The Escapism of Games

 

ESCAPISM

  A Youtuber that I follow recently did a video talking about his loss of a need to play RPG's at this point in life. He's in his mid 40's, and I understood a lot of what he said. He said that in his childhood, it was a form of escapism, which I can relate too. He also touched on things I also experienced, with even in adulthood, RPG's helping through extremely trying times in personal life. I do believe that there are several factors to the decline in the compulsion to play the genre. And the truth is that they all equally contribute. The era we are in, the time factor as we mature, the evolution of gaming, and the interrelation of escapism all play a role.

    When I was a teenager and even prior to that, I formed a love for RPG's as my favorite genre. I remember collecting the early Final Fantasy games as a child and while loving the story, I didn't use it for escape. Even as a teenager, I still didn't use them to fulfill that purpose, but more as a challenge. I enjoyed getting through Final Fantasy Mystic Quest and Super Mario RPG as well as many other great RPG's of the mid 90's. It was moreso in my early 20's that I found that new fulfillment for them. I had a few trying periods where more major issues developed in life, and RPG's of the mid 2000's and into the XBOX 360 era were very pivotal in getting me through extremely tough times. It's the days of games like Lost Odyssey, that I was grateful for very quality and immersive projects at that time that both required a great deal of attention, and had a great deal of detail as well. This made it easy to fall in.

  The Nintendo Switch was a completely needed console, in my opinion, for working adults who want to game. Before it came out, a cinematic experience with a deep and memorable game was pretty much extinct for me, as I am rarely in front of my office TV to sit for gaming sessions anymore. However, there are times when are in commute, or idling at a quiet location, even at work, and that's when the system shines. The PS Vita did a good job, but the Switch is receiving more support and high-end games. It isn't that we outgrow escapism. What happens is that most have to give up on it due to being overwhelmed by life. The thought of sitting down for an 80 hour RPG like Legend of Dragoon is daunting to me today, not because I've lost interest, but because if I have to be in a fixed location, I know that it isn't going to happen. Right now, I'm playing a very involved RPG on Switch, called Astral Chain. The fact that I can take it with me, and put on a headset while on a plane ride or sitting in an office at work, makes it very awesome.

   So I don't agree with his stance exactly. Escapism is still there as long as you don't develop a closed mind, which happens so easily today. There are plenty of kids I know who have no imagination or passion at all. It's become cool to be that way. But popularity doesn't decide value. It is also great that there are plenty of developers out there still making some games worthy of delving into. Thanks to the Switch, I can find time to play.