Why Do Gamers Game?

My friend was given a topic by her professor at university, which in a nutshell asked, "Why do gamers game?" and it got me thinking. "Why do I game?" Surely there must be some official reason, that sounds better than saying, "because I like to fus-ro-dah things off of cliffs, playing in the woods with skull kid, jumping around Orgrimmar, and driving Mongooses over grav lifts!" Yeah, it's a little mind boggling when you think about it, but there's a reason behind why every gamer games.

For one, I grew up around gaming. Being the only sibling my brother has, he has always asked me to play games with him. I always wanted to be like my brother, so the day he asked me to play video games with him, I was in all my glory. The first game we ever played together was Mario Kart 64, but I had been playing the Super Nintendo (being about 4 years old it was probably entertaining) before that. Currently, I game not just because I have done it since I was young, but because it is my stress reliever. I like many things. I like cooking, playing music, drawing, you name it, but none of them compare to gaming when I want to RELAX. I've been through a lot of rough things in my life, and gaming has helped me to cope. It's helped me to take my mind off of things. It helps me to escape reality.

That's when I realized it. You may be thinking to yourself, "Well, duh!" but I never really thought about that for myself. Sometimes I wish I was someone else, or lived a different life. No, I'm not depressed by any means, but sometimes, I just wish I could change some things that can't be changed. I realized that I can change by leaving this reality for a while, and feeling like part of another one. I can feel like a different person by technically playing through a story as a different person. I can feel like I'm making a profound difference and impact by accomplishing things in a virtual universe that feels very much real. We can experiment with our characters in ways that give us more knowledge about ourselves, teaching us about actions we would do in real life, and ones that are just results of mere curiosity and/or fantasy.

Analyzing this truly makes me understand why some people become so crazily addicted to games: because gaming makes reality feel less gratifying, and makes us feel like we have less influence.

I understand some of you may whole-heartedly disagree, and I just want you to know, that this post is my mere interpretation. I'm not saying, "this is how it is for everyone", but out of my experiences, and others that I know, I can say this is what I have learned from gaming and what I have taken from it. I truly love how we can express ourselves through fantasy universes that feel so vibrant and alive. It makes it hard to understand how people don't enjoy gaming.  To each is own, but when you have the time and just want to go somewhere else, and be someone else, gaming is truly extraordinary and a beautiful experience.

What do you think about all of it? Why do YOU game? Come listen to the Skyrim OST, the 10 hour crackling fire, and tell me your story. I wanna hear it.