Lost In Cyberspace

According to publications.mediapost.com...

"Consider the following demographics: Of 100 million video game consoles in u.s. households (according to The NPD Group), the largest audience segment is 18- to 34-year-olds, at 40 percent of the market, followed by 35-plus and 13- to 17-year-olds, both at 18 percent. Perhaps the most surprising statistic is that while 82 percent of games are bought by or for men, the total console gaming audience is actually 43 percent female and 57 percent male."

I still remember that Christmas morning when I tore the paper off that familiar shaped box and received for the first time my very own Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Thus began a lifelong relationship involving moments of joy, frustration, and countless hours spent in front of the TV at 4am. To this day, I still play video games on what I would call a casual basis. The little Nintendo that I once loved now sits in a box packed away in a closet. In 2007, we have more than the 32bit, side scrolling, d-pad functioning consoles.

Today, the avid gamer has a wide variety of gaming interfaces to choose from. Does he want the convenience and portability of a hand-held like a PSP or a Nintendo DS? Or does he desire a visual power house like PS3 or XBOX 360? Perhaps innovation and creativity is his thing, in that case he may choose a Wii. If nothing else tickles his fancy, he can always be a PC gamer. (Although highly customizable, the PC is expensive to keep updated and usually suffers neglect in terms of quality gaming titles offered to consoles). Not only is there variety in the gaming industry in terms of brands and consoles, players can now connect to each other via the internet. No longer do you have to invite all your buds over in order to face off with each other to see who is the best (remember that 'system link' itself is a relatively young technology). This added element provides players with convenience, a massive supply of competition, and social networking that would otherwise be unachievable. According to Bungie.net, the creator of the popular 'Halo' franchise, over 2 million online matches are logged in Halo 3 every 24 hours. MMO's like World of Warcraft and EverQuest put players into a fantasy role playing environment where they can team up with other players in order to achieve mutual goals. Even the Nintendo DS allows players to hook up to the internet via any wireless connection and compete with other players from around the world. As we can see, gaming has come along way from Pong, and will surely continue to grow exponentially in the coming years.

Gaming has only one purpose, that is to entertain. Playing video games is meant to be a recreation that one engages in during free time. Gaming can even relax people and allow for a time of mild bonding and socializing when a group of friends get together to compete. People like playing games, it's a part of who we are and must be embraced on a healthy level.

But of course, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.

During my senior year of high school, Halo 2 was released for the Xbox. Now, if you don't know what Halo is, you have been severely disconnected from pop culture for a long time. Not only was this game one of the most highly anticipated sequels (to the legendary Halo: Combat Evolved) in the history of the gaming industry, it allowed you to go online and play with or against your friends. To the Halo fan, this was an answer to prayer. You could finally play your friends without having to share your TV screen or 'wait your turn'! You were also given the ability to form clans, create a friends list, send messages, and the state-of-the-art Match Maker found other players and set up matches ~for you~, you didn't have to do a thing! Only the Gospel was better news.

If you were a 17 year old boy, you were getting Halo 2 or knew someone who was, no questions asked. I happened to be a 17 year old boy at the time. Therefore, I purchased Halo 2 and received it 2 days after its release (I pre-ordered the game online). I remember playing this game for the first time and immediately getting hooked. During Christmas vacation, I spent close to 8-10 hours a day playing Halo 2 online. To me, it was OK because most of my friends were online doing the same thing. I didn't feel I was missing out on any social interaction since they were there with me in the game. Unfortunately, I had a really hard time letting go once school started again. I now had to go to sleep at a reasonable hour, set aside time for homework, and take on the responsibility of completing the projects I was assigned for school. Scaling down my time and going cold turkey wasn't good enough for me, I simply loved the game too much. The following Spring I canceled my online account and sold my Xbox.

Since then, I've had my ups and downs with spending too much time playing games. However, I can safely say that I am not addicted to gaming. I must constantly check myself in order to be sure that I'm treating it as a recreation rather than a need. Like anything else, gaming can take over your life- if you let it. There is so much available to us in terms of entertainment, especially in the gaming industry. If gaming is your thing, have fun with it. But be careful that you don't let yourself turn a silly game into an idol and spend all your time getting fat in front of the TV.