They are mediated and are reproduced through software-assisted media, which include computer technology as a central component in the process of this mediation. These media have often been described as hybrid or transmedia because of their complex configurations. The range of available platforms, such as personal computers (workstations, laptops), video game consoles (which are often used with a television), mobile phones, the Internet (which requires a workstation and a browser application, but recently can also be accessed through game consoles and mobile phones) and portable devices, as well as the various types and formats in which these platforms appear in the markets, is quite impressive. And as impressive as it is, it is also difficult to cope with its variety. Video games are software artifacts that are mediated through these uniquely configured multimedia instances.
It is important to understand the relationship between a software artifact and a specific multimedia instance. This is essential for evaluating the creative potential that is present in a given couple. Interactive media refer to various types of media, generally digital, in which the user has the ability to influence the experience, such as the content they receive. Examples include social media platforms, online questionnaires and surveys, many types of apps, and video games. The aspect of interactivity can include text, graphics, sound and video, or any combination of them.
This new form of communication media is becoming more and more widespread, as television programs such as South Park and channels such as MTV2 have brought machinima to a wider audience (Strickland). Roger Ebert, the well-known film critic, has historically argued that “video games can never be art”, and has mentioned the fact that video games are made to win them, while art is made to be experienced (Ebert, 20). Many rock bands have allowed their previously recorded songs to be used in video games, similar to how a hit song is used on a movie soundtrack. Starting with the short film “Diary of a Camper”, filmed within the game Quake in 1996, video game fans have adopted the machinima technique to tell their own stories.
As video games became a popular phenomenon and large numbers of people began to desire video game skills, the popular idea of geeks changed. Input devices, such as the keyboard, the mouse, various types of controllers and the interface (unlike the surface or screen of traditional visual media), and various output devices, such as monitors, speakers or televisions, become essential parts of the medium and its mediation processes. In this sense, the video game as a software artifact then consists of three basic components: data, inputs and instructions. Simply put, the result of each different combination would be a different video game with different styles and narratives.
The use of this system is changing public perception to include video gaming as a habit similar to watching television. Starting with the music of the Final Fantasy series, composed by the famous composer Nobuo Uematsu, video game music acquired the quality of a movie soundtrack, with full vocal and orchestral tracks. Not only are interactive media widely used as a learning tool, but they have become a subject of study in their own right at many universities. Video games cost much more than a ticket to see a movie, so increased sales don't mean that more people have bought the game than the movie.
In other words, the multimedia instance that is chosen to run the video game software is a computer-assisted medium that, in turn, works under the guidance of other software, the operating system.
