Whether watching a video game, playing multiplayer online games, or even playing against a computer, video games create a community, as they provide a virtual form of interaction and a medium for “social networks”. This definition, while technically correct, lacks a more complete definition of the video game as a medium rather than simply a form of interaction. Pong was a more complex version of the ping-pong game released on Magnavox Odyssey, and was sold as an arcade game before its release on a home console such as Home Pong. They cannot be adjusted for the player without changing the settings (who must then be given the option) or entering the video game code and altering these rules directly.
Other games minimize their controls, analyzing parts of reality on separate buttons and keystrokes, while maintaining the need for precision in these movements. One sign of the generalization of video games is the increase in educational institutions that adopt them. The perception of video games as a form of mass media is further reinforced by the idea that media consumers are more than just passive receivers of content. In this way, the video game is an extension of the body, as McLuhan suggested, which lends itself to a physical understanding of the world within the video game.
In video games, if the game itself suddenly adheres to different rules, the controls are generally not altered throughout the game. Several bands only play versions of video games in a variety of styles, such as the popular Japanese group Black Mages, which performs rock versions of Final Fantasy music. Video games require the player to “temporarily interrupt and leave everyday life aside” (Bogost, 11), either for a realistic or more abstract game. Seemingly realistic or predictable games require the player to challenge the restrictions and rules of the game world.
This type of innovation is only possible with an audience that has come to demand and trust the type of interactivity offered by video games. Video games are the same, although they often manifest themselves in a narrative and more immersive way than board games or sporting events. They began to surpass video games, companies like Sega, and later Sony and Microsoft, began creating games to attract older demographic groups. Instead, these devices and games are considered a medium through which a person can acquire meaningful information that can help them make important decisions in life.
