User blog comment:XelNecra/The Stereotype of a "Gamer"/@comment-5993740-20130131191613

This post is rather interesting, because I'm currently studying Game Design. For this month's course, we received a book on comic books, and they are very similar and the book describes things that games can relate to.

For example, the book states that comics books have been here for a long time, but rarely gets the recognition it deserves, as even people who work in the field don't like being related to the term. For example, instead of comic book artist, most refer to themselves as cartoonists or illustrators. It's not a recognized and well respected media.

The big 3, or the media that, more or less, everyone knows and uses, are Video, Music and Written Word. Television, movies and such fall under video, obviously. Almost every person has watched a show, heard a song, or read a book, and almost every person thinks this is normal. Now, not every person has played a game or read a comic book, because these are trivial things for children. The main problem with games and comic books are the level of interaction. A video literally does everything for you, sound gives you the feeling and emotion, and word can be very descriptive, only needing the mind to create a mental image that is not specific.

Video games are very straightforward with their interaction. Input/Output. To advance, you must do something, or not do something. But something must be done. Same thing for comic books, even though this is less noticeable. Unless the comic is so incredibly descriptive, you have to give the strip or book life. The space between panels is only animated by you, and your mind.

Also something both things share is the amount of... involvement, if you will. Video games allow a person to, more often than not, do things they could not do themselves. Comic books have you, while usually unconsciously, putting yourself into the comic book. While some may think that a comic book may simply be a fancy picture book with panels, and others a video game may simply be an interactive video and audio experience, it is a mental playground for our mind. Why is it that reading a book or watching the new movie is fine but playing a game or owning the newest Marvel comic a waste of time?

I imagine it will be years before these are recognized mediums, more than "wastes of time".