly a monster, and as the poem states, “he knows a frightful fiend”. The poem also foreshadows the “frightful fiend” that the monster of Frankenstein comes to know. Later in the story, Dr. Frankenstein seeks out the monster to take revenge for the death of his family members. Dr. Frankenstein is the “fiend” of his creation and continually torments him.

Finally, the poem describes someone or something that, “doth close behind him tread”. Although at this point in the novel Dr. Frankenstein is not being followed by anyone he is being followed by his own faults and failures. The poem seems more accurate as a foreshadowing of events in the monster’s life. At the end of the novel his creator, Dr. Frankenstein, is following him.

Mary Shelley’s use of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” creates an aspect of foreshadowing within her novel, Frankenstein. This poem seemingly tells the life of Dr. Frankenstein, but it actually foreshadows the life of Frankenstein’s monster. Shelley’s novel is much more complicated than it appears, for she uses the poem to help create and develop an intricate story, and to foreshadow the life of the monster of Frankenstein.

Frankenstein’s inferno

In Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein makes many references to other books and stories. In the novel he makes a reference to Dante Alighieri’s first poem in his Divine Comedy, the Inferno that does not seem plausible. Dr. Frankenstein says that his creation, or monster as some would call it, is something that, “even Dante could not have conceived.” I do not believe that Dante could have never have thought of something as hideous as Dr. Frankenstein’s monster. Dante’s Inferno, is about a journey into the deepest depths of hell, or the nine levels of hell, and witnessing the harsh reality of brutal hell. This epic poem contains many more creatures and being that are far more fearsome than anything that Dr. Frankenstein could have ever thought up of. In the third level of hell, Dante sees Cerberus, a three-headed demon dog who serves as a guard to the Gulltons. This menacing beast is far more daunting than a human like figure that has been made from the body parts of different peoples. In the seventh level, Dante confronts a Minotaur who guards this level of the violent. A Minotaur is humanoid who has the head of a bull and a body of a man and is much scarier and more ugly than Dr. Frankenstein’s monster. Also in this level there are vicious creatures called Harpies. These creatures who are half women and half bird, are similar to the Minotaur, for they would be much more frightening to see than any creation of man, such as Dr. Frankenstein’s. Finally, Lucifer the fallen angel, resides in the ninth level of hell. He has three different faces and each face is chewing three different people, Brutus, Cassius, and Judas. Anyone who saw this sight would not be scared of Dr. Frankenstein’s monster, and might even consider it as a beautiful creature. Dr. Frankenstein should have used a better reference then Dante’s Inferno when trying to portray how terrifying his creature was. There are far more creatures in hell that are more foul and disturbing than Frankenstein’s monster.

Dr. Frankenstein’s view of death

While in his youth, Dr. Frankenstein had a very interesting view on death. When his mother died he “need not describe the feelings of those whose dearest ties are rent by that most irreparable evil”(Frankenstein 50). He felt upset and grief stricken about the death of his mother but he also knew that he still had “duties which [he] ought to perform”. Frankenstein thought that he “must continue [his] course with the rest, and learn to think ourselves fortunate, whilst on remains whom the spoiler has not seized”. Dr. Frankenstein means that people must continue with their lives even when someone close to them dies. Nothing is gained from grieving over the dead but continued sorrow. Death should not be something that disrupts or ruins the lives of others. Dr. Frankenstein’s statements on death are correct because I have had close relatives die. The first few days I was extremely upset until my father approached me and told me something that I will never forget, “would they want you to be depressed right now over their death”. I knew what my father had said was right and that I could not continue feeling depressed. From that day on death no longer scared me nor did it ever make me upset. I was not scared of death of my self but of others dieing because no one should fear another ones death, unless it is forced on them by something else. Dr. Frankenstein describes grief “rather [as] an indulgence than a necessity” because he feels that people should choose to be upset over someone as an honor to their life. He feels that the deceased should be mourned over but not forever. To many, death is a sad time of something that is ending, but in many ways death is start. It is the start for the person who dies, but it is also the start of a new life for the people who keep going on. The relatives of the deceased can learn from the choices that they made and the experiences they had and try to improve their lives accordingly.

Reading of the New Age

Sam Hartman

2/3/10

English

Reading of the New Age

Books and literature have been around for centuries and have helped educate people and teach them many valuable lessons. Today, some feel that books are being lost due to the increasing use of technology, and the advancements being made in that field. Sven Birkerts, author of The Gutenberg Elegies, believes that reading, in the modern age, has become obsolete. His statements are false, reading has not become extinct, but it has evolved, into a more contemporary form that appeals to present society.

When I was growing up, my life was completely different than Birkets. As a child, I never enjoyed books, and hated reading while Birkets, “loved just thinking about books”(Birkets 39).u I never read for fun and would barely even read the books that were assigned for class. There were many points in my childhood when I can remember my mother yelling at me to go read.  I think the main reason for my dislike of reading is due to the difficulty I have reading. While I was in elementary school I found out that I had a learning problem. I was a very slow reader, and I could barely write coherent paragraphs and papers. Class made things much worse too, I would get very frustrated because of my fellow students’ reading speed and their skills at writing. There were many days when I despaired that I would never be able to fulfill my dreams, or future career, because of the difficulty I had with reading.

