Our class discussions last week have led me to think of how in general we think about games. While the authors in the selected readings were very good about using specific games when referencing trends in video games, from what I experienced in the class discussions it is hard to make general arguments about video games. That is why I feel that when we speak of video games, we must also speak of the genre at the same time. Thus, when speaking of a specific genre of video games, the conclusions based on the observations that one makes are typically true and in a sense irrefutable.

After examining last week’s various readings about videos games, I have found my personal views to align with those of the authors from the Game Theories readings. In his essay “Game Design as Narrative Architecture”, Henry Jenkins regards modern game consoles as:

Machines for generating compelling spaces, that their virtual play spaces have helped to compensate for the declining place of the traditional backyard in contemporary boy culture. (122)