Last night, my partner called me, and amidst the normal discussions about school, work, not feeling well, etc., she brought up something that's been on my mind ever since: The role of video games and how they make us feel. I'm certain that most people, of any age, tend to see them as a time waster or popcorn entertainment a la film or professional sports, but there's more to it than that. While film, television, or spectator sports are passive activities, playing video games, like reading, is more active and therefore, more fulfilling.

We went on to discuss how purposeful using our free time to play video games makes us. If you're anything like us, it's awfully difficult to feel totally guilt-free when you're trying to relax. More often than not, I end up feeling bad if I spend a free day catching up on my favorite YouTube videos, watching a movie, or something of that nature. If I drop an entire afternoon running through my checklist in Dragon Age, however, I still feel like I'm doing something with my time. It's still making me think and therefore making my brain work a whole lot harder than watching funny videos for a few hours otherwise would. Even if it's not physical progress, I still get the satisfaction of progress in general, preventing the guilt of doing nothing I'd face otherwise.

And that, I think, is one of video games' biggest strengths. To allow people, in the high-pressure society we, unfortunately, live in, to just... take a break. I don't, however, mean that they simply offer escapism. While they can, indeed, do that, they play a more important role. The active thought and action that goes into video games help to circumvent the stress that life generally throws at everyone. Which is why, as she and I briefly discussed, one can sometimes feel a little more high-strung if they haven't gotten to play their favorite game in a few days. Any other activities or breaks they may have "had time for" likely don't hit all the same or right marks that taking the time to enjoy a video game for a few hours does. This is likely the reason we look so forward to the opportunity to get home and relax with a game each day.

I don't think it's possible to overstate just how important video games have become to society and how people spend their free time. Unlike watching television or a movie, video games more heavily involve the "audience" or player, making those couple of hours of entertainment more fulfilling and guilt-free. Above most other ways I could take a break, I certainly value games for making me feel like my time is well-spent and worth something.