Video Gaming isn't For Everyone

But there are reasons for many of us to utilize video games.

A video game is an interesting thing for a number of reasons. They can be educational, challenging, as well as entertaining. Personally I never considered myself to be a video gamer. But there's been a lot of changes in my life the past few years, and I think now I would fit into the classification of a video gamer.

The past few years I've come to find a enjoyment in the distractions offered by video games. They're often completely different from day to day life, and the ones I've had a preference for weren't considered gamer games. I really only played things like Second Life, a little bit of Bubsy on Sega Genesis (barely) and a few other games that merely flitted through my life. They didn't really hang around long.

Well, Second Life did. It's held on fairly well, and if I had a regular connection to the internet I could reliably connect by I'd likely still be a regularly player. But unlike the first person shooter games, or other challenges offered by other games, Second Life is more of an interactive social platform. I feel the best description of the game is Barbie Dolls for grownups.

But over time I have evolved. Now I spend a little bit of time almost regularly playing Final Fantasy Online. I've finished a few games, Journey and Dream Chronicles. Perhaps not the most challenging games available but they challenged me while being low on intimidation levels.

But over the years I've realized that video games aren't really for everyone. Some people have creative talents that flourished amazingly well without the hindrance of preprogrammed entertainments. You can argue that video games aren't preprogrammed, but they truly are limited to the scripts that the designers provided to them. Some people are full of stories and ideas that are amazing, they only need an opportunity to share their unique talents with the world and to feel free to do so.

Video games shouldn't be used as a replacement for life. Instead they should be used as a supplement for the things that we may feel to be lacking in our lives. There are for example desires in some of us to travel, but our circumstances may not always enable to do so. Games can offer the opportunity to explore and entertain ideas that our daily lives do not let us experience. This does not mean that they are for everyone. But they are something people should consider more.

Games are not just games anymore. Games have become social environments in which kinship and friendships blossom without the boundaries created by societies unrealistic expectations. But this should not be a replacement for reality. It should merely be a supplement, an opportunity to spread mental wings and gain insight without the confines of our personal boundaries. Personal Boundaries include : Social status, appearance, health, disabilities and many other things that may make it difficult at times to get a fair shake.

But again video games aren't for everyone.

But I've come to the understanding that I can appreciate them for the art form they are, as well as for the opportunities that they provide for different people to explore ideas and thoughts they may otherwise never have the opportunity to enjoy.

So don't judge someone just because they play video games, or any other kinds of games. There is often an underlying need or desire that is being fulfilled by the opportunities offered by the game.