Video Games

I found our discussion on Wii Shall Overcome to be an interesting one. The reading prompted me to think about video games in a different way than I already viewed them. Dave Gilson, who is the author of Wii Shall Overcome, wrote about Jane McGonigal's views on video gaming. McGonigal discussed a variety of topics involving gaming and why we get so much joy out of playing them. McGonigal states that video games "aren't brain numbing drivel." She then goes further than that saying video games give us a sense of accomplishment, meaning, and productivity. This is where I started to analyze the different reasons of why we enjoy video games so much. I guess I had never thought of video games in a way that made me think why we really play them. I always just thought we played them because they are fun. That is the main reason, but when talking about other aspects such as epic wins, sense of accomplishment, and things of that nature, I had never thought of it in that way. McGonigal goes on to explain that enjoyable video games "dole out psychological rewards that keep us coming back for more." Therefore, it is not manipulation that keeps us coming back, but motivation. I agree with this statement. I also think that a big reason for continue to play video games is because of the "epic win" concept. An epic win is defined in our reading as "the unique feeling of accomplishment you get when you do something extraordinary." McGonigal explains how the world needs more of this. The world needs more opportunities for ordinary people to do extraordinary things. For example, change or save someones life. When analyzing video games from this point of view, it made me wonder why we really play video games. I agree with everything McGonigal said in her TED talk, and truly believe that video games may have a deeper meaning than just playing for fun in your free time.