Abstract
Video game has been an important choice of entertainment since the 1970s, yet there have not been enough theoretical discussions in Taiwan on video games both as a way of recreation and a form of audio-video medium. Most of the discussions are focused on the inter-personal interaction between online game players and the effects of games on specific groups such as teenagers or children. This paper aims to explore the fundamental attraction of video games on players. The video games discussed here include PC and console games as well as online games, all of which are consisted of two essential elements: control and monitor. Freudian theory makes us realize that the pressure from living in the present reality inevitably forces us to seek out an outlet for our libido. Lacan’s theory further shows how we escape the state of castration by language culture since birth through the use of hand controls. His theory on mirror stage also explains how our self-recognition stems from the misrecognition others have of us, thus providing the theoretical basis for game players’ act of identifying with the images on video monitors. After establishing control and monitor as the core of the attraction of video games, this paper went on to discuss the correlation between games and existing cultures, gender issues manifested in games and the possible relationships developed between player and games in the future. It is also an attempt to better explain the differences between various details in video games after developing a comprehensive theory on games.