Narrative and Performance: Reconceptualizating the Relationship in the Videogames Domain

Should videogames be treated seriously? The time itself children and teenagers spend on them and the actual amount of money invested in such games by the media and entertainment industry ought to tell us something about the significance videogames have attained. Time spent by adults, as well as children, in this kind of entertainment is increasing, and the average British consumer (together with average consumers from other European countries and the US1) now spends more time playing videogames than going to the cinema or renting movies. Furthermore, the publication of numerous books, reports and complete issues of academic journals (as well as the establishment of institutions2 and conferences being held) which investigate the technological, psychological and sociological aspects of videogames underlines the fact that this kind of entertainment has become a part of our culture and that there is a growing interest in discussing this phenomenon from a broadening cultural perspective.