You Should Have Known
First off, this is a response to the following video
I had my issues with what was said because I feel it's wrong on so many levels. Bear with me as I run trough it, quoting and answering his arguments as I go.
"Understand that I've played video games my entire life, starting with Atari and Nintendo right up till just a few months ago. Over the years I could only calculate that I've lost thousands of dollars and tens of thousands of hours of my life to them"
And I probably agree on that point. But admittedly, it's the price of our entertainment. I do not consider it a bad habit. Just that I need money and time to spend on it. Some people go to the gym all week, some people watch movies every day, some people play soccer all day. Most hobbies in this world carry a cost. That's why we have jobs. Not just for the costs of living but also for the costs of entertainment.
He then proceeds to tell us that he hasn't gained anything from this entertainment. Like he was expecting to get smarter, faster or more skilled for any of it. And I doubt it's the very reason why he began gaming. He shouldn't toss this point around like he was expecting to somehow get more get more out of it then entertainment. And if you look in your own heart and memory, you've probably haven't began gaming for it's effects on your intelligence, reaction time or knowledge of martial arts.
"The real pain behind my years of videogame addiction was that I never realized their TRUE cost. Sure it was just a few hours here and there... But over three decades. I´m not just sickened now by the amount of my life I've spent, but more so by all the important stuff that I willingly pushed aside to make time for games."
Classic addict there. I don't feel that I've pushed important stuff aside. You always have to find where your priorities lie. You can make a convincing scenario if you tell me that I've could have done a lot more useful stuff in the times that I've spend on video games. But again, everyone has his hobbies. I don't feel that I've damaged anything because of games. Thus far I've accomplished everything I've set my mind to. Yes, it may indeed be a lot more attractive to play games rather than something like doing school work or doing something with my mother. But I'm always here for them. I don't push them (or spending time with them) away over games. And I'm seriously hoping none of you does that.
"For the sake of entertainment I was willing to push aside sleep, health and ambition...for what?"
To which I say, why do we do anything? Why go outside, make love, go to dance clubs, participate in sports, watch movies, ect? Why do anything? Cause everything that you do goes at the expense of sleep and health. Yes, even health. Because merely stepping outside exposes you to a world of danger. You can die from everything. your always risking health.
But I know what he means. He's probably one of those people that doesn't eat in favor of playing that one level. And the guy that doesn't sleep in favor of finishing his game. And the sort of person that doesn't feel like working or looking for a job because he wants to spend more time of a few games. And we've all done it at some point.
But are these three things really everything in life? Besides plenty of people go sporting and such and equally risk/lose their sleep, health and ambition. Doesn't mean it's necessarily a bad thing. As long as you know how to balance it out.
"We fool ourself into thinking that virtual achievements and virtual friends are substitutes for real life ones."
Well I guess it depends on the people you know. My real life friends suck to be honest. I've even been ripped off for a lot of money. Virtual friends are my 'friends in a can'. That means that when I turn my console or pc off, I turn them off. I'm not tied by responsibility or doubt.
But even on a non-gaming level the same holds true. Think about dating sites, web cam sites or chat sites. You meet virtual people and you feel a lot better with that then real life people. Most people only really flare up and show who they are when they are protected by this barrier. A lot of shy people are only really happy when they talk to people trough the glass of a monitor.
"To be blunt, videogamers seem to be fine giving up their real lives for simulated ones full of depression and loneliness"
Only holds trough for addicted people. EXCLUSIVELY.
"Three months ago I had to face the facts that I was alone, overweight and divorced."
Just because he fails, doesn't mean that we all do.
And he proceeds into more the same as spoken above.
But he makes the excellent remark: "Do things that create value, do not consume time"
Unfortunately, not everything thinks like that. But one could ask: What creates value?
Living a experience, true or false can also create value. It can broaden your perspective or make you see things different in life. Like how music can touch your soul, games can also. The best games are the ones that creates emotion in you.
I dare to name a few of my own.
Metal Gear Solid 3, the ending was brilliant, and it taught me a lesson about sacrificing yourself for the greater good, even if you don't always get recognition for it. Yes, it made me cry, as it dealt with a heavy subject. The same holds true for Metal Gear Solid 4.
Splinter Cell: Double Agent (the ps2 version), About love, loyalty, revenge. How you can break people, and what makes someone.
God of War, about mentorship, the consequences of your actions, insanity, freedom, hope.
There are many more, but my point is that like movies and music, the value can sometimes lie in the things you experience (even if it's just a game) and it can make you a better person. Is that not true value? Is that time wasted? Would I even be the same person if I hadn't 'lived' trough it?
For the other half of the movie he burns his World of Warcraft discs and expansions. And talks about what you could do with the time spend on leveling a character to level 80. And that's where it really hit me, that's what he did with his time. I don't blame him for being that gamer. We all know how many lives were ruined with WoW but this isn't really about games in general, but it's because he was a hardcore WoW player. I suppose to went all well before that. And he might see the moment of denouncing games as enlightenment but I expect that he won't be really happy. After all, he will still be divorced, overweight and alone in a while. And especially with the trend of online connectivity you are not alone anymore. It isn't the same as having people in the room sure, but you are not without people anymore. Besides, most of us played WoW and we all have some good memories of it. Some are still playing it. I cherish the moments I had, but have moved on to other games.
So there you have it. My response to his video. And gentlemen, enjoy your life as a gamer, as it might some day end.
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