Video Games and the World of Tomorrow

"WHAT?!?! No you don't..."
"Yes I do."
"No you don't."
"Yes, I do."
"I don't believe it."
"Well, I really do..."

I grew up with a Super Nintendo, and for my 12th birthday, I got an N64. My dad later bought the family a PS2, and I got involved in computer gaming when I was about 14 or so. I definitely did play video games. For some reason, though, some people didn't believe me when I told them that. I dunno what it was, but people just couldn't picture me playing video games, "wasting all that time on something so trivial." Well, in all honesty, a lot of it was, in fact, trivial, if you consider entertainment to be the only thing gleaned from an hour behind a screen. The thing is, that's not all that I got out of it. Everything I knew about world history was directly from video games. My strange knowledge of medieval siege weapons? Also from video games. Vocabulary? Well, I read a lot, but it sure helped that I played video games that had words like "chitinous," "arcane," and "vorpal" all throughout them. Where did I learn the fundamentals of computer programming? Playing video games. Photoshop? Same. Sound editing? Or my interest in philosophy? Well, I think you get the point...

A lot of people seem to think that there is nothing good to be found in playing video games. I contend, however, that much benefit can, in fact, be had from playing video games. The thing is, they just have to be the right kinds of games. Do I think that there is much to learn in a game about killing zombies? Well, actually, there probably is, but I'm not sure how much of it is very practical in terms of real life. The other side of the spectrum, though, is equally ineffective: don't think here that I am encouraging people to go out and buy the latest version of MathBlaster, because I know just as well as you that those kinds of 'fun, educational games' are the not-very-fun, excessively educational ones that sit around the house for a couple years and then are donated to charity when someone is finally sick of looking at them. Everyday, normal video games, depending on the type, can really motivate kids to venture beyond the confines of their own home or school or neighborhood, to explore unseen lands and work to solve difficult problems. And really, as we continue to develop more and more in terms of technology and media, we are likely going to see video games in a much more significant place in politics and social spheres. More than 70% of Americans play video games in some form or another and that more than 50% of those use the internet for games, so it is pretty staggering to think about what kind of influence the video game industry must have in modern society. The reality of the matter is that video games aren't something that is going to disappear any time soon. They will grow to be even more integrated into American life, and, like any 'new' form of digital media, if we will seek to really understand them and find means of positive implementation, we'll see that they can, in fact, provide for not only an enjoyable break from school and/or work but can also open the way to new forms of  learning and paths of understanding.