The Sin of Gaming
Posted on Feb 18, 2011 by Michael Gugel in Gaming, Psychology
Gluttony and lust are sins because they're pointless pleasure.
If you knew nothing about me, what kind of impression would you get if I told you that:
- I just read a book for 30 minutes
- I just listened to a music album for 30 minutes
- I just watched a movie for 30 minutes
- I just watched TV for 30 minutes
- I just played a video game for 30 minutes
Most people would say that I’m probably a more productive member of society if I told them #1. As you go down the list, people start to think of me as less and less productive :/
Why do games get such a bad rap? Why do parents praise their kids for reading, but scold them for playing too many video games?
It’s because society hates POINTLESS PLEASURE. There’s some kind of underlying notion that we shouldn’t do something just for pleasure’s sake:
Wanna eat cause you’re hungry? No problem!
Wanna to eat a bunch cause it taste’s good? That’s gluttony!
Wanna have sex to make babies? Go for it!
Wanna have sex for fun? Shame, shame, shame.
Unfortunately, for most people, video games fall into that “pointless pleasure” bucket too.
- Books dodge the bullet because they CAN be educational.
- Music CAN be inspirational.
- Movies / television CAN give you a new perspective on things.
The good news is that the trend towards video games providing societal benefit is on the rise. We already have educational games for kids, flight simulators for pilots, combat simulators for the armed forces, etc. As games demonstrate more and more social utility, they’ll become increasingly socially accepted, and ultimately, that will drive more sales.
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