The Case Against Video Games

I was reading Digital Art Masters Volume 4 a while ago and came across the article by Weiye Yin for his artwork Fly Together. He was talking about how he was inspired to create the image from a wooden toy from his childhood. As discussed in an earlier post, i believe that inspiration comes from everywhere. But I think that we often get inspired from past experiences and events, particularly from our childhood. And that got me thinking.

Kids this days play a lot of video games, whether it's on a PC, a console or a handheld device. Don't get me wrong, I grew up playing games too and I am glad I did. Video games (or at least, the good ones) transport the player to a brand new fantasy world, thereby stimulating the imagination. The only problem is that the experience is predetermined by someone, often the game designer. This person is the "God" of the universe that takes the player plays in, controlling what can or cannot be done.

This is different when kids interact with a real life toy. They create their own rules. They determine which toy is the protagonist and which is the antagonist. By mixing up the toy components (Lego, anyone?) the player can create their own environments. They are the "Gods" of their own universe. They create their own stories and scenarios. Now you could argue that games these days also encourage user generated content like Little Big Planet, or take a more sandbox approach like Grand Theft Auto where the player can do whatever he wants. But with all due respects to these games, I think it would be hard for a kid to intuitively and quickly establish his or her own world through the medium of video games.

In contrast, the sky is the limit when interacting with real life objects. Back in the day, me and friends could come up with more than a dozen ways to have fun with a ball. Its this kind of limitless possibilities that is lacking with games right now. And it is this factor that really opens up the kid's imagination and cognitive abilities.

I was lucky, growing up in the '90s and getting to experience the best of both worlds. I hope this post isn't one of those "old dude trying to diss at the current generation" rants. But maybe next time you should think twice before introducing that iPad game to your 5 year old cousin.