I was always a huge fan of video games as a kid. My family was one of the first on the block with an Atari 2600, and my friends and I were weekend mall arcades rats. In college, I mastered NHL Hockey on the Sega Genesis, probably dropping a few GPA basis points in the process. For me, the pull of video games was all about my addiction to challenge. Here in the form of mastering a level, solving a game, and beating the pants off my friends.
About six months ago, I dove back into the video game pool with an Xbox 360. And has been a fascinating reawakening of the spirit that I drank from so often, so long ago. The advances in hardware and in the skills of game designers has proceeded at a fantastic pace since I powered down my Sega twelve years ago. Madden '07 is realistic in graphics, play-calling, and player movements. The Madden '94 of my day is a kids game, while '07 is mainly played by grown men who love the NFL.
While the graphics on a HDTV are light years improved from my Sega and Atari days, the biggest advancement in my mind is the use of an Internet connection to bring gamers together around the world. The challenge of the computer is great to get started and master a game. But once you have "solved" it, an entirely new chapter opens when you select Multiplayer. Within seconds you are connected to people of all ages around the world. A cheap headset lets you chat, taunt, and cooperate in-game. I am able to play with friends from work, or match up with people that I have enjoyed playing with in the past. Multiplayer is often humbling, as you see players do things you didn't know were possible. But each kill or loss provides new insights and lessons that one can bring to the next contest.
While many readers may say they have fully outgrown video games or were never sure of the value to begin with, a growing body of research shows that video games are actually improving lives. The excellent book, Everything Bad is Good for You, by Steven Johnson, is full of data on how video games are more complex and more mentally challenging than ever, and that national IQ is increasing in part because of them. And last week, Reuters reported on a study that suggests:
"Playing video games can satisfy deep psychological needs and, at least in the short term, improve people's well-being. The more a game fulfilled a player's sense of independence, achievement and connectedness to others, the more likely he or she was to keep playing, Dr. Scott Rigby of Immersyve, a Florida-based virtual environment think tank, and colleagues from the University of Rochester in New York found. And the more fully a player's needs were satisfied, the better he felt after playing."
I don't suggest purposely sitting yourself or kids in front of Gears of War tonight, but we should realize that the things we love can be good for us. Many kids and adults love video games because we are programmed to look for new challenges and are literally addicted to achievement of success. Just make sure you do it in moderation.
(If you're looking to challenge me on Xbox Live, my user name is "Barbobus". I especially play Madden '07 and Call of Duty 2 and 3. Bring it on!)
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