I was llstening to one of my favorite podcasts this morning and the host mentioned to the guest that he loved the game Portal 2. The guest said that he used to love video games...before he "became an adult. You should try it sometime."
These folks were comedians and I knew it was all in good fun, but this is not the first time I've heard video games disparaged as an activity for the immature. I believed it myself - just mentioning the words "video games" conjured up images of out-of-shape youths in black t-shirts and acne yelling phallithropic profanity at their middle-aged peers . My husband played video games, mostly on the computer, and I found myself feeling appalled at the amount of time he could spend staring at a screen and moving avatars around. "What's the point in all that? Don't you think you should do something useful with your time?" I'd mutter to myself. Games were for kids, Life was for grownups, and that was that.
Two very important events changed my mind.
There were other factors, of course - there always are, but these two stand out. First: the games of today are *nothing* like the Asteroids and Pac-Man of my time. Games now are rich in storyline, visually spectacular, and can be completely immersive and character-driven - so much so that I find myself caring as deeply for these computer-generated avatars as much as I would for my favorite character in a TV show, or a book. I used to watch my brother play DungeounQuest on our AppleIIE when I was a kid, with the blocky graphics and slow pacing, and eventually played it myself, but these could only hold my interest so long.
What turned it around for me was when I watched my husband play Diablo II and listened to him talk about the different characters, different tactics, different items and so forth with our friends, and my curiosity was piqued...and I felt left out. So, I started playing Diablo II myself and found a new topic of conversation - actually, several topics of conversation - in which I could engage in with my husband. I didn't disappear into Diabo II, but I did spend a great deal of time playing it, and enjoyed talking it over with him. That, and I truly enjoyed it, and still do.
The second thing was this: my realization that I was an adult, and that living an adult life, making adult choices, and doing adult things was overrated. I have two children, I cook and (sometimes) clean every day, I pay bills, I make decisions for our family. I'm bored and sad and lonely sometimes, because as responsible adults, we have to stay home at night for our children. We have to budget so no cable, and I dislike most programming anyway. We can't just drop everything and go see a movie or go see a live show anytime we want to. So, when I saw Jim playing Dragon Age, I asked him what kind of game it was, and he described it as a "Choose Your Own Adventure / Dragon's Lair kind of thing" and once again, my curiosity was piqued - it seemed more like an interactive cinematic which, of course, it was. I could escape into this marvellous world where I had (almost) complete control over what happened, where I could be powerful, and, most importantly of all, I could have do-overs. I could leave the game and pick it up again any time I wanted, I could play for one hour or four or six. I would leave the game with my head spinning with stories, ideas, plans, and anticipation for the Next Thing. I felt my imagination stirring again. If I was bored, I could imagine myself in that story and mull over my choices, ready to try something else the next time I had a chance to play.
Immature? I might have thought so at one time. Escapist? Probably. But what video gaming is to me is...Saving my Sanity. Giving me something else to do besides be a Responsible Adult. And I am a high-functioning gamer...I can still talk about other stuff (right, Podcast Listening Club?) and I can go days without it, especially when there is just too much to do. And...it is still there for me when I need to just Not Be Me for a while.
I acknowledge that my demographic may be a bit unusual (or maybe not, the video game audience is vast and pluralistic). I do get funny looks and am even challenged by people who think I'm a poseur (and it is the funniest thing ever, how pissed they get over a Girl trying to be a Gamer.) I geek out over new releases and am sure at least some of you are just shaking your head over it. But I do feel that, by taking steps to maintain my own sanity, I'm probably far from immature. That sounds pretty much like Responsible Adult to me.
I've been a "Grown-Up" for a ridiculous amount of my life, long before most people. I never played many video games. I certainly never got particularly good at any of them. Lately, though, I'm learning. I've started playing Rayman on the PS3 and it's actually fun. I don't have a lot of time to play, but it's a blast. I'm also not good at it yet, but as long as it's not a multiplayer game, that's not an issue. We tried to play Lego Indiana Jones at one point and I kept whacking Xander's character with a shovel. That wasn't much fun.
ReplyDeleteI think video games are a good option. I think people who pan them are not interested (as I wasn't for years), like feeling superior (yes, I judge! :P And?), or have an extra helping of that Protestant guilt work ethic that can be good in some situations but not great in others. Of course, there are other reasons, but those are the main three I've seen.
It's good to have something pushing your imagination, getting you interested, and helping you feel involved and excited rather than just tired.