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We all play them, we all have our best and worst games. We love them. They are our form of releasing stress and having fun and its also a challenge. But why do we play games?
Escapism.
They let us escape from real life and put us in a position that allows us to play as something/someone else. We can shoot someone's head off in real life and get a life sentence, but in a game, take GTA3 as a fine example, you can shoot, steal, you can even pick up prostitutes! In real life, none of this is possible without being put in a "Running from the police" situation.
You can escape from the tensions of work/school/friends/lovers and have a good 'ol bash on a game. Therefore, you are escaping from "Real" live and becoming someone different for a few hours. But, this escaping lark can get very addictive, you could become hooked on escaping, like a drug, you can't get enough of it. You always want more, you can't escape from the game you were using to escape the world from.
On a lighter note, you could just enjoy the game and keep coming back for more, bit like Pizza Hut, you can't get enough. You absorb too much pizza juice and you must retrieve the money from your pocket and pay the student workers. Little to they know, you have their whole entire contents of pizza juice locked away in your stomach.
Like games, you can take things from games, learn new skills and be filled with gaming knowledge. No bad thing at all!!
You go to Pizza Hut to escape from cooking and they make nice Pizza's but you can't get addicted, unless you have a tree that grows money. I use games to escape from life, and so does everyone else. Is this the only safe way of escaping from life? No, but if you want to be put in a new situation, then yes. I don't know many people that can change from being a schoolboy into a rally driver, in a minute, do you? No I didn't think so!
Its also the safest way of escaping. You go to your console, turn it on, and play. Takes less than a minute.
Let take a look at the life of a gamer turning on his favorite game.
10:00.00 - Decide that they want to play a game
10:00.12 - Locate console
10:00.20 - Locate favorite game
10:00.25 - Successfully load game into tray and switch on
10:00.30 - Sit down and wait for game to load
10:00.45 - Game loaded
10:00.47 - Begin playing favorite game
However, to turn from a schoolboy into a rally driver, takes considerably longer
10:00.00 - Decide that they want to be a rally driver
5 Years Later - Finished school, went through years of training and is now looking for a sponsor
5 Weeks Later - Found sponsor, and has been picked up by Subaru. Now happily drives for Subaru.
Its just easier to go and switch on your console, agreed? Yeah, I think you all do..
Escapism, using games, easy peasy. Escapism using something real-life, alot more harder.
Use the games, you know its the best way..
GasMask
The other day I analysed my life and I came to the conclusion that the vast majority of my waking life is dedicated to escapism, both in thought and deed.
When I'm at work I day-dream about what I'm going to do when in my free time - i.e. think about and fantasize about what games I'm going to buy next, or what I'm going to write, or where I'm going to go.
And in my free time I tend to spend most of it either playing videogames or attempting to be creative in many different ways.
It's all escapism in one form or another.
We all play them, we all have our best and worst games. We love them. They are our form of releasing stress and having fun and its also a challenge. But why do we play games?
Escapism.
They let us escape from real life and put us in a position that allows us to play as something/someone else. We can shoot someone's head off in real life and get a life sentence, but in a game, take GTA3 as a fine example, you can shoot, steal, you can even pick up prostitutes! In real life, none of this is possible without being put in a "Running from the police" situation.
You can escape from the tensions of work/school/friends/lovers and have a good 'ol bash on a game. Therefore, you are escaping from "Real" live and becoming someone different for a few hours. But, this escaping lark can get very addictive, you could become hooked on escaping, like a drug, you can't get enough of it. You always want more, you can't escape from the game you were using to escape the world from.
On a lighter note, you could just enjoy the game and keep coming back for more, bit like Pizza Hut, you can't get enough. You absorb too much pizza juice and you must retrieve the money from your pocket and pay the student workers. Little to they know, you have their whole entire contents of pizza juice locked away in your stomach.
Like games, you can take things from games, learn new skills and be filled with gaming knowledge. No bad thing at all!!
You go to Pizza Hut to escape from cooking and they make nice Pizza's but you can't get addicted, unless you have a tree that grows money. I use games to escape from life, and so does everyone else. Is this the only safe way of escaping from life? No, but if you want to be put in a new situation, then yes. I don't know many people that can change from being a schoolboy into a rally driver, in a minute, do you? No I didn't think so!
Its also the safest way of escaping. You go to your console, turn it on, and play. Takes less than a minute.
Let take a look at the life of a gamer turning on his favorite game.
10:00.00 - Decide that they want to play a game
10:00.12 - Locate console
10:00.20 - Locate favorite game
10:00.25 - Successfully load game into tray and switch on
10:00.30 - Sit down and wait for game to load
10:00.45 - Game loaded
10:00.47 - Begin playing favorite game
However, to turn from a schoolboy into a rally driver, takes considerably longer
10:00.00 - Decide that they want to be a rally driver
5 Years Later - Finished school, went through years of training and is now looking for a sponsor
5 Weeks Later - Found sponsor, and has been picked up by Subaru. Now happily drives for Subaru.
Its just easier to go and switch on your console, agreed? Yeah, I think you all do..
Escapism, using games, easy peasy. Escapism using something real-life, alot more harder.
Use the games, you know its the best way..
GasMask