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Rated: 13+ · Message Forum · Writing · #980111
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Jan 4, 2007 at 6:50am
#1427792
Interactive entertainment vs. reading a good book
by A Non-Existent User

I read, constantly. Most of us who have fallen under the addictive spell of a personal muse are also avid readers. Very few television fans wind up writing, and yet, there are many readers who simply cannot resist the temptation to pick up a pen or pencil and start writing.

On the other hand, in many ways reading is a passive form of entertainment. True, it requires a bit more work than television, and most of the action takes place inside the theater of a reader's imagination where improvisation is standard fare and substitution the normal course of events, but still, in the end, we are traveling through someone else's fantasy, not our own.

I'm speaking of fiction, of course. I probably should have made that clear right from the beginning. Novels, short stories, and even poetry, are all passive forms of entertainment.

I must confess, I am as deeply addicted to online roleplaying games as I am to reading and writing. Each day is torn between reading a good book, writing another chapter, and spending the day wandering through Paragon City (City of Heroes/Villains), the land of Aden (Lineage II), the chaotic kingdoms of Elona or Cantha (Guild Wars), or even the battle scarred land of Azeroth (World of Warcraft).

Online games also have a story, but this story is supplemented by the one my character writes as they interact with the storyteller's world. Reading, writing, or playing, I love a good fantasy. As a last resort, I might watch a movie, but I've lost the remote to my television and am in no hurry to find it again.

So, how do the rest of you feel? Is interactive entertainment as enjoyable as a good book, or is reading and writing addiction enough?


Lattahs!
akurgal

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Interactive entertainment vs. reading a good book · 01-04-07 6:50am
by A Non-Existent User
Re: Interactive entertainment vs. reading a good book · 01-09-07 4:49am
by Liam Jackson Author IconMail Icon

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