Gaming as a Literary Experience

As someone who plays video games regularly, I have developed a vocabulary that I wouldn't otherwise have. Thanks to gaming, I know what a pole arm is, what it means to buff someone, and what it means a provocate something. I know what a rogue or a mage does.

An RPG game sets you up as the protagonist in your own story. Usually, the game has a linear story, much like a written novel. The story progresses at your pace, unlike a film, but the visuals have been imagined for you. Skyrim is an exception to this. In Skyrim, you are deposited in a position to follow one of many storylines at a time, or even to completely ignore all of them and do your own thing. Skyrim has all of the elements of world building of a great fantasy novel, but you aren't forced into following any particular story. You are responsible for providing the main character. Any personality that they might have is what you attribute to them.