Why do you like video games?

Games Matter

Why do you like video games so much?

I’ve been asked this question multiple times throughout my life. Sometimes I have a good answer, and sometimes I don’t.

Most of the answers that come to mind feel a little shallow. They’re fun, I’d say, or they keep me engaged. These answers only scratch at the surface of why games are important to me.

These answers often didn’t stand up to the harsh bias that prompted the question. Video games rot your brain, they isolate you from others, and even more bluntly, video games are a complete waste of your life.

Well, I don’t believe those statements are true.

I never have, and I never will.

The lingering smell of cigarette smoke, snacks that consisted of buttered bread, and a garage converted into a poorly insulated den; my grandma’s house. Some of my earliest memories are there, playing a Super Nintendo.

At the time, Super Mario was the only game I had access to, and I played it as often as I could, which was a lot, because my grandma was also my babysitter when I wasn’t at preschool. I guided the plumber turned hero through underground passages, haunted houses, and deadly castles.

The game challenged me; it’s hard to dodge fireballs and jump over death pits when you have the dexterity of a four-year-old, but this challenge motivated me to improve.

The world of Mario (the Mushroom Kingdom) stretched my imagination. I was exploring a world that didn’t follow the rules of reality. It captured my curiosity; It was intoxicating.

When I wasn’t playing, I would fantasize about the next play session. What levels would I play? How do I defeat the boss? How do I not fall into the same pit for the hundredth time?

Gradually, my skills improved, and not so gradually, my parents increasingly worried that I was spending far too much time on video games.

Do you want to know how easy it was to put the fear of God into me? Threaten to take away video games. I’m happy to say that it only happened once. I’d like to think it’s just because I was a great kid, but I think it’s more likely that playing video games supercharged my interest in reading.

Strategy guides. The roadmap, encyclopedia, and secret keeper of the video game world. Whenever I bought a game, I would find the strategy guide for it. These were often lengthy books that had detailed maps, cheat codes, stat tables, and more. I would, and still do, read them for hours. Sometimes, I even enjoy reading the book more than playing the game. Today, strategy guides are more of a collector’s item thanks to YouTube and the internet. I credit them with my love of reading.

Okay, so you might be thinking, most kids like games, they are on a screen after all, and I agree with you. In my family, It’s common knowledge that I transformed into a zombie while in front of a TV.

Let’s dig a little deeper.

While my small town was asleep, my friends and I were warriors. Our equipment was slightly different from the knights of old. Xbox controllers were our swords, energy drinks – our armor against sleep, and we were each other’s shields on the field of battle.

Whether it was staying up until sunrise with my Halo team, playing Super Smash with my brothers, or finding out that Dungeons and Dragons is one of the greatest games on the planet, playing games with friends generates a commodity that is priceless to me. Stories.

Like the time we missed the obvious hint from the dungeon master that there was something dangerous in the water; one of the party didn’t come back. Or when a lucky plasma grenade stuck to the enemy’s helmet and led to a multi kill to win us the game.

The stories that are created while playing games are spontaneous, they’re surprising, and often so funny that I cry from laughing. Needless to say, game sessions with friends would be recounted for days to come. These stories wove our friendship into a durable tapestry that still lasts today.

So, why do I like games so much?

Games opened up a world that grows my mind. Games are the catalyst that created lifelong friendships.

Games engage me with life.