Much like paintings, books and movies, video games is a piece of art. They can affect people the same or sometimes even more someone who reads a book or watches a movie. For some reason though, people who play and enjoy video games are hit with negative stereotypes. Whenever I hear someone call a gamer a "nerd" or a "no life," I just sit there and laugh. Video games have given millions of people's hours of joy and entertainment and if you're not one of those people, then I honestly do think you're missing out. I hope by the end of this article, you will be inspired to start playing video games or just understand why people enjoy them so much.

There's Something for Everyone

One of the best things about video games is the wide selection of them you have at your disposal. Everything from sports games, to fantasy, to sci-fi, there something out there for everyone. My personal recommendation for newcomers to gaming is the episodic story games. The gameplay usually involves problem-solving in order to move the plot along. These games are great starting point for new gamers because it doesn't involve complicated controls and it's basically like an interactive movie. Tell Tale is the king of these types games. Some of there more successful games include "The Walking Dead" and "Game of Thrones." I would also highly recommend Life is Strange by Square Enix.

Stress Reliever

Let me paint a picture for you. It was a long day of classes and your so stressed because you have a big paper due in a few weeks and you have a huge pile of homework to do. You need something mindless and fun to do before you go insane. That's where video games come in! You can simply flip on your console and forget all about the work you have to do. You take a few hours to put your focus into something fun. I can't tell you how many times I've been upset or stressed and simply playing a couple rounds of Fifa or playing a few missions in Fall Out makes it all go away.

Building Friendships

Video games are by far one of the funniest things to do by yourself but doing with friends makes the experience even more enjoyable. Me and my best friend have known each other for almost 10 years. We are both sophomores in college and you know what we usually do when we see each other? Play video games for hours on end. That in it's self have helped us stay so close. Maybe next time you feel like your losing a friend, find a video game and play it together. I guarantee you will feel closer once you're done.

An Escape From Reality

Remember having those dream of being cowboy or fighting dragons when you were younger? Well video games allow you live out those dreams. For the few hours you play, you forget about all your issues and become part of the world that the game has made. You are entering into a world that is beyond reality. You become so attached to the characters and world that you become emotionally invested. You want to progress the story and explore every nook and cranny. I can personally tell many stories of the 100's hours I invested into games. I have even cried at the ending of some because of how emotionally connected I was to the characters. A well-crafted video game with an excellent story and gameplay can leave you with hours of thrills and excitement that will never be forgotten.