This is to give a visual representation of playing video games
Throughout my time being a video game lover, I’ve heard many instances of people either making fun of, mocking, or negatively criticizing video games. I have been told by several people that video games are a waste of time or that video games have no point to them. However, playing video games are not only a good use of your time, but is also a good way to socialize with others, learn team work skills, and learn puzzle solving skills.
A video game being a “waste of time” is actually a rare term in the gaming community. A game being a waste of time is only used for video games that are either not very enjoyable to play or not popular among the community. But a game being referred to as a “waste of time“ outside the gaming community is more commonly heard than in it. So why do people say it’s a waste of time? From what I’ve heard from others, playing video games will never get you anywhere in life and has no personal benefits.
This image shows the enjoyment people experience when playing video games
Depending on what time of game you are playing, you have the chance to interact with others who are playing the same game. Multiplayer games can either have a chat section where you can type messages to other players, usually on a computer, or in some cases, you can use a microphone to talk to other players. Using either of these methods of communication could be used to develop a strategy among your teammates and win the game, thus forming a certain bond with your teammates. If it’s not a competitive game, playing with someone else makes the game twice as fun and you could grow closer as friends doing something you both enjoy doing.
If you’re playing a single player game and there is no human interaction, you could play a game for the sake of completing it. These are the types of games with a story or campaign mode in it. Classic game franchises like Super Mario Bros. or the Legend of Zelda have developed games that involve putting days and sometimes weeks into playing it in order to complete them. So playing through/finishing these types of games are made for those who want to feel like they accomplished something while playing it.
Saying that playing video games will never get you anywhere in life is also completely wrong. In July 2019, Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, hosted a World Cup tournament with a $30 million prize pool. Bugha, the winner of the World Cup, won $3 million just by himself. That is a life changing amount of money for one person. Plus, Fortnite isn’t the only game that hosts tournaments with cash prizes. Other games such as League of Legends, Player Unknown Battle Grounds (PUBG), and Overwatch have all hosted tournaments with prize pools all over $5 million. Of course the player would have to invest so much time into practicing these games in order to play in a highly competitive tournament like these.
Maybe you’re not playing video games to spend time with your friends or to win money. Maybe playing video games is just a hobby and you enjoy playing them just for pure enjoyment. I play video games because it’s something I love doing and I find very enjoyable. Playing video games is not just for competitive people who want to win money or finish a game just for the sake of completing it. Much like playing with your friends, some people just find enjoyment in playing them. That’s the one thing I don’t think everybody understands about gamers.
