In answering this question, a definition given last week "making the impossible seem familiar and the familiar seem new and strange" pretty much lends itself perfectly to video games (Attebery, 1980, p. 2). As Burn (2005) points out, puzzle solving elements that naturally occur within the media (the impossible seemingly possible) can be translated into a game that does not adhere to natural laws and therefore provides the perfect base for a game. The lord of the rings and Harry Potter are two perfect examples of such a circumstance. The two stories take place in two seperate worlds that do not adhere to natural laws, and both the quest to destroy the ring and the game of quidditch provide two examples of aspects that could be translated into games or other similar types of modern media.
Burn, A. (2005). Potter-Literacy – from book to game and back again; literature, film, game and cross-media literacy. Papers: Explorations into Children’s Literature. Vol 14, No 3.
I like Harry potter as your example Tristan. I think when children play games like Harry potter, they feel like they are Harry potter character and see themselves heroes; so it's filling children' exceptions to be in heroes place sometimes rather than watching them only.
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