Can Online Games Help Save the World?

…Sorry this is so long, but the Ted Talk today was really controversial.

In my personal experience, the very fact that somebody believes that excessive online gaming will help save our world means that that same person was probably suffering from a mental break-down, brought on by video-game binges. I believe that not only are our video games a powerful way to promote laziness and procrastination, but the games at their very soul are designed to tempt us into level after level, never completely satisfied until the game is complete, and we have mastered every round and sleighed every beast. I understand what this woman was saying about how we feel more comfortable in this alternate reality, because its challenges are not unbeatable, and we are recognized solely for our achievements, and are constantly praised by villages and victims we have saved. But the very fact that she condones these false perceptions of self-worth and, infact, supports it, is so distrubing to me.

Part of the reason we have recluses, socially awkward and lonely people is because instead of learning to adapt and make new friends, reach out to people, these people find comfort in their video game lives. They look to the game to support them when they are feeling down, and they conform themselves to the idea that the real world is a harsh place, full of rejection and uncertainty, and the world of video games is a magical place where they CAN be the best, they CAN prove themselves, they CAN find support in friends who would otherwise not be in their lives. Why is this a positive thing? Why, in an age so full of devices and networks, ie cell phones and social forums, that stunt the growth of person-to-person interaction, do we need to fuel this fire by not only creating an electronic barrior between the people we communicate with, but also create imaginary people to share this reality with.

I understand the basis of her argument: she thinks she can set up false realities that will help people in times of a crisis, or an unusual situation. But whatever happened to the old trial and error method??? It is an important, essential part of our basic human development to not only learn, but to try. To try and to fail in the real world is something that helps shape who we become as adults; we can’t log onto a computer and mentally check into a world where our three children are hungry, but there is a drought and slaughter-houses are protesting, etc., etc., etc. and find a way to survive in this small world so we can apply this knowledge to something that could happen in the future. What is the point of that? We can prepare for millions of disasters and unfortuitous circumstances, but for every million we spend hours a day preparing for, there are two million other possible things that could happen that we will not be prepared for because we have been learning text-book approaches to specific happenings.

Despite the obvious fact that creating an entirely new life for yourself, one where people in the real-world are no longer a priority and your job is something you shy away from thinking about until the next morning is unhealthy, it also stunts our imagination. By going outside and experiencing the unpredictableness of life, something that’s reaction hasn’t been predetermined by a system, we get inspired. The outside world, the people we talk to and the things that we see, act as our muse in every single way. I know that the point of this Ted Talk wasn’t to convince us to spend all of our time online, but this woman wants us to spend at least an hour a day on video-games, and, realistically, a lot of people will not stop at an hour. It is a very addictive industry; the people who have created these games know our weaknesses and they know what will draw us in, make us empty our pockets and keep coming back for more fictional death and ventures.

I remember hearing a presentation dedicated to video game addictions in my Current Life class last year. The girl who was presenting told of men and women who would get so addicted to these games, they would literally forget to eat, keep buckets near by for the bathroom, and become so sleep-deprived that they became so mentally ill, they can not retract themselves from the game. I know that these are extreme cases, but these are things that really do happen. People DO cross the line. More bad will come from multiplying our number of hours on the computer world-wide by 7 than good. We can not allow ourselves to become so immersed in technologies that we forget to think and act for ourselves. If we do what she says and play these games in preperation for what could happen, we will be missing what is actually happening. How can anybody be OK with that???