video game voo-doo

I'm ever in awe of the 'grown ups' in my life that actually schedule their weekends around Saturday morning cartoons. I'm not talking about the adults with young children that watch the dumb little drawings dance around the tv. No, grown ups, who of their own mind and choice make high priority of watching shows that were created to enternain four year olds. If you've just been offended by this, here are a couple of tips; first, don't get your panties in a wad. Just admit that you like kiddie shows, and it's weird. Second, don't freak out, this isn't going to be all about you.

Contained within the same box in my mind (conveniently labelled 'current irritations') are all the 30 year olds who spend more time and effort in creating, controlling, and growing a make believe, super-powered troll than they actually do in real life. More important to most of these are the weapons and battles of their fantasy universe than the real, live people around them every day.

I'm not saying video games are bad. They're entertainment, right? But when entertainment becomes an all encompassing obsession, you've lost it, my friend. Admit it. I know people who are broker than broke, having to bumb rides because they don't have the money to fix their cars. But these same people spend hundreds of dollars on games. Games!

They argue that because video games are so much more cool now, it's okay for adults to play them. What the-? That's not an argument. Something being 'cool' doesn't equate to socially age appropriate. Nice try. My favorite argument so far is that these video games are a way to help deal with the stresses of normal, every day life. Sure they are. In the exact same way, and to the same degree that alcohol helps AA members cope with the weight of the bills they can't pay because they spent all their cash on booze. It's not therapeutic or helpful. It's escapism.

Rather than dealing with the fact that they hate their jobs, their car doesn't work, their friends have moved on and left them sitting zombie-like, controller in hand, they continue to strive for the ever so meaningful escape of the warlock and his evil minions. Seriously?

It makes sense why these games are so addictive, doesn't it? When life sucks and there's nothing they can do about it, they run to their fake world where they're in charge. They can be as bad or good as they want. They can fight a fake fight without risking anything real. If they lose, they lose. No real loss. But if they win, their pride swells. And the funny thing, is that the pride is real, the accomplishment was not. It's often too great a challenge to change who we are and become the person we want or ought to be. But in a game, with a few clicks of a button, suddenly the 'low-on-the-totem-pole-marriage-falling-to-pieces' guy is king of the world.

Call me old fashioned, but I just don't get it. And more than that, it irritates me to see people wasting their lives away. Rather than investing in individuals that can actually have a lasting impact on their lives, they prefer their fake reality. Not only is it sad, it's a cripplingly stark realization that the generations to come are going to develop into a society of people who have no social abilities whatsoever. People who's best honed skills and talents will only amount to 'Honor Points'. Living a life engulfed in false reality will never help anybody achieve their greatest potential.

If mediocrity is a high reaching goal, then play on, little ones. Play on.