BulletPoints - Why Gaming Matters

Welcome back to BulletPoints. What I’ve noticed is that all my reviews have been about films and most of my BulletPoints-posts have been about video games. I imagine when I start review games again this will reverse, but I just find this divide a little weird. If I wasn’t so busy watching TV all the time and catching up on old shows, I’d probably have gotten a couple of other games reviewed by now. Alas, hasn’t happened yet. But fear not because Splatoon is coming soon (as a review) and that’ll change everything.

Today we’re still talking about games. Why? Because the only other blog-post on the site currently can’t and I have nothing really interesting to talk about in film. At least not until I’ve seen Jurassic World or until Ant-Man finally comes out and GIVES me something to talk about. And I tried writing something about TV, but I got bored really quick. So today we’re talking about WHY I view video games as such an important entertainment and artistic medium. This gets a little personal, but if you really want to understand the views expressed by me on this blog, this is the easiest way to do it.

The most obvious thing about games that appeals to me is their interactive nature. Movies and TV are fine, but they’re entirely passive with no action required from the audience. And for years this was the default/norm and no one really batted an eye. But while it’s fun watching Luke destroy the Death Star or Damon Salvatore kill more innocent people out of rage, or to see Korra fight with all four elements against the forces of darkness, I ALWAYS picture myself in the world of these characters and picture the actions I would take.

What kind of elemental bender would I be? What would my contribution to saving the world be? Where do I fit in the Rebel army against the Galactic Empire? Would I get my own lightsaber? Could I become a witch or would I be stuck as a vampire? Would I be good at either of them? And these are just from the examples above. I could spend HOURS talking about my youth and how I wanted nothing more than to be a part of the Pokémon world so I could venture out to parts unknown, making new friends and companions every day, and training to be the best trainer in the world.

And this is the first and most important reason why I find games to be the superior and most interesting medium for artistic expression and entertainment. I no longer have to imagine what it’d be like to be in that world. I can pick up a controller and with a few button presses, I’m a part of that world (not physically, but I play an interactive avatar within that world). I can be the Avatar. I can be a vampire. I can be the dragonborn. I can be a Pokémon trainer. I can be a Jedi. I can be an Umbra Witch. I can be an F-Zero racer. I can be a drug-addict plumber saving a dim-witted princess from a fire-breathing turtle. And these are just a few examples if the THOUSANDS I could list. Why wouldn’t I want to explore those worlds, characters, and stories? Why wouldn’t I want to interact with them instead of just merely watching them do all the work?

But it’s more than that. The interactive world of video games has helped me through some less than stellar times in the past. After a really rough breakup with a lady-friend of mine, Kat, let’s just say I wasn’t in my right mind. Looking back, the things that ran through my head were gross and depressing and I’ll admit they were darker times for me. But one game in particular, Bastion helped me get through that. Throughout the adventure, you’re rebuilding the world after it’s been destroyed and looking for any survivors that might be there. At the end, you decide if you go back in time to prevent the world’s destruction or if you simply build a new world.

This end-of-game choice seemed like a no brainer for me. I opted to rebuild, knowing you can’t change the past and even if you could, you don’t know if the results would be the same. Then I paused and reflected that decision upon my own life and realized that while this decision seemed obvious here, I never truly lived up to those same words, constantly having my head in the past love-life that I never learned from. It was then I realized I had to change that about me to grow into the better person I was today.

When I first moved to Iowa City to go to college, I had so much trouble meeting people and making friends. The entire first summer and first semester, I never really hung out with anyone and was alone most of the time outside of class and work. Admittedly, I was depressed how hard it was to meet people and make friends in a new town and I’d have nights when I truly felt broken and isolated. But thanks to games like Left 4 Dead, I could find ways around that loneliness. And because of those multiplayer matches, I met good people like Max and his family and other gamers who understood where I was at in my life and were happy to spend the time (online) with me. (So, no, I do actually have an appreciation for multiplayer).

And while other games didn’t change my life in such impactful ways, they have helped me examine aspects of my life and improve areas I never considered. Dark Souls is a game all about killing you and beating you down with monsters tougher than anything I’ve seen in most games. But the fact that I kept going and never gave up reinforced the internal logic I have that I too never want to give up and I always want to keep fighting for what I believe in, even if the odds look impossible. Pokémon was one of my first games, but as a series, it has given me an appreciation for world exploration and nature. I’d love to travel the world like they do some day and be able to have my own adventures (just need money first).

And many games have inspired the stories I write and the worlds I build. Though that distinction can be applied to films, anime, TV, and life in general because I like to draw said inspiration from multiple sources. I digress, but games really have had significant impacts on my life whether it’s my outlook on life or the people I’ve come to know over the years. So when people tell me they don’t like games, when they think they’re for kids, or if they find them boring, I won’t get into a fight over it. But I will be a little hurt if it’s from someone I care about because saying those things around ME is a sign you really don’t know me at all. If you did, you’d know why what you’re saying comes off as disrespectful to me.

But that’s all from me today on the subject. Next week, I will make my predictions for E3 (which I’ve already written down and edited). Yes, I know E3 is next week. So when my predictions come out and I happen to be accurate on something, we can all praise me for being able to see the future. Then I’ll actually do an E3 follow-up because of course I will. Until then, see you next time.