Video games have become one of the top forms of entertainment and their economic impact surpasses that of even Hollywood. The advancement of computer technology has made them increasingly life like and broader in scope. In today's age, people can live a digital life in their games where they can fulfill their wildest fantasies of being athletes, war heroes and even thugs. In some ways, games are similar to books, in that they provide an escape for people who want to experience something new and exiting, albeit in a fictitious setting. However unlike books, games provide more freedom and are visually simulating, which gives them an almost matrix (the Hollywood) like persona. And like the matrix, they are not real and most people still enjoy the illusion of living their fantasies.
This is the underlying problem of our society when it comes to video games. People get so involved in them and it becomes their secondary life, I'm not taking about the people who casually play games for fun and relaxation, I'm calling out those who are regular gamers and are really passionate about the industry. By being avid gamers, people live a digital life where they think they are accomplishing something by for example getting a 50 kill streak in call of duty (I don't know if that's a high enough number because i actually have a life). What they fail to understand is that video game milestones are FAKE. They in no way indicative of the useful qualities of the gamer. the same people would most likely pee themselves if caught in an actual gun fight. Gaming skills are about as useful as an arts degree when it comes to real life. People who take too much pride in them are delusional because they haven't accomplished anything in real life and so they need to resort to fictitious victories to be happy. Spending too much time trying to build a fake life in let's say GTA is a huge wastage, not to mention the fact that being a thug is glorified in that game. By being a top player of a game, a person does not better his or her life, instead he or she is now degraded to the point where their sense of accomplishment is reduced to a bunch of pixels portraying something they are too lazy to do. By playing character who are extremely athletic like in Assassin's creed nonathletic gamers probably feel as if they are really climbing up buildings and doing all that acrobatic stuff. They feel like athletes even though they are not. IT'S ALL FAKE. Gaming does nothing to improve your skills and those who say it improves hand eye coordination, well you know what else does the same thing? Playing sports! Instead of running around in a digital world, people can run around in the real world, get fir, improve hand eye coordination and loose weight.
Gaming should not be taken too seriously as it is just a means to have fun, not to give people a sense of accomplishment. We need more people who strive to achieve something in the real world, not about becoming the highest level wizard in World of Warcraft (I think that's the game). If people are satisfied by living a fake life and they feel proud about it, our society is going to become less productive and eventually we will need Neo and Morpheus to remove us from the matrix that is video games.
This is the underlying problem of our society when it comes to video games. People get so involved in them and it becomes their secondary life, I'm not taking about the people who casually play games for fun and relaxation, I'm calling out those who are regular gamers and are really passionate about the industry. By being avid gamers, people live a digital life where they think they are accomplishing something by for example getting a 50 kill streak in call of duty (I don't know if that's a high enough number because i actually have a life). What they fail to understand is that video game milestones are FAKE. They in no way indicative of the useful qualities of the gamer. the same people would most likely pee themselves if caught in an actual gun fight. Gaming skills are about as useful as an arts degree when it comes to real life. People who take too much pride in them are delusional because they haven't accomplished anything in real life and so they need to resort to fictitious victories to be happy. Spending too much time trying to build a fake life in let's say GTA is a huge wastage, not to mention the fact that being a thug is glorified in that game. By being a top player of a game, a person does not better his or her life, instead he or she is now degraded to the point where their sense of accomplishment is reduced to a bunch of pixels portraying something they are too lazy to do. By playing character who are extremely athletic like in Assassin's creed nonathletic gamers probably feel as if they are really climbing up buildings and doing all that acrobatic stuff. They feel like athletes even though they are not. IT'S ALL FAKE. Gaming does nothing to improve your skills and those who say it improves hand eye coordination, well you know what else does the same thing? Playing sports! Instead of running around in a digital world, people can run around in the real world, get fir, improve hand eye coordination and loose weight.
Gaming should not be taken too seriously as it is just a means to have fun, not to give people a sense of accomplishment. We need more people who strive to achieve something in the real world, not about becoming the highest level wizard in World of Warcraft (I think that's the game). If people are satisfied by living a fake life and they feel proud about it, our society is going to become less productive and eventually we will need Neo and Morpheus to remove us from the matrix that is video games.
It's funny how you critique something that you know absolutely nothing about.
ReplyDeleteSaying that gaming achievements are worthless is like saying that someone reading a certain amount of books is worthless.
No one that plays Assassin's Creed thinks they're going to become some sort of athlete for playing a video game.
by reading a book a person can improve his or her writing/communication skills. Yes you could argue that assassin's creed is good way to learn history but it does impart a false sense of accomplishment, like all games. I'm not calling out every game or gamer. I'm only referring to the avid or regular gamer who takes it seriously and must have the latest games
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