Messing with our Minds

Copyright (c) Noelle Adams. All Rights Reserved.

There’s a dark secret that most gamers keep buried. It is a dangerous secret that, if revealed, would send Jack Thompson, Hillary Clinton and other anti-gaming activists into a frothy-mouthed frenzy.

You see, as much as we deny it, gaming does affect us. It leaves a mark on our psyche, and, like a spreading stain, impacts on other parts of our life.

I’m not talking about anything as dramatic as embarking on a Manhunt-inspired killing spree. That would be admitting defeat to anyone eager to slap the label ‘Evil Gaming Influence’ on violent acts committed by teenagers.

I’m talking about those moments where you wish reality was more like a video game. Imagine for a moment that life’s big decisions came with save points. Asking someone out would be less gut-knotting if you knew you could just ‘reload’ after a botched attempt.

Then there are those days where you feel like you’re just going through the motions. Wake. Shower. Dress. Eat. Go to work. How different is that soulless routine to queuing a series of actions in The Sims? Gamer philosophers amongst us might theorise that perhaps we are all at the mercy of some greater force treating the Earth and its inhabitants as their own digital dollhouse. It would certainly explain those times where it seems everyone around you is prattling on in garbled Simlish.

Speaking of The Sims, who hasn’t wished that home décor was as easy as redecorating Sims style? Sick of that barf-brown, squiggle-print couch? Simply delete it and replace it with a stylish 3-seater.

The reason for this type of cross-over real world thinking is that, even if just for a few hours, games allow us to fulfil our fantasies.

Relatively wholesome wants include a desire to be stronger, tougher and more acrobatic than we are in reality. If only we could run on walls like the Prince of Persia, cast fire balls like so many RPG heroes, or be a messiah figure like Gordon Freeman.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, games give us a cathartic chance to be bad. Rockstar are masters in this regard. You know the company controls your subconscious when you spot graffiti and immediately want to spray paint ‘Grove Street forever’ over it. Or, you see an ice cream van and think you should really hijack it to complete the car theft side mission.

If gaming can mess with our private thoughts, it can also mess with our public actions. Like other hobbies, gaming has its own lingo, and players may find catch phrases sneaking into their everyday speak. ‘Finish him,’ ‘For the win’, ‘Shake it, baby!’ You know you’re a gamer when, sitting around the braai, you mutter, ‘Stay a while and listen’.

Such behaviour might have Thompson panicking about society, but he forgets that mankind has long used fantasy as a break from reality’s stresses. Bouts of escapism open our minds to new possibilities, encourage questioning, and are perfectly normal. Remember that next time you find yourself double-clicking on a cupboard to open it.