Rhizome Experiment, Fall 2015

Losing Oneself in a Video Game

The challenges within the simulated world cause a dangerous infatuation in people. This is present especially in video games. The interactive environment of video games is immersive. Gamers do not feel that they are playing the game, rather that they are in the game. In certain situations, gamers can come to prefer the simulated world to the real world. Video games encourage this, putting gamers in the place of the characters, but not necessarily in the roles of the characters. Games give the player creative freedom, and thus, the ability to place them self in the game world. Imaginary identification allows players to immerse themselves into the game. This is when players do not just control the character they are using, they identify with the situation that the character is in. Take Super Mario World for example. Someone who does not pay attention to the story of the game is just controlling Mario as he jumps on enemies and moves through each level. A player who identifies with Mario is on a mission to save Princess Peach from the evil hands of Bowser. The latter will play the game with more focus, passion, and enjoyment. Video games encourage this, putting the player in the place of the character. However, there often is not much room for playing the role of the character.
The danger comes from the love of the challenges within video games. These challenges have evolved to become more persistent in recent years. As players create characters and save data, immersion can transform from a couple hours to years. In games such as World of Warcraft players can develop their characters for years and get to the point where the virtual world is just as important, if not more important, than the real world. In these extreme cases the holding power of the virtual world becomes an addiction.

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