With the recent boom in technology, the amount of media available to us is virtually limitless.

For a person that has an insatiable thirst for knowledge, it’s simply overwhelming, especially when compared to the relatively small amount of time we get to spend living. I’m just one man against a mass of literature, and now movies and video games, that have been hundreds, if not thousands, of years in the making. And it keeps on expanding. But even as we continue to pump out this massive amount of media, we still question its purpose.

Last semester I took a class with David Michelson called “The Scientific Study of Literature.” We looked at different theories of thought as to the purpose of these various types of media. There’s Geoffrey Miller’s idea that storytelling is a display of genetic prowess, or Michelle Scalise Sugiyama’s theory that storytelling is a rich and safe resource of information or even Steven Pinker’s thought that literature, now, is nothing more than simply “cheesecake for the mind.” All of these ideas have their pros and cons.

No matter its purpose, media of all types can be used as a means of empathy. And while there’s still ongoing debate over which medium is best for inducing empathy, in the eternal battle between movies and books, I stand by books.

Books allow the reader to use his or her imagination, forming characters and settings while reading the descriptions, making the entire experience more personal. Written storytelling also has the advantage of the first-person narrative, so when a person reads the novel, the protagonist’s thoughts become his thoughts. A deep connection is created.

The novel has long been a companion of humanity and has evoked thought and empathy throughout the epochs. But there is a challenger arising that makes the experience more immersing and the empathizing easier; that challenger is the video game.

Relatively new and not yet fully accepted as a form of storytelling, the video game has untapped potential as a means toward empathy that is seemingly overlooked — in fact, we barely even talked about it in “The Scientific Study of Literature.” While playing a video game, the player assumes direct control over the protagonist and, in some cases, a number of other characters. An even deeper connection is forged. The struggles of the characters become the player’s, giving the player a personal incentive to finish the game and “solve” these problems. There is also the capability of first-person points of view, which give the player a visual connection to the character he is controlling.

Even with these advantages, the video game industry is a tough place for storytelling. Creating a video game is not only expensive and time-consuming, but it also requires a team of people committed to the task. There’s more to focus on than just writing — the creators must look at game-play, graphics, music, voice-acting and a number of other things. In some cases, the storytelling aspect can be forgone altogether.

Despite these obstacles, there have been those games that truly excelled in the storytelling department.

The “Metal Gear Solid” series has to be one of the finer contenders, spanning four games with a number of spin-offs. But, as technology advances, even more inventive ways of storytelling are created. A recent and well-known example would be the scene in “Modern Warfare 2,” when a nameless astronaut gives a creative and awe-inspiring point of view of a nuclear blast. Just try not to be moved.

So, in memory of this fallen astronaut, please try to remember that video games are, and will hopefully continue to be, examples of unique and advanced storytellers. It’s not all point and shoot.