From The Perspective of a Non-Gamer

“Our world has been infiltrated, but this time it’s by a phenomenon that leaves us with a choice”

Ayo, Monopoly, Scrabble; these are the games I grew up with. Gaming for me was the family-centred group activity we shared during the weekend. And I loved it. I loved it all. Playing ‘Donkey’ and trying to hide my cards from everyone else. Playing Monopoly and getting cheated over and over again. It was all safe family fun.

Then came technology; SEGA, Gameboy, Nintendo Wii, Playstations… We didn’t have any of those. I only experienced any of these when I visited friends or cousins. My parents just were not big fans. Playstation = reduced outdoor time, extended screen time, possible violence; no way, not for my daughters. Electric cars — maybe. I guess you can say we missed the gaming train.

But as we’ve grown older, of course, we have a choice now. We can decide to be gamers, to buy consoles and all of that (my lack of knowledge is shining through). But I’ve found that my sisters and I just can’t be bothered I guess. I mean, yes, we may have some experience with mobile games — Candy Crush, Subway Surf; but I can’t see any of us becoming full-fledged members of the gaming community.

Looking into the future, I am excited for where gaming is going. I am all for anything that provides a new spectrum of jobs which is exactly what the gaming industry does for us. Now we can be professional gamers, shoutcasters, game designers, video game testers… there’s a whole new world that’s beginning and most exciting is that we get to witness it all. It’s affecting all of us, even the non-gamers. It’s part of our social media: Facebook Games, our web browsing experience: Google’s No Network Connection Dinosaur, and even our traditional education system; Gaming + Learning.

Our world has been infiltrated, but this time it’s by a phenomenon that leaves us with a choice — we get to decide how much of it we want to let in.

In my case, I don’t think I’ve let it in completely, and I don’t think I ever will. It’s an add-on feature. Do I find it exciting? Yes! I am excited about what it all means for my future offspring(s). But will I become an avid gamer? Probably not.

Signed,

A Gaming Ally