The Game’s the Thing

“Years ago, I was asked by a non-gaming friend to explain the attraction of gaming, specifically playing MMOs. ‘It just makes no sense,’ she said to me. ‘Why do you want to pretend to be someone else, in a made-up place, with a bunch of other people who are pretending to be someone else?’

I remember shrugging and saying, ‘I don’t know, exactly. You read novels, right?’ She did, and nodded. ‘Well,’ I asked, ‘What’s the attraction of reading something that came from someone else’s imagination, that is explicitly untrue, and that only ends up existing in your head?’

She smiled and said, ‘You got me.’

I’m not saying playing games is the same as reading. And I’m not saying that doing one in any way replaces doing the other. But there are stories in games. And there is imagination, strategy, thinking, creativity, fun, friendship and community. Those are all things I hope my son can find at every library he encounters.” [WorldCat Blog]