Playing Video Games is Not a Waste of Time
Rediscovering the Magic of Imagination and Adventure
As a child, I was obsessed with playing Pokémon Safari on Gameboy, and of course, Mario Kart and Nintendogs on our Nintendo DS.
I also played San Andreas on PlayStation 2, as well as WWE, Tekken 5, FIFA, Pimp My Ride, and Need for Speed.
My days were filled with reading fiction and fairy tales, playing video games, engaging in board games with my brothers and cousins, and playing outside with other kids in my neighborhood.
Everything back then felt like an adventure. I was constantly exploring new worlds, whatever I was doing, and I felt so content.
Then, growing up and advancing through the grades of school, I gradually left all those behind without even noticing. You see, there were so many school subjects to study and so little time to play.
Eventually, I forgot all about this previous life. I forgot the feeling of constant exploration, brainwashed by society’s notion that those were wasted time and I had to focus on more serious things.
I started reading sociology, theology, and philosophy. I stopped reading fiction and focused on classical literature instead. And although I really enjoyed them, I constantly felt that something was missing.
But instead of understanding what was wrong, I overlooked it. After all, I had forgotten what being an explorer really meant.
I was one-dimensional and I refused to believe that anyone could experience anything real if not in “real life”.
I even made fun of gamers and fiction readers, and god was I so terribly wrong.
It took me years and a great boyfriend to change my mind and remember who I was.
He is a fantasy enthusiast who overlooked my snobby attitude and convinced me to immerse myself in fiction again.
I re-watched Harry Potter with the same (if not more) excitement I had the very first time I watched it as a kid.
He introduced me to Star Wars, Star Trek, The Witcher, and The Lord of the Rings.
He taught me that fiction movies and books are doors to other dimensions, and so are video games.
He also taught me that playing a video game is a real experience, just as running outside or playing a treasure hunt.
So I started playing again, and he was absolutely right.
Progressively, I decided to start reading fiction again. I discovered Neil Gaiman, and I was hooked on fantasy books once again.
It was like taking my childhood back.
I remembered how much I wanted to be a pirate and started watching anime again.
He even bought me the full collection of Narnia stories as a birthday present!
After so much time, life started making sense again.
Even as a writer, I feel so much more content and confident. I now see every day as a new adventure, and I will always be thankful to fantasy worlds for that.
So no, video games are not a waste of time. Fiction is important, fantasy books are great, and this world is not one-dimensional.
We can experience hundreds of lives, hundreds of adventures, in hundreds of dimensions if we are just open to them.
Life is beautiful and open to us to explore it. So what are we waiting for?
If you’ve reached the end, thank you! Your support means a lot. Feel free to drop a comment and share your thoughts — let’s chit-chat about anything you wish! :)
