Why Is Gaming Such A Popular Pastime?
Since the dawn of Pong, the Atari 2600 and the 8-bit console, video games have been popular among young and old alike. Today, gaming still proves to be one of the most popular pastimes on the planet with technological advancements transforming flat 2D jerky graphics into a fully immersive states of gameplay. Graphics are hyper-realistic, and the most recent RPGs, first-person shooters, and platform games can become highly addictive. So why is gaming quite so popular?
Escape
Like movies and music, gaming offers the person playing a form of escape. You don’t have to worry about your particularly stressful day at work, your vindictive boss or your family woes if you’re flying around a racetrack with Mario. The fantastical element of many of the games means that you can immerse yourself into situations that you would never find yourself in in real life. You could be slaying a dragon, fighting stormtroopers or flying a spacecraft. The possibilities are endless.
There is also an element of fulfilling a fantasy when it comes to gaming. If you’ve ever wanted to be an assassin, you can get your kicks by playing Grand Theft Auto. If you love the idea of leading your own army battalion, then Call of Duty could be calling you.
Online Options
With the ability to hook your Xbox up to the online world, you can now play with people from across the globe. You may compete or share mission goals. Many people find a real sense of belonging and camaraderie with like-minded gamers that they meet online. You don’t have to play anonymously and can chat forming meaningful friendships over your love of Minecraft.
Accessibility
While smartphones have always had the standard Candy Crush type of game available to download, they have only recently opened up their platforms to the standard console games. Now you can play Mario, Sonic, The Sims and all sorts of top quality classics using your smartphone and a range of apps. You could partake in a spot of Fifa 18 or download and play Final Fantasy XV when on your daily commute into work. The accessibility and affordability of games have opened up video games to the masses to an even greater extent than at any point in the past twenty years.
Skills
No matter what we choose to do in life, we like to feel ourselves progressing and getting better. When playing video games, there are obvious measures to demonstrate that you are improving. You may complete a level that has been troubling you for days, increase the speed at which you race around a track or slay a creature using a new move. Becoming an expert gamer can make you feel good and release ridiculous amounts of serotonin into your brain.
Gaming will continue to be a favorite pastime because the industry is able to move forward with technological advancements yet it never forgets the reason why gaming was so popular in the first place; it’s an escape, a fantasy and fun.