“Similarly, the experience of a game that makes an instantaneous and exact response to your touch, or of a computer that is itself always consistent in its response, can take over.” Some gamers (such as most of the people featured in this article) crave the level of control they can achieve by perfecting their gaming skills.
When I read this, I was instantly reminded of a passage I read in a blog my friend has been diligently keeping. The post focuses on Jeff’s image of himself as a “big” person; big personality, big voice, and specifically, a physically big person. He explains how he craves progress, and finds it more readily available in the video games he plays than in other aspects of his life, such as exercise. The particular quote is near the end, and is as follows:
“I’m a sucker for progress . . . That exhilaration I feel in knowing I’ve made progress towards something, that I’ve accomplished a goal is really what I’m after, and usually, with exercise I don’t get that. But I do with videogames. A few hours of button pressing, and my silly little on-screen man gets a shiny new sword . . .”
Like many of the people in this article, Jeff gets an instantaneous response when he plays games. He can make progress, albeit in a virtual space. He’s constantly striving to reach the next “checkpoint,” and he’s noticed that it’s difficult to find that instantaneous kind of motivation in other aspects of his life.
“I don’t always know where to find this same feeling in many of the aspects of my life, especially with things like exercise and eating healthy. It’s much easier to stimulate my pleasure centers now with a tasty treat, than to attempt to sate them with the far-off promise of confidence and self-worth, locked away behind many a locked door, which I only have a chance to open with a great deal of will-power and motivation. “
In “Video Games & Computer Holding Power,” a comparison is made between the promise of progress and perfection to that of exercise or “molding the body.” Once people begin to notice an actual change in their appearance, they’re motivated to continue. Jeff reflects on this in his post:
“I remember vividly a time when I could see the silhouette of a 6-pack showing through my stomach, some feeble outline that hinted at the idea that there were abdominal muscles buried beneath my jiggling belly. And I’ve never been more motivated to work out in my life.”
Both video games and exercise have holding power, but I think games give a more instant result, which many people crave. Games can make you feel in control by promising a goal and showing you your progress as you go, in some cases quite literally with a “progress bar.” However, this obviously isn’t the case with other aspects of life.