NEW MEDIA: Reader/Player Personality

Some rather complicated thoughts flying through this morning; not necessarily the questioning of the creativity of the reader/player of video games–and as well, interactive fiction–versus text based story, but as to the personality traits that the user brings in along with experience to navigate narrative.

I must shamefully admit that I sought help in my journey through Silent Hill 2, and it makes me stop and think about what it is within me that circumnavigated large parts of the story to singlemindedly focus on one aspect; in this case, the monsters roaming the town.  It seems that I went through hours of sticking to my main purpose of reaching a park (I’ve since forgotten why) so that was the directional goal.  However, in learning that the monsters were numerous and everywhere, I found myself wandering up and down streets carrying the weapon at full ready and (while watching out for 1) direction and 2) additional weapons and health pick-me-ups) seemed to be on the prowl for these monsters.

I’m sure that research has been done on the gamer personality, and I’m probably just spinning my wheels in trying to decipher the relationship, but as a newbie to this medium it’s part of my personal learning process to discover the means used within the context of the story/game. 

Reading habits, aside from which books one prefers, may be telling about the reader of text just as easily as gaming habits.  Although it is possible that contradictions arise, i.e., Einstein preferring to read comics, but how one reads a book may be just as illuminating.  Does one scan, does one reread sections or seek out the dictionary if things aren’t quite clear, does one retain information throughout the reading or have the ability to pick up on and store the important data, does one read lightly or heavily through text, does one read at face value or does one seek out hidden meanings, and, is this a constant or dependent upon the narrative itself.  Maybe even more revealing, is this a trait the reader employs within real life situations and scenarios as well.

Going beyond this, once gameplay is "learned choreography" as John Timmons suggests, is the reader/player changed by the experience to bring back with him the new methods into real life dealings after the learning.  Imagine this, that parts of what I’ve learned via my methodology of gameplay is true:  I lack the nature of the explorer and I am basically non-confrontational.  Does that mean then that I am also hiding a bloodthirsty bitch within?  Does Burlington need be afraid?  Interesting concepts.

Now I’ve got to go back into town yet again, and start opening some doors.