I started writing why... But it ended up being a few pages long.
So I'll make it short, a TL;DR version of my original post if you will.
Gaming is my gateway to my childhood, it is what I've always held dear, what has helped me through the rough time, what has made my good times even more magical. It is something that I share with friends, that I experience with those closest (and incidentally youngest) among my family, it is a road full of innovation, full of marvel, of splendor, of that sensation of wonder, of wild mindless fun, of introspection, of thought and imagination.
It is unlike any art, where a child can be brimming full of imagination, he can present it with a drawing or a portrait, he can express it's sensation and emotion with music, he can create the representation of a world's story through cinema. But with games, he can find that world created in full, an experience one can fully explore, like a gateway to a new world.
Nothing like the holodecks of the Star Trek series, but nevertheless, as close as we can get to creating a fully immersive world.
It's the pass time that's taken hours of my life and given me in return much joy, memories and pleasant times with friends. It's the adventures that has caused me to look deep into myself, to ponder the world, to think of what is right and wrong, to romanticize at times and at others to look at theoretical situation with grave realism. It provided me with my sense of right and wrong, enabled me to display more of my self and discard any mask or masquerade that I've held, as many did, during their childhood or their teenage years. It enabled me to find greater courage through knowing myself and the world better.
It provided me with positive growth, and to this day, still continues to marvel me in new and exciting ways.
It is imagination rendered real and palatable, it is childhood incarnate and reasonable maturity whenever it wishes. it's zany, it's freaky, it's looney, it's special, it's wonderful, it's beautiful, it's touching, it's a friend when you're in need, it's a mentor if you so will it, it's a light that helps you find your path if you are wise enough to find it, it is an escape, sweet as it is, though one that none should find themselves trapped in, like with any other form of escapism, such as writing, reading, sports and whatnot.
It is something to balance in our daily lives, and it is worth defending for all the rights it has done in my life, and the very, very few wrongs it has done to me. It is a new marvel which the minds and hearts of mankind have created, it is at times tainted, at times pure.
And that to me, is gaming. And why I loved it, love it, and will probably forever love it through my many years to come, as well as why I will defend it, rationally, calmly, without wanting to taint it's meaning to me, or to drive away others from experiencing it's wonders.
Because I don't want some dickheads like the folks over at California trying to fuck it all up.
And anyways, if they want to start banning violent games (or rather, their sales towards pre-18 years old) that can traumatize kids, whom I will say are typically quite aware of the distance between reality and fantasy if they are raised up right. They should first start with the bible and just about all of the Disney movies from the 80's and 90's. Or be proper their self-righteous ideals and bill the stupid parents who give less then half a fuck about what their kids are doing, then see if the public will give them support for that idea as opposed to one that relies heavily upon the ignorant stereotypical view of gaming borne of boomers over the age of 50 who're far too paranoid of the new, prosecuting it in the same manner as the art of their forefathers were.
..Yes, this IS the TL;DR version. Surprising how freakishly huge it is nevertheless huh?
So I'll make it short, a TL;DR version of my original post if you will.
Gaming is my gateway to my childhood, it is what I've always held dear, what has helped me through the rough time, what has made my good times even more magical. It is something that I share with friends, that I experience with those closest (and incidentally youngest) among my family, it is a road full of innovation, full of marvel, of splendor, of that sensation of wonder, of wild mindless fun, of introspection, of thought and imagination.
It is unlike any art, where a child can be brimming full of imagination, he can present it with a drawing or a portrait, he can express it's sensation and emotion with music, he can create the representation of a world's story through cinema. But with games, he can find that world created in full, an experience one can fully explore, like a gateway to a new world.
Nothing like the holodecks of the Star Trek series, but nevertheless, as close as we can get to creating a fully immersive world.
It's the pass time that's taken hours of my life and given me in return much joy, memories and pleasant times with friends. It's the adventures that has caused me to look deep into myself, to ponder the world, to think of what is right and wrong, to romanticize at times and at others to look at theoretical situation with grave realism. It provided me with my sense of right and wrong, enabled me to display more of my self and discard any mask or masquerade that I've held, as many did, during their childhood or their teenage years. It enabled me to find greater courage through knowing myself and the world better.
It provided me with positive growth, and to this day, still continues to marvel me in new and exciting ways.
It is imagination rendered real and palatable, it is childhood incarnate and reasonable maturity whenever it wishes. it's zany, it's freaky, it's looney, it's special, it's wonderful, it's beautiful, it's touching, it's a friend when you're in need, it's a mentor if you so will it, it's a light that helps you find your path if you are wise enough to find it, it is an escape, sweet as it is, though one that none should find themselves trapped in, like with any other form of escapism, such as writing, reading, sports and whatnot.
It is something to balance in our daily lives, and it is worth defending for all the rights it has done in my life, and the very, very few wrongs it has done to me. It is a new marvel which the minds and hearts of mankind have created, it is at times tainted, at times pure.
And that to me, is gaming. And why I loved it, love it, and will probably forever love it through my many years to come, as well as why I will defend it, rationally, calmly, without wanting to taint it's meaning to me, or to drive away others from experiencing it's wonders.
Because I don't want some dickheads like the folks over at California trying to fuck it all up.
And anyways, if they want to start banning violent games (or rather, their sales towards pre-18 years old) that can traumatize kids, whom I will say are typically quite aware of the distance between reality and fantasy if they are raised up right. They should first start with the bible and just about all of the Disney movies from the 80's and 90's. Or be proper their self-righteous ideals and bill the stupid parents who give less then half a fuck about what their kids are doing, then see if the public will give them support for that idea as opposed to one that relies heavily upon the ignorant stereotypical view of gaming borne of boomers over the age of 50 who're far too paranoid of the new, prosecuting it in the same manner as the art of their forefathers were.
..Yes, this IS the TL;DR version. Surprising how freakishly huge it is nevertheless huh?
