I’ve always had mixed feelings about video games. Growing up, we weren’t allowed to have them. Not at all. I’m pretty sure it was because my parents were worried about my brothers and I not getting things done or something. We didn’t do much TV either. We didn’t have cable or even spend much time watching the few channels or movies we had.
Then, gradually, as my brothers and I got older, something changed. They got Nintendo Game Boys (my mom was hooked on Tetris at the time, so I’m pretty sure that’s why she “caved” to that request), and they kept up pretty well with the newer versions of the devices and games as well. I didn’t have one, but I’m not sure I ever really wanted one. I was happier with my books. I would play on my brothers’ Game Boys every now and then, but never for very long.
Eventually, everything changed. We got cable (that happened while I was at college…thanks Mom and Dad). I still remember how excited my brothers were when they got a Game Cube for Christmas one year. And they were equally as thrilled with the Wii we got a few years ago. I think they actually let me touch it once, which was very nice of them since I probably messed up some kind of high score or something.
All this to say, I’m still not sure what I think about video games. I think Turkle (besides having a fabulous first name, even spelled correctly) is completely correct in her observations and conclusions and I definitely learned a lot about the mindset of those who do enjoy video games. The part of the reading that really resonated with me was when she talked about the rules of the worlds that exist in these games. “Everything is possible but nothing is arbitrary.” I love this statement because it captures what I love most about reading – the chance to go into another world and learn it’s rules and secrets. Jasper Fforde is one of my favorite authors (Shades of Grey is one of his most recent and intriguing) and is a genius when it comes to creating other worlds and the rules that go along with them.
Maybe that’s why I didn’t and don’t need video games. My need for consistency and immersion in a story is met through reading. When it comes to my need for control and perfection, I completely identified with Rob:
I wrestle with my own demons of perfectionism and certainly don’t need to test myself against some programmer’s manufactured demons.
I’m a first-born. I’m the only girl in a family of two very athletically-gifted, mechanically-minded boys. I was, and still am, all about the individual competition. However, running is my drug of choice. I’m that person that Turkle mentions at the bottom of page 512 who is put off by the idea of that elusive “right answer” instead of intrigued. I’m the woman she talked about that doesn’t really get excited about right way to work something mechanical and a wrong way, since I usually do it the wrong way. Being a first-born and a perfectionist, I don’t need another avenue to help me feel bad about myself. And since video games were competitive in my house, they were certainly not an outlet for personal satisfaction since my brothers were so much better than me.
That being said, I do enjoy the occasional song on Guitar Hero, and the odd
bout or two with rabid bunnies on a really enjoyable game that my husband found. But these don’t have the staying power for me that Turkle is talking about. In fact, the option to play for about 5 minutes at a time is more appealing to me. I skip through the story of our little Rayman game to get to the action (shooting bunnies with plungers). I get to indulge for a little bit, maybe take the edge off the day with a little intense concentration, but I don’t have enough time to feel bad about myself and my skills (or lack thereof) because if I’m not doing well, I can just quit after the round I’m on and go running instead!
I’m not sure what the grand application or brilliant insight is for this post or this reading…I’m still not sure what I think or how what I think will inform what I do and I look forward to hearing from others today!