Video games are supposed to be fun, right?<\/p>\n
I mean the reason that I play games is to escape from my daily\u00a0concerns and have different experiences than I ever could in real life. And if I want to escape, I want to escape to somewhere fun…<\/p>\n
Right?<\/p>\n
As I’ve aged (and I do think this has to do with getting older), I’ve found myself drawn to games that aren’t necessarily “fun.” Throughout my life, I\u2019ve always enjoyed good puzzle games and RPGs. I love shooters even if I\u2019m not very good at them. Gears of War, for example, is just pure testosterone-driven fun. It\u2019s adrenaline and carnage in a fun little package.<\/p>\n
But I feel like games have also grown up alongside me. Game developers have discovered that they can create experiences that offer more than just a fun time.<\/p>\n
They can make statements.<\/p>\n
They can make people think.<\/p>\n
They can make people feel.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m what my wife affectionally calls an emotional robot. I\u2019m not a very emotive\u00a0person, especially outwardly. I\u2019m a happy person and I consider myself somewhat jovial, but the most accurate description of my demeanor may be stoically content. Just this morning, I was talking to my boss and referred to someone as emotionally distant. His response was, \u201cWow! And that\u2019s coming from you!\u201d<\/p>\n
So I\u2019m impressed when a game can make me feel something more than just surface level complacency. One of those games is This War of Mine.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a pacifist in most aspects of my life. Politically, I\u2019m more prone to support a candidate who approaches conflict diplomatically instead of with force. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I enjoy a\u00a0good shoot-em-up war game as much as the next guy. But they don\u2019t reflect my personality well.<\/p>\n
This War of Mine is a war game where you control civilians that are just trying to survive. The goal isn\u2019t to kill as many of the bad guys as possibles. In fact, it\u2019s pretty difficult to define the \u201cbad guys\u201d in the first place. You have the option to be ruthless, but I can\u2019t bring myself to do that. So my play style focuses on sustainability and scavenging as opposed to violence and thievery.<\/p>\n
The game has made me feel things, but not happy things or what I\u2019d consider \u201cfun\u201d things. It has made me think about war from a different perspective. This War of Mine has presented me with many situations that are atypical for video games.<\/p>\n
I witnessed an old couple begging me not to steal their food.<\/p>\n
I saw a corrupt soldier take a young woman away to rape her while I hid helplessly.<\/p>\n
I led my favorite character into a dangerous place in search of food and watched him get shot and killed. I then had to cope with the loss while other\u00a0virtual characters, whom I also controlled, mourned his death.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m blessed to live in the USA in the twenty-first century. I\u2019ll likely never personally know what it\u2019s like to live through a war. I see news reports and read stories about families in places like Syria, and my heart goes out to them. But I don\u2019t personally know what it\u2019s like, thank God.<\/p>\n
Playing a game is not the same as living through war. I\u2019m not saying that This War of Mine gives me a similar life experience to those who have their lives ripped apart due to conflicts they have no control over. Quite the opposite, actually. Playing a game like this helps me appreciate how little I really do know about such a horrific experience. And it motivates me to reach out and help others who are not as blessed as I am.<\/p>\n
Another game to mention in this same category is Papers, Please. It gives you a similar non-fun but thought provoking experience. \u00a0It breaks your heart for people not as fortunate.<\/p>\n
I’m playing Batman: Arkham Knight now. \u00a0It’s fun. \u00a0Lots and lots of fun. \u00a0It doesn’t challenge my thinking or emotions. \u00a0And that’s okay. \u00a0Most of the time I want mindless entertainment. \u00a0But I look forward to the next game that makes me feel something deeper.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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