Games
I’ve always seen myself as a gamer. My childhood was spent in front of the television, playing console games ranging from Duckhunt, to Spartan X, to Mario. I played Final Fantasy, was immersed in a myriad of RPG’s. I spent years playing Ragnarok Online, dreamed of better pc’s, not for editing, or the speed, but simply for its capacity to run better games. Graphics whore, lore nut, I probably spent a few actual years of my life playing games.
What is it about games that generate so much addiction? At the end of the day, it seemed, I was just another junkie, getting my high off these games. Online games in particular, were highly appealing to me. Perhaps it was because the real world, in contrast, seemed so dull and boring. Sometimes I felt it was what I was meant to do, play my life out as some Undead Rogue.
For many people, games serve as an escape from reality. It’s a way of coping with stress, and enjoying themselves amidst some fun competition. Other people see it as a form of social interaction. I once wrote a paper on how we can be the persona we choose to be in online games. Maybe some people like it that way. Games also serve as a way of stoking one’s ego. How many times has that high-leveled paladin turn out to be some guy who works in a fastfood chain selling burgers? You’ll be some lowly guy in real life, but you can be a king in a game. Who can say no to that?
In my opinion, gaming is a much deeper subject than many people realize. It’s something so full of potential that people see only the external appearances of games, and, unless they’re gamers themselves, often neglect to see the meaning in a few bunch of pixels.
Then again, maybe that’s all there is to it.