**update**
I have reached what I hope is a swift yet effective conclusion to this article; feel free to respond with any criticisms and suggestions!
This post is a first draft, I'm requesting feedback on content only at the moment, don't worry, I am well aware of how terrible the structure/grammar/punctuation is.
I'm scrapping my previous narrative design piece on Borderlands as part of my assignment and writing an article instead. I am completely new to this practise and could use a lot of it (practise, ahaha.)
So please I do need feedback on whether this could work as an article subject and if so, whether or not the content I plan on including should be altered, scrapped or works okay. So far I have gotten to the introductory stage and the first "header" I suppose.
Here goes:
The
yearning for alternative realities is a human facet we are all too
familiar with, we read, watch, create, dream and win fictional
arguments in our own heads. Quite often we fantasise about these
scenarios because of something missing from our lives; an emptiness
that can't be filled or a desire to avoid suffering, or so we are
lead to believe. Escapism has, for too long, been weighed down by
negative stigma; we are told that to day-dream is to fill a hole in
our lives, to compensate for something that's missing, while aspects
of that may be true, there is a much deeper side to escapism that
many fail to recognise. To dream and indulge in fiction is to create
or be inspired: the gap we are filling through imagination may one
day fill a niche. Story-telling is considered the earliest variant of
escapism, yet to tell a story is to communicate, educate and spread
creativity, stories were passed on, shared to groups of people and
eventually documented to safeguard that spark. Story-telling evolved
into theatre, theatre evolved into cinema, and alongside the
evolution of art and literature, lead us to video games. Naturally,
the aspects that exist within video games stretch far beyond those
three subjects.
To
those unfamiliar with the industry, the term “video game” may
conjure up notions of pointlessness, many video games are seen as
time wasters or distractions to more important “real world”
issues. “It's just a game”, some would spout, failing to
recognise the depth and relevance to society that video games hold,
having our culture believe that it shouldn't be taken seriously.
Thankfully, however, the questioning of its place in society is
dissipating; there are innumerable articles that highlight the
psychological benefits of video games, as opposed to its detractors,
and in Korea, e-sports has become the fastest growing industry. The
creation surrounding digital games is so vast that it can now be
looked on as an art form; if one considers that art is a form of
expression, then perhaps that is too simplistic of a term. However
like visual art, music, poetry and theatre, video games often absorb
and reflect important issues to their audience, whilst transferring
them to worlds they may only dream of. Of course there is so much
more to the industry than that, but this article will be focusing
primarily on the creative and escapist aspect of video games.
In
contemporary society, video games have expanded far beyond mere
entertainment: they provide canvasses for developers, artists and
gamers alike to re invent themselves, fulfil a sense of wanderlust
and to achieve something far beyond the constraints of reality.
Growing up, I discovered authors such as Tolkien, pratchett and
caroll, I fell in love with the fantastical imagery that fuelled my
childhood adventures, and would beg my parents to read them to me
over and over. This love would later lead to a deep fascination with
literature and an enthusiasm toward video games, discovering the
narratives that flowed through my favourite pass-time and inspiring
me to create. As many of us grow into adult hood we leave behind the
whimsy and wonder of our childhoods for the sake of realism,
unfortunately within the real world a much bleaker narrative is cast,
thanks to global media. Many of us see ourselves as trapped within
this miserable status quo and subsequently suffer, both internally
and externally. Escapism has long been known as a remedy to the
misery that may be thrust upon us in our day to day lives, from the
17th century and the culturally creative solace that
theatre provided for society, to the 19th century
obsession with ceremonial magic, the occult and gothic literature,
and to today's digital dream-scapes that monopolise the entertainment
industry. Escapism has proved its value as a temporary alternative to
a bleaker reality. However, as previously stated, it serves as more
than a mask to life's inevitable problems.
