Gaming - An Irritating Fad That I Never Got Good At

I have struggled with this post... but here it goes.

My earliest memories of gaming were getting virtually beat up by my friend Mike.  Mike loved WWF games and every time that I tried to get closer to beating him, he sped ahead of me.  He was a computer gaming virtuoso.  He could beat me at almost every game and it left me feeling like I didn't have a forte in the realm.  Every kid in my neighborhood was obsessed with gaming and I had the wind knocked out of me, so I turned away and started reading books... and now I am an English grad student.  Interesting how that works.

It does not mean that I gave up on games altogether but in the last ten years I have become less reliant on them as a means of social engagement.  I play occasionally to relieve tension or boredom, but for the most part I don't play.  However, I grew up with the culture and I wanted to relay some feelings about that culture.

First off, I loved the chapter at the end that explained how to throw a good gaming party and the benefits relayed therein.  However, one thing that I would like to add is that gaming parties are only as good as the skill level of the group.  If everyone is on the same level of gameplay or the game allows for a level playing field then the experience is a much more enjoyable one.  However, if you are playing a game with players of differing levels or one that does not allow for a level playing field then the experience degrades significantly.  For instance, take my friend Mike.  He had all day and night to work on matches and hand-eye coordination on his own Nintendo then Playstation then Xbox.  I did not.  I always got my consoles later and the games even later; so I was always behind the curve and did not do well against other players of high skill level.  However, on a game like Tony Hawk 2 I was able to produce more wins because of the simplicity of the controls and ideas in the game.  It leveled the playing field for me.

I believe that this leveling effect is best seen in the Wii.  Its basic controls and ideas facilitate new gamers, particularly those that have never played computer games before.  Simplistic but fun, re-playable games like Wii Sports have allowed for new gamers to feel comfortable in in-game situations that are easily relatable (being in a bowling alley) and are realistic to the real world situations.  Beyond that, hyper-realistic games like Modern Warfare, though infinitely more complex than Wii Sports, allows players a real world situation to play through.  The popularity of these two games shows this principle.  One, a more realistic and simplistic game will attract new players to consoles.  Two, a complex game with hyper-realistic features will allow for greater popularity and profit.

It has been interesting to think about the role of computer games in my life.  They are not a huge part of life now, but looking back they had a role that taught me a lot about my life.