There was only one place that I could take refuge from reading, in the world of videogames. I have been playing videogames ever since I can remember. Some of my earliest memories were playing videogames with my brothers. I grew up in a house with two older brothers who loved videogames. They were five and seven years older and I feel because of this I developed a love for them.  They were the first to introduce me to videogames, even when I was too young to even really understand what to do in the game. As I grew up they showed me the fun and enjoyment you could get from videogames. My brothers were the biggest role models for me and without them I do not think I would have developed a strong love for videogames, as I have now.

Many people believe, my mother being one of them, that videogames were the anti-book.  These people were convinced that books were tools for education and videogames would just rot the brain. I feel that videogames are just books in a different form. In many cases a fiction novel is a story that goes beyond the boundary of the real world. Some books take you to a world where the hero is in great battle with his nemesis. Birkets says that books could “be converted into an environment, an inward depth populated with characters and animated by diverse excitements”(Birkets, 35) and although Birkets would never admit it, videogames can be described in the same way. There is only one difference between videogames and books; in videogames the player is able to decide how the hero interacts with his nemesis.

People can learn just as much from books as they can from videogames. In school, during English class, it was easy for me to understand and learn about the parts that make up a story, such as who the main character is, who the main antagonist is, or even what the climax and resolution are. While I was young, I picked up on many new vocabulary words while playing videogames as well. My skills with mathematics increased significantly from playing videogames. In some games I would have to figure out what weapon or spell or move would do more damage vs. the speed that it took to use it. All of this, “number crunching” as it is more commonly referred to, forced me to become better in math or else I would be unable to play the game as successfully. Today there are some videogames that are made for the soul reason of education. Videogames should be viewed today in a more positive light and should be used more often in school to assist in educating the youth.

During the early years of videogames, many believed that these games caused children to be more violent. Many people blamed school shootings, on the  assailants’ playing of videogames at home. Many people do not recognize the fact that books are equally, if not more, violent and gruesome as videogames. Books often describe the way their characters die, or are killed, and watching someone be killed instead of creating a mental picture is better because the game can make it less graphic. Many times in videogames, the creators could have made the characters of monsters die in an extremely bloody way, but they refrain from it and make it less appalling.

Due to my videogame use, I was able to overcome my learning problem, which may not have been possible any other way. After spending many years of my life refusing to read books, unless dictated by the school, I finally started to read on my own time. As a result of my reading, I now have a better understanding of books and their plot structure. I no longer feel frustrated during class and can finally keep up with the reading pace of other people. Videogames have really taught me a lot, more then I sometimes care to share with people.

Originally, books were a form of entertainment, and an explanation for the unknown. As time progressed they became a source of knowledge and were read by all.  As technology developed, books have become less and less vital to society, and videogames have become increasingly popular. Videogames should not be viewed as the rival of books, but rather an evolution of them.

Birkerts, Sven. The Gutenberg Elegies. 2006 ed. Union Square west, NewYork: Faber and Faber, inc, 2006. Print.

The addiction of Birkerts

After reading Chapter 2, I feel much more sympathetic and able to relate a lot more with the author of The Gutenberg Elegies, Sven Birkerts. In the novel, Birkerts refers to his “drug”, or addiction, being books and my equivalent is videogames. I completely understand his feelings when his father disapproves of his frequent reading. As a child, my parents frowned upon my excessive playing of video games. I played videogames non-stop and can “remember so clearly the shock I would feel whenever I looked up from the vortex”(Birkerts, 37) of the game. I was so fascinated by these games that I was unable to put them down and discontinue playing. My mother, in particular, was extremely against videogames similar to Birkerts father ‘s view of his reading. She would always scold “videogames will never get you any where in life” and tell me I should be studying for school. Birkerts says he “began to be more careful about reading”(Birkerts, 38) and I too became more careful about playing videogames. I too would play “when my parents were away”(Birkerts, 38) or “late into the night”(Birkerts, 38) as they lay sleeping. Like Birkerts, this was my way of “yielding to my [mother] while inwardly rebelling”(Birkerts, 38). Today, my mother has finally given up on preventing me from playing videogames, due to my older brother’s intervention. My bother, who was the major influence behind my videogame drug addiction and the teacher of all my gaming skills, was able to prove to her that idea of, “videogames will never get you any where in life,” was wrong. He was able to do this because he went to college to study computer graphics at Purdue University. After graduating he was offered a job position at Activision, one of the biggest videogame companies in the world. He is now very successful and if he did not play videogames as a kid, like I did, he would have never gotten his job.  In Birkerts world, my brother is comparable to his mother. He was always on my side and fueled my love for videogames just like Birkerts’ mother who “would [always] rush to [his] defense” and helped supply him with books . Without Birkerts’ mother he would not be in the position he is in today and without my brother I would not be the person I am today.