If you kept up with my blogs, by this point you should know
my main hobby is video games. I know it’s not as special as rock climbing or
anything, but it keeps me going, ok? I recently bought a new game and, oh boy,
it is HARD. This game has made me feel every emotion on the spectrum. I’ve been
so happy that I have a constant smile on my face, I’ve been so sad my eyes have
teared up a bit. The main emotion I’ve felt is ANGER. Whenever I die on it I
spiral into a rage so fierce that I wonder why I paid sixty dollars for that piece
of junk. But through the anger, I’ve calmed myself and carried myself through
it. Finishing it today made me so ecstatic that I almost danced into the living
room to tell my brother. When I told him, he gave me the same look my dad
always gives me when he says, “If you put half as much effort you put into
games as you did with school, you’d have all A’s.” Whenever he says this, I
usually ignore him and keep playing, but today I wondered the same thing.
I put so much effort into this game
that I’m actually shocked I was able to beat it. This made me think, “Why do I
quit doing school work when it gets this hard? In this game I pushed and pushed
with “blood and sweat”, why can’t I do that in real life?” That brings up the
thought of the “instant gratification monkey”. There’s a great TED talk about
it right here: http://tinyurl.com/hyek889.
Basically the talk talks about how we do things that make us feel good right
away. Instead of doing e2020 like I planned to this weekend, I played that
game. Why? Because it made me feel like I accomplished something instead of
feeling like I’m getting nowhere on e2020. Sure the game was a lot more
difficult than sitting down and typing for hours, but when I actually defeated
a boss or online player I felt amazing that I completed something so
challenging; and it felt GREAT.
Most people associate this game (If
you’re curious, it’s called Dark Souls 3, a fantasy game like I said two posts
ago) with being extremely difficult, and that’s why I think I like it so much.
I hate simple games where you click one button and a ball shoots or some other
crap like that. I love games where you have to use every sense to know what to
do. Ones where you have to keep track of what just happened while you prepare
for what’s coming up. I got a little off topic right there, I felt like I
needed to explain my addiction/ passion a little better. Today shows me how
easy my plans can get thrown off, just for a quick fix of faux-adrenaline. It
shows me that even though I feel amazing right now, tomorrow I’m probably going
to be really bummed I didn’t finish that e2020. Like my last blog said, gotta
get my priorities straight.
Wow, this really got me thinking about my own habits and priorities. I definitely put more effort into so many other things that are not schoolwork as well, and I’m sure that if I cut them out, I would do so much better. I am actually glad to know that I am not alone. Also, I think, contrary to popular belief, that video games can be beneficial. Like, I have played some that have got me so frustrated because of the difficulty that I just quit. I think it is impressive that you beat one of the hardest games, because that requires skill dude. So, nice job. Good luck on getting your e2020 done!
ReplyDeleteFrank I can absolutely agree with you on everything you just wrote about. The exact game you are talking about has given me the same emotions numerous times, as I know it was made to do this to players. Although most games distract me from duties as well, I can usually correct myself. It's hard to maintain balance in our world when you have priorities and you have wants. But I strongly believe you can complete your e2020 on time, and also make time for games. Good luck brother and good job on your blog.
ReplyDeleteCool blog! I knew you liked video games but I’ve got to tell you, I didn’t know you were that into them. Thats cool though! I have always been bad at video games. Actually, just yesterday I was playing Mario Cart and got last every time, except once, maybe. I never have really gotten the hang of the controller, but I know exactly how much passion you feel for this. I think music for me is video games for you. I would much rather spend hours singing songs, or playing guitar over doing homework. I guess we all have to straighten our priorities. You are not alone there.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I think gamers have better problem solving skills than those who aren't. I have watched Patrick put literally hours into a D&D game but not five minutes into his homework. But I have also seen him spend hours researching Egyptian mythology and culture. I feel it takes someone wanting to be interested in what they are learning. For example; you would be done with e2020 real quick if it had to do with video games, would you not?
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