I spent a lot of my time growing up playing video games such as Kingdom Hearts, the Legend of Zelda, Skyrim, Halo, Call of Duty, and even collected lots of retro games at one point. To be honest, I regret a lot of the time I spent playing these games. It took a lot away from my youth and development as a young man, and I genuinely believe that there are much more negatives than positives when it comes to gaming.
Gaming is addictive
So when I consider video games, I find that they are very beautiful in terms of art, entertainment, and creativity. The problem is the fact that they’re so good that they become insanely addictive. It’s really easy to get sucked into the worlds that are created virtually. The constant need to level up and grind in modern games becomes destructive at best because you wind up wasting so much valuable time in your real life. I feel like they’re made this way by design to keep the player hooked in. I equate playing video games the same as eating junk food. When I eat one Oreo from the sleeve, I’ve never been able to just eat one. The chemicals and ingredients are certainly causing these ultra processed junk foods to be addictive similarly to the way the developers of the games integrate achievements and experience points.
My story
The first time I started gaming was with a Nintendo 64, PlayStation, or Game Boy Advance. I remember I would have to attach a light to the top of the gameboy because the screens weren’t even back lit at this time. During the Covid lockdown, I decided to purchase a gaming PC and see where modern games have come. Needless to say, they’ve become very realistic and incredible. The advancements of technology and computing power truly is mind-boggling, considering the last time I played games up until this point was around 2014. Now the graphics and computer screens and technology are so advanced that you forget you’re even in a video game. It truly is incredible how advanced they’ve become.
Modern gaming
The most recent game I played was Cyberpunk 2077, and I 100% completed the game in just a few weeks upon the release date. It was so easy to continuously go onto the next mission without thinking much about time or real life outside of the game because of its immersion and realistic, simulated world. The story, graphics, and missions were engaging enough to keep me inside all day. The problem with games are you spend all this time leveling up your character in a virtual world instead of the real world. Because the worlds are so convincing in these modern games, they become more entertaining than real life in the real world. Ultimately, I decided to put my gaming PC in the closet and at this point I’m way too lazy to even put it back on my desk. It was cool to check out the advancements of modern gaming, but it’s way too easy to become addicted to this form of entertainment. I say gaming is not worth it, and to just stay away, especially if you’re young man. Maybe gaming is good for really old people that can’t really get around too much anymore or people that live in bad neighborhoods and don’t have access to safe communities.
Art is the solution
With unlimited entertainment, video games, movies, TV shows, and social media, there’s so many consumerist options for you to choose from. This is where I find art, and specifically photography or video production to be the ultimate solution to the problem of addictive entertainment. Like video games, the world is open and endless to explore. By having a tool like a camera with you at all times, it gives you the excuse to embrace real life. The big issue is that because games are so convincing and novel, real life becomes less interesting.
When you look at the world as a canvas for you to draw endlessly upon, you can walk the same lane every single day and always find something to create. It doesn’t matter how mundane life may seem, with the camera, every moment becomes interesting. One fun solution I found to keep myself entertained is filming things with my GoPro using super view. As I film my point of view, it’s almost as if I’m creating my own video game in real life. Everything I do becomes an adventure when I consider that I can film my experiences. The beauty of using a GoPro is that it doesn’t take you out of the moment as there are no LCD screens or distractions on the GoPro mini. Also, by practicing street photography, it keeps you engaged with society and other people. I find it to be the best way to interact with people and explore new places. Every single day I come home with new photographs to look at and enjoy. By making videos and producing photos, you become both the producer and consumer. I always love to review my pictures, videos, and thoughts as a way for me to entertain myself. Instead of consuming media produced by other people, I can simply enjoy my own. My suggestion to anybody who finds gaming to be addictive like I have in the past is to simply replace it with the production of art.