Disclaimer: Writing this month’s blog posts was like pulling teeth, and this piece somehow ended up with me playing the part of a video game apologist. Point: It may not be for everyone, and that’s okay.
I have claimed that Escape is one of the main functions of fairy-stories, and since I do not disapprove of them, it is plain that I do not accept the tone of scorn or pity with which “Escape” is now so often used: a tone for which the uses of the word outside literary criticism give no warrant at all. In what the misusers are fond of calling Real Life, Escape is evidently as a rule very practical, and may even be heroic.
- J.R.R. Tolkien
As a millennial who is pushing 40, I still lug around some guilt for the large amount of time in my life spent playing video games. While gaming arguably became ubiquitous in the 90s, I think it was (and still is) viewed by my parents’ generation as mostly a waste of time. And in the final balance, weighed against skills and knowledge left unlearned, that’s probably true.
However, I’ve also always thought that time is only wasted if you let it be. Some of my fondest memories are of sitting with friends or family playing Super Mario Kart or scouring the world of A Link to the Past or Donkey Kong Country for secrets. This split-screen era of gaming (where everyone sat in the same room and actually interacted) really brought people together. And, thankfully, we seem to have entered a period of “Split-Screen Revivalism.” This is apparent not only in the Nintendoverse but also evidenced by titles like It Takes Two and Split Fiction by developer Hazelight Studios. Even my non-gamer wife has had fun with these adventures.
In the 2000s, as online gaming grew up, experiences like Halo 2, the various Call of Duty: Modern Warfare clones, and the non-shooter Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) markets—World of Warcraft, for example—leveled up the casual social interaction to professional levels of teamwork and coordination in virtual environments. And now, we have eSports like Rocket League.
The skills gamers develop and refine daily apply well to industry, military, etc. This is true not only of the team aspects of MMOs like voice communication and organization in a non-co-located setting (akin to virtual workplaces in some ways), but also specific applications of hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, reaction time, rapid decision making, etc.
So, is gaming a waste of time? We can argue all day about whether this digital world a lot of us grew up in is for the better, but I don’t think we can disagree with the notion that every generation from mine forward will have to contend with it unless the whole thing collapses. C’est la vie.
That all said, my favorite games mostly fall into two types regardless of genre: (1) narrative-heavy games with big worlds and great music; and (2) intricate games with sprawling maps that encourage exploration and completionism.
Examples of the first kind range from Final Fantasy to Uncharted to (while perhaps not an exemplar of amazing storytelling) Halo.
Examples of the second kind range from Guacamelee to Dark Souls to Zelda.
In rare cases, you get the best of both worlds. I believe titles like God of War (the PS4 reboot and sequel, Ragnarok), Horizon: Zero Dawn, and even the online-only Final Fantasy XIV fall into this space for me.
These games all offer experiences that I think are on par with and truly blend together the experience of reading a well-written novel, watching a blockbuster film or marathon-worthy show, and listening to a beautiful musical performance. Plus, with RPGs like Final Fantasy, there’s inventory and money to manage, light mathematics to deal with, an immense amount of detail to commit to memory, and a splash of melodrama—just another day at the (real life) office.
Engaging characters acting out a gripping story against the backdrop of a sprawling world and a complex plot full of ancient mysteries, political intrigue, and world saving stakes? Count me in.
Back to the Tolkien quote: Gaming is escapism at its best. And I truly believe it can be very good for the mind and soul (noting that, like all things, it is not all good for all people).
As I close, I’m remembering sitting with my dad and uncle playing Dragon Warrior (the moniker for Dragon Quest in the US back then), Duck Hunt, Super Mario Bros., and Super Mario RPG. That was the beginning of my escapist journey, really. Then enter solo treks through Lufia I and II, Breath of Fire I-IV, Suikoden I and II, Xenogears (shout out to Xenoblade), and a whole lot more. Every one of these fueled my imagination and gave my soul a playground, in a sense.
In summary, gaming is a great pastime. No one can convince me otherwise. Do I think it needs to be balanced with real-world relationships and experiences? Of course. But that was true prior to the advent of video games as well. Sound body, sound mind.
I think, no matter what you do (even escaping into a silly place like Toad Town), as long as you’re learning, growing, and living fully… Do it wholeheartedly. Stomp on Goombas, chop off Sephiroth’s one wing with your impossibly big sword, pretend until you convince even yourself that you like MMORPG dailies, and save the day. Cheers.