Thursday, April 8, 2010

S03 Diner Dash and McPherson

Diner Dash was extremely addictive. When thinking about McPherson's argument of flow of television in comparison to gaming, games have an ultimate objective in which you can change the flow. There is no linear thread because through your character you can break the rules or change the narrative a bit. In Diner Dash, your objective is to work in a restaurant, but sometimes you can upgrade items to help you accomplish the goal of pleasing the characters. While Diner Dash isn't as elaborate as other games like Halo, this small option can give the user a lot of power. In television, there is no option of changing the flow. The only form of interruption is changing the channel or commercials, but even commercials are premeditated by the network. Now having television on the internet allows the viewer to have more control and they can interrupt the flow. I feel like all of this is part of the instant gratification that McPherson speaks about. To have a sense of control is part of the appeal to gaming and the internet. I feel that even games like slot machines when translated into video games usually add the option of stopping the wheel when you want since the earning of money isn't a option anymore.

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