Teachers often feel that books are better for children than film or television, because books “exercise the imagination” whereas visual media do the work for you. Similarly, I used to think that playing games was morally superior to reading or watching, since players interact actively with a game rather than passively absorbing a static work¹. They “exercise” problem solving skills, analytic creativity, and hand-eye coordination… but most importantly, they create a sense of agency! They teach you that you can make a difference — write your own story, rather than accepting the canon.
Actually, the reverse is true: The pseudo-agency that games cultivate is false and dangerous, weakening creativity and dissipating drive that could be turned to better ends.
As I mentioned in my last post, games offer an easy sense of accomplishment. They are deliberately balanced: the best are challenging enough that they require you to focus intently, but not so hard that you become frustrated. This creates flow, which feels good and makes time fly. The real world, on the other hand, doesn’t care if we’re bored or if we fail. Clearly, if the pursuit of pleasure (or selling games) is your only goal, games are superior to life: you insert your quarter and get your quantum of happiness.
There is a school of thought, however, that says that pleasure isn’t a sufficient end in itself, or at least that pleasure pursued for its own sake tends not to satisfy in the long run. Ludic accomplishments are to real accomplishments as junk food is to real food: tasty, bite sized, but hard on the stomach in large quantities². I think most gamers are familiar with the nausea that wells up through the surface layer of fun and satisfaction derived from playing Civilization or Starcraft for three days straight. And the sense of free agency that games provide is illusory, not just because the player is constrained by a designer’s rules, but because the results of her actions are confined to the game and hence meaningless.
If we had no games, our natural ambition would eventually accumulate until it forced us to do something worthwhile, or at least difficult. Games allow us to siphon off that energy harmlessly… and uselessly. Modern children may not have a choice, but if you’re an adult, you should be writing your story on the pages of the world.
¹ Note to lit crit people: please don’t kill me! I know the reader creates the text! I’m just pretending otherwise for rhetorical purposes.
² Note to chess masters and professional athletes: please don’t kill me! I know that your skills are profound and valuable! I’m just pretending otherwise for rhetorical purposes.
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