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

I look forward to our discourse. Finally, please forgive any errors in this initial argument, I am up against a deadline in "real life" so I haven't had to proofread. ASSERTION 1: The highly interactive nature of video games cannot be effectively duplicated by books, cinema, or the spoken word and, because research shows that humans learn most effectively by doing, video games are more capable of creating engaging environments that draw users into a continuing narrative structure while simultaneously imparting information that will be retained over the long term. Sources: 1. How People Learn: (see statistics on adult retention at the bottom) . http://www.extension.umn.edu... Argument: Research indicates that human beings learn and retain information most effectively when they combine all of the available modes of learning. These are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Video games are the only one of the four mediums under discussion that combines all three of these components. In fact, the advent of motion based input systems for modern game consoles has vastly increased the kinesthetic potential for video games. Books and movies combine visual and auditory learning modes but lack any kinesthetic component. The spoken word offers only auditory input to the user. Therefore, research supports the proposition that video games are superior learning tools to the other narrative mediums in this dispute. This status as superior learning tools shows the reasons that video games are more successful at accomplishing three of the four defined goals of a narrative medium. First, video games more effectively engage the user because, by combining all three types of learning, all possible users are able to experience the narrative in their preferred format. Second, video games are more successful at imparting a moral or lesson because the user will retain the moral or lesson far more effectively than with other mediums. Finally and for the same reasons, video games are more effective at imparting general information to their users. ASSERTION 2: The scope of modern video games cannot be effectively replicated by books, cinema, or the spoken word and this scope creates an environment that increases user engagement by allowing the user to easily regulate how much information they receive. Sources: 1. Large Video Game Worlds: (click on the jpeg) . http://www.geekosystem.com... 2. Length of Fallout 3: . http://www.switched.com... Argument: Many of the most successful modern video games create massive game worlds that encompass literally miles of territory, hundreds of characters, and thousands of possible events. However, these massive worlds also retain their clear narrative structure. For example, Fallout 3 can take dozens upon dozens of hours to complete if you do everything. This approach will produce a deep understanding of the background of the Fallout 3 world, its characters, and the events that occur in it. Alternatively, the main narrative can be completed (and clearly comprehended) easily in a fraction of that time. The end result of this process is that the user can intensely experience a video game world and its narrative in whatever level of detail most effectively maintains their engagement. This variable scope is something that books, cinema, and the spoken word cannot easily replicate. First, it would be almost impossible for any of these other mediums to convey a world that is literally hundreds of miles wide in the detail that video games can. The resulting product would become so unwieldy as to be useless. Additionally, the narrative structure of any book, movie, or oral story that attempted to convey a world in equal scope to that offered by a video game would almost certainly lose its narrative core because the user could not easily select to ignore the additional content and proceed directly to the critical narrative points. Second, even if it is argued that books, cinema, and speech can be created in varying formats that the user can select in order to determine the level of detail they desire, this is still inferior to a video game which requires only one format to accomplish this same level of engagement. ASSERTION 3: Video games are more effective at accomplishing the accepted methods of creating engaging narrative worlds. Sources: 1. Creating a Realistic Fantasy World: . http://www.writing-world.com... Argument: A comprehensive and engaging world is created by (1) Defining the Physical World (2) Defining the Rules of [the World] and (3) Defining a Consistent Reality. Video games by their very nature accomplish all three of these tasks because they have computer driven engines that teach define the world, the rules of the world, and keep the worlds reality consistent. While the other available mediums can accomplish these three tasks in much more indirect and less effective ways, the ease with which modern video games can do so makes it far easier for them to create the engaging narrative worlds that maintain audience attention. ASSERTION 4 Because video games can vary their responses to the actions of the user, they are more effective at producing engagement and teaching a moral lesson. Sources: 1. Video Games, Reinforcement, & Learning: . http://www.cs.lafayette.edu... 2. Video Game Addiction: . http://www.webmd.com... Argument: A basic understanding or human psychology indicates that people learn very effectively through various manners of reinforcement. Video games are the only one of the four mediums under discussion that can easily vary reinforcement to user actions. Because of this, they are much more effective at both maintaining engagement and teaching a moral. The recent surge of concern regarding video game addition is a strong indication of this truth. This addictive quality is directly related to the ability of video games to adjust narrative outcomes to the actions of the user. It is exceedingly rare to hear anyone discuss the dangers of becoming addicted to books, movies, or listening to stories. In contrast, cases of video game users dying from over-engagement are becoming more and more frequent. While I obviously do not argue that this trait is a positive for video games, I do assert that it is clear proof of the greater ability of video games to create user engagement, one of the fundamental purposes of a narrative in this debate. Additionally, the fact that video games can change their structure to respond to user actions makes them more effective for teaching a moral. At best, books, movies, and the spoken word can simulate negative impacts on the user. In contrast, video games can actually create such negative impacts. Instead, of simply telling pirates that their actions are bad or could have negative consequences (as other mediums are limited to doing), a video game like Earthbound can actually use strong, selective negative reinforcement to teach this moral. The video game Earthbound is a perfect example. If this SNES game was pirated, then the game actively changed itself to teach the user that such actions can harm them. At its most extreme, the game deleted the players save file right before the ultimate climax of the game. This costs the pirate literally dozens of hours of work and, given the level of affinity that gamers feel for their games, is a harsh penalty much more effective for teaching the moral lesson that piracy is bad than could be accomplished by any other medium. Conclusion: For each of the above reasons, video games are more effective at accomplishing the goals of a narrative medium as defined for this debate and the resolution is affirmed.