I was watching the Witcher on Netflix (which is a great show, and I would recommend it) and I was hit with the idea of what makes a video game different from the other media that we consume (other than the obvious). I cannot think of a better subject for this discussion better than the Witcher, as it is a best-selling book, an AAA video game, and a widely acclaimed tv show, and this is the only IP that I can think of that is all three of these. I will be excluding the book though, because of the fact that I have not read it and this is not the subject of this blog.

First I will talk about the TV show. This media more follow the book and the start of Geralt’s story were we see how he becomes the Butcher of Blaviken and how he became the surprise father of Ciri. This is what I would call passive media as the watcher has no effect on the story of the media. This topic would also include literature and movies. This is the media that most people do and will consume as it is easy and you don’t have to do anything to get entertainment.

Now I will talk about the game series, but mainly the third installment as that is what I have the most hours in. The Witcher 3 is about Geralt in his later years and he is trying to find Ciri as she is on the run from the Wild Hunt. This is what I would call active media and video games are the only form of media that fully goes into this topic. This is where the consumer of the media has a main effect on the story and how it unravels. This type of media also has more than its main story. This is an overview of the two media types now this is what I think how they are different.

Now there are the obvious differences as you don’t control a tv show or movie but this is not what this is about. This is about how controlling a character in the story makes the difference to the person consuming the media. Now I think that the main one is the control. The Geralt in the show is way different in the show that how I play the game as Geralt. I like to play as a very nice and laid back Geralt while the one shown in the show is more quick to anger and only cares about the ones closest to him. This also shows in how Geralt will try and solve problems. I use magic a lot in the game to get out of violent conflict and try and not kill anyone if I don’t half to. Now Geralt in the show tries to get out of conflict but doesn’t use magic to do this. Also I think that you get more immersed into something you control than something you just look at, and I think that when you put more time into something you care for it more. Now also you get more content in a video game rather than only an hour of content in a movie or seasons in a show. When you put more time into a thing rather that be a video game or some work you love you will start caring more for what you do. Don’t get me wrong, I love the show but I prefer where I interact with my entertainment, and where I have more control over what happens. I respect the TV show and I love watching TV but I would rather be included on my entertainment.