Influence of Movies and Video Games
Introduction
Movies and video games have been a constant source of debate on the issue underlying their realism and methods of influence to their audience. Therefore, there has been debate as to the superiority of the two, and which one has the greatest influence on its audience. The nature of language, how we think and act are shaped by what we watch. Even though most discussions are centered on the negative influences of the two, they can positively influence their audience. The difference emanates from the content one is concentrated on, and the amounts of time dedicated to it. There are movies that have good content and give insight into important subjects in the society. There are those that have violent and another explicit content. The question on which one has more influence lies in the realism portrayed by the two.
Discussion
Movies and video games are very influential on audiences. Most video games are classified under violent media because of their nature. Often, video games involve blasting, shouting and fighting. Continuous exposure to violent media has been proved negatively to influence the behavior and attitude of its audience. The reason is that video games are a continuous process. They are prone negatively to influence their audience more because one can play them for a long time, which makes the content stick. Movies are different because you only need to sit through it once or twice, therefore, making them inadequate to cause permanent influence on the audience. However, the new crop of series can destroy such an argument. The article in question argues that the influence depends on aspects of graphics, realism and what is represented in the content (Anderson & Bushman, 2001). Video games are better narrative options because of their real-time experience. Movies entail fewer hours spent watching something while video games involve the audience in the action. The audience is can move with their favorite characters, which makes them active. Therefore, video games are more likely to influence the audience more.
The articles that facilitate this study employ several methods to develop a hypothesis. The first article employs the use of experience and comparison to achieve its purpose. The writer has uses examples of types of video games and movies to relate to the topic in question. Because of the companionship in evolvement between the two, the writer could not argue without the use of examples. He uses examples such as “The hurt locker” and “Children of men” to show how video games have influenced the creation of films (Franich, 2011). In addition, it has used the debates of other people to form the basis of its argument. The writer also used his experience to conclude that he learnt more from movies that he did in video games. The second article uses logic to make its arguments. The logic is in realism, graphics and the action that the audience undertakes when playing video games. In addition, he uses academic or psychological knowledge to make a judgment on the effect video games have on the audience. He implores the reader to think about the magnitude of influence based on how people react after playing video games and its effect on their language. He uses the experiences of people, where he points out that a number of people recite phrases borrowed from video games a long time after playing them.
In the first article, information about the influence of both is not provided. The article only gives examples and cites their experiences while watching the video. It does not detail the magnitude of the influence the games had on him. In addition, is disappointing on giving an explanation of how the two influenced him, and helped to shape his ideologies. It only mentions that the writer watched or played the movies and video games respectively, and found movies more enjoyable. The writer needed to provide detail on how they influenced him. The magnitude of the influence would help shape the validity of the hypothesis. The second article does not give any examples of video games that are better than movies. It only gives insight into a psychological perspective. The presence of examples would have made the article real. It only gives theories and book knowledge on which one would have more influence on the audience, but lack depth on what movies or video games made him reach his hypothesis.
Conclusion
The debate on the one that is better between movies and video games is a never ending one. Both have a certain magnitude of influence over the audience. The issue that should be under discussion is the measure of influenced caused by the two. If such influence can change a person’s perspective on a particular view in life, then we can say it has had a fundamental influence on its audience. If either one changes how we connect with people, speak, act or think, then such influence is of a big magnitude. We cannot base the influence on which one is more enjoyable or holds the most concentration. In my opinion, the type and magnitude of influence are what can end the debate. However, measuring these elements is extremely hard, so we can base our arguments on a tie between the two.
References
Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological science, 12(5), 353-359.
Franich, D. (2011). Videogames vs. movies: have games replaced movies as the modern popular narrative medium. Entertainment Weekly, 1(2), 2.
