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The Media is a Lie
Nathan Krott
April 25, 2010
Video game culture is a form of new media that has been influenced by, of course, video games. As computer and video games have increased exponentially in popularity over time, they have caused a significant influence upon society and the media. This form of entertainment has spawned many memes and fads. For example, the phrase from Valve's Portal, "The cake is a lie." Today, one can see the impact of computer and video games in politics, television, popular music, and even Hollywood.
Over the evolution of video games, certain words and phrases have been invented by, or have become popular with, the gaming community. Some terms are used to describe gaming events, games themselves, or aspects of games. Many games, especially online games, have their communities create new words to refer to specific events, situations, actions, or people in the games. Common phrases include lol (laughing out loud), n00b (derogatory term for newbeginner) and after a multiplayer match has concluded, gg (good game). If you have left your home in the last year you've probably, sadly, heard these phrases said in the real world; which, if you think about it, is almost frightening. It's as if culture is making accommodations for the next generation coming into place.
There has been much debate among media theorists as to whether video gaming is an inevitable social or anti-social activity. Some argue that digital games are increasingly social, a trend that works against the mainstream media's portrayal of players as isolated, usually adolescent boys hidden away in darkened bedrooms, failing to engage with the social world. Some folks even state that games are played in very social and public settings, for example, computers and consoles are played in living areas of domestic homes where people play with family or friends.
The media's involvement with video games is not entirely new. Several times in the early history of video games the medium caught the attention of the mainstream news outlets. In 1972, Pong, became the first video game pop-culture phenomenon. This was followed by Pac Man in 1981. Other video games labeled as pop-culture phenomena include Final Fantasy, Halo, Metal Gear, The Legend of Zelda, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and the Mario games.
Today, video gaming is viewed as a serious industry comparable to the movie industry or the music industry. News outlets cover video game console releases in the same manner as they cover the release of a highly-anticipated movie. I was flipping channels last night and saw a full-fledge preview of Skate 3 on MTV for probably a good five minutes.
In addition, advertisers have taken a step toward the gaming industry. Three Old Spice-themed games have lurched onto Xbox Live. Advergames are nothing new to gaming (Sneak King anyone?) but what's audacious about this new set of games is that you actually have to pay for them. If these are successful, you can bet on more just like them. So get out there, everyone, and show Old Spice that we want to pay them to play their advertising games.
For the future, it is fully expected for the video game culture to enter the mainstream, from the words we say to how we play and who we play with, to even more movie and advertising integration. You can also fully expect for game developers and publishers to spend more time in the marketing department to ensure this happens.
