Michael Abbott of the Brainy Gamer has me thinking again. His latest two provocative posts concern how we think about games - a child’s fancy or an adult’s pursuit. Ultimately, Michael and the great majority of commenters seem to side with the ‘games are serious business’ camp.. which I am no doubt sympathetic towards (why else would I write here!). After all, every morning for the last month I’ve spent 30 minutes on the train playing the original Final Fantasy VII on my PSP, nervously avoiding the glances of curious riders. It does feel exposing playing games in front of other adults.
For me, however, something’s missing. I don’t play games because they’re serious business. Sure, I can defend why they’re serious to other adults - but when I play them that’s not what I have in mind. And I even research games (ie. follow it through and record some observations, do background reading, etc) … but that’s not playing the games. Playing a game involves something else - a suspension of desire, a willingness to invest oneself in the world and accept it at its face value. In this very short article I want to explore the idea that in order for games to move or grip us, they must remain toys or forms of childish entertainment. Seems counterintuitive?
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