I remember when I was growing up my dad would play these super awesome games on the computer. He would have people come o er to the house and play the games with him online or through a direct link. They played games like Age of Empires and Baldur's Gate and Dungeon Siege. I would watch them play these games and I was absolutely fascinated by them. I loved that the mechanics were simple enough that I could learn to play but there was a certain style and finesse required to actually be good at them. I loved watching my dad play with swarms and armies of creatures and people closing in around his character and him fighting them off with his friends nearby helping him out.
Fast forward to the present and I am still fascinated by these games. Call them hack'n'slash or dungeon crawlers or RPGs or what have you, but they are some of my all time favorite games to play. One of my favorite oldie games is Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna. Sadly, I lost the disc years ago and I when I downloaded it, it was not compatible with my laptop and so for now that game is put to rest. Most recently, however, I have picked back up Dungeon Siege 2. Let me tell you, the graphics aren't that great compared to new games and the storyline is lacking but, man, I love playing that game.
Some people love video games and some people hate them. I am not going to advocate for abusing video games or saying that they are bad or evil. I am most certainly not going to make any statements about whether or not video games are good or bad for kids or teenagers or even adults. All I want to do is explain why I am intrigued by video games and why I enjoy them...
...I am a dreamer. As I said before I grew up with certain video games via my dad or playing them myself. The biggest fascination for me isn't in winning the games or becoming the most powerful or best player. I love challenging myself and I love creating a character, a person. When I play games like Dungeon Siege 2 or Elder Scrolls or even Pokémon I try and make characters with personality that will or will not do certain things and has preferences and loves and hates and has opinions. On top of that I thoroughly enjoy making those characters have struggles and challenges such as only using certain types of weapons or attacks, which can make the game easier or more difficult. The attraction for me for video games (more specifically, with the games that I enjoy) is in practicing empathy, feeling with someone rather than feeling for someone (sympathy), and learning new and creative ways to solve problems. Maybe it sounds silly, but I know that video games like this have helped me develop into someone whose dominant strength is empathy and who is able to come up with solutions to problems in creative ways. It may not have been the entire reason and perhaps these traits were prominent for me before but they definitely developed these further.
All of this being said is because I recently watched an episode of a TV show that brought up some good points about video games being bad and being good...but they never came up with any kind of solution or answer for their problem! I am presenting my perspective to add to the ongoing conversation. I would also like to add that there are video games that I would refuse to play on principal and because of certain beliefs that I hold, just so someone doesn't hold me as hiding the truth or trying to cover up for anything.
Thanks for reading! I would be curious to hear others' perspectives as well!
No comments:
Post a Comment