Almost everyone in the world including myself consumes some sort of media every single day. The types of media people consume are movies, news, TV shows, video games, magazines, social media, and even more. The type of media that I use the most is, of course, video games. I play video games almost everyday that I am able to and it is my favorite hobby. One of the first video games I got to experience was the Super Mario series. The Mario series mostly consists of many different type of games like platformers, kart racing, and party games. I pretty much grew up with the Mario series and was a bit obsessed when I was younger, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that sometimes. The Mario franchise doesn't exactly have the most deep lore or interesting stories but sometimes the visuals, music, gameplay and vibes just make it very appealing.
I feel like video games have kind of shaped who I am, in both a good and bad way. Starting with the bad, I never really play any online or multiplayer games, I mostly just play games where I could play alone. I feel like this has made me anti-social because I've been playing single player games most of the time, and I don't really get to experience teamwork or rivalry with other people. This doesn't mean I never play multiplayer games. Whenever I get the chance to play with other people, I enjoy it a lot. I tend to get less frustrated at the game when playing with other people because I its harder to get mad at a real person beating me rather than an AI. Video games have also shaped me in many good ways. The music used in video games have inspired me to learn piano, no other kind of music would've inspired me to play piano. Video games have also gave me something to do in my spare time. Some say its a "waste of time" but I say no such hobby is a waste of time.
Some people have argued that video games are not media. They say that video games don't have any meaning and are just for entertainment. This article by Frank Lantz explains why video games are not media. He compares video games to soccer saying that video games can't be a form of media because it is just a hobby people have. I disagree with most of what is said in the article because there are many different ways that video games could be considered media. Video games are interactive and lets people do things that they wouldn't be able to do in real life. The player has a connection with the character they are using and depending on the character they use, they could feel like they relate to that character. A lot of video games also have different stories with meanings that could get the player to think. Game developers consist of programmers, designers, writers, artists and music composers. The writers who are a part of the game development usually get to express themselves through their writing and inspire people who play their games. Duilio Giordano Faillaci in his article said that the "Epic Fantasy" genre of gaming has made him believe in honor and self-improvement. I found most of my information in Faillaci's article and seeing how video games shaped him makes me feel that video games do have an affect on people which is what media is supposed to do.
Video games have had an impact on life and I feel that without it, I don't know what else I would do, I probably wouldn't have a piano in my room. There are many different forms of media that are seen in video games like music, visual, entertainment, and even social. Many different people feel inspired from all of these kinds of media including myself and I hope video games continue to make me feel inspired and have fun.
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