Five Reasons Why I'm Still a Gamer

I've been a gamer since I was five years old. I first started by playing Super Mario World for the SNES, and my entire childhood was defined by that machine. Twenty four years later, here I am, making a blog about video games. In many ways, I've not changed since I was a child. I've been asked before, though, on why I'm still gaming, why I haven't "grown up" and be like the rest of my peers. These are my five reasons why I'm still a gamer.

1- Whenever I play a good video game, it's like being taken to another world, another existence. Whenever I play, for example, Final Fantasy Tactics, I am taken to a world of political intrigue, class warfare, where magic is as real and mundane as politicians. In contrast, whenever I play Harvest Moon, I am taken to a world of peace and joy, where mankind lives in harmony with nature, and where the call to agriculture is a noble endeavor. It's comparable to how a good book takes you away to another world, absorbs you into the experience; Beowulf takes you to the era of vikings and sea monsters, while Hard Times takes you to 19th century Industrial England. It's the exact same thing to me. Video games stimulate my imagination, help expand it.

2- Video games make me feel good about myself. Whenever I play a video game, I feel like a genius, like someone talented, a real winner. It's that feeling you get when you, for example, complete a speed run of Green Hill Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog in under a minute without suffering any damage, or when you get a Pentakill in League of Legends, or when you beat that super hard boss you've spent hours formulating a strategy to defeat because that was the tenth time it beat you. And I know I can get that feeling by playing basketball, baseball, or any other sport, but I'm no athlete. I've never been an athlete...

3- Playing video games takes away from the negativity in my life. Growing up, I was bullied, a lot. And I don't mean just teasing, I was often physically bullied too; I had rocks thrown at me, I would get slapped upside my head, my penis would be punched, etc. I had a lot of trouble making friends (not that I didn't make any, mind you) and often I felt no one liked me. Video games helped me forget that, if only for a short while. Even in my adulthood I face a lot of negativity: unemployment, debt, loneliness, and disappointment after disappointment. Gaming helps me forget that, brings a little joy to my life.

4- Gaming has been a big part of my life because I see the beauty in gaming. Gaming offers me experiences that nothing else can even hope to do. In Harvest Moon I can be a farmer living an idyllic life with a wife and child, likewise in Sonic the Hedgehog I can run faster than sound and save the world. In Dragon Quest or Legend of Zelda I can be the hero that saves people from evil, while in Grand Theft Auto I can be the crazed criminal who goes around shooting people. I can explore the stars in Halo or swim with the whales in Endless Ocean. I can feel like the world's best player in any MOBA or MMORPG I can find, or I can be the spectator to a brilliant epic on any RPG I can get my hands on. I can make myself into a hero with Elder's Scrolls or I can see the hero's journey in Final Fantasy. Gaming is amazing to me, it's beautiful beyond words.

5- I play video games because video games are fun! Really, do I need a better reason than that?