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"Who needs crutches?"

A little while after a multiplayer session around my n64, I was thinking, what if it wasnít this. A film maybe, some drinks would usually figure. I thought about something someone said to me a long time ago, about pool tables in pubs. He called them ësocial crutchesí, whoís purpose wasnít to provide a fun game, but to occupy people, give them something to play, or to watch people playing instead of making the effort to talk to people, communicate, even go do something else.

So weíd be sat around the tv screen, the only words spoken would relate to the game. For a couple of hours of the day weíd say virtually nothing important, just bathe in the distraction from everything around us.
So is it any different alone? Sit down, have a game, donít do anything ëproductiveí, no work, nothing social, or educational, not developing ourselves in any way, just hiding from reality.

Looks pretty bleak that way, but then again what would we be doing anyway?
If not this, tv, music, a film, sport, something to entertain for a while, just killing time.
Take away all those distractions then, and what else is there? We work to better ourselves, financially, educationally, and it pays the bills, helps us understand a little more, develops our minds. Or we spend some time with friends and family, socialise, bond. Deflect the loneliness.
So is that any better than playing games? Itís all different in itís way. But surely all this just needs to be put in a good enough balance to get by. Money, knowledge, company, and distractions from it all. Donít they all just serve to make life bearable, then even enjoyable.

So back in the pub, the shift at work is over, the news watched, or read, the education at least temporarily finished. So youíve caught up with conversation with your friends, nothing left to talk about. Looking into your glass (another distraction), as the boredom creeps in. Take that 50p from your pocket, put it in the mechanism. Click, thunk. Rack ëem up, your break. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading

A little while after a multiplayer session around my n64, I was thinking, what if it wasnít this. A film maybe, some drinks would usually figure. I thought about something someone said to me a long time ago, about pool tables in pubs. He called them ësocial crutchesí, whoís purpose wasnít to provide a fun game, but to occupy people, give them something to play, or to watch people playing instead of making the effort to talk to people, communicate, even go do something else.

So weíd be sat around the tv screen, the only words spoken would relate to the game. For a couple of hours of the day weíd say virtually nothing important, just bathe in the distraction from everything around us.
So is it any different alone? Sit down, have a game, donít do anything ëproductiveí, no work, nothing social, or educational, not developing ourselves in any way, just hiding from reality.

Looks pretty bleak that way, but then again what would we be doing anyway?
If not this, tv, music, a film, sport, something to entertain for a while, just killing time.
Take away all those distractions then, and what else is there? We work to better ourselves, financially, educationally, and it pays the bills, helps us understand a little more, develops our minds. Or we spend some time with friends and family, socialise, bond. Deflect the loneliness.
So is that any better than playing games? Itís all different in itís way. But surely all this just needs to be put in a good enough balance to get by. Money, knowledge, company, and distractions from it all. Donít they all just serve to make life bearable, then even enjoyable.

So back in the pub, the shift at work is over, the news watched, or read, the education at least temporarily finished. So youíve caught up with conversation with your friends, nothing left to talk about. Looking into your glass (another distraction), as the boredom creeps in. Take that 50p from your pocket, put it in the mechanism. Click, thunk. Rack ëem up, your break. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading