On my way to being a gamer

The last 2 weeks of summer school have changed my life. I have come to a realisation. I want to play games. I want to learn the rules, the missions and shout at the screen in a rage!

Let’s take this back to the beginning. Last week I was introduced to Tekken (had to check spelling) and that was a turning point in my life. I found satisfaction in punching and kicking the opposition, and I found shouting at my giant fighter with a leopard head actually enjoyable. I was oblivious to any rules and the mission: KO the opposition!! (the meaning of KO comes to me more easily now). So this game is the perfect temptation for me to get into games. The fact that I bet my opponent who is a glorified gamer made it even more satisfying.

After the lecture on Friday the subject of agency really stuck with me, (I even explained the concept in quite good detail to friends on Saturday night, I was pretty proud of myself) and looking back on my notes I thought how I could relate agency and immersion to my exciting experience with Tekken. The number of moves I was able to make was seriously restricted, but while I was playing I wasn’t aware of that. I wasn’t totally conscious of what buttons did what, as my fingers were flying at such a rapid speed it was hard to tell, but I knew that I was controlling my character and if I was able to select the right combination I was able to KO my opponent. So the amount of agency I had while playing was limited as the possibility of moves has already been predetermined by the creator, but I still felt as if I was controlling what was happening. According to Steven Poole this is the definition of a good game where the player is so immersed in the game that they forget their options are limited to what the creator has already decided. But we continue to play video games as we know that our actions will have consequences that affect the game.

To be honest while I was kickin ass in Tekken I wasn’t really that concerned with the amount of agency I had. One might say I was lost in the realm of fighting, oblivious to my surroundings. I wasn’t though, I was very aware of how my opponent would feel if they lost to me. So maybe there are things that disappear in the background in terms of our conscious thoughts, depending on what is more important to us while we play. The most important thing I will take away from my first experience of Tekken is that there is a game I can play and enjoy that lets me be a fighting kangaroo, leopard or plank of wood. That is why for me games are easy to get immersed in.