Hi there boys and girls who grace us with their views. It has been awhile since they actually let me type out some bullshit and call it a blog post. So I may as well tell y’all about my personal history with gaming, and why I feel most anti-video game groups are wrong. Might as well start from the beginning from my first console. That would be an SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), and that is where my addic… my love for video games began. 

SNES Nerd at Heart

The SNES was my fathers gift to himself, and he let my brother and me play on it. While he thought it was a leisure toy to pass time with my brother and me; I loved the console. For those who couldn’t bear witness its glory check this link here. It was so fun, and I had to master every game we had. I played my father at everything from Paperboy to Tetris to the original Mortal Kombat; and my dad kicked my ass at everything. From there I turned 7 and even though Santa brought me a BB gun that year, I was more excited about the PS2 that was beside it. That honesty was where my love for gaming rooted. Because from there I played nothing but PS2 and PC games. Do not get me wrong I still played sports (baseball). No matter what you still have to get your physical exercise in.

A PlayStation Safe Haven

Now the PS2 defined me as a gamer. I loved that console and all the games I had for it. Yea I played more games than I could beat, but when I tell you my childhood is filled with amazing stories and memories from just playing video games, I mean it. I not only used them as an outlet, but they also became a part of my personality. Gaming is what made me want to be better than all friends, they also helped me with goals. Now when a student needs to make all A’s and B’s to play electronics, your damn right I studied so I could play even harder. Then in middle school when I joined the high school band and got an Xbox. When I tell you I never thought I could make straight A’s, I did. 

Xbox or not to Box

Lastly, the part most of you who are still reading this were probably wondering about. Now after hearing a part of my story, now comes the dark times right? Nope, video games actually helped me despite what anti-gaming groups would say. Video games cause violent tendencies in children is what some groups might say; however, I would call bullshit. I used the power of the games to let my anger out. Are you mad, throw on some CoD 4 or hell Halo 2 or 3. I used to run lobbies with my buddies just because we could. The competition would make you mad if you lost, but that is for everything. Nobody likes losing (myself for sure) and I would harness that anger and put it back into the game and come out on top. Some anti-gaming groups would even say that games affect your mental health or hinder decision making skills. While I am no expert, my experience, and love for video games begs the difference.

Video Game Traits

While mental health is up for debate because certain games can put people in negative head spaces, for me I have held a mostly positive headspace with the games I play. As for decision making though, I would argue that gamers make better decisions than non-gamers. For instance using Fallout as an example, there are multiple endings, and numerous character interactions, and with this you could make a play-through as similar or different as the player wanted. You could play the game as a complete dick or greatest person since Jesus. But the game let the player decide, so if they wanted to play like they were the devil incarnate, why bat an eye. They are doing this in a game, no real life. Plus if they are like me, they play that way because evil is always more fun than being good. So I get to be evil in games so I do not have to be a dick to people in real life. Games are just an outlet for me, and I enjoy them to their fullest extent.

Do you wanna Play a Game?

That’s a lot to take in about me, I know. The real fun is figuring out which one of us wrote this. We decided what better way to illustrate how games incite thought and creativity then to put you into a game. The first one to guess correctly will be awarded a prize, as well as, being posted on our social wall for proof. Guess away, maybe you’ll form a love for video games.