Video games

tags:: Memex3, agency, video games, network, culture

What exactly are video games? MacDougall in his presentation about video games and cold war seems to think it is a real-time human machine feedback loop. I partly agree with this definition. The human user is definitely interacting with the video games which is hosted on a machine, but it is important to consider the Agency and intention of that machine. "We shape toys and toys shapes us" (MacDougall, YouTube). When shaping a video game, the intention of the creator is reflected onto the user, but that choice, once made, become invisible and strongly influences the perspective of the user.
Especially today, video games can also be seen as digital hubs for communities and social gathering. It creates a new network within the larger network of the internet, flourishing a new culture. The game genre "MMORPG" (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) is probably the best example to show how a new digital ecosystem (Media_as_an_ecosystem) is created. In these games, a large number of people gathers under a common interest in an interactive way. I could go on for pages about video games, but the idea is that these games influences the players based on the intention of the game developer. What is being controlled (Control)? What is expected of the player? How does the player engage with the machine?

There is no video games without Agency.
This article analyzes the interesting development of MMORPG culture and how web communities are built in unique digital worlds.