Thursday 20 June 2013

What I've Learned from Video Games

        I've been meaning to write these thoughts down somewhere, and I thought here is as good a place as any. I, as I'm sure many people in this class, enjoy video games as a hobby. However, I feel like outside of the gaming communities, video games receive a lot of flak for being all violence. Every time someone brings this up now, I get to mention how video games have been added as an art in the Museum of Modern Art. I get to explain how a game tells a story that no TV show or movie could pull off.
        Video games, at least in my opinion, receive most of their flak because people don't understand them. People see a game, and they might just automatically link it with say, call of duty. This is definitely not the case.
       I'll use the game Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the Nintendo 3DS as an example. This game is so drastically different from most games, I don't even know if I should call it a game. Anyway, you arrive to a new town, with only a bit of cash in your pockets,to become the new mayor. And then...that's it. The rest is up to you. You choose what to do in your town. You can spend your days going fishing, catching bugs, gardening, talking with your villagers, buying furniture and clothes, improving the town, or just relaxing. The cool thing is, the game plays even when you aren't. Seasons change, shops close, and villagers move in and out even when you are away. The game came out 2 weeks ago, and all my friends and I already have taken different approaches on what to do. That's the beauty of video games. They're a hobby, with something for everyone.
        I love video games, and I feel like if everyone understood that they're a great outlet for anger, sadness, or boredom, the stigma of "video games are evil" would be gone forever.

1 comment:

  1. Completely agree 100%. People fear what they don't understand. FEAR ME! But seriously, it will pass. In like 20 years video games will (hopefully) be on par with T.V., movies, books etc. in people's minds.

    ReplyDelete