Week+2

. ** Can Video Games be considered another new mass media? What makes Video Games a different medium from conventional movies and music? Why are video games catching on? **

In today’s world, there has been an evident rise in the mediums of mass communication. Video Games, is an industry that is said to be an entirely new mass media due to its sheer size and impact of the industry as a whole. All over the world, be it a village in sub-Saharan Africa or cities in Japan, video games are increasing in popularity and there has been a considerable growth in the industry. In fact, the videogame industry has surpassed the film industry in terms of revenue growth rate, with a shocking growth of 28.4% compared to an insignificant 1.8% displayed by the film industry. In my opinion, video games can indeed be considered another new mass media due to the influence it has around the world in terms of popularity and their sheer potential to influence children and adolescents alike. Video games are extremely different from conventional movies and music in the sense that there is a sense of interaction involved in this form of recreation. When one watches movies or listens to music, there is minimal interaction between the user and the source. However, with a video game, one can ‘feel’ that one is part of the experience and children especially can relive their action hero or be part of their favorite sport team, almost making video games a medium through which a higher form of recreation can be achieved. With the advent of high definition gaming such as Play station 3, Xbox360, Nintendo Wii, the gaming experience is so realistic that one can play with people around the world, at given time and can emulate almost anything. Videogames are extremely addictive: it is well known that there have been deaths in the past in countries like Japan due to video game addiction. With networks such as the Play station Live Network, it is possible to watch movies, get access to global news, download music, reflecting on a never-before witnessed convergence. Videogames open doors to new dimensions of both an enhanced educational as well as a recreational experience and for this reason, one can anticipate the industry to grow exponentially in the future.