Death of the Author

First, I need to point out that the following is purely subjective.

While I understand Barthes' view on limiting a piece of writing to an authors' views and life, I do not view video games in the same respect as books. I play video games because they are games. I do not purchase games hoping to be inspired or schooled in some life lesson. They are for entertainment purposes only!

With that said, I feel that books, poems, or any text written by an author, should be considered literature by one man or woman. Although a piece of text may be contributed by many, it is this "author" who decides where this context comes from. Furthermore, and this may be a very false accusation, I feel that most video game companies and designers do not possess the wisdom that comes with years of life experiences and tribulations. Many authors travel the world, dive into different cultures, and destroy themselves, emotionally and mentally, to create these works. I doubt any gaming company or designer has gone through any of these things to create a video game. Now, this is not to say that programmers and teams of designers are not hard-working; I simply feel that these people do not have the right to call themselves authors.

Lastly, I do not feel that labeling a piece of text as having an Author, is limiting the text. Barthes states that readings have many levels. Absolutely! They have many levels because books, poems, and other writings are pieces of art. And however or whatever the lesson or philosophy that is hidden, depends entirely on the reader. If I look at a painting, I may see a dog, you may see a cat; but that painting had one Artist!

Hope this makes sense. If not, remember I am not an Author.