Are video games just games, or something more?

I have been thinking lately about how I have used video games in the past to do more than just play them. When I was a junior in high school I had to do a physics project on newtons three laws. I have no idea why but I thought it would be a great idea to use the video game Grand Theft Auto IV as my demonstration. What I did was use the PC version of the game and play out some scenes that would demonstrate the physics well. I then used a built in video editor of sorts that was put into the game to make cinematic videos and such, and then edit it and put a voice over explaining the facts about newtons three laws. It actually turned out really well and the class really enjoyed it. I think the project turned out as good as it did because I could not really simulate a car crash, or a guy flying out of a windshield in real life, so I went into the world of video game physics. Now this story raised a question. Was I just showing the class a video from a video game? Or was there something deeper and more artistic at work? I believe that video games are a great learning tool for those who are interested into them, and even for non gamers I think the class could watch a video game video explaining the lesson far longer than a lecture. On a side note there is apparently news that video games will soon be implemented into education because many children growing up are exposed to video games and from recent studies children seem to learn and retain more from watching or playing video games rather than if they were to read this information in a book.

Many games today have very compelling and story driven characters and worlds for you to explore and meet. Many games have cut scenes that are longer than the actual play time you will spend in the game as the character. It is clear that in the world of gaming today the impact a game leaves on you is mostly based on how you felt the game ended, or what you walked away from the game thinking. That means that the developers have to make a good story and an ending with a bang. I can say that playing through a game fully can best be described as watching a movie or show. When I played the game Red Dead Redemption and beat the game I was truly sad the journey was over, the game and its story was THAT GOOD. I can say that I would never had finished that game had it not been for the amazing story that kept me hooked and binge playing it for weeks. When I spoke about virtual reality in gaming I can also agree that interactive story driven media is going to be a very big part of entertainment in the future. You see that is what the beauty of treating these video games as something bigger and better than just a game. People want to experience what you see what these characters you watch and read about for what they do. Video games are the answer to giving you that feeling, well at least to an extent.