As kind of a follow up to yesterday’s blog about how users of the iPod, iPad, Xbox and/or Playstation were being diverted and distracted from more important endeavors, I decided to tackle an interesting question.

I made a comment in one of my blogs fairly recently that indicated how I will sometimes quote, refer to or otherwise mention previous blogs I have posted in the one I am working on. The more blogs you publish, this is just a naturally occurring phenomenon. Well, today’s blog, while it might not specifically mention particular blogs from the past, is truly a culmination of many blogs I have written. From the one that talks about player types to the one about politics; from how big of gamer are you to how evident is it that you are a gamer.

The question…seems simple enough.

For some…it will be.

Why do we play video games? Why do you? Why do I?

Why does over half of the population?

The elitists in our society continue to tell us how bad they are for us. You can’t say it’s “mainstream” society saying they’re bad for us, because there are more of us in the mainstream that support video games than don’t. So it really comes down to the elitists who think they know what’s best. They swear video games make us violent. They desensitize us to sensitive issues. They waste our time. They corrupt our children. They cause health defects like arthritis and loss of vision. They wreak havoc on homes and marriages. They bankrupt us and turn us into zombies.

If all of that is true, then why do we play?

Well, that sounds like the topic of several blogs…but really I’m being slightly sarcastic with my above comments. I don’t believe any of that happens strictly because of video games; there is clearly an underlying problem that might be amplified because of video games, but it isn’t solely the video games fault. It’s like blaming guns for violent crimes committed with guns. There has to be a point where we blame the person, not the device.

Anyway…yesterday’s blog and the above comments really did get me thinking about why we play video games. What is the reason? What is the motivation? What is the purpose? What are we trying to accomplish? What are we trying to escape?

Obviously there is no right or wrong answer. In my case and probably your case too, this question is like a multiple choice question and “D) All the above” is the correct answer. I play video games for several different reasons. You probably do to. I’m going to discuss a few reasons why I play video games.

1. The “Fairy Tale” Reason. You know, I think Roger Ebert was right when he said video games aren’t Art. There not. The word art is too limiting when describing video games. They really are much more than that. When you think about what is required to make a video game “work” it’s so much more a feat of wondrous achievement than a painting or song. When you paint a picture, you have physical materials available; you understand their properties and how they react with each other.

Creating a video game requires converting ones and zeroes into beautifully rendered characters and environments to interact with. Sounds effects and music tracks are created and composed to help develop the experience. Video games are literally the most compelling and magnificent story telling medium we currently have available. They allow us to journey throughout history and even to worlds beyond our own. They rival printed material and motion pictures alike. A book guides you along and let’s your imagination visualize the story. Other mediums like TV, radio and motion pictures utilize more of your senses to immerse you in the story but the story is still scripted out for you.

Video games uniquely let you interact with the story, and in many cases (depending on the game) let you decide the outcome. From the dialogue you choose to speak, the course you decide to take, and the moral implications that come with the decisions you make, many games allow you to drive the story in whatever direction you decide. Viewers can play the same game and have a totally different experience; and even very different endings.                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Sometimes I play video games for the story, which are every bit as diverse in genre as other mediums of story telling. There are comedies, true crime, horror, adventure, science fiction, fantasy and everything in between.

The next reason…

2. The “Price is Right” Reason. The Price is Right is an old timer game show that has been on the air since TV was created (at least it seems like it). A number of people compete against one another through these jury rigged puzzles until 2 are left and compete for all these cheesy prizes like low budget cars and what not. Well, sometimes I play games just for the competitive nature they have to offer.

Clearly some games are not story telling games. One of my favorite games of all times is Team Fortress 2. Team Fortress 2 clearly falls into the “not a story telling” game. TF2 is straight up competition.

And really, there are two kinds of competition. There’s the single player “go it alone” type competition where you work to beat the game’s objectives or unlock the achievements.

Then of course there is the more popular form of competition…online multi-player action; where all you want to do is win. You don’t really “win” anything…other than bragging rights maybe. But sometimes, that’s more than enough. It doesn’t matter whether you are racing karts in Mario Kart, capturing flags in Team Fortress 2 or topping the scoreboard in free for all on Halo. You just enjoy the friendly competitive nature of trying to outscore your rivals. It’s a blast and definitely one of the reasons I play video games. It’s no different than competing in any other organized sport. Most of us are competitive by nature and video games just provide us one more channel to demonstrate this hunger to win.

The final reason I am going to talk about (although there are undoubtedly others)…

3. The “Calgon, Take Me Away” Reason. Some of you fine young men in your teenage years might not understand the title…but Calgon is this girly bubble bath type stuff (don’t ask…but suffice it to say I’ve been married awhile and have a teenage daughter) that is suppose to take all your cares away as you soak in the bath tub. Well, that’s what video games do for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m quite happy with my life, but that’s not to say I don’t get stressed from work, college and all the other little things that cause stress. Cars need washed. Dogs need taken care of. Yard needs mowed. And on and on. Playing video games is a huge stress reliever for me. And one that I consider fairly harmless. I don’t go out to the bars and drink (which means I obviously don’t drink and drive). I don’t golf. I don’t go out with the fellas. I play video games. I’m usually happier afterwards; and I’m usually grumpy when I don’t get to play. It’s therapeutic.

As always…I’m interested in your feedback and comments. Do you play video games for any of these reasons mentioned above, or perhaps a reason all of your own? Maybe the socialization aspects of it or maybe you really are a deviant like the elitists would have us believe and you really do enjoy putting warheads on foreheads. Inquiring minds want to know.