What is media? In my head 'the media' has always been the news or other things on television like the news. And, of course, there is Facebook and Twitter or social media as they've been labeled. But I hadn't thought of basically everything around us as a form of media. I hadn't realized how much of our society is based around relaying information through different mediums.
Honestly, I'm still struggling with wrapping my head around this whole 'media' thing because it went from being this specific thing to this very broad expansive thing. It's kind of overwhelming. With that being said, much of my thought process on the subject has been in attempt to accept this media-filled world and figure out what all of this really means and how it impacts me.
Something that has been especially strange for me to grasp is that video games are a form of media. There are people like Frank Lantz who say that statement is incorrect and that video games are, in fact, not a form of media. Lantz has made a career out of teaching game design or working in game centers and his feelings on the topic are here. I don't know, though, if I can agree with him. He says that video games are not a message the way stories are because players are not an audience, they are a part of the action. So I guess then it can be argued that not all video games are media but is that really possible? Most popular games of today are story focused where players get to choose how they go about doing things but regardless the main story gets told to players. It's a story that could change slightly but it is a story that gets told. Does that make it media? If books are media, how is -basically- a visual representation of a book not media? Many games could become books with a little tweaking. Many games have been blurring the lines between game and movie by adding extra video components to go along with their games without being a part of them. Halo has been trying this stuff for years and a similar situation can be found with Assassin's Creed. Halo has multiple movies, books, and things relating to the story their games portray. Assassin's Creed has released little movies to go along with games. That is all media, right?
I don't really watch TV or the news or anything like that. So I've always assumed that the majority of media hasn't gotten to me. But I do play games and I do go on the internet. The internet is probably one of the biggest media sources of today!
Media is everywhere and literally everyone is impacted by its presence. I can't imagine that there is anyone that can escape its touch. It's weird to think about but I think I'm slowly starting to understand what this all means.
Something that has been especially strange for me to grasp is that video games are a form of media. There are people like Frank Lantz who say that statement is incorrect and that video games are, in fact, not a form of media. Lantz has made a career out of teaching game design or working in game centers and his feelings on the topic are here. I don't know, though, if I can agree with him. He says that video games are not a message the way stories are because players are not an audience, they are a part of the action. So I guess then it can be argued that not all video games are media but is that really possible? Most popular games of today are story focused where players get to choose how they go about doing things but regardless the main story gets told to players. It's a story that could change slightly but it is a story that gets told. Does that make it media? If books are media, how is -basically- a visual representation of a book not media? Many games could become books with a little tweaking. Many games have been blurring the lines between game and movie by adding extra video components to go along with their games without being a part of them. Halo has been trying this stuff for years and a similar situation can be found with Assassin's Creed. Halo has multiple movies, books, and things relating to the story their games portray. Assassin's Creed has released little movies to go along with games. That is all media, right?
I don't really watch TV or the news or anything like that. So I've always assumed that the majority of media hasn't gotten to me. But I do play games and I do go on the internet. The internet is probably one of the biggest media sources of today!
Media is everywhere and literally everyone is impacted by its presence. I can't imagine that there is anyone that can escape its touch. It's weird to think about but I think I'm slowly starting to understand what this all means.
I don't know what happened with this and why the text is hard to see.. I also don't know how to fix it. I tried making an entirely new post with this content and it didn't work. I'm sorry.
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