7th July 2018 - Video Games as Escapism

Today's Topic - 7th July 2018

Submitted by @The Communist Wookie

Should video games, as a form of media, continue primarily to offer escapism or should it try to make us think about our own life/ choices (I mean should most games try to reach one of these topics, not just one or the other)?

Fatman Jo07/12/2018
For me video games have always been away to escape from all the difficulties and distress real life has to offer. A place where I can be someone I'm not and enjoy myself feeling like I've accomplished a goal or beat a difficult boss. That being said I do feel like video games that throw into worlds that seem hardly anything like the ones we live in but are well grounded with the traits and beliefs and situations very relatable to real world scenarios are the best work of art.(edited)

Argo07/12/2018
My opinion on this matter is excruciatingly simple.
Let the creators make the game they want.
Of course there are exceptions where the creators should slightly bend their own wants,
in favor of the wants of the community build around a game.
But in the end its their intellectual property and I want to see what they can make uninhibited,
as this would lead to more original and artistic content.
So in short, I wouldnt prime video games as a media towards anything (well books and movies too for that matter).
They can be escapism, they can be meaningful, but neither are required.

Sombes07/12/2018
I absolutely think games should try and reach deeper topics like other forms of media do, as with the format of a game, new experiences of sadness, happiness, etc can be found that you can't with others. At the same time however, i recognize that some people don't want that in their games because for them games are a form of escapism to avoid those things are they are hard to deal with enough in their private lives. Some people need that escapism to deal with life on a day to day basis and i don't want people to struggle without them of course. I find that experiences that make us think about ourselves more like Edith Finch, Night In The Woods, Hellblade etc are helpful because they help us overcomes some struggles by helping us find out more about ourselves. Because of this, although i want games to explore deeper themes and life choices, i don't want the escapism to disappear because of how important it is for some people.

Ashwood_07/12/2018
Escapism is probably the safest way for the medium to continue successfully as when a game developer tries to take on an aspect of real life or tries make a statement about something, they walk a very thin line between accusations of political indoctrination or