Video games. Even if you aren’t a fan of ’em, their influence nowadays is undeniable. From classics like Galaga, Super Mario Bros., DOOM, and Final Fantasy, to lesser known or more modern experiences, the video game has evolved into something much more than a simple spaceship blasting aliens. It’s become an experience.
Modern hits like 2018’s God of War reboot and Breath of the Wild that test the boundaries of both hardware and game design. Games like Minecraft and Fortnite that explode in relevancy and almost instantly make themselves household names. Even retro revivals like Sonic Mania and Mega Man 9 that reintroduce to us what we loved so much about the classics.
But why DO we love video games so much? What is it that a video game does that a movie or book simply can’t? I believe the lasting appeal of video games stems from one thing: interactivity.
I believe interactivity is what gives video games more room for the imagination to run wild than any other medium. Suddenly, genre takes on a whole new meaning. Rather than comedy, drama, action; we have platformer, fighting, RPG. So on and so forth. But this doesn’t mean that those other genres simply take a sideline. They influence games in their own way. Sure, you could have horror movies such as IT. But you could also have survival horror like Silent Hill. Horror simulators like Five Nights at Freddy’s. Shooters with horror elements such as DOOM and Quake. Completely different genres, but a similar atmosphere. And this is just one example of how video games mesh the traditional sense of “genre” with its own, unique way of implementing various genres.
In a way, I believe almost any video game genre could be mashed up with a genre of movie or what have you, or some aesthetic or style evoking it, and work very well, given the proper care. A game with a military movie style where, instead of going in guns blazing, you sneak around your enemies to avoid detection? Why not? A visual novel where you prove all sorts of strange clients innocent when accused of murder? Absolutely. A platformer set in a medieval era set to a rocking soundtrack? Heck, you could think of more than one game that fits that description. Etcetera, etcetera. Not to mention the varying levels of simplicity or complexity that games can now have as we’ve progressed technologically. It’s those multiple levels of intricacy in the difference between games that I feel gives it an edge in freedom over other genres. And it’s this that makes me think that video games are a truly fantastic medium.
