Video games have defined my generation. I don’t think I’ve met more than a handful of people who have not played anything resembling a video game nor been affected by the video game boom. Sure, there are opponents like Jack Thompson who fight video games, afraid of change. They accuse violent video games of changing the players into these ultra violent monsters. However, I haven’t met many people who could not distinguish games from reality. What is more likely to be a danger is the addictiveness of these worlds and games.

As a fan of games, I am loathe to give any ammunition to opponents of video games. But I know I’ve had a lot of trouble myself with getting distracted from doing the things I need to. Some of my closest friends have played games instead of doing things like dishes or homework. Gamers seem to enjoy games so much they will ignore real life to play.

First, video games give us a chance to experience a world or setting that we would otherwise not get to see. There are other mediums that provide this benefit; books and movies come to mind. But with video games you get immersed in the world and get to make your own choices. Game characters also get to do way more amazing things than are possible in real life. You can play as a soldier fighting against undead hordes; you can fly through space in a personalized space ship; you can lead massive armies to victory against aliens or just Catherine the Great. One of the hardest things for life to compete with is the constant entertainment and accomplishment games offer. Even in a simple game like Farmville, they have set up constant rewards that are given out as you play. (more…)