Some practical skills I learned through video games: I learned how to read and navigate using maps through RPGs. I learned history through Assassin's Creed series. I learned multi-tasking through Dandori. As a non-native English speaker, I learned grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciations through video games (I remember reciting some of Sora's dialogues with my friends).
Animal Crossing helped me stay connected with my family and friends during the lockdown as well. Final Fantasy introduced me to the wonders of fantasy world building and to the beautiful music.
To say that video games are soul-sucking and meaningless is understatement.
It’s completely baffling how people can even say such things. Clearly video games have provided value and meaning to so many people (as your examples perfectly illustrate). If someone doesn’t like games, that’s fine… but that doesn’t mean others are wrong to like them!
I don't see how something like Call of Duty is different than massive numbers of hobbies. Is it more valid to get good at archery than a competitive video game.
A lot of this is snobbery. Reading the classics is seen as classy, playing Skyrim is low-class.
"I do agree that games have the potential to basically hold players back in life, by substituting actual achievement and exploration with convincing but ultimately inferior simulacra of such, thus discouraging actually going out to accomplish tangible goals and new experiences. And I agree that a lot of players do fall into that trap."
I think the issue is that, in my experience, high volume video game users have a much higher occurrence of this problem. The act of staring at a screen for hours leads to a very different mental state then when I see people obsessed with playing the clarinet or ping pong or cooking a certain food.
Others might disagree, but the impact of engaging in an imaginary world through a screen is similar to scrolling on a phone or watching netflix for hours... a disengagement and distraction from the world that does not lend itself to real world contentment.
I agree with this post: video games are as meaningful as any other art form. But at this point, I just don't see the point in responding to detractors. It's a behemoth of an industry, cool indie games come out every year, loads of people play video games. I just don't think we have to care about people who claim they aren't meaningful any more.
Without a doubt, video games are meaningful via the massive impact they have on our culture. The question for me is what are the costs and benefits of that impact?
Some practical skills I learned through video games: I learned how to read and navigate using maps through RPGs. I learned history through Assassin's Creed series. I learned multi-tasking through Dandori. As a non-native English speaker, I learned grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciations through video games (I remember reciting some of Sora's dialogues with my friends).
Animal Crossing helped me stay connected with my family and friends during the lockdown as well. Final Fantasy introduced me to the wonders of fantasy world building and to the beautiful music.
To say that video games are soul-sucking and meaningless is understatement.
It’s completely baffling how people can even say such things. Clearly video games have provided value and meaning to so many people (as your examples perfectly illustrate). If someone doesn’t like games, that’s fine… but that doesn’t mean others are wrong to like them!
I don't see how something like Call of Duty is different than massive numbers of hobbies. Is it more valid to get good at archery than a competitive video game.
A lot of this is snobbery. Reading the classics is seen as classy, playing Skyrim is low-class.
"I do agree that games have the potential to basically hold players back in life, by substituting actual achievement and exploration with convincing but ultimately inferior simulacra of such, thus discouraging actually going out to accomplish tangible goals and new experiences. And I agree that a lot of players do fall into that trap."
I think the issue is that, in my experience, high volume video game users have a much higher occurrence of this problem. The act of staring at a screen for hours leads to a very different mental state then when I see people obsessed with playing the clarinet or ping pong or cooking a certain food.
Others might disagree, but the impact of engaging in an imaginary world through a screen is similar to scrolling on a phone or watching netflix for hours... a disengagement and distraction from the world that does not lend itself to real world contentment.
I agree with this post: video games are as meaningful as any other art form. But at this point, I just don't see the point in responding to detractors. It's a behemoth of an industry, cool indie games come out every year, loads of people play video games. I just don't think we have to care about people who claim they aren't meaningful any more.
Without a doubt, video games are meaningful via the massive impact they have on our culture. The question for me is what are the costs and benefits of that impact?
I still play Minecraft when I need to retreat, get some solitude, and think. It’s wonderful. I’m grateful for it.
The best Star Wars thing in 2019 was a video game about learning from failure and trusting people, don't see either of those as "soul sucking"