For years video games have been at the bottom of the social heap. They have been frowned upon by everyone; regardless of age, sex and intelligence, nobody seems to have a good word to say about them. Why? Why is there this awful stigma with video games, gamers and the gaming industry as a whole? Do video games need a defence? Do I need to justify myself if I spent 3 hours today playing video games? What if I spent 3 hours watching some films, listening to music or going to the theatre? Do they need a defense too? Let’s try and answer these questions.
Social Standing
As I said, gaming has been at the bottom of the social heap for years. It was a hobby for geeks, nerds and generally people with a poor social life who used video games to escape from their real world problems. Now, this is no longer the case, with the addition of newer titles (e.g., ‘COD‘) gaming has been brought to the masses and has become more acceptable! But I still feel there is a long way to go. Gaming still appears to be quite near the bottom of the social ladder – with activities such as watching television and reading books etc. seemingly rising far above it. This was proved when I posted a short question to Twitter and Facebook. I asked my audience what their opinion would be if they met someone whose favourite pastime (or keen hobby) was gaming. The response made it pretty obvious that people’s views hadn’t really changed. Most people said that they’d consider the person lame and/or nerdy, with some going as far to suggest their other pastimes; stamp collecting and heavy metal music (I think that was slightly farfetched!). I then posted a question with the same situation but instead of gaming being the pastime of choice it was reading, watching films, tv, and theatre. It’s safe to say, the response was quite contrasting. Although, (for the gaming character) I did get a few respondents saying that it depends what his/her other hobbies were. So it’s good to see that some have adjusted to the entertainment of the modern world!
“Video games rot your brain!”
How many times have you heard an older relative or family friend saying that?! They take great pleasure in telling you the true brain melting nature of the latest titles. Let’s elaborate on this sentence. What does it actually mean? They’re clearly insinuating that playing video games will make you a brain-dead zombie (or their equivalent monster of choice). Let’s look into it:
Brain-dead
The dictionary definition is “not using or showing intelligence; stupid”. So what would an activity consist of if it were to make you stupid? This is completely down to your judgement. But I’d say this: If an activity does not engage your mind, if it does not challenge you or your decision making skills, then over time and when practiced a lot it is undoubtedly going to make you stupid. Is that fair enough?
So let’s relate this back to gaming. Artificial intelligence (a key feature of video games that will create the illusion of intelligence in computer generated characters and plot) is coming on in leaps and bounds. It’s pushing the boundaries of games; making them more challenging, more realistic, and most importantly more engaging for the player. This level of engagement is achieved across most genres of games, from sports to first person shooters. But nothing boasts such attributes more than puzzle games. Their sole purpose is to challenge the player and exercise their mind! Need I say any more?! So gaming is engaging the player’s mind, requiring constant attention, requiring decisions to be made and in some cases greatly challenging the mind; the result being complete opposite of what the phrase ‘brain-dead’ suggests!
Now, let’s compare gaming to other activities that people do on a daily basis. Think about television: Although there are many shows that can be very educational, the majority of content will be of no benefit to your brain. Your brain isn’t constantly having to make decisions and experience the consequences of those decisions.
Of course, playing video games all day long will not be good for you! But that goes for everything. It’s all about a balanced lifestyle. But I hope you will agree with me when I say this: As shown here, when used in moderation gaming can be a great tool for exercising the mind, especially when you compare it to watching other pastimes.
On a personal note, something I don’t understand is why more people don’t regularly play video games! Think of it like this: Imagine going to see a movie. But instead of the plot having to follow one timeline you could have an almost infinite amount of options, an infinite amount of timelines, every action you make will effect the plot. That’s the beauty of video games! I must admit that not all video games are up to these high standards. But there are a handful that are capable of such amazing feats. Think of gaming as an ‘interactive movie’. Does that make it any better?
Even though all of these negative stereotypes exist I am happy to see the gaming industry is still growing on a daily basis, and after years of work some games are having movie-like premiers and releases.
The stigma of video games still exists (and perhaps always will for some people), but I hope to see this changing in the future as people learn to respect the power of video games, the effect they have had on the modern world, and the years of hard work that has gone into making them.
Thanks for reading, hit up my personal blog if you liked it.
Ryan Cruey 
