Why I'm a Gamer

by Opaque Senator, guest GGR contributor

Since I was very young, like most kids, I have been fascinated by games. Whether on a screen, on boards, with cards, or those of the mind, I've always appreciated them for what they are. In many cases, there is no better way to blow off steam, share fun moments with friends and family, or simply to forget about the world, than with a game.

Something I and many others do is use games to help make sense of the world around us. It’s another reason why I love gaming. It seems easy on the surface, right? “I have an understanding of X, why not convert Y into similar roles as X and see how I would respond?” We can do this when we make life choices, dating, jobs, relationships and the like. Mastering a board game like Chess, Shogi, or Go can give one a sense of understanding of the world around us.

This is shogi, for those who are unfamiliar

The same can be true of an expert of a video game like Call of Duty or FortNite, or a card game like poker or Magic the Gathering. If you play something like this, you may have even heard or taken part in those types of conversations between friends and family about how they can help in the real world.

Is this truly a useful exercise, using games to help understand how the world works? I did not see how it could hurt. After all, we can choose to view the world in anyway we see fit. If using games can help us learn and understand, then why not? Heck, as children, most of what we have to learn through are games. Games teach teamwork, relying on others, critical thinking, problem-solving, and working to achieve a desired goal or outcome. We use them to teach kids and teens how to win graciously or lose with dignity, and how to learn from our mistakes in either scenario. I do not think this learning ever truly stops, even if for many, the games themselves do. In my view, gaming, in addition to being a way to attain joy, creates environments for learning not easily duplicated elsewhere. We should never stop playing games, and evolving how we think to better ourselves at them. This is a skill we can always take with us in life.

But what about those people who take things too far? Where the game is everything? Where everyone they meet and every situation they see in real life is something they can turn into a game and use to manipulate a desired outcome? We all know those people as well. Many live outlandish lives as a result of their prowess at converting their thinking into this type of mindset. What value is there to these same games when they are so often taken too far?

Just imagine how they’d respond in real life if this is how failure is treated in the game.

I was going back through and re-watching some of my favorite moments from a recently ended series called Person of Interest. Some quick background of the show if you are not familiar, it's an excellent series about a man who creates the Machine, an entity that was built to stop terrorists but sees everything, even what are deemed “irrelevant” crimes and killings (if you've not seen, worth it for sure). The main story is of the attempts to help those deemed “irrelevant.” The main protagonist has an excellent exchange with the Machine about games and their impact on the world for those who look at them too seriously. Clip below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkvukotSSms

This scene has stuck with me, as I am someone who has used games (and really other media for that matter) as a way to understand the world. This scene is a nice reminder to not take that too far.

So why am I a gamer? In addition to the release of stress and strategic thinking, I'm a gamer because I love the stories, characters, gameplay, music, and experiences I have while playing a game. Most of my closest friends come from this world, too. All the most interesting discussions I have with friends come from this lens. It's almost an ethos. And a great feeling to experience. That brings me to my final point: stay in the games. Never lose sight of the enjoyment. If you can, learn from them and improve. But most of all, remember that they are just that: games.

What are some of your favorite games? Why do you like them?