I know gamers sometimes take some criticism for gaming, and at least from my experience as a collector, I've taken a LOT of criticism for having a collection the size that mine is. So why do we game? Why have I amassed a nearly 500 game collection that spans 20 consoles? Because it makes me happy. Because I see the art when I look at the landscapes on Monster Hunter 3. Because I hear the beauty when I listen to the soundtrack on any Legend of Zelda game. Because I can appreciate the depth of gameplay to the point of monotony in Shenmue. Why do people cover their walls in paintings and posters? Why do people have dozens or hundreds of CDs? Why do people have multiple shelves of fiction books? Why do people have dozens of movies? Most importantly, why is gaming any different? How is it different?
I'll tell you how it's different from my point of view - a movie can provide two hours of enjoyment for the price of $20. That comes down to $10 per hour. A game, on the other hand, provides MUCH longer enjoyment for a lightly higher price. Let's say that the average game provides roughly 25 hours of enjoyment. At the average $60, that's $2.40 per hour. Let's take a monumentally long game like Skyrim, which boasts roughly 300 hours of gameplay. At $60, that's only 20 cents per hour; a movie, based on hours of entertainment, costs 100 times that much. Lets even use a short game as an example. Conduit 2's campaign took me roughly 10 hours to beat, including finding the hidden secrets, and since it's a Wii game, it cost $50. That's $5 per hour - half of what a movie would cost in entertainment per hour.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that we should all buy video games and never buy another movie. On the contrary, I'm quite proud to own all 11 Star Trek movies on DVD even though I swore to myself that I would never watch the first or fifth movies again. What I'm trying to say is that it's wrong for society to view a large movie collection as acceptable or even worthwhile but then look down on gaming. A word frequently tossed around when it comes to gaming and has been thrown at me numerous times is "addiction." The definition of addiction is "to devote to something obsessively." I fully acknowledge that gaming addictions exist. I admit that I was borderline there last year. To be addicted to something, though, it has to interfere with other parts of life. Someone truly addicted to video games would stop hanging out with friends or making time for loved ones. He/she would neglect school or work or social responsibilities. Someone who simply prefers to spend his or her spare time playing video games after his or her work and responsibilities are completed, however, is NOT addicted. That's a hobby. Addicted is blowing off friends to play Skyrim. Addicted is not writing a paper for class to play Call of Duty. Addicted is calling in sick to work to play Fallout. Writing a paper after class and then sitting down after finishing to play Zelda is not addicted.
"A strong liking of some activity." That's the definition of passion. A strong liking. Yes, I am passionate about video games. I am passionate about my collection. I am not addicted to either. But I haven't addressed the issue of why we game. I've only talked about why we collect and whether or not we're addicted. So why do we game? Why do we pretend to be the Hero of Time and face down Gannondorf to save Hyrule? It's an escape. Have you ever heard someone say "I need a drink..."? It's the same principle, except without the liver damage and poor judgement. Have you ever known someone who smoked when they got stressed? It's the same principle, except without coating our lungs in tar and carcinogens while dumping rat poison into our bodies. The great irony is when smokers, alcoholics, and pot heads criticize gamers. We want an escape from reality, just like them. We just prefer to get that escape without damaging our bodies. Sure, a sedentary lifestyle isn't healthy, either, but I'm a gamer, and I weigh less than 150 pounds.
I'll summarize my point here. Stop criticizing us. We (for the most part) are addicted. We do not have a "problem." We aren't pathetic. Our medium of choice is just newer and less respected, but it's no less valid. Our escape of choice is just nerdier, but if anything, it's less bad.
