Friday, January 25, 2008

Semantics, part four

The Projection Motivation (TPM) – The final motivation (assuming I have not completely omitted, forgot or ignored a few) would be the desire we have to lose ourselves in entertainment. Like TCM and TEM, TPM is universal in all Humans, it just varies in degree.

The temporary suspension of disbelief found in entertainment is nothing new to Humankind. From spoken myths to modern cinema, we have always enjoyed a temporary break from our own reality.

Games offer us not only that escape, but also limited control over the narrative. Who wins? Who loses? How long is the story? How fast does the narrative progress? All of these can finally be under our limited control. Whether it is the perceived increase of control we have in a structured situation compared to our real world, or just an attempt to avoid boredom, the blend of control and projection that games offer us is powerful. The transition from a passive audience member to an interactive participant is what separates most games from other forms of entertainment.

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