The interaction between game spaces and gamers

This week’s lectures have focused on the interaction between games and gamers, as well as the agencies of games, which have drawn my interest toward the psychological states of game players. I have read further beyond our class readings on scholar research focused on the psychological state and behaviors of gamers. Majority of reading argued that games had offered virtual spaces and experiences that other media forms cannot offer. As a result, I want to link this thesis to the two main subjects of this week’s lectures: ‘diegetic’ immersion and ‘situated’ immersion. These are two levels of immersions and according to Taylor (2002), firstly, diegetic immersion, is the action of experiencing playing the game. Secondly, intra-diegetic or situated immersion, where players experience the game space through the player-character within that space; where the character’s involvements with the game spaces become part of their actions and reactions apart from just experiencing the plain dimension of the game. Situated Immersion referred to, where player is not acting upon the game in the space of the game, but within the game space. In my own opinion, a real gamer should reach the second level, in another word, people who are just experiencing the course of playing a game should not be considered as a real gamer. Therefore, a real gamer should become part of virtual spaces and actions where they feel they are belonging to the images. Some theorists argued that ‘gamers’ should be capable of entering into the virtual space and immediately find consensus with the ambient environment within the field of the game. Therefore, in order to make a popular online or video games, game designers need to capture the psychological state, minds and thoughts of game players at certain stage. Virtual world tends to give people different experiences that cannot be gained from the real life. Online games manipulated players into a spatial and narrated world that make them engrossed in a game and forget their real life statues. People are able to succeed “dreams” and incredible thoughts that cannot be achieved in the real world in the virtual community of games.  Gillen (2008) suggested that we can actually become the one we want to be in virtual world in a much easier way in order to gain the fulfillment and satisfaction of being a different person and having  different experiences.  I am currently choosing my essay topic out of those listed in the course outline. I think I will look deeper into the interaction between game spaces and players, as well as the agency of online and video games.