Tired Yet?

What in games lures a person to sit in front the television to the point that his/her hands ache from the muscle sores? With every button pressing against the seconds that just float away, it doesn’t take a genius to realize that after ten hours of smashing, blocking, or whatever passion drives us, our brain has become “numb”. No, the antidote is not a hot cup of espresso, but a process called sleep that gives the body and mind time to recover. Personally, I do not play many video games, but I do recall the “numb” effect. My hands warm against the PS2 controller, I was awake 3a.m. in the morning. The images on the screen lit my dark bedroom. I was either playing Soulcalibur III or Ark the Lad Twilight of the Spirits. What reason did I have to keep on playing? The games neither advanced my career nor offered a monetary prize, but I was willing to sacrifice my sleep for it. Each game had a set of objectives, which were not out of my comprehension. If they were, would I have kept playing? Probably not. Complexity is not a necessity for a game to be great. I was the protagonist and had to go on a journey to save someone or something.

What kept me in the gaming zone for hours beyond reason is the need to obtain a certain goal, to reach a new level, and to have a source of satisfaction? What if I reached that objective earlier than expected? Well, I push forward onto another one and throw another time limit out there. I tell myself that I will beat this villain by midnight, but sadly it is already 3a.m. and I am still tightly holding onto the controller. I feel more frustrated after each failed attempt and think to myself that this game is keeping me away from the warmth of my bed. Let’s be honest. I was keeping myself awake. The games, with their eye-catching graphics, offered me an engaging world. Wrapped in a ball, the conflicts were simple. If I didn’t win the game, my comrades and I were dead. I was never a fan of morbid endings, so I was determined to give the saving the world things a try. The games offered me different choices, such as which path to travel first, which I enjoyed. What I find different in some games is the saving option. How much I loved just pressing the “Start” button and seeing the option to save. Now, I have to fight across the virtual world in search of the saving spot, which in reality could take over half an hour.
A concept that I found interesting in Chris Crawford’s storytelling book was his view on people in stories. He wrote,

“Stories are about people…Lord of the Rings, for example, is not about the ring, but about Frodo’s struggle. Replacing the ring with a magic sock or a hat or eyeglasses would not have changed the story much. Replacing Frodo with, say, Han Solo, Don Quixote, or Huck Finn would have changed the story beyond recognition.”

In truth, Soulcalibur III and Ark the Lad Twilight of the Spirits both contain tales of betrayals, friendship development, and other fragments of being “human.” I find that these pieces bridge a connection between the player and the character. As the story unfolds all its layers, it is hard to imagine another character playing the central role(s) other then the character(s) casted. I am a fan of the show Friends and after watching all ten seasons, I find it difficult to imagine another actress playing Monica. With the help of the writers, Courtney Cox has brought life to one of the beloved characters on the show.