Digital Life

[Mongerty]

The Struggle of Gamers
A look into the digital generation

I had an epiphany the other day, while looking back at my life as a gamer. It really is something that I feel will be more apparent to all of you as you grow and other things come up in your life that will take your attention away from games.

To start, I need to go back to my first video game experience. When I was young (can’t remember the age, but let’s say 6 or 7) my parents bought my older brother a SNES. We played Super Mario Land for years after that, even after we had upgraded to a Nintendo 64. I still remember the nights I spent in my parent’s room, playing with my brother from the time school was out until our bedtime.

Nothing really changed my habits. My best birthday was when my parents surprised me with a Nintendo 64 and a copy of “Shadows of the Empire�. That led to my addiction to Nintendo. I eventually got a Game Boy Color and all of the Pokemon games available (thus far, my family has owned at least one of each generation). Then the countless nights wasted playing Red Alert and Tiberian Sun on my computer.

Me as a child

It was not until 8^th grade that the Xbox was released, and I was introduced to marathon multiplayer. We would go to lock-ins and play Halo from 7pm to noon the next day. Xbox Live, and Xbox 360, basically, my high school and most of my college years were spent playing games when I was not at work or school. Instead of bonfires and parties, my life was more focused on Achievements and Midnight releases. (I still remember standing in line for a PS3 when I worked at Target, just so my friend could get one with my employee discount). Sure, I have friends who share the same common bond (Real friends, I should add), but I feel like games took priority over even these relationships.

To The Point

“Mongerty, why are you sharing this information? I really could care less about your life. Quit begging for attention.� You know you thought it, but trust me, I was just setting up for the real focus of my article. As a gamer, do you have trouble fitting in gaming with everything else? In the past 4 years I have done a balancing act of social activities, school, work and gaming. Looking back, maybe I should have spent more time with family instead of playing my Game Boy during Thanksgiving break.

Living life as a gamer is not easy. We are not lazy people, who are just playing games to pass the time. We have ranks to keep up with, things to unlock, and characters to level up. Sure, we enjoy it, but we also feel obligated to keep appearances up (anyone who has played WoW knows this). If I am offline for a few weeks, I get people from RUL asking where I have been, and friends I know only through Xbox Live sending me messages. It is a second social group that I must keep up with, and that is the hook.

It is not a problem that only gamers have. I know a lot of people who feel like they need to update facebook and Twitter on an hour by hour basis. Digital lives are increasingly important, and it is just recently that the mainstream population is getting a taste of what gamers have been dealing with for years.

Digital Existence

Even our relationships with the people we see everyday are becoming more and more digital. Text message instead of talking, facebooking relationship issues, even sharing personal information and meeting new people. Where is it that we as gamers need to cut back? We suffer from what could be considered a “Digital Overload�. Right now, I have my phone set to notify me for E-mail, Text, facebook messages, Twitter updates, RUL messages, Homework updates on Blackboard and even Xbox profile settings. Heck, I even have the Poke’walker from Heart Gold in my pocket during class. One could say that my digital life is just as important as my real life, if not more. If I were to cut all of these things off, and just focus on calling people, I can almost guarantee I would not get a hold of very many people, and would do almost nothing in my “Real� life because they are so intertwined at this point.

It is easy to say that you are different. Those who are insecure will criticize others about it, while in the end they are just the same. It has honestly taken me until my college years to truly become proud of being a gamer. I no longer hide the fact when meeting new people, and it is often a talking point when introducing myself to others. (Even girls… GASP!)

The fact of the matter is, you cannot fight it. Those who embrace this new life are the people who are moving ahead. To the point, how do you guys (as a community) feel about this? Is it positive for us as a society to focus so much on our digital lives that we often push aside those around us? Is social interaction really a substitute for a good face to face?

Thanks for reading guys,

Craig (Mongerty)

This editorial is purely for entertainment, and are my sole opinions. Feel free to comment or to suggest new topics. I plan on doing this at least once a month from now on.

[Darth1Nader]

Can I have your babies? I love you right now.

On a serious note.... I enjoyed reading it. I was entertained.

Do you mind if I send this (or at least parts of it) to my friends to help explain why I do spend so much time on my xbox? I will give you full credit

[Swordspree28]

I understand. Sometimes I feel the same way.

[Jawwi]

Wow, I almost feel the same way you do. I just adapted into saying that I am a gamer. I used to be shy about it. More and more people at my school are like OMFG MW2?! and what not. I am a gamer, but not an addict. I can put the controller down. I am kinda of a social butterfly also. I don't really need games but they entertain me and I love them.

[Greenskull]

F-ing brilliant article, Mongerty. Well-done!

[BladesofBlood]

i was never shy about it

[Jawwi]

i was never shy about it

Liar

[Nova102]

I can never agree more with what you just said.