Modern video games are a superior storytelling medium to books, cinema, and the spoken word.

Being an Aggie, I am unable to concentrate after the win over Alabama. (I would also request that no one vote against me for by university affiliation.) Thus, I return. I begin by again pointing out that Con has failed to cite any sources in support of his argument. I would note to voters that, should Con now cite to sources, given the rules of this debate, I would have no chance to rebut them because Round 5 is strictly for summation. Having edited and paraphrased Con"s assertions, I offer the following rebuttals" 1. "The majority of video game players don"t play for the story." I cite Con to my source from my prior argument that rebuts this. I further cite Con to the following evidence. See http://www.gamasutra.com.... Since Con offers only conclusory statements and no evidence, I move on. 2. "Reading is 100% of the of the storyline." Con confuses the method used to convey a narrative with the medium as a whole. Books accomplish the conveyance of information through written words. Video games do it through game play. Thus, Con"s assertion that people play video games for the game play and not the narrative is like saying people use books to "read" and not to get a narrative. The method of narrative delivery is not at issue. The issue is the overall effectiveness of the narrative conveyed. 3. "I in no way stated that video games have no plot." I cite Con to his own arguments. "Many games that are out don't even have a plot!" I further cite to his immediately following sentence, "There are many video games that don't have a plot"" Additionally, Con concedes that, "major games, especially console games for the PS3 tend to have plots." I refer Con to the definitions of this debate."[F]or purposes of this debate, [video games] refers to the electronic games that operate on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC." Thus, Con admits that many of the games under discussion in this debate have plots. He refutes his own point. 4. "The majority of gamers are kids younger then 18." Con offers no evidence here. I cite Con to the following to disprove his assertion. See http://www.telegraph.co.uk.... 5. "Movies and books solely focus on the plot, generally, where video games tend to cloud the plot with the entertainment value." Con cites no evidence for this. First, I would point out that many movies "cloud the plot with entertainment value." Indeed, the defined purposes of a narrative medium includes "producing engagement." This is another way of saying "entertain the user enough that they keep using the medium." Thus, I claim that Con"s argument that videos games provide greater "entertainment value" supports my position. Indeed, it can be easily argued that the central purpose of a narrative medium is to produce entertainment. If a narrative does not entertain, it is difficult for it to accomplish any other purposes because no one will pay attention. 6. "I don't see in any way how a video game can express the morals of a story any better then a book or movie." I do not argue that video games express a moral better than other mediums. I would assert they do that equally well. I argue, using evidence, that video games create a greater long term retention of the lessons learned through classical operant conditioning. Since the defined purpose of a narrative medium is "to teach the user a moral or lesson", long term retention is far more important. It is commonly accepted that the goal of teaching is retention. 7. "Books describe things, and then the readers mind can easily create this 'world' that's described, since a minds storage can be much, much, greater and detailed then any video game . . . video games would limit that since you can't make these things in your mind . . ." I cite Con to the following source that establishes that "studies suggest that video games should not be viewed as restrictive but instead as vehicles by which young people can expand and enrich their imaginations as well as their concepts of individuality and their connection with the world. " See http://capping.slis.ualberta.ca.... This refutes his claim that video games restrict imagination. More importantly, Con misses the forest for the trees. My point is that because video games create more immersive worlds, whether through imagination or by providing specific sensory detail, they are more engaging and more successfully accomplish the defined purposes. 8. "In your labeled '10.' paragraph you think that I've mistaken your previous 4th assertion, I disagree." I feel that this point has been sufficiently argued. I reassert my prior argument and allow the voters to make their own decision. 9. "Having these additional options . . . doesn't 'improve' anything . . ." A successful narrative structure increases reader understanding of the story. A narrative is a series of choices by characters as they respond to events. In a movie, book, or spoken narrative, users can, without the medium becoming unwieldy, explore only a few variations of the outcome of character choices (although there is admittedly some inconsequently flex in this area for each medium). Modern video games, through saving and interactivity, allow users to explore the consequences of various character actions. Therefore, they allow readers to more fully explore the possibilities of a narrative. Taking note that Con has yet to offer any evidence to support his own positions, I attack the other three mediums to demonstrate their inferiority. I apologize for the exceptionally brief nature of these attacks. The site character limit is a ruthless master. 1. Books Video games are more effective than books as narrative mediums because "playing video games requires more involvement and creative input than reading a book or watching a film - and also offers more opportunities to be active and sociable." Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk... 2. Cinema Due to character count limitations, I cite Con and voters to the following sources that establish modern video games are superior to movies in terms of engagement. Source #1: http://www.guardian.co.uk... Source #2: http://unrealitymag.com... 3. Spoken Word Spoken narratives fail most noticeably at conveying a narrative structure. Because spoken narratives have no permanent form, they are subject to change through each repetition. Thus, they have no consistent narrative structure and change too often to effectively be relied upon to accomplish any of the primary goals of a narrative medium over the long-term. In contrast, video games have an almost unchanging narrative structure. Source: http://www.historyworkshop.org.uk.... "Oral history brings with it its own challenges. Although we had access to those who had experienced events at first hand, there is no guarantee that their version of events is accurate. On two occasions, it became clear that a subject was trying to mislead us about what happened." Finally, I cite the following as support for my OVERALL argument and to discharge my burden. "What"s more, experts say, serious games and virtual environments may be the future of education. Not only do students find gaming more approachable and engaging than lectures and PowerPoint presentations, they insist on them. Simulations also provide a more inviting and lifelike context in which to make choices, see results, and apply learning in real-time." Source: http://venturebeat.com...