In
a recent GDC talk, game designer Jane McGonigal discusses the two
variants of escapism found in people: self-suppressive and
self-expansion, one being healthy and the other detrimental.In
regards to psychology, humans have been equipped with a plethora of
coping mechanisms, learned or ingrained in our biology for dealing
with negative situations. One format found among gamers is the
aforementioned self suppression, not unlike burying one's head in the
sand. Self-suppression is seen when an individual transports
themselves into a non reality based instance through imagination, as
a means of avoiding life. While it may not sound so bad, studies have
shown that, over time, this can create problems such as depression,
anxiety or psychosis. It is through this mechanism that video games
have garnered a negative image, seen as enabling or perpetuating this
type of behaviour. Self-expansion however, while seemingly similar,
is what I like to call a creative and therapeutic platform, it helps
one deal with problems in a more favourable setting. Through this
mechanism we see the passion and love of the industry, where aspiring
designers, writers, programmers and artists alike are made, hoping to
build up the worlds that helped them initially. I was introduced to
video games during my childhood as a pass-time, they were a fun
mental exercise and bonding experience with my dad, as we pieced
together puzzles and pondered over riddles, or waged war on a
kingdom. In time this transitioned into co-operative gameplay with my
peers. Unfortunately during my adolescence I suffered from
depression, I would find myself spending weeks locked in my room
indulging in fantasy worlds; let me clarify now that this was not an
attempt to shy away from my problems, although at times it did seem
that way, I never pretended the real world didn't exist. Even today
is feels as though the ability to keep my mind as active as possible
during that time is what helped me through it.
Above
the whimsy, entertainment and stimulus provided by video games, they
can be a safe place in which one can heal; the game Snow World is a
notable example. Created to aid burn victims, reports found that
their pain was reduced by 30-50%, saying that it “worked better
than morphine”, Phillip Kollar writes in his blog entry discussing
escapism. In a previous essay I discussed the importance of theatre
in society; expressing that the performing arts were a method of
socio-ecological evolution. On the surface, a moving and at times
inspiring source of entertainment, but underneath the costumes and
props it stood as mirror to society, reflecting the world around it;
this enabled people to understand what was going on in greater
clarity and objectivity. Instead of healing individuals, per se, they
indirectly healed the world around them. Video games have been shown
to work on a similar, yet far more personal level. Instead of
illuminating the charade of Adolf Hitler's political agenda, as seen
in Bertolt Brecht's fear and misery in the third reich, or exploring
the existential and absurd narrative of human existence, portrayed in
Waiting for Godo, video games enable us to reflect upon the flaws and
narratives of our own personally psyche.
Expanding
on self-expansive escapism, unlike its counterpart;
one
could argue that the escapism we are drawn into can result in the
player developing a deeper and more intrinsic understanding of our
world. These games are created by humans, for humans, and so must
have some level of relevance, reference or reverence to reality. Even
the work of H. P. Lovecraft, an author known for his belief in the
multiverse theory, where alternate realities are a prevalent theme,
is somewhat based in the real world. For without including reality,
how can we create an alternative? There is no other platform from
which we can contrast or expand upon. It is for this reason that
video games enable one to interact with the world, and garner a
greater understanding for it. As
I mentioned before, there is a darker side; self-suppressive escapism
not only cultivates a negative framework for the industry, it poses
legitimate threats to those affected by it, more easily indulged when
gamers game for the wrong reasons. So where is the line, and how does
one avoid risk factors? The truth is you can't, however in recent
years a shift can be seen in the design and marketing of video games.
I mentioned before the game Snow World, but in addition, the
organisation known as OSD sent out care packages to desperate
soldiers in 2012. These packages contained consoles and video games,
they allegedly enabled soldiers to relieve stress and alleviated
anxiety, increasing optimism and resilience and aided those suffering
from post-traumatic-stress-disorder.
For
almost a decade, those a part of the industry have been working to
create games, or market them, in a way that focuses on the expansive
side of escapism, fostering both physical and mental health
throughout.
Naturally one cannot control an individual's motive for playing a
game, however one can manipulate the games they play to alter the
experience. For example: an individual decides to turn themselves off
from reality through a game, instead of the game further removing the
player from the real world, it guides the player through what could
be considered a therapeutic journey, or a simply thought provoking
and engaging narrative, this is more likely to achieve a positive
outcome. Ultimately the art of escapism reaches depths greater than
expression, framework and design; but like art throughout history it
strives to better the world it exists in, even if that means creating
a whole new reality in order to do so. Not unlike the classic tale of
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll, sometimes in order to understand
oneself or one's reality better, you need to delve into a completely
alternate one to reach that point.
