It was little more than a year ago that I approached my English teacher with what she would later tell me was the most absurd proposition she had ever heard. Days previous, the members of the class had been assigned an independent study project wherein they were required to choose a novel of fiction, read it, and then analyze its characters, themes, and plot in a well written and strictly organized essay. It was the sort of assignment which may have been interesting the first time you were asked to do it, but having done upwards of 6 identical assignments in my high school career alone, I had unfortunately lost interest. I, as I'm sure you have guessed, opted for something a little different. It has always been my contention that video games and books share a great many things in common and that the two are more closely related than many actually realize.
Novels progress by means of character and plot development, as do many video games.
A good novel will rob you of your time, set flame to your soul and envelope you in a world of adventure, intrigue, and romance-a good video game will do this just as well. Structurally, the two have very little in common, but rudimentarily speaking, they both use the same devices in order to capture and captivate their respective audiences. I explained myself thoroughly and attempted to emphasize that I enjoyed reading a great deal and that the game would take longer to play than a book would take to read. I would actually have had to put more effort into the assignment with my modifications in place. Sadly, she wouldn't have it.