If Your Life Was a Video Game?

I am an avid gamer, have been since I was about eight years old and I first booted up Pokémon Yellow at Christmas.

Playing through each city and town to the point where I crushed the Elite Four more times than I care to remember. 

Gaming offered an escape and one that offered you the chance to be part of the narrative. Yes, you can pick and choose the genre as you can with a book but games provide you the chance to play the character. No other form of entertainment offer this chance. 

The question I now have as an adult is if my life was a videogame, what would it be and why?

What Would it Be?

We would all like to consider ourselves the hero in our own story but as much as I hate to disappoint people, I am not handy in a battle and would most likely run from a fight, rather than starting it. I imagine most of us would feel the same as 99% of people would rather avoid confrontation than start it. 

• Would you then consider your life to equate more to a rhythm based game such as Guitar Hero or Dance Stage Remix?
• It is possible but then again, how many of us dance our way to work?

If you are anything like me then I barely want to acknowledge myself until my second cup of coffee in the morning and could think of nothing worse. 

Maybe then you would consider yourself to be the next sports star of the future and so Fifa Ultimate Team is your choice? Whilst there is nothing wrong with that I would argue that those who are good enough to be playing sport at that professional level would be and 99% of us are not. 

So it's more difficult than you think. Choose a videogame from the myriad of those that are out there that suits who you are. A game that if your friends booted it up would instantly think of you. 

What Would Mine Be?

My initial reaction when asked this question was Pokémon as I love to collect things. The battling elements of the game appeal in terms of ensuring that my Pokémon are the best in the world, so it would be the ideal challenge.

In terms of realism and the game that most suits me then I would be lost as I do not believe that video games reflect real life. They portray themes and thoughts that can help us think and look at a subject matter in a different way such as Metal Gear Solid and how it shapes the conversation of war and the futility of it all.

Games are a way and means by which we can escape from our surroundings and let our minds wander. This is why they are beautiful, unique and amazing concepts as they provide us with a freedom that real life would never be able to offer. I mean do you really want to play a game about your life and your toilet routines?

With this in mind, I would say that Pokémon would be the game that I would most want to be a part of.

If the real world ended tomorrow and I was provided with a second chance as a character in a game, then Ash Ketchum would be my choice. Being able to explore, challenge and grow my team in a manner that no one has achieved before would be amazing. 

Videogames Are Not Reality

• I do not walk up to a pack of mushrooms thinking that if I eat these then I will grow bigger for the next couple of minutes.
• I do not cruise down the road and consider where to launder my money.

I walk down the road to get to the shops and it is important to realise that the two worlds are very separate. 

I may look at an experience such as Pokémon and wish to lose myself in it for a few hours but that would never happen and really, I would not want that to happen. I imagine that seeing my team of Pokémon faint regularly and then be brought to life would actually be pretty traumatic.

Whilst some cast aspersion on videogames and the apparent damage they can do to the young, I say that is incorrect.

Videogames provide clear age ratings for each experience and when these are adhered to we understand. We know where the line is and appreciate each experience as we age. I for one will not be providing my five-year-old with a copy of the next Grand Theft Auto.

A Final Thought

Videogames are amazing experiences and should be cherished for such. They offer us a window to escape from reality for a few hours. They are not intended to create a sense of FOMO around your reality.

Videogames provide certificates not to prevent fun but to ensure that each experience is appreciated by those who will understand. Those who have reached the correct age are much less likely to be influenced by what they are playing through. This is what can be lost with parents providing children with games too early in their development cycle. 

I for one would love to see my future children pretending to catch Pokemon around the house rather than seeing them attempt to hide their pocket money in the basement. There is no game that will arguably reflect the life in which we are leading and that is more than okay because video games are a break from reality, not a replacement for it.