This is a day I've been dreading for many years.
I think, and have thought for some time, that everyone with a hobby--including video games, or knitting, or football watching-- has a point where they sit back and think about how it shapes their life. I was just hoping that I would be the first gamer to skip it.
Now, an important disclaimer: I love video games. This does not mean that they're all I do. I
usually play a maximum of three to four hours a week, and when I have a
busy week, which is to say a normal week, I may go the entirety of it
without picking up a controller. I have not sunk days of my life into
Skyrim just yet, and other people always take precedent over Halo.
A few weeks ago, near the end of Christmas break, I beat Gears of War. While the game was pretty good, the last level was ridiculous. It was horrible. The final boss is legendarily difficult, known for causing controller breakage and the odd tear or two. I finally defeated him after a walkthrough video, a few difficulty changes, and about 50 tries. It was the kind of experience, combined with the countless hours of listless free time I had over Christmas break, that made me question why I played video games.
Enter: Rayman Origins. Spectacular platforming aside, it is perhaps the happiest game I've ever played. The onscreen character
is constantly beaming and flashing peace signs, as he traverses
bottomless pits and admittedly adorable enemies. When you run into a
secret area several people exclaim "oooh!" Almost every sound is on
upbeat with the soundtrack which consists largely of didgeridoos and
ukeleles. This is a game that was made with constant injections of pure fun.
There are reasons that video games are fairly unrespected as media that aren't simply length-of-existence. Games with the best stories--Bioshock, Mass Effect, and Shadow of Colossus come to mind--are still somewhat outclassed and far, far out numbered by the best movies and novels.
But they do fill niches that exist in other forms of media. Gears of War, I'd say, is the gaming equivalent of the Transformers trilogy. Mario is like a classic Dr. Seuss book. But I don't know that there are any romantic comedy video games. And I have yet to play the gaming equivalent of the Great Gatsby.
Here's my problem: when I get a musical urge, I usually skip awkwardly and poorly strumming the 2 chords I know on the old guitar I have and turn to the instant gratification of the beloved Rock Band series. But while I can still do well on most expert guitar songs, and have made a lot of progress on pro keys since Christmas, thank you very much, I have friends who can play real, actual instruments very well now.
It's an intimidating part of growing up--even in a small college, for pretty much anything I do well, there is a handful of people (usually several handfuls) that can beat me in it. But I'm not going to get better at singing or writing if I fill my slices of free time with video games, even with the delectable Rayman Origins.
And if you can't imagine your life without something, it's time to go without it for a while.
I considered giving them up for a month. A fast, of sorts. I read about a guy who did it for a year once but I guess I'm not that hardcore. And then I remembered that there is a Pokemon League and Tournament (with Blue and Red version) planned for this semester. That may never happen again in my life. I'm not that strong.
So my resolution, then, is to not play them that much for while. I know, I'm a very convicted person.
-Will
"Don't eat fish on Fridays! Unless you forget!"
