Why I Game
At just a few xxx's shy of thirty, I’m lucky enough to have enjoyed the challenge and thrill of electronic gaming for twenty-something years. For those who haven’t played, or for those that haven’t thought about their own attraction to gaming, it is an intriguing question: Why do I game?Sometimes I game for the promise of escape. I can focus on the artificial challenges at hand and temporarily suspend more complicated troubling thoughts brought about by the challenges of reality. Through gaming, I can experience worlds, choices, and abilities in a dynamic and interactive way that is not possible in other mediums.
Alternatively I game for the social interaction. When I was in school, playing multi-player games at a LAN party or huddled around a game console was a great bonding experience. We developed our own “house rules” for Street Fighter II, and learned each other’s gaming personalities. Having moved away from my hometown after University to pursue a career, I left behind friends and family with no more Super Smash Brothers battles to look forward to. However, thanks to the Internet I am able to continue to play, interact, and bond with my peers through online PC and DS games.
Ultimately I believe that gaming allows me to enjoy the satisfaction of mastery. From the time that I start studying the game manual and learning the basics of the game I enjoy learning and preparing for the challenge to come. As I make my way through the peaks and valleys of the learning curve my mind starts to imagine possible strategies and synthesize feedback from the game. Finally when the game neither presents further mysteries nor challenges, I can relax and bask in the feeling of accomplishment.
Update - The group musing from The Game Chair featuring my "Why I Game" article among others is now live.
Labels: The Game Chair
posted by Blight @ 11:15 PM
11 Comments:
Please-- you game for the same reasons that we all game-- The ladies love it!
Never much got into gaming. Gaming came a little later in life than it did for you. Not very many of my friends game...so I don't. Oh...I love some games but am not fanatical. I mostly prefer racing games. I know...boring but I find it challenging and want to win so I keep playing until I do.
Gaming can be a good vehicle for bonding with your children. I have fond memories of Parsec as my then young sons and I took turns navigating our ship through dangerous Urbite and Dramite space. Once the Wii is available I'm bringing it back to our empty nest to engage my wife in gaming.
I don't understand the appeal of gaming. But I suppose some probably don't understand the appeal of reality T.V. To each his own!
(Also, you are SOOOO slacking on keeping myspace up.)
Great post, man.
I've often thought about this myself. And I agree with your points. I think I mostly play games as a diversion; to be entertained, if nothing else. They are also a great tool for social interaction, but I far, far prefer the face-to-face multiplayer to anything over the internet. Fortunately, I have found some people who will game with me here in Cambridge.
For me though, the pinnacle of gaming has to be when a game manages to evoke a strong emotion, whatever that may be. It's a rare thing, but I think that when it happens, gaming stops being entertainment and becomes art.
Final Fantasy 7, when Aeris is brutally killed. Boy was I furious.
Resident Evil 4, When you meet the Leviathan, and despair that you must combat something so large - and so far out of your element.
Beyond Good and Evil: Discovered by Alpha Section and completely outnumbered, you feel a rush as you desperately flee for your life.
Ok, I went on for a bit there. But hey, like I said: great post.
wow, the Beav is geting misty-eyed at your gaming reflections, Blight. It's like you freed his trapped soul from a coal mine..
Thanks Beav!
Yeah we had some good times when you beat us so many times at Street Fighter II in a row that we had to develop house rules just to curtail your awesomeness.
But I seem to remember those rules being applied against ME when we played Star Control II Melee!!!
Man, the next time you guys all get together, you should have a massive SF2/ Star Control 2 faceoff with a bucket of KFC
I'd be down with that. Except maybe the KFC. No-one feels good about themselves after a bucket of greasy chicken.
Greasy pizza plus grease-cutting-beer for the win!
I just like being in a fantasy environment without having any real-life reprocussions.
OK, next time we're all together, Beav can bring the beer, Blight can bring the pizza and wings, Mr. Lobo can bring the slurpees, Cibbuano can bring the whacky taffee and I'll bring the whoop ass.
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