Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Why I Play Games
Throughout my adult life, I have played various computer-based games. Since I retired, I have spent a lot of time - maybe too much - playing Kings of Babylon, a persistent browser-based game. Family members might say it is an unhealthy amount of time. I am getting burned out on it now. The game is not being maintained and has lots of problems. I have started playing Battledawn instead. Unless I can come up with a relatively low-key way to play that one, I probably will burn out on that one too. But, it is probably time to move on to some other activities.
During this period, I have often reflected on what the game is doing for me. Because if it was not doing something for me, I wouldn't be playing it. I have played single player games and multi-player games. Both have value for me. So, here are my thoughts:
1) I learn to take risks and compete aggressively in a safe environment. Risk taking and competition don't come very easily to me - because of my gender and personality. Compared to the average woman, I am quite competitive and a risk taker. Compared to the average man, I am not. This has been a hindrance to me in my life and something I have to work at. Now that I am retired and my children are grown, there is no reason not to take risks. I need to get into a risk-taking mindset. The games sharpen competitive skills very effectively. They get you comfortable with competing and risk taking. I will say, that in the team games, I tend to take on a supportive feminine role - nonetheless competitive and risk-friendly. I have come to call this my inner Athena. As Athena, I am a warrior. I am fierce for my team, but I am also clever and generous. It is a good feeling.
2) Learning and mastery is fun. These games present a challenge that requires learning a non-trivial simulation environment. The environment resembles reality enough that you feel like you are mastering some little corner of the universe. It is gratifying to be ranked #1 in this little universe. There is a feeling of accomplishment. That said, when the game gets too easy, it gets boring and this aspect goes away. Multi-player games have less of this problem, because real people are involved. You can never really master real people, can you? Regardless, games will challenge you mind and make you learn strategic and planning skills. I am constantly impressed with their potential for teaching young people these skills. Parents don't realize how valuable this experience can be for a teen. I would encourage parents to play one of these games with their teen. It would be an amazing experience. I plan to play with my 10 year old grandson when he is 12 or 13 and ready to play with adults. Even for me, with twenty years of management experience, I learned some new things.
3) Nothing is quite as rewarding as being part of a successful team, is it? When you play a combat game with a team of people, you bond in the same way that athletes and soldiers bond. You are attacking and defending together. People sacrifice themselves for the team. There is something very precious and heartwarming about this. I have encountered this in real life several times and these are peak experiences for me. In multi-player games, this is much easier to come by. You know the people on your team in ways that you don't even know some of your family. There is a bond formed there. This restores your faith in humanity and makes you appreciate human beings - if you manage to do it. Many players never go there. I feel sorry for them.
4) When you play multi-player games you meet people of many different background, ages, and nationalities. This is pretty interesting, especially if you are someone like me who has lived most of my adult life in a highly educated professional bubble. Sure, it is probably 80 or 90% male. And maybe mostly 15-35 year olds. But they seem to come from everywhere and every possible background. Since I worked in engineering, I enjoy teaming with men. Young men make fun teammates. It has helped me keep a young outlook and get used to the attitudes of that generation in a way I would never have otherwise. I am sure it is interesting for them to find out they can be friends with a 57 year old woman. Don't let anyone tell you that people playing these game are not interacting!! This is very challenging human interaction - beyond what you might encounter in real life.
5) Of course, games are great for relieving boredom or loneliness. Hanging out with twenty people just shooting the breeze and talking smack can be pretty entertaining.
6) Gameplay can be reaffirming. It can make you feel valued and like you are accomplishing something. I missed that feeling of being valued as a manager. I missed the daily, weekly, monthly, yearly accomplishments. There are risks to getting this from games, since games are not real, really. This is the biggest worry I have for myself and other people who are too involved in games. You might miss real life. I don't have the same concern about social interaction. The social interaction in games is very real. But the accomplishment is not. A teen who is failing in school, but ranked number 1 in a game is a disaster in the making!
