How Video Games changed my life for the better.
I love video games. Yes, I'm a big gamer. And I'm an adult, female, and have a life.
Saying you like video games can often feel like you're telling someone what your religion is. You are either treated as immature, strange, and in need of help, or you say it to a fellow gamer who then shares his/her love for games with you. It's very very rare to say it to someone and get a neutral reaction.
So, because I'm trying to get back into writing, I figured I'd start up again with explaining why I love video games so much.
1. Video games are the best anti-depressant I've ever tried.
I'm not clinically depressed, but for the last 10 years or so I've found it easy to get stuck in a "slump." In the last couple years, I've been fighting some true depression due to physical issues. A couple years ago I was diagnosed with arthritis, and recently I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. It's been a real struggle, requiring major life changes. All this is for another post.
When I'm gaming, I enter a different world. I am no longer held accountable to the real world. My brain gets a break, my body gets to rest, and my spirit lightens up. Reading or watching a great movie has the same effect for many other people, so just imagine how good the escape feels when you do those things. That is what gaming does for me. This kind of escapism - this break from reality - is a highly effective way of creating new mental energy to use when you do return to the real world because you feel fresh.
The difference with gaming is that it is interactive. I'm in control of what happens. This interactivity is what makes gaming my favorite method of escaping. It feels like I get to experience a new life, where I can make choices that I wouldn't be able to in real life. It puts my mind to work critically thinking and puts my hands to work (working with your hands is known to be very therapeutic.) In video games, I'm accomplishing something, becoming skilled (good) at something, and receiving praise for it. Video games offer rewards for accomplishments, make me feel useful, and gets me enthused about something. When I'm fighting depression, it's very hard to have any motivation or energy to accomplish something in real life, because accomplishing something in real life requires a lot of energy and skills that I likely don't have enough. Video games tend to create mental energy for me, "turning on" the parts of my brain that don't get a chance to function when depression takes over. I find that the feelings of success, accomplishment, and praise that I get from video games helps my brain to function much better in real life, overpowering the depression. This is more than reading and movies have been able to do for me, because I am not accomplishing anything when reading or watching movies.
2. Video games allow to me to think in ways I wouldn't get a chance to in real life.
I've heard that we only use about 10% of our brains during regular living. This fact is what the movie Limitless is about: taking a drug that allows us to use most of our brain allows us to accomplish much more in life and enjoy life more fully. There is no drug we can take to do this in reality, but video games do help with this to some degree. When, in real life, do I need to intently focus on how to unlock a coded door using clues from my surroundings? When, in real life, do I need to figure out the weakness of an evil entity that isn't obvious? When, in real life, do I need to learn how to combine objects to build an object to do a specific task? My brain gets to experience thinking through situations that are often more intense than situations in real life, because real life tends to be more about quality personal relationships and less about mastering skills. However, learning how to think critically in video games transfers to real life in a major way. I think faster and more effectively, I can solve problems without feeling overwhelmed, I know how to slow down an observe important things in my surroundings to better understand my situation, and I have much better hand-eye coordination. I'm more efficient at learning new things, and new things are less intimidating to me. I live life with more confidence and less fear.
3. They're FUN.
Fun is never a bad thing. Real life is often not fun; often times we live days, weeks, months, even longer without allowing time for ourselves to have fun. It's easy to get caught up in the stress of day-to-day life, feeling real life is too important to get distracted from, feeling we're not trying hard enough if we "let go," even if just for a little bit. But our brains need rest, and our spirits need to experience the good and positive in life. This is why many people turn to drugs, alcohol, and extreme partying. The problem is with those things is that there are consequences. There aren't many consequences with video games, unless you spend most of your days playing them non-stop. Moderation is key! (I won't get into problems of violence in games right now - just know that many games don't feature violence and immorality.) Video games can be social or they can be perfect for filling our need for alone time. They allow us to enjoy something fully, with or without other people, without hurting our real lives. We all need fun!
4. Creativity.
Why do people read books or watch movies? Why do people go to poetry slams, art museums, plays, or conventions? Is it not because we love the creativity, the art, and the imagination? Video games are an art form. Video games take loads of creativity and artistic skill to create, and when we play them we're experiencing that art. They're also very effective for telling stories. Games like The Longest Journey or Baldur's Gate have stories as strong and as expansive as Lord of the Rings, full of mystery, morality, spirit, and hope. I love to read, but there is nothing like playing a character in a different world with a strong story. This fuels a love for life, strong creative sense, and meaning in life.
Without video games, I wouldn't be the same person I am today. They've made a huge impact in my life in a very positive way. If you're not a gamer because you haven't tried games, I strongly recommend giving them a try. They're not all simple action games you have to learn how to be good at, like Mario. There are adventure games, like Monkey Island or The Longest Journey or The Grim Fandango, where there is no fighting, just solving puzzles through an interactive story. There are role playing story games, like Final Fantasy, where the story drives the games and your job is to build the strength of the character so you can advance. There are role playing games where the story drives the game, but your job is choose different paths of the story you want to take, like Baldur's Gate or Knights of the Old Republic. There are strategy games where you learn how to play by controlling your assets in the most effective way, like Age of Empires, Lock's Quest, or Heroes of Might and Magic. There are games that are simply just puzzles on a grand scale, like Tetris or Myst. There are so many other styles out there - don't be fooled by all the commercials for first person shooters that are all about war and violence. That's one genre, and one that many hard core gamers like me don't enjoy much (though I'm pretty good in a Quake 2 tournament.)
