So one day I looked around and most of the world, especially those who played the ever so popular phone apps, began criticizing those who played video games on home consoles. Now don't get me wrong, there's little to no glory in my books for entertainment riddled with the killing of digital images of soldiers and civilians like in Call of Duty, or the grotesque open world choices of Grand Theft Auto, or the absorbently addictive online grouping of stratagem found in World of Warcraft.
No, I don't like these types of video games at all; nevertheless, there are other types of games out there that I do respect and yearn for others to know about. The obvious ones are those from Nintendo - a perfectly welcoming company filled with a simple yet beautiful repertoire: Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart, and Super Smash Bros. to name a few.
Another series with far more artistry and impressive story telling is Metal Gear Solid. It's a saga spread throughout two different generations, with future then past protagonists colliding in pseudo history and profound pain from war displayed from a uniquely rough secret agent, code-named Snake. The entire purpose of each game is focused on espionage action, i.e. sneaking around.
Lastly, a surprisingly recent entry titled Destiny has more story and character development around its science fiction/fantasy plot than any game in its current genre.
I suppose I'm just trying to share that playing video games is not always a red flag - the choice to enjoy such an entertainment can be as logical as watching an ever enthralling TV series on Netflix.
Here's some pictures of some of these titles I'm referring - check them out for yourself:
I appreciate this post because I used to have that "oooh- gamer back off" kind of attitude. That is until I saw a guy playing a game on his computer after a finals week once, and I realized that it was probably just his way to shake off the stress from the week. We all have different ways to shake off stress, and we all have different pastimes that we enjoy, and there ain't nothin' wrong with that! And I'm not gonna lie, I will always love me some Donkey Kong anyway, soooo, I'm just gonna try to not be hypocritical about how I view video gaming from now on.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love that you pointed out the deeper stories and meanings in some of your favorite games. I think that people often view video games as meaningless time wasters, but so many of them are so deep, well thought out, and very artistic.
(P.S. I am crazy jealous of the Boba Fett outfit and the picture with Darth Vader. Like, CRAZY jealous!)
Thanks :-) yeah my intention is to definitely highlight when playing video games is bad, and addictive, and when it is simply something fun to unwind with (which can be more of the purpose of their existence then anything else). So many more people are addicted to watching TV, and suddenly when something shows up that has a little more allowance for brain activity, it gets critiqued to the bones.
ReplyDeleteBut anyway, thanks for your post, and, haha, thanks for the compliments - I got the Boba Fett costume on starwars,com so I could have a dress-up suit that I could wear when playing with my nieces and nephews, plus it makes for a great Halloween party winner, lol