How Do Games Differ From Other Media: technological development

With the advancement of technology throughout the years, playing games is now more commonly done on electronic devices rather than on playgrounds. It’s typical to see young people addicted to their phones and televisions, playing what they consider to be video games. Thus, it prompts the question of what gaming in and of itself entails. A game is by definition a system where the players take part in an artificial dispute that is governed by defined rules and has a quantifiable result. The understanding has thus enabled people to compared the physical playing with the new advances and more specifically, relate to the new media options. Games are similar to the other media types in various ways. The primary factor is the fact that they both require a medium to be conducted. The other forms of media require that the user has some form of electronic gadget from where they will access the simulations of information that will be projected on the screen (Madigan, 2015). The case is similar in the world of gaming where the user is usually required to use a device which could be a computer, phone, television or other electronic media that they engage in the simulations. For example, before one is in a position to play the Defense of the Ancients game, they will need to purchase it and play it on a medium, preferably a computer or television. It is plausible to assume that the case applies to all the other games that one can purchase in the current generation

The primary difference between gaming and the other forms of media, however, is that games do not attract as much attention as other forms. It is common to find people engaging in a television broadcast airing or holding a newspaper than it is to find them playing games. It thus implies that the newspaper, magazines, music, and video tend to receive much more attention that games (Madigan, 2015). The important factor, however, is that despite the popularity that the other media enjoy, the users tend not to enjoy the same recognition in the media circles as the gamers do. It thus means that each form of entertainment has its unique motivating factors that the users tend to find appropriate and that encourages them to have preference over others.

The other primary differentiating factor between the traditional media and the modern day gaming is that games, particularly the PC games, can be improved as they are subject to experimentation (Madigan, 2015). An example of such an effect is in the game Defense of the Ancients where it is apparent that the simulations have been integrated into a three-dimension format for a livelier and realistic engagement process. The motive for this is that it ensures that the user’s needs are addressed and can further be improved depending on preference, an effect that is rarely common with the other forms of media such as the print media.

In summary, it is worthy highlighting that the media common in the mainstream context compared with gaming as they tend to be engaging. However, the uniqueness of games is that they are not much popular as the other forms. Moreover, they can be improved with experimentation, a feature that is unlikely when using the traditional media forms. Overall, therefore, gaming is becoming an integral part of the technological advances with more future developments expected to make it better.

Reference

Madigan, J. (2015). Podcast 9: How Do Games Differ From Other Media? The Psychology of Video Games. Retrieved from http://www.psychologyofgames.com/2015/11/podcast-9-how-do-games-differ-from-other-media/