New media has added so much to the power of the narrative. Films added visual, then audio aspects. Television made the viewer become even more involved, adding the experience of the narrative to the weekly agenda of its viewers. Stories were able to be shared in ways never done before, where imagination was removed. The picture with the message, the sound of it too, were made one truth. Interpretation was removed in all but the actions of the characters.
However, the most influential media, I believe, is the video game, because it is by far the least limited and the most interactive. Video games can put the player (the receiver of the media and its messages) in any situation, no matter how impossible. Games take place in the future the past, the present, fictional places, real places, anywhere you could imagine. They create situations that feel real, no matter how impossible, and make the player commit the actions of the protagonists. This extra level of interactivity makes the message so much more powerful. The receiver is discovering the message on their own, through their own actions. This is especially true in games that give choices that impact the narrative. The player chooses which reality to accept.
Some games offer real-time communication as well, another aspect that is much harder to accomplish with other media. With films and television there is almost always a slight delay when discussing with the rest of the world, as tweets or statuses have to be composed and sent. Gaming, however, offers in-game live chatting during online multiplayer games. This allows people from all over to react to and interpret the messages they receive live, without really putting much thought into the delivery. It is the rawest form of analysis.
If we accept and discuss film and television as deep-meaning platforms for message sending, video games must be discussed as well. They are a growing influence in popular culture, and cannot be ignored.
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