I love video games. I love the idea of playing in a world where there aren't any real consequences. All of these games out there that say "you die once, you start over" or "we try to make it as realistic as possible"... screw that. Why would I want to play a game where you can only carry two guns instead of 12? Why would I want my character to be able to actually die when I jump off a building for no reason? Doesn't make any sense to me... I want to be able to stand on the roof of a car going 200 mph through the middle of a city and shoot a RPG at a jet fighter from my bionic arm. THAT'S what I want.
My favorite types of games are the ones where you get to upgrade your player and your player's stuff over time. GTA series? Love it. Just Cause 3? Amazing. No Man's Sky? Beauty. I love the ones where you feel a connection with your character, the ability to make your character cooler and more powerful over time... being able to build up an arsenal of currency, weapons, and vehicles to the point where I'm nearly invincible... that's what I like. That being said, I am very particular about the games and type of gaming I play. I have no interest in playing online against other players, nor do I want to play as more than one character so I'm not susceptible to WoW or any of those other MMORPG's.
Even when you omit the online play, there's a few inherent problems with playing video games... in my case the main one being how much time it takes to amass the attributes for your character. Any gamer will tell you that the level of investment for modern games is monumentally more time compared to what it was 20 years ago. Ever play GTA5? It ain't Mario Kart. It takes time to learn the controls, it takes time to learn the game dynamics, and it takes time to collect, build, store, and master other elements in the game. Over hours, days and weeks you build up an amazing world for your character in your TV... and as a result you spend all your time in front of it because it's more fun than real life.
The second big problem is a side effect of the first. While you're building up your amazing world in your TV, your life outside the TV isn't actually getting any better. You're not learning anything new from the game that would be applicable to your real life. None of the amazing button-pushing skills you've mastered will make you more well rounded, and you're DEFINITELY not doing your wallet any favors in the long run. Yes, maybe you're not going out to the bars and spending cash as much... but at least at the bar you have a chance of something positive happening that benefits your REAL life, or AT LEAST make a good story.
It's also not limited to consoles and computers anymore either. Clash of Clans, Game of War, Boom Beach, Candy Crush... these are all even worse in my opinion. These are called "casual games"... but they're not "casual"... and they're fucking expensive if you actually get into it. A couple months ago I met a 50-something mid-level business guy in an airport who had his iPad out and he was playing Game of War Fire Age. I asked him about it and he proceeded to brag to me that he was one of the top 100 players in the world... as if I would be impressed by this somehow. Turns out, to get to that level he had spent close to $5,000 in micro-payments. 5 large on a fucking iPhone game!!! This was the worst I've ever heard of to this day, but I hear stories like this all the time. People get caught up and end up wasting hundreds of dollars on something that has NO TANGIBLE VALUE.
It's basic escapism. It's the same reason people end up partying too much... you don't like your reality, and it's easier just to ignore it than it is to fix it. But I can tell you, the longer you let this shit go on, the tougher time you'll have getting out of it. The longer you live in your virtual reality, the further behind you get in your actual reality. I'm a firm believer that there will come a time when business is conducted in VR, and you will end up leveraging technology for most business dealings, but the skills you learn from playing a video game will still never apply.
Looking for alternatives? Learn something. Read a book, write a blog, go outside, goto a museum, go sit at a bar and talk to people who sit down there, walk the streets of your city, people-watch, exercise... there are million things to do in this life (I'm beginning to sound like my father, but he was right). The reason I quit playing so much is because I started to realize how much money I was losing. All the time I was wasting sitting in front of the TV could've been used to increase my skill level and further hone my craft... but instead i was blowing up zombies and crashing cars. Sometimes the value from video game alternatives is indirect, but at least once a day now I am able to see tangible benefits in my career from putting down the controller.
If you feel the need to play and it's something you really enjoy, by all means go for it. I still play every once in awhile on the weekends... but don't let it take over. Your real life will thank you.
(courtesy of dorkly.com)This post is dedicated to one of my dearest friends and business partners who recently called me out on my bullshit. Always surround yourself with people who care more about your success than your feelings.
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