Ok, so let's face it. A lot of people tease those kids that play role-playing video games and card games (D&D? Magic: The Gathering? Final Fantasy? you know the ones I mean... and I happen to be one of them). I think it's because they all seem to be involved in invisible worlds, and subscribe to trends that might not fit in with the popular ones in "real life." But really, after taking a class like this one, don't we really need to rethink our judgments if we're going to be fair?
Movies tell us a story on at least two levels: the level with individual characters and events, and the level with timeless truths that all humans have in common. It allows us to observe as a detached third-party, perhaps engaging sympathetically with the action but not really getting much past that. We are stimulated intellectually and emotionally and sometimes, if conditions line up, maybe approach the experiential bridge of "myth" that Lewis described. However, we are still sitting in chairs watching a story we can't control, and that necessarily distances us from what's happening.
But what if we could control what happened? In books, at least we have a large say in what images we conjur up when a certain character or place is described. But what if instead of controlling our mental imagery for ideas, we directed the ideas and storylines themselves? That would bring us into a whole new level of engaging with myth and truth. We would not only see and sympathize with the hero, the villain, and all those other characters-- we would have the opportunity to basically live those things out. We might even tap into truths in ways that would be nearly impossible in everyday life.
So, let's rethink the easy "gamer" stereotype and see what's actually happening here.
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