Computer Games and the Media Equation

The purpose of computer games has always been to get the player to think as if he is actually within the game. From the way that the player on screen responds to the commands thrust at it from the user, each and every game is geared towards this very aim. Not surprising then when looking at the media equation and the way we view computers as social actors in interactions.

The media equation says that humans will see objects either on computer, or part of a game, or even on TV as something human when in fact it is merely a representation of real life. With computer games this is much more apparent as the whole interface is made in a very different way to traditional applications. In a traditional application the user would not expect to see personality on screen and often most users, especially if they are NOT complete novices, see personality like the paper clip in MS Word as being annoying. Nevertheless, the absence of personality and of those personal interactions are seen as strange in a computer game.

Therefore, from a HCI design point of view, I believe different circumstances demand different levels of personality. Whereas a game may demand a complete absorbance of the user into the interface, a word processor would need to be more of a “do what I say” interface where it just performs tasks efficiently. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that the interface of an application is geared towards the required output rather than a blanket good/bad interface requirement. This means that what is good for one application may not be good for another.