The life of a gamer is one filled with twists and turns of realms not comprehendible to a non-gamer, filled with vocabulary endemic to their world. Yet another level to be cleared, another conquest to be conquered, these are the terms and approaches frequently used by a gamer.
A friend of mine, who was an avid gamer, spoke to me about the thought process of a gamer. “Prince of Persia, Assassin’s creed, Burnout Paradise, Need for speed, X-men are my favourite,” he says. He is someone who is much revered in the gaming sphere for his expertise and technique in clearing levels of varied difficulties.
Long hours of continuous gaming leave no space and time for a social life. Gamers isolate themselves into their own cocoon. They are secluded from those around them and there are cases where they cannot initiate and sustain conversations, as they are completely absorbed into that particular detail of a specific game. Their minds are constantly racing, churning out strategies for the next battle even when they are not playing. Spending so much time comes with many perils. “It is true that we spend so much time on this, however, once we succeed, that gives us a sense of accomplishment,” he declares.
Sitting in the same place, without any toilet breaks, water breaks, food breaks! One might wonder to what extent they would go! “Gaming is becoming an industry where there are many people who get paid to teach other gamers. I know so many who do it and earn a lot of money,” he reveals. People no longer look at gaming from a pure leisure perspective. It is taken very seriously. Sometimes, it is approached at with an element of competition in mind.
“Lately, I have looked at how much time I am spending with the games and I have been having more time now to do other things,” he reflects. Maybe it is true what they say, “You can take the player out of the game, but you can’t take the game out of the player.”
