Defending Video Games: Escapism is Not the Same as Addiction

by Alex Balderas

Last month, I had my now-yearly dose of escapism: I went away from June 7th to June 10th to the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. For those not familiar with music festivals of that scale, this is what you need to know about Bonnaroo: you show up at the Bonnaroo farms in Tennessee, park your car, set your tent and camping equipment among tens of thousands of other attendees, put on lots and lots of sunblock, drink yourself a good time, walk over to the main festival grounds, see your favorite bands give some of their very best live performances ever to some of the liveliest crowds around, nap under a tree’s shade, then rave to your favorite DJs late into the night (or morning). Then, you go to sleep, you wake up, and you rinse and repeat for another 3 consecutive days.

Escapism at its best.

It truly is a unique experience, but perhaps the Bonnaroo organizers can explain it better than I possibly could:

BE IN HERE
Your Bonnaroo is a snowflake that will soon melt. Leave the world Out There out there, and while you’re In Here, take advantage of your one shot to make the most of your experience. Savor every flavorful moment. (Bonnaroovian Code)

Sound familiar? That process, to “leave the world Out There out there”, is exactly what gamers go through with major game releases. Did you stay the whole weekend at home so you could play the new Legend of Zelda game without interruptions? Did you buy the game on day 1 and immediately put it in your disc drive the moment you got home? Did you use one of your vacation days at work so you could take advantage of a “long weekend” to try and finish the game before the dreaded Monday came? Or, if you didn’t finish it and stayed up playing very late on Sunday night, did you call in sick in the morning? If so, be warned: you might be suffering from a serious sociological disorder called videogame escapism.

“That’s it: no more videogames for you.”

But, is it really escapism? After all, every single one of those steps are also taken when booking a certain special “weekend getaway”. Many families are known to take long weekends to visit the Grand Canyon (to the demise of children, who have no interest in seeing gigantic rocks outside of Halo); my own brother took a couple of days off work so we could drive together to the Bonnaroo festival; even Christmas and New Year festivities are very much treated like special getaways, with some corporations giving their employees the chance to go home and be with their families for a time, without (work-related) worries.

So it is with videogames. When you went to the store for the midnight release of Mass Effect 3, you knew none of your friends were going to get ahold of you anytime soon, and that was fine because that weekend was for you alone. Maybe they actually did, or maybe you got bored of the game and returned to your real life, but hey, that’s no different than finding out George Washington’s gigantic rocky head is a tad overrated.

BOOOORIIIIIING

The point is, when you buy a game that you know will require a considerable time investment you prepare yourself: you warn your friends, you maybe take a day off work, and you even pray nothing out of your control will force your journey to end too soon. You take the same precautions as you would before a 4-day summer festival, so the next time you stand in line for the midnight release of “Space Romance Conversation Shootout 3″, don’t admonish yourself for the shameless 40 hours you’re about to spend sitting in the sofa, with lots of booze and little sleep or food. Sometimes, it’s not escapism; it’s a getaway.

Even if the getaway ends with you getting fired, evicted, and forced to live in a tent city.

Still a better ending than Mass Effect 3.

Big D

I love to play video games and everything but if this article describes you then yeah...you have a problem. I do video games around my life not the other way around. For example, instead of missing work for video games, I play my portables on my lunch break and my consoles a few hours in the evening. Any time you're socluding yourself from your friends or the convienently unmentioned (or more than likely non-existant) signficant other, you have a problem. I agree that we all need a break from everyday life sometimes. I take off from work maybe once a month just to relax and have a day to myself. I usually plan to spend the day playing video games but always end up spending most of the time doing more important stuff life running errands that I'd put off for awhile because I simply don't have the time during the week (mowing the lawn, getting an oil change, grocery shopping, etc). A 3 to 4 day binge of doing any one thing just sounds unhealthy and unbalanced.

Alex Balderas

This article is actually less based on my own life than on what I've seen and heard of fellow gamers and writers, Big Drizzle. Indeed, not all working adults will have the same routine: some may be working a desk job, 40 hours a week; others may work months at a time inspecting oil rigs followed by a 2 week vacation. Quite simply, not just because you in your life are unable to do it, does it mean everyone is or should be. Either way, you are not addressing the main point of this article: if you have such harsh words to say of gamers that take a Friday off to play games all weekend, what do you have to say of a white collar worker that uses two of his vacation days so he can attend in full a summer music festival? What do you call the guy that takes the entire week off so he can take his family to Disney Land? Of you are going to pick and choose which are acceptable and which aren't, just realize that judgment will be very different for other people, and they will also have legitimate reasons.

Big D

I wasn't necessary referring to just you but to anyone who reads the article and can relate wholeheartedly to it. Honestly, to white collar worker that takes to vacation days off JUST to do what was described in the article...I'd say has a problem too. Four straight days of drinking and partying...maybe a one in life time experience but if this is how they regularly "get away" then they have a lot of growing up to do. More than likely, a week off to "Disney land" is a week off to Cali where there is more to do and experience other than Disney with...wait for it...HIS FAMILY! And the difference between that and gaming is that the person has cut themselves off soically from the rest of the world. Like I said, its just unhealthy to sit for 3 to 4 days in front of a tv and not interact with anyone and to deprive yourself of essential things like food & sleep.

Mike D.

If you think four days off of work to visit a musical festival ONCE A YEAR is immature, I'm not sure what to make of your comment. Far be it from me to judge others vacationing habits. And I don't recall reading Alex's post saying that three days off requires absolutely NOTHING outside of gaming. I've taken days off, like for Prime 3, where I'd marathon for three or four hours, get up, get some groceries, come home, play another hour or two, work out and shower, then play a bit more. If you think I have a "problem" for enjoying myself on those days, perhaps you ought not be quite so judgmental.

Alex Balderas

I don't want to pick at your whole post but I'll comment on this: if you never have to "get away" from your work and/or your family (and even relationships) then man, you are one lucky dude. Seriously, why are you even on a videogame website? You have a family you don't have to get away from and a job you don't have to get away from. Your life is so good that you feel you have to give advice to other people on the internet. Seriously man, go enjoy that stuff before you lose your good luck. All I'll say man: people escaping to videogames is NOT a problem; people escaping to videogames HAVE OTHER PROBLEMS that they're escaping from.

Big D

Not to mentioning standing outside at 12 am for a pre-order you can pick up the next day. And 40 hours with little to no food or sleep...GET HELP!

10 comments

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Theresa

Escapism. Yeah, I've written about it and I'm guilty of it. Very Guilty. And I've done a lot of what you said. When Diablo 3 came out I told everyone that I was going to disappear for 15-20 hours as I was preparing for a crazy session. Unfortunately, people didn't play with me so it didn't end up being so crazy. My ex-partner knew that when certain games released, she would barely see me for a few days. I disagree with Big D. There is nothing wrong with a little escapism every now and then. I definitely understand the need to get away. Also, a video game weekend cost a hell of a lot less and can be much more relaxing than a trip to Disney Land.

Great article, and I completely agree. I remember in the lead up to Other M and Skyward Sword, I thought: "man, I hope I don't get hit by a bus and die before I have a chance to play it."

ab5olut10n

The 'demise' of children? I'm hoping you meant 'dismay'.

You put too much stock in popular phrases. Just watch, in 200 years the phrase "to the dismay of..." will have faded into oblivion, and the vastly superior "to the demise of..." will be heard in households and congress alike.