As a biology major, I have serious doubts whether there are any sort of connection between video games and the study of life. However while reading the beginning of the first chapter, I develop a different view of the machinistic portion of the video game medium. As described by Alexander Galloway, the medium is created by “organic and nonorganic actors” (p. 5). These two adjectives immediately catch my attention because life also involves organic and inorganic substances. What fascinates me is that nonliving objects, such as, the atom, oxygen, nitrogen and other necessary elements can come together to form a living organism. This idea coincides with the creation of the gaming medium. Parts from a computer that cannot function by itself (motherboard, video card, cooling fan, etc), become usable when it is brought together in the right combination.
The algorithmic codes is another important aspect in developing a video game. These codes are necessary for the game to function as DNA is necessary to carry out the instruction for life. Galloway describes the codes as messages that pass throughout the software (p.4), which reminds me of how the cells in the body send and receive messages via hormones and receptors. The relationship of the machine and operator can also be thought as a symbiotic, mutualistic or even parasitic relationship. For example, a parasitic relationship exists when the player tries to defeat the game while the software obstructs the player by using traps. As I am making these estrange biological connections, I begin to question whether these connections are random and coincidental. I soon discover the term “deep play” and realize that my observation of biology to video games are completely relevant (p.16). If Geertz can connect the Balinese cockfights to the caste system, I certainly can say that the study of life is of great significance to the gaming world.
Something to think about:
Galloway mentions that culture affects the development and evolution of video games. However is the reverse true? Do video games affect culture and if so to what extent or in what ways?