Video games are a powerful bonding tool, yes. Games are a great excuse for a social gathering, great for keeping in touch with your friends, great for reminiscing about the good ol’ days. Remember when you were a kid and you played that game for days?
Well, what about when you actually are a kid. What do they mean? Hours and hours of entertainment, yes. Blowing up things and killing people in a relatively consequence free, fictional universe? Yes, but take note. All the stuff we like about video games — being a more attractive, clever superhuman who happens to be either way more social, way more fit, sexy, ruthless and adept at creating and destroying worlds — is significantly cooler when you’re a kid. READ MORE
“You know, one of these days we’re going to look back and laugh about this.” Usually said by one of the more optimistic members of the group, this phrase can increase the amount of rage present, instead of introducing calm. Terrible, annoying or dire situations can make you want to quit whatever activity you’re engaged in. Quickly. But with time passing, those colossal failures can eventually turn into pleasant memories. The absurdity of the situation can make you shake your head, but it’ll make for a great story one day, especially if it’s shared with a group of friends. READ MORE
One of my greatest fears in life is missing out on a good time. I hate missing inside jokes. I hate being described stories instead of being reminded of them. I hate losing that potential magical night or event, knowing that it may be impossible to recreate. Sure, friends can hang out at that particular bar again, but will the blonde with glasses who made out with another girl while dancing on the bar be there? Will Ted puke not once, but twice in the bathroom and still chug his beer during last call? You never know. You never really can know. READ MORE
Professional wrestling and video games have a lot in common. Both tend to depict impossibly-strong men and impossibly-endowed women fighting each other for glory and riches. Both have rabid fanbases that will explain, in great detail, why the current product is terrible, how it used to be better, and how they (specifically they; lucky you – the listener!) know exactly how to fix the product. They also tend not to discuss why they are fans in the first place. It’s not because they’re pessimistic by nature, it would just be stating the obvious; both offer incredible entertainment experiences unlike any other. At their highest quality, fans will tell you nothing else comes close. The highlights offer memories that last, instead of occurrences that disappoint. READ MORE
The whole “are video games art” debate isn’t something I’m going to get into today. Or maybe ever. Many have debated this topic already, most are more intelligent than I and are better connected to the industry. But I do want to touch on why I think games are as good an entertainment medium as any.
Movies, live theater, TV and books have a long, established history of being the “go-to” for when people want to relax and enjoy a story that isn’t their own. Video games, being the newest entertainment, are often ridiculed as something that only children or immature adults should dabble in. That it never could be more than a passing fad. That it would never resonate with people on a highly emotional level – one of the undeniable goals of “art”. READ MORE
