The purpose of games has changed dramatically as I’ve progressed in my personal gamer journey. When I first joined the ranks in the early 90’s with my NES and the handful of games I was given, gaming was entertainment. I was able to face challenges that, up to that point, had only existed in my imagination. I was able to slay monsters, travel strange lands, and save beautiful princesses. All tasks that a 7-year-old could never do in real life. From that messy bedroom floor, I defeated Dracula, found the Star Rod and fought Nightmare, redefined gravity in a mech suit and did battle with the minions of Ganon. I was more than a kid in Oklahoma, I was a bold adventurer that had saved countless worlds countless times. But as I grew into my early teen years, the social side of gaming began to take hold. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about isolating myself in my room with the glow of the TV lighting my face, occasionally shouting “I’ll be right there Mom, let me get to a save spot!”. Now I was stacking my game cartridges in a lunchbox and going to friend’s houses to share my adventures with them. Swapping games to further satiate my growing hunger for more experiences in different worlds. It was a golden age of gaming. The digital world was mine for the taking.
Then, years after my obtaining my first Gameboy, a new world caught my attention. A world of monster collecting, gym battles, and a quest to be the very best…a world called the Kanto Region. I saved what money I could and purchased a copy of Pokémon Red. That small, red cartridge was the start of a lifelong journey for me. Through the 16 main line games I’ve owned, plus a couple side games, I’ve never lost my love of collecting, trading, and battling my tiny pocket monsters. I forged one of my longest, and strongest friendships sitting beside a picket fence with my link cable slipped between the slats battling my best friend on our Gameboy colors. I had evolved from a solitary gamer lost in my own worlds, to a social gamer that thrived on shared experiences and digital interactions.
Next, came the addition of the internet to my gaming. I was now able to connect with my friends even though life had taken us in different directions. I was able to rejoin old companions in our shared journeys from my dorm room at college. It was a glorious time in my gaming life. Then, my joyous social platform took a darker turn. I had discovered the addiction of MMORPG’s, joining the Horde in the world of Azeroth. Now, before I ignite any comment conflicts, I had toons on the Alliance side as well. But I had always leaned towards the orc campaigns in previous Warcraft games, so I had elected to start my World of Warcraft journey on the side of the Horde. What started as “Yeah, I’ll give it a try.” Quickly turned into “Oh, I forgot to eat dinner” and obsessively planning my dungeon runs and raids with my coworkers while I cooked burgers at the local fast-food joint. WoW quickly devoured my life. I made the difficult decision to stop my subscription and let my account drift off into the void, ending my obsession with MMORPG gaming.
Now, many years later, I’ve reevaluated what gaming means to me. What once was my core entertainment, my social network, my obsession, and the birth of my collecting hobby had dwindled down to a point where my Nintendo Switch was left uncharged, my PS5 had a layer of dust on the shell, and my Xbox One had been repurposed as a lowly Blu-ray player. I had become…a casual gamer… The thought of falling into the category I had once used to describe people that only played mobile games on their phones and occasionally a round of Super Smash Bros made me shudder. But the simple fact remained, I wasn’t a committed “hard core” gamer anymore. There just wasn’t time between my family, my home maintenance, my job duties and my incessant need to sleep all the time. Were I used to be able to pull all night gaming sessions with nothing but a 2 liter of Mountain Dew and some snacks, now I had to struggle to keep my eyes open when I found that comfortable position in my favorite recliner. But I cherished my moments in my virtual worlds for a whole new reason. My house in Minecraft didn’t have a mortgage payment attached to it. My Outrunner on Pandora never had to pay ever increasing fuel costs at the pump for a tank of gas. But most of all, I was free to go where I wanted, how I wanted, whenever I wanted without worrying about the impact my choices would have on my family. If I wanted to join the rebellion, jump to another planet, storm Normandy Beach, or mine my way to the Nether, I could do whatever I wanted. I could be free. Now, I see my gaming as an escape from the constant pressure, stress, and anxiety that the world puts on our shoulders. Pandemics, Politics, Crime, Drama….I can unplug from the world for a few wonderful hours and become whoever I want and go wherever I want. Gaming has become my release, my escape, my therapy. When real life brings me to my knees, my games offer me a chance to stand back up and be the hero that can't be beaten.
So, to bring this rambling post to an end, I encourage you to enjoy your gaming journey. Let it grow with you, change with you, evolve alongside you. Gaming can give you excitement, accomplishment, forever friendships, shared experiences, and a way to escape the pressure of your day-to-day life. Gaming doesn't have to be a hobby, it can be a lifestyle. One that can be a part of you forever....Yeah, I predict one of these days, I’ll be sitting on the porch, in my rocking chair, sipping a cool glass of iced tea, pausing my handheld and telling my grandchildren to stop playing so rough with the dog. I may be a “casual gamer” now, but I have been and always will be a “life-long gamer”. Enjoy the journey my friends and as always, Game On.
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