ABSTRACT
Video games may mark a change in audiences, as they move from being spectators who empathize with characters in narrative texts to being game-playing participants, who now take a role in narrative texts. In adventure video games one participates in the action and one's actions help shape, to varying degrees, the outcome of the game. There is also what might be called the "bowling alone" aspect to video game playing that must be considered. "Bowling alone" refers to a problem, alluded to in a widely noted article and more recently a book, about the alleged lack of community spirit and the growing sense of isolation and alienation in America. As animation develops and video games approach films in the quality of their images, it seems likely that video games will evolve into a new kind of adventure film in which game players become the lead actors and actresses. It is impossible to guess where video games will lead us.