Throughout my adult life, I have played various computer-based games. Since I retired, I have spent a lot of time - maybe too much - playing Kings of Babylon, a persistent browser-based game. Family members might say it is an unhealthy amount of time. I am getting burned out on it now. The game is not being maintained and has lots of problems. I have started playing Battledawn instead. Unless I can come up with a relatively low-key way to play that one, I probably will burn out on that one too. But, it is probably time to move on to some other activities.
During this period, I have often reflected on what the game is doing for me. Because if it was not doing something for me, I wouldn't be playing it. I have played single player games and multi-player games. Both have value for me. So, here are my thoughts:
1) I learn to take risks and compete aggressively in a safe environment. Risk taking and competition don't come very easily to me - because of my gender and personality. Compared to the average woman, I am quite competitive and a risk taker. Compared to the average man, I am not. This has been a hindrance to me in my life and something I have to work at. Now that I am retired and my children are grown, there is no reason not to take risks. I need to get into a risk-taking mindset. The games sharpen competitive skills very effectively. They get you comfortable with competing and risk taking. I will say, that in the team games, I tend to take on a supportive feminine role - nonetheless competitive and risk-friendly. I have come to call this my inner Athena. As Athena, I am a warrior. I am fierce for my team, but I am also clever and generous. It is a good feeling.
2) Learning and mastery is fun. These games present a challenge that requires learning a non-trivial simulation environment. The environment resembles reality enough that you feel like you are mastering some little corner of the universe. It is gratifying to be ranked #1 in this little universe. There is a feeling of accomplishment. That said, when the game gets too easy, it gets boring and this aspect goes away. Multi-player games have less of this problem, because real people are involved. You can never really master real people, can you? Regardless, games will challenge you mind and make you learn strategic and planning skills. I am constantly impressed with their potential for teaching young people these skills. Parents don't realize how valuable this experience can be for a teen. I would encourage parents to play one of these games with their teen. It would be an amazing experience. I plan to play with my 10 year old grandson when he is 12 or 13 and ready to play with adults. Even for me, with twenty years of management experience, I learned some new things.
3) Nothing is quite as rewarding as being part of a successful team, is it? When you play a combat game with a team of people, you bond in the same way that athletes and soldiers bond. You are attacking and defending together. People sacrifice themselves for the team. There is something very precious and heartwarming about this. I have encountered this in real life several times and these are peak experiences for me. In multi-player games, this is much easier to come by. You know the people on your team in ways that you don't even know some of your family. There is a bond formed there. This restores your faith in humanity and makes you appreciate human beings - if you manage to do it. Many players never go there. I feel sorry for them.
4) When you play multi-player games you meet people of many different background, ages, and nationalities. This is pretty interesting, especially if you are someone like me who has lived most of my adult life in a highly educated professional bubble. Sure, it is probably 80 or 90% male. And maybe mostly 15-35 year olds. But they seem to come from everywhere and every possible background. Since I worked in engineering, I enjoy teaming with men. Young men make fun teammates. It has helped me keep a young outlook and get used to the attitudes of that generation in a way I would never have otherwise. I am sure it is interesting for them to find out they can be friends with a 57 year old woman. Don't let anyone tell you that people playing these game are not interacting!! This is very challenging human interaction - beyond what you might encounter in real life.
5) Of course, games are great for relieving boredom or loneliness. Hanging out with twenty people just shooting the breeze and talking smack can be pretty entertaining.
6) Gameplay can be reaffirming. It can make you feel valued and like you are accomplishing something. I missed that feeling of being valued as a manager. I missed the daily, weekly, monthly, yearly accomplishments. There are risks to getting this from games, since games are not real, really. This is the biggest worry I have for myself and other people who are too involved in games. You might miss real life. I don't have the same concern about social interaction. The social interaction in games is very real. But the accomplishment is not. A teen who is failing in school, but ranked number 1 in a game is a disaster in the making!
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