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.
