Why Play Video Games?

As a long time enthusiast of video games, I think I would never be able to survive another year without it. I've been on a hiatus for seven years and I regret it. I missed a lot of good titles and it seems like I have wasted my time with other things. The first game I got hooked into was CounterStrike. I used to play with my high school female friends after school. We usually spent 3 hours at the Internet cafe challenging other players. I've never played with bots but with real people. One thing I noticed was the lack of females among the competitors. However, I went on hiatus because I cannot fully explain to my parents my need to get my daily head shots. It was only when I discovered that our personal computer had a handful of challenging real-time strategy (RTS) games that I rediscovered that passion. I was introduced to Generals by no less than my father. Next I tried Battle Realms and the old version of CounterStrike, but this time I played against bots. I love military tactics, and because of those RTS games I can fantasize being a commander of an army. First-person shooters will always have a special place in my heart. I've never tried playing against real people, but I love playing through the missions and the bonus challenges.

Contrary to popular belief, we gamers are not violent, lazy people who spend most of our time bingeing and staring at the screen for hours. I do admit that I've spent more than 10 hours on a few games in the past few years but I haven't had any serious health concerns ever since I was introduced to console gaming. I don't recommend to anyone to spend more than 2 hours in front of the screen without taking breaks. I understand how addictive it can be for first-time gamers. Even for 'veterans', it isn't easy to pry your mind off a mini-game or a mission you have not yet completed. But players should be responsible. You cannot really finish a boss fight or a puzzle when you're hungry or when you have a bad headache.

When my fiance introduced me to PlayStation 2, it opened up more possibilities for me. I immediately liked the Prince of Persia and the Dynasty Warriors series. Then when he sent me God of War, I was totally obsessed. I also played a few good role-playing games such as Baldur's Gate 2 and Legaia 2: Duel Saga.

People sometimes need to step out of reality into a world formed by different shapes, colors and sounds of moving pixels that somehow both resemble and differ from the real world. Similar because it is bound by rules and the actions are limited by the options provided to us. Different because we don't usually see creatures that look like us but have a different shade of hair and eyes and will move only through a simple push of a joystick.

By literally placing myself in the shoes of different characters, I have explored different worlds, spoke different languages, ate different kinds of food, met different types of personalities, and fought alongside them. Kratos' pain and hatred were mine as well. If my comrades get killed while trying to infiltrate a camp, I feel the frustration as well. I felt righteous anger when a village was besieged by a group of people who seek only to plunder and murder. And I felt compelled to set things right for a kingdom I had betrayed.

So why play video games? To live different lives, experience different emotions and see a lot of things we might never do so in our lifetime. To compete and gain new friends. To spend time with myself, honing my reflexes and contemplating mistakes and triumphs that come with every push of the button. The problems we make in video games are not different from the ones we have in our real world, but the choices are limited by the creators' imagination and the consequences are often predictable. Games mirror different point of views of our world, albeit it's only a tiny part of the whole thing, whether it's a man's quest for vengeance or a country's struggle to protect its citizens from invaders.