Gaming Performance?

Performance comes in many different forms, from the stage to your own home. Performing from home is different and may raise the question: how? Video games have become a different way of communicating narrative. Most video games have a form of background narrative, like Tomb Raider or Grand Theft Auto. They use “audience-like” participation to communicate it. For example, the performers at The Globe sometimes include members of their audience. Yet, gaming is different because the audience and performer are the gamers. The difference between how gaming is performed is the amount of people in relation to an audience. The first step is defining the word “audience”. An audience is a group of spectators or listeners at a performance. In video games, their audience is their friends in multiplayer online games. Gamers make a performance of themselves tailored towards their audience. It is different when playing by yourself because it takes away the performance arc of gaming. When you are alone, the atmosphere is more relaxed and there is a release of pressure. While playing with or for other people, the persona created is the main part of the performance. There is a sense of motivation to strive to be at the same level as others or to be entertaining. Video games and the gaming community show a different medium when it comes to performing.