Video games…the staple of my childhood. From Banjo-Kazooie to Apex Legends; video games have been a part of my life since I can remember. The stories told, visuals seen, and music heard has all accumulated into the so-called adult writing this.
If you have played video games most of your life you may have heard either a family, friend, or peer say, “Why are you wasting your time playing that game?” Hopefully, this did not result in you quitting spending time exploring the vast worlds video game developers have created. Instead, I hope this made you question why you truly enjoy spending your time racking up gold coins and virtual armor.
For me, it was the sense of accomplishment and escape it offered. During middle school and early into high school I often found myself spending hours playing World of Warcraft. The expansive world and stories that Blizzard created drew me in and I spent six years playing every single day after school and on the weekends. I made a lot of life long friends through the game and created amazing memories. Of course, there are other games worth noting and that is exactly what the DICE awards were made for.
Hosted by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, a non-profit organization recognizing interactive arts, the DICE awards allow for amazing video games to be noticed. This awards show recognizes not only the game itself, but the people who made it and the development teams who have led advancements in the massive interactive entertainment industry.
It distinguishes the people who have spent years creating this one experience to be enjoyed by people around the world. The artists who pour every resource into this one entertainment piece that allows people to escape and experience accomplishments for a couple hours every day. The DICE awards are important because they recognize the people who take their time to make someone else’s life enjoyable. This year, God of War was awarded game of the year.
They also recognized Bonnie Ross, head of 343 Industries and a strong promoter of STEM and diversity efforts across the video game industry among women and other minorities. You might recognize the name if you are a massive HALO fan.
So, next time someone asks you why you are “wasting your time” playing games, tell them you are experiencing interactive art. Explain to them the work that goes on behind the scenes and about the stories you have experienced and achievements you have made. At the end of the day if you enjoy playing video games as much as I do it will not really matter what others think. If you have made friends online you are surrounded by like minded and passionate individuals, who recognize the enjoyment video games can bring. So, keep on playing and enjoy your time exploring.
– Christian Lombardi
IMC Hawks Blog 
I like this post a lot. I have heard many people ask my friends why they play video games. If you enjoy playing video games and it makes you happy, I believe you should keep playing them until they stop making you happy. There are many brilliant people that make the games and it is amazing how advanced they are becoming. Many hours and redo’s come into play when making a video game. It will be interesting to see video games in the future and if they become more advanced.
I really like this take on videos games being a way to escape the world around you. My favorite video game I played growing up was The Legend of Zelda series. These were my games I could go into and not worry about homework, stress, any kind of task i should have been doing. It was my main stress reliever. I agree with you on how you said that it is experiencing interactive art, and telling a story that is played scene to scene. I think thats why Zelda was my favorite Because, the storyline of trying to save a kingdom from some kind of demise was always interesting and fun. This article has made me realize I should play more video games and not worry if people think I am “wasting my time”.
This article was very interesting to me. I personally have never been a big video game person, but my brother has been most of his life. I remember when I was growing up my mother would always limit how long my brother was allowed to play video games, I also remember her telling him that video games were a waste of time. It is clear that the person who wrote this article see’s video games in another light. It was very interesting to read another perspective on this topic.
This article has a very interesting perspective about video games. I enjoy video games but never thought about them as interactive art but I can see how that’s possible. Video game makers spend countless hours making these incredible games and every company is always trying to top the last best game. These companies will never stop trying to make the best “interactive art”.