The dark side of entertainment

Yesterday I was reading Steve Pavlina's article about determining the true goal of life. While I really think that is a great way to start, and I have planned the exercise myself, that's not the main reason of this entry.

However, one of the comments to the above mentioned article, initially posted by Oleg, have raised some interesting point about games.
To tell you the truth, I've been thinking about this for quite a few days before that, though it was the comment that drove me to sit and write this all down.

Games. The Ultimale Evil?

First of all, let me give you a brief intro of my gaming experience, so that you don't think I'm trying to theorize here.
I've been playing computer games since I was about 8 or 9 years old. For several years after I have finished the school, I've been playing every night for about 5-8 hours strict. Even now I'm spending about 10 to 20 hours per week playing games, and I'm considering myself a professional cyberathlete for about 5 years now.

And that seemed fine to me. Until I started to think about the real influence the games have upon my life.

Oleg asked in his initial post, why the games are so addictive, and why do they have such strong impact on our day-to-day lives?
Well, I'll try to answer this from my perspective.

The common view is somewhat like, "come on, those are mere games, those don't matter! That's just a way of entertainment, nothing more, right?"

Wrong.

Games, as I see it now, tend to substitute the goals of the real world with the goals of the virtual world. This is doubled or even tripled when the game tries to simulate a world. Especially MMORPGs.

The reason is, it is always hard to achieve your real-world goals, 'cause it takes much time, efforts and hard work. While in a virtual world you can set a goal and achieve it right away. Sometims - after spending a little bit of your time and efforts, but nevertheless it won't be nearly as hard as it would be in reality.

"So what? I can always see a difference between a real goal and a virtual one, and I can always get back to fulfilling my real goals once I've done with my game. I even become more self-confident and strong, having achieved my numerous virtual goals!"

I'm not that optimistic anymore.
This knowledge didn't come to me easily. It took quite a bunch of years from my life to understand this. A glimpse of understanding came when I felt the difference between mere playing and becoming a pro. Between enjoying the play and training hard to become the best.
However, the true understanding came in about three years from that.

Yes, games give you a feeling of fulfillment, a feeling of self-confidence and a feeling of Being Able. The downside is - those are nothing but feelings. When you become used to being able to achieve your goals fast and easily - you're become weak in achieving your goals through prolonged hard work. You become weak in achieving your real goals.

What's more, you even lose your desire to achieve your real goals. Why should you care, you have just fulfilled a whole mess of goals in a two-hours session of gaming! You feel satisfaction, you even feel a pleasant weariness of fulfillment, who dares to disturb you with those petty real-world goals?? Let someone else care about those.

The more you achieve in virtuality the less you're able to achieve in reality.

And now that's bad.


What do you suggest then? Drop the games completely?

Nope, I'm not that harsh. :)
I agree that games are entertaining, and that games can give you some self-confidence if treated carefully. I even agree that not everyone dumps in the virtuality, there are lots of people who always see the difference, or perhaps don't have to hide their real-world problems by playing games.

There is a great difference between games. And there is even more difference between various styles of playing. Like, role-playing vs being a munchkin, or hardcore playing vs being a pro-gamer.

Games have to be chosen wisely. Try to avoid those "Live a life" games like Sims, Fallout (one of my favourite addictions), Pirates! or Morrowind.
I.e. no RPGs, and especially no MMORPGs. While the common games are imps, those are devils.

You can stick with puzzles, logic games, arcades, sport/car simulators and even some 3D shooters, though the last ones are silently transformed in RPGs lately.

Play games to be entertained, to train your reaction or logic.

Play games as a sport, play it to defeat your opponent and hone your skills.

But don't play games to live a life.

Just shut your computer down and go out to live a real life.