Online Gaming

People are resistant to change. Despite being the most advanced and intelligent creatures on our planet, many of us are quite comfortable living life as we perceive it has "always been." This tendency is no more evident than in society's general criticism of online gaming. Many individuals portray "gamers" as social invalids with no intelligence whatsoever. This distaste of video games is so pernicious that almost every mass shooting is accompanied by hypotheses on how it was somehow related to console and controller. However, the prevalence of these claims must mean they have some credibility right? Actually, the societal distaste for video games is almost entirely unfounded and ignores many of the benefits that online communities can provide. 

Many critics of gamers often watch multiple hours of television a day. While this may seem unrelated, TV is arguably much more harmful than video games. Playing a video game and watching a TV show are almost one and the same--the user stares at a screen. Despite this, actually interacting with the screen adds an extra layer of cognitive challenge. TV allows people to fall into a trance of both physical and mental decay, but video games require a constant state of mental engagement. Many games require the player to problem solve, focus, and plan to a degree that is often missing from the real world. Whereas television serves as a means for pure enjoyment, video games are a hobby that is enriching as any other. An area in which the medium particularly shines is social growth. 

Most, if not all, games have some sort of online functionality. Users can connect with players from around the world to compete and collaborate. This gives people experience with types of people that they would otherwise never have access to. This slice of humanity has a myriad of decent and respectable people. From parents playing with their children to old friends spontaneously reuniting, the gaming community has been a part of some of my life's most memorable moments. Sadly, not everyone online is as cheery and friendly as they ought to be. Players who are outwardly rude or disruptive--often called "toxic"-- infect all corners of the scene. Yet, even they have some value to bring. While the actual game teaches logical problem solving, the people within it teach social problem-solving. The ability to calm someone down after a losing streak or the emotional refinement to ignore a rude player are all valuable skills that are easily applied to everyday life. Your screen offers a window into a world where you can join up with friends and strangers alike to simply have fun.

Fun is the guiding principle of game design. In a world so saturated with games of every type and length, developers are incentivized to make their product as entertaining as possible. And they succeed. I find it unfair to deny someone a hobby if it does not harm themselves or others. Even if you intrinsically averse to video games, you have no right to tear enjoyment away from someone else. 

The battle against gaming represents, in one sense, our collective aversion to change but, in another, our resentment of each other. We see other people enjoying themselves and cannot fathom where that enjoyment stems from. That feeling of confusion scares us, so it soon into the familiar emotion of anger. This post is intended to promote gaming, but, above that, is to promote kindness, acceptance to change, and acceptance of each other.