Beside gaming, I also enjoyed listening to music and watching movie. Music is helpful to our mental well-being. It can energise you or help you express or deal with difficult emotion.
Movies provides both enjoyment and reduce stress and even turn all negative thoughts into the better, as long as it is enjoyable in auditory and vision. You also can learn about new cultures from it.
Those things can be very enjoyable from a third-person perspective. On the other hand, game allows you to take a first-person perspective and take part in the game by using controller to interact with it. Music and movies are great but static when you are listening or watching them. You can repeat hundreds of times with the same experience, but you can’t interact with them. Compared to music and movies, the infinite possibilities that game interaction brings every journey is unique.
Society’s perception of games
In possibility, it could be good or bad. See what’s happened in our society with game. Here is the wiki section about video game and crimes:
“In 2001, Rockstar Games released the PlayStation 2 game Grand Theft Auto III. The game gave the player control of a protagonist named Claude in a contemporary urban setting taking on missions within the city’s criminal underworld. …… The game was widely successful, selling over two million units within six months. Its popularity led several groups to criticize the violence in the game, among other factors. Rockstar subsequently released two follow-up games, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in 2002 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in 2004, the latter becoming controversial for the sexually explicit Hot Coffee mod. After this incident, the government decided to take action. In 2005, California banned the sale of violent video games to minors. In the years that followed, a number of fatal murders and other crimes committed by young adults and youth were found to have ties to Grand Theft Auto III and later games that followed in its footsteps. Jack Thompson became involved in trying to sue Rockstar …… violence in these games led directly to the crimes. ….. These cases ultimately did not lead to any action against Rockstar …… Thompson agreed to no longer seek legal action …… ”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_and_video_games
But what do professionals say about it according to their research with real numbers? Here is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behaviour since 1967:
“Elizabeth Ruiz with KATC-TV3 in Acadia, Louisiana reports that Dr. Asim Shah, a professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, says the potential relationship between video games and gun violence has been studied for over a decade; ‘In the past, people used to think that there is a relationship, but the latest studies show that there is no correlation.’”
“When unthinkable horrors occur, people expect explanations from their elected officials. When the problem is seemingly unexplainable, politicians seek a scapegoat to blame. Video games are merely the current scapegoat. However, when you look at the facts, video games are something to celebrate. They have provided us with more than two decades of falling crime. ……”
In my experience
When I was learning Taekwondo (Korean martial art) at school. I realized I wasn’t happy about actually beating people, even though it’s a sport. But in fighting games, I’m more than happy to beat people up without actually beating them. I can get into a racing game without worrying about crashing any cars and hurting myself. Etc……
It can do what you wanted to do in game and without hurting anyone physically in a legal way.
Enjoyment of beating people with friends
My favourite action game of all time is Spikeout. It’s a co-operate multiplayer beat ’em up game. Your goal is fight to the boss area and defeat every boss in every level of scene by punch or kick. If in a team, you also need to share the resource with teammate and see how far the team can go (If you are a skilled player, you can play a game for 2 hours until the last boss is defeated).
I learn teamwork and socialize because of playing Spikeout with other players (in arcade centre). This is a photo of the Spikeout arcade machines at Game Centre. A team can have 4 players at the same time.
This is a game play screenshot in Spikeout.
After leaving the game centre, we usually have lunch or dinner together. I met a lot of different people at game centre. This has helped widen my social circle. And of course, I never beat people up in the street like I did in “Spikeout”.
The unusual moonlight after darkness
The most beautiful scene I’ve ever seen in game is Irithyll of the boreal valley in Dark Souls 3. Dark Souls 3 is an action role-playing game played in a third-person perspective. Players are equipped with various weapons to fight against enemies, such as bows, throwable projectiles, and swords. Players encounter different enemies throughout the game. The scenes in the game are medieval/Arthurian like, with dark fantasy elements.
Normally, you should pass through the Catacombs of Karthus before reaching Irithyll of the boreal valley. After you’re trapped in a darkness, dangerous and tense subterranean area (the Catacombs of Karthus).
Then went through a difficult boss fight in the darkness.
And finally saw the most beautiful scene. It is a great release and enjoyment to walk through the exit and step into the bright outdoor scene under the moonlight.
It is more excite then simply walk into that moonlight scene. Just like the food you eat when you are hungry is always better than usual. I can’t imagine myself having above experience in real life.
The reason of buying game behind my old colleague
When I’m working in game publisher, I meet my old colleague in my shop. He bought a Dynasty warriors from my shop and said “I really need this game right now, my boss is a scum”. Dynasty warriors is a type of beat ’em up game. You can hit a group of enemies with single hit and go on to do multiple combos. After completing a level, you’ll probably kill several hundreds of enemies.
Maybe it’s another way to help you express or deal with difficult emotions?
Conclusion
I think if a game has enough warnings and a PEGI age rating, it’s a completely neutral tool overall. The rest is up to how that tool is used.
Above scene is Amuro in “Gundam Evolve 5”. “Alpha Azieru” is a huge powerful robot. Amuro is talking to the pilot in it.
In my opinion, games may be the one thing with the most possibilities. You can get involve by pressing a button or using motion sensor in a controller, using steering wheels and pedals, electronic music instrument, VR devices, etc …… It’s Depending on the evolution of technology and the needs of the situation. It has no limit on it.
Stills from the movie “Ready Player One”.
Maybe I am talking too big here. It’s all my subjective opinion. I am not saying every game is a good game. I am not advising you to spend several hundreds of dollars to loot a digital item in game. But it’s not a bad idea to pick some game title you seem interested and see some gameplays in Youtube. If you still interested in it. Please try it in a neutral mind and without prejudice. Continue playing it as health permits. And you shall see the TRUTH.
The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice.
By Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher.
“I Hope you have a nice game.”
By me