A Whole New World

The vast majority of us will have to accept that the triumphs we dreamed of as kids will probably be beyond us in the end. Not because of failings on our part, but simply because of simple statistical fact.

How many people play football professionally? How many will pilot a plane in a war zone? How many will build a new nation and run it along egalitarian principles?

As a percentage of those who dream of these things, a pretty select group. Life gets in the way. Practicality messes things up. It’s something we learn to live with pretty early on.

Does this mean that we have to cut that dream out of our life? Once upon a time, maybe it did. However, now there are video games.

And while it may not be anything like the same thing to score the winning touchdown in the Superbowl against digitized linebackers, it at least gives us the chance to play at being the best.

While it’s not even a substitute for the real thing, it at least allows us to participate in something we identify with strongly.

Try telling a gamer that they don’t get real life. A huge number of them are extremely smart, intelligent individuals who are perfectly aware of the logical disconnect between gaming and reality.

The same is true of movies, but they have numerous annual ceremonies to congratulate people in the celluloid industry. Gaming has its awards ceremonies too, but it has a wider band of detractors.

They are always going to want to have their say, but it’s OK to ignore them. They rarely get gaming.