I encourage you to try them, and see what being immersed in another world for a little while can do for your brain!
Saying you like video games can often feel like you're telling someone what your religion is. You are either treated as immature, strange, and in need of help, or you say it to a fellow gamer who then shares his/her love for games with you. It's very very rare to say it to someone and get a neutral reaction.
So, because I'm trying to get back into writing, I figured I'd start up again with explaining why I love video games so much.
1. Video games are the best anti-depressant I've ever tried.
I'm not clinically depressed, but for the last 10 years or so I've found it easy to get stuck in a "slump." In the last couple years, I've been fighting some true depression due to physical issues. A couple years ago I was diagnosed with arthritis, and recently I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. It's been a real struggle, requiring major life changes. All this is for another post.
When I'm gaming, I enter a different world. I am no longer held accountable to the real world. My brain gets a break, my body gets to rest, and my spirit lightens up. Reading or watching a great movie has the same effect for many other people, so just imagine how good the escape feels when you do those things. That is what gaming does for me. This kind of escapism - this break from reality - is a highly effective way of creating new mental energy to use when you do return to the real world because you feel fresh.
The difference with gaming is that it is interactive. I'm in control of what happens. This interactivity is what makes gaming my favorite method of escaping. It feels like I get to experience a new life, where I can make choices that I wouldn't be able to in real life. It puts my mind to work critically thinking and puts my hands to work (working with your hands is known to be very therapeutic.) In video games, I'm accomplishing something, becoming skilled (good) at something, and receiving praise for it. Video games offer rewards for accomplishments, make me feel useful, and gets me enthused about something. When I'm fighting depression, it's very hard to have any motivation or energy to accomplish something in real life, because accomplishing something in real life requires a lot of energy and skills that I likely don't have enough. Video games tend to create mental energy for me, "turning on" the parts of my brain that don't get a chance to function when depression takes over. I find that the feelings of success, accomplishment, and praise that I get from video games helps my brain to function much better in real life, overpowering the depression. This is more than reading and movies have been able to do for me, because I am not accomplishing anything when reading or watching movies.
2. Video games allow to me to think in ways I wouldn't get a chance to in real life.
I've heard that we only use about 10% of our brains during regular living. This fact is what the movie Limitless is about: taking a drug that allows us to use most of our brain allows us to accomplish much more in life and enjoy life more fully. There is no drug we can take to do this in reality, but video games do help with this to some degree. When, in real life, do I need to intently focus on how to unlock a coded door using clues from my surroundings? When, in real life, do I need to figure out the weakness of an evil entity that isn't obvious? When, in real life, do I need to learn how to combine objects to build an object to do a specific task? My brain gets to experience thinking through situations that are often more intense than situations in real life, because real life tends to be more about quality personal relationships and less about mastering skills. However, learning how to think critically in video games transfers to real life in a major way. I think faster and more effectively, I can solve problems without feeling overwhelmed, I know how to slow down an observe important things in my surroundings to better understand my situation, and I have much better hand-eye coordination. I'm more efficient at learning new things, and new things are less intimidating to me. I live life with more confidence and less fear.
3. They're FUN.
Fun is never a bad thing. Real life is often not fun; often times we live days, weeks, months, even longer without allowing time for ourselves to have fun. It's easy to get caught up in the stress of day-to-day life, feeling real life is too important to get distracted from, feeling we're not trying hard enough if we "let go," even if just for a little bit. But our brains need rest, and our spirits need to experience the good and positive in life. This is why many people turn to drugs, alcohol, and extreme partying. The problem is with those things is that there are consequences. There aren't many consequences with video games, unless you spend most of your days playing them non-stop. Moderation is key! (I won't get into problems of violence in games right now - just know that many games don't feature violence and immorality.) Video games can be social or they can be perfect for filling our need for alone time. They allow us to enjoy something fully, with or without other people, without hurting our real lives. We all need fun!
4. Creativity.
Why do people read books or watch movies? Why do people go to poetry slams, art museums, plays, or conventions? Is it not because we love the creativity, the art, and the imagination? Video games are an art form. Video games take loads of creativity and artistic skill to create, and when we play them we're experiencing that art. They're also very effective for telling stories. Games like The Longest Journey or Baldur's Gate have stories as strong and as expansive as Lord of the Rings, full of mystery, morality, spirit, and hope. I love to read, but there is nothing like playing a character in a different world with a strong story. This fuels a love for life, strong creative sense, and meaning in life.
Without video games, I wouldn't be the same person I am today. They've made a huge impact in my life in a very positive way. If you're not a gamer because you haven't tried games, I strongly recommend giving them a try. They're not all simple action games you have to learn how to be good at, like Mario. There are adventure games, like Monkey Island or The Longest Journey or The Grim Fandango, where there is no fighting, just solving puzzles through an interactive story. There are role playing story games, like Final Fantasy, where the story drives the games and your job is to build the strength of the character so you can advance. There are role playing games where the story drives the game, but your job is choose different paths of the story you want to take, like Baldur's Gate or Knights of the Old Republic. There are strategy games where you learn how to play by controlling your assets in the most effective way, like Age of Empires, Lock's Quest, or Heroes of Might and Magic. There are games that are simply just puzzles on a grand scale, like Tetris or Myst. There are so many other styles out there - don't be fooled by all the commercials for first person shooters that are all about war and violence. That's one genre, and one that many hard core gamers like me don't enjoy much (though I'm pretty good in a Quake 2 tournament.)
I encourage you to try them, and see what being immersed in another world for a little while can do for your brain!