What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy

Gee:

"Players can talk to each other.... They can run into other players who can help or, in some circumstances, hurt them" (p. 180).

McNiff:

What is really interesting about Gee's discussion on virtual players and the interaction between the players is the depth at which the player becomes the virtual identity. Meaning, if someone is playing World of Warcraft and they are using a headset, they can speak to other players through the headset from inside their identity of say the Gnome, "go over to the left and meet by the bridge" or they can speak to other players through the headset from their real identity, "I have a doctors appointment, but I'll be back to play at 7."

Reflection:

Relating this to a writer. There is peer review, where the writer is talking from outside the characters or plot of the story and then there are times when the author is speaking to the reader or reviewer from inside the voice of the characters.

Although, in writing and in peer review, I've often been told that the characters are not the author or writer, which I think is a protection for the writer. I also think it takes away from the writers credibility. A writers characters are perhaps not the writers true identity, but neither are players in a video game. It is however how the writer sees, smells, etc. the world. It's a writers thoughts and creation, so isn't a video game identity the same?