Gamers logo

Pressing the Button

A Creative Escape into Video Games

By ADPublished 3 years ago 7 min read
1
Shy Guy (by Rich Bloom) Trapped In A Broken Frame

Since before I was even able to read the instructions to various tabletop or video games, I knew how to play them. When I was too young to communicate with the people around me, and the dinner table conversations of politics and the economy constantly flew over my head, I would interact with the worlds that made perfect sense to me: the interactive worlds of a shared make-believe. Little did my parents know, and little did I know being as little as I was, what a large part of my life this would become. Listen, I could type a summary about how video games and tabletop role play games are just a great pass time, how it is simple mindless fun, and I could tell you that it is a hobby as simple as any other; but it is not that simple and matter-of-fact. This art form that is rarely taken seriously, these shared experiences among nerds across the world, they help shape their lives. Personally, I can respect a page turning novel, a thought-provoking film, or the passion behind a sport, but none of them struck the same chord with me the way the games did. At first, I was drawn into these games by their inspired settings, fantastic characters, and the artistic designs that brought them together; each game you could tell something about its message and audience just by watching their trailers online. What soundtrack did the artists create? What hero do the developers want me to play? Is this the next investment I want to make in my hobby? When I would walk into my local game store and purchase a game, I assumed that I was buying an interactive movie, but really I was helping crowdfund a community. But what makes these games so important to our community? What is it that takes this beyond being just a movie that has buttons attached to it?

When I was five, I beat a challenge in Red Dead Revolver that my father was stuck on. It was hilarious, as a five year old that was too young to even know how to spell the word ‘cowboy’ could shoot a virtual gun better than his father, who was a veteran of shooting guns, just not in the digital realm. Ignoring the fact that I was entirely too young to be playing a video game about bounty hunting, it didn't take reading an instruction manual to discover what I was good at, and since then I never let go. This is my oldest memory to this day, because it was the first time I was proud of myself; usually sons have to wait until they are in their twenties to outdo their fathers. To this day, I still tease my father about how I beat the game before he did.

When I was six years old, my cousin and I played Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask every holiday that we spent at our grandmother’s house. These were often the only times we saw each other, and this game became our own holiday tradition that just the two of us shared. Majora’s Mask is about reliving the past over and over, seeing what differences you can make with the short period of time the game gave you; I suppose I let myself cling onto the past as well, keeping our tradition alive by doing the same thing each year. Majora’s Mask was not the only Legend of Zelda game that I enjoyed with my family.

When I was sixteen, my brothers and I were thrilled when Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released. This game instantly became historical, known for the vast open world left for the players to explore for over a hundred hours. Although I can not tell you what the deserts of Egypt are like, all three of us have fond memories of the dunes of Gerudo Valley. I always would argue with my oldest brother that Gorons, who lived below Death Mountain and who value strength, honor, and innovation, were much better than the Ritos from the Tabantha Frontier, who are so full of pride it is baffling someone would call them the best Hylian tribe. My point being: what we lacked in “real world” culture we more than made up for with the fantasy culture we shared.

Moving to college at eighteen, I struggled with the change of pace and scenery. If you have not figured it out by now, I barely left the house. On days that I found myself reminiscing over the games we used to play, I yearned for some way to recapture that memory. Thankfully for us, in the modern era you can play games with your loved ones from anywhere around the globe. Whether it be on a console in your home, a laptop on the go, or even in the phone that was never further than our pockets, we were always connected through the activity that founded our bonds together But, alas, I could not spend all of my time just with people from back home, though I had to make new friends during my college experience. I just needed to find a group where I had something in common with them, so I checked out tabletop games.

Table top games are where I discovered games could be a tool for figuring out who you really are. Tabletop games give you the opportunity to custom create your own character and your own story. You could play any protagonist you want detailed however you would like. I was unsure of where I stood on religion at the time, so I played a variety of holy knights, wise priests, and stoic monks, and eventually found the answers I was looking for about my own beliefs. It is easier to speak openly and honestly about your relationship to any deity you believe in when that deity is “Tyr, the God of Order.” I struggled with understanding sexuality and gender identity, so I created characters across the spectrum, slowly piecing together where I felt most comfortable. When hiding behind the mask of being a half-elven prince from a lost nation it becomes less awkward to discover whether you are straight, gay, binary or non-binary. When I was low on confidence, I played competent characters with optimized skills and abilities to prove I could impress those around me when I put the effort into it. I may not have been the greatest at physics or trigonometry, but I was always the one who knew the secrets behind making the most powerful heroes at my friends’ tables. These games weren’t just our excuses to eat snacks and sit around, it was an opportunity to find yourself during a time of uncertainty.

When I was twenty-one years old, I was finishing college and playing Red Dead Redemption 2 with one of my best friends. The series that filled me with the confidence to be a gamer was there for me sixteen years later on my graduation from university and my first steps into true adulthood. When the struggles of life are weighing me down, I sit down and I play games. I play games because it is a tradition that I share with family, it is how I made friends in new places, and it helped me find out who I really was. Gaming is not just my hobby, it is my community, it is my lifestyle. Now that I am two years out of college, living in a post Covid-19 world, I believe I have discovered a sense of purpose in life. I spent my whole life playing games and now it is time to start making games. I know somewhere out there are three bored siblings, two distant cousins, and a young adult on their own for the first time, and I intend to help them just as those before me helped me.

interview
1

About the Creator

AD

Journaling as a hobby until it becomes something more.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.