Are games different realms within this world?

Whenever you sit down and play any time of game, whether it be a board game or a video game you enter a different environment and, with some games, a different world or universe altogether. 

"The arena, the card-table, the magic circle, the temple, the stage, the screen, the tennis court, the court of justice, etc., are all in form and function play-grounds, i.e. forbidden spots, isolated, hedged round, hallowed, within which special rules obtain. All are temporary worlds within the ordinary world, dedicated to the performance of an act apart.” - Johan Huizinga, Homo Ludens (pg 10)

Much like any activity, they require your full attention. Games suck you into their own world and you become immersed in them. You become the characters and become part of the game. Many computer games allow you to enter a different virtual world altogether. The games that are made to coincide with fantasy and sci fi films that are in the mainstream media really let the player experience different worlds. For example in Star Wars games you can be your favourite characters and experiment with the light and dark side of the Force or fly the spaceships that the characters in the films do.
Games could be seen as different realms within this world because they are easy to acess and easy to get out of yet they are completely different environments with different rules and regulations.The player can transform themselves into someone they would like to be but can't because it isn't possible in real life. An example that can be used to illustrate the idea of a realm within the world is that of the witches realm in the TV show Sabrina: The Teenage Witch Although it is not a game, it presents us with the idea that different places can exist within one world, even if it is a fantasy one.

I believe that we do enter different places when we play games. The level in which people get immersed and obbsessed and addicted to games proves that it means something to people. Some players take their characters seriously on games online games such as World of Warcraft (WOW). They definately enter a different community altogether which not everyone has access to. Furthermore, they learn to fully function in the virtual world as well as the real world.

Therefore, I believe that games are different realms because of the strength of immersion and how easy it is too become addicted to a game and really care about what happens to your avatar.

Does immersion mean that games become more real when we play them?

Video games are easy to get addicted to. When we play them we become so in touch with the characters and story lines or missions that we forget about our everyday lives. We become attuned to the problems that our character is facing and they become our priority.

When playing a first person game such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) you get to customize your character and it becomes the spawn of you. Throughout the game you complete the missions of that person. Also, because of the nature of Star Wars you can decide whether to enter the dark or light side of the force. In short, you become the character that you have created as you decide everything from the speech to their fighting style. When you become this close to the action does it allow you to become attached? Do we enter cyberspace?

In a third player game, where you control from a far away position and switch between characters, does it still have the same effect? In the case of something like The Sims, I would say it does. As with KOTOR, you can customize them to look how you want and chose their characteristics but they cannot be completely controlled. If you use the 'free will' setting then they'll do whatever they want to whilst you watch over them. So, even though we cannot completely control their destiny, it is still something to get immersed in- but why?

I think that video games are so easy to get immersed in because they represent lives that many of us would like to have. The younger audience that play them are more likely to get addicted because they'd like to be super heroes or drive fast cars and catch the bad guys. Games allow us to enter a place where our real life problems are put to one side as we look out for an avatar that isn't and will never be, real.

Do Xbox Kinect and the Wii make us cyborgs when we play their games?

New technologies have been developed which allow users to physically become part of video games when they play them. For example, the Wii  is a console is that controlled totally by the players movements. Each game allows the player to interact completely with the game. All the player has to do it move their arms and body's around as though they are the characters in the game.

Shortly after this, microsoft brought out Xbox Kinect as a way to try and compete with the Wii. However, this differs in the way that it has sensors which sense every movement that the player makes. Therefore, it takes game play to the next level as the slightest movement is mirrored byt the character on the screen.

Nintendo has also released Playstation Move which incorprates both elements of the Wii and Xbox Kinect but also uses a different technique as it includes a webcam so that it can see your movements. Furthermore, Playstation Move also uses 3D technology to make the player's experience even more realistic.

With all of these consoles bringing out games that allow us to be physically a part of them, do they turn us into cyborgs?

When we disappear into these video games, we are entering cyberspace and becoming a different being, therefore pointing towards us being cyborgs. With these technologies in our hands, literally, we are able to control the technology that is in front of us. Subsequently, this can be seen as us being a part of the computer or having a part of it in us.

Cyborgs are often seen as having super powers, or being indestructible. Gaming may not have gone that far yet, but who knows what the future may hold for video games. In the 21st century, technology is developing very fast. Will we all be able to actually transform into a cyborg in the next 50 years?