Mike and Ploy

Sometimes I get blank stares.  Usually it’s a conversation ender.   Some people don’t understand.  Often it’s a “that’s nice” head nod and smile.   People simply have nothing to say….   all because I play video games. It’s rarely understood.  Why would I choose to waste precious hours of my day playing games.  Using a controller or a mouse, to control a virtual avatar, in a virtual world, that has no bearing on the real world.  It’s just a toy, a fictional item created by someone so that I could entertain myself for a time.   Shouldn’t I have grown out of that by now?  I’m almost thirty…

I would challenge these assumptions, by making a comparison to another, more socially accepted item: Sports.  Even from the beginning of school, when we made “Red Rover” teams people understand rooting for the your team.  Whether its breaking through chainlinked arms, following your NCAA team during March Madness, or shouting at your TV while the NFL team is losing on Sunday morning – everyone understands the competition, the allegiances formed, and the lines drawn.  While there are incidents of rowdy fans, I actually have nothing but respect for someone who would wear Dodger blue in a sea of black and orange Giants fans.

But where does that respect come from?  It isn’t a war where they are the “enemy” (some extremist qualify), but more of a rivaly, an adversary.  Someone who has the same passion and allegiances.  They share in same joys and sorrows as yourself – only just for the other side.  Whenever someone wins, and someone always wins, someone else loses.  The humbleness of losing, the patience to stick through it, and the joy of coming out on top every once in a while I think is shared by many.  Plenty of people have said similarly, “I’d hate to lose, but if I lose to you, I’ll still be happy”.

Gaming’s like that. We’re not always playing against each other, though online play makes it much easier now. Sometimes, it’s co-op (shorthand of cooperative), sometimes it’s on teams. Sometimes it’s simply a shared experience. We can share the experience of the coolness using detective mode for Batman:Arkman Asylum, the grind of Final Fantasy, or the nostalgic feeling every time a new Mario game comes out.  I hear Pokemon’s pretty big too with kids. Don’t ask me, I never played, but read this cool entry on Penny Arcade.  Kids passionately playing their favorite Pokemon, doesn’t matter if they win or lose. Whomever you talk to though, it’s all a shared experience – something bonding us together.  The difference is though, instead of a physical experience with the sun on your face and the wind at your back, it’s done on a screen, with 1′s and 0′s, possibly with someone halfway around the world.  When it’s done, there’s nothing tangible.  No bruises, scrapes or trophies.  Maybe a name on a scoreboard that disappears after a few seconds, or a leaderboard on an online forum.

This is no longer a toy, but an evolution from Pong.  I wonder if the creators, way back then, knew what they were pioneering – that they were not only creating a new industry, but a new culture.  Example: EVO is the largest fighting tournament in the US – hosted every year in Las Vegas.  The video below highlights the people.  Wait till the end after the music.  In case you’re wondering, the people are commonly looking at a screen showing the tournament action.

Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.