These two articles, "Dream Machines," and "Art Form for the Digital Age," focus on games, their development, and why they are really a positive force in society. To summarize both articles, games are becoming increasingly creative and user driven; they provide users with a place to learn new skills and find others like themselves. Today's generation has had access to games since birth; they encourage computer use and teach children to use these technological skills in a way that varies from the structured, standardized format found in schools. "Dream Machines" focused on the digital home games provide users with; they are personalized by the user, allowing him or her to create the world they want to be in, as a character they'd want to be. "Art Form for the Digital Age" focused on the rising popularity of games, and the lack of respect they get in the industry. Because games don't always evoke the same emotions or ideas that traditional art does, it should have its own category in the art world, for it allows users all the self expression in the world. Both articles were strongly advocating games; they stated reasons games are a positive impact on a gamer's life, and tried to disprove stereotypes that they are violent, a waste of time, and childish.
While I am inclined to agree that there is a great deal of art in games, I am not so sure I agree that games are really such a positive thing. The worlds created within games, not to mention the characters, are extremely well thought-out and in many cases awe-inspiring. There is no doubt in my mind that the people behind these creations are artists, and they should be recognized as much as any Hollywood director. However, not being a gamer myself, I feel that I don't relate to the positive side of gaming as presented within these articles. I've seen games used as a huge waste of time, especially among my college friends who you can be sure have more productive things to be doing. It also prevents them from trying to be social and meet people in the real world; like children, they live within this gaming space. I'm not trying to slam games, as I know a lot of people get a lot of enjoyment out of them; I'm just stating my opinion that I don't think the beauty and creativity found in games outweighs the consequences of losing that time and energy that is spent gaming. In the same way, I spend a great deal of time on Facebook, Pinterest, and other popular sites that are a waste of time. I actually feel that my interactions on these sites hinder my social abilities in the real world; I feel that gaming has a similar effect. Overall, while I understand both authors' points, I simply don't give games the same high rating these authors do.
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