What Would the World Be like without Video Games
- Thread starter Xenenon
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Without games, we'd find something else to occupy our leisure hours. I'd go back to reading a lot more (which I really should be doing), and play as a loose concept wouldn't disappear without video games. You'd end up with correspondence chess message boards, book clubs, movie-going groups and all sorts of other things.
We're just conditioned to think this would be lame because, well, most of us haven't lived for weeks on end without power or some sort of backup generator. If there's any other Quebec natives on the board, you might remember 1995's epic ice storm. Most of us in the Saint Lawrence valley lost power for almost two months.
Two entire months without gaming of any kind whatsoever. I ended up reading a fuckton of books by candlelight, playing board games and coaxing some of my friends into starting up a Vampire: the Masquerade campaign, which we had the time to carry to its very end.
Sure, most of the food we ate was undercooked and we saw folks getting carted off by the Army because of their homes being just plain unsanitary without power to facilitate upkeep and with the coldest nights making things hard as shit - but we kept ourselves sane and entertained.
So, a world without vijamagaems? I'd regret that, but I'd totally survive.
CAPTCHA: you win.
Why thank you, Captcha.
We're just conditioned to think this would be lame because, well, most of us haven't lived for weeks on end without power or some sort of backup generator. If there's any other Quebec natives on the board, you might remember 1995's epic ice storm. Most of us in the Saint Lawrence valley lost power for almost two months.
Two entire months without gaming of any kind whatsoever. I ended up reading a fuckton of books by candlelight, playing board games and coaxing some of my friends into starting up a Vampire: the Masquerade campaign, which we had the time to carry to its very end.
Sure, most of the food we ate was undercooked and we saw folks getting carted off by the Army because of their homes being just plain unsanitary without power to facilitate upkeep and with the coldest nights making things hard as shit - but we kept ourselves sane and entertained.
So, a world without vijamagaems? I'd regret that, but I'd totally survive.
CAPTCHA: you win.
Why thank you, Captcha.
Speaking from the perspective of a guy who has spent 13 years out of 17 gaming...
Incredibly depressing.
Incredibly depressing.
Not too different.
There's zillions of ways to amuse oneself besides videogames like say playing airsoft/paintball, hiking, partying the like.
There's zillions of ways to amuse oneself besides videogames like say playing airsoft/paintball, hiking, partying the like.
We would all be more bored and angry. Nihilism and self destructive behaviour would be even more prevalent. Probably there would be a revolution.
I dunno, but one thing for sure: I would have shot myself from severe depression in this alternate world.
Well, there'd be no apocalypse, or anything. I mean, the world got along fine before they came along.
This alternate world WOULD be, however, severely lagging behind our world in terms of technology of many varieties, as well as in artistic and economic development.
I once wrote an (admittedly condensed) essay about the societal contributions of the interactive media.
That said, it seems a rather impossible situation; as media has evolved artistically and technologically its naturally grown to encompass more and more of our cognitive processes. First we saw situations explained, then we listened to them explained, then we saw them played out, then we saw AND heard them played out, then we played them out ourselves. Interaction was always a logical conclusion to media development, and I doubt it could be avoided barring some massive technology-altering world event.
This alternate world WOULD be, however, severely lagging behind our world in terms of technology of many varieties, as well as in artistic and economic development.
I once wrote an (admittedly condensed) essay about the societal contributions of the interactive media.
That said, it seems a rather impossible situation; as media has evolved artistically and technologically its naturally grown to encompass more and more of our cognitive processes. First we saw situations explained, then we listened to them explained, then we saw them played out, then we saw AND heard them played out, then we played them out ourselves. Interaction was always a logical conclusion to media development, and I doubt it could be avoided barring some massive technology-altering world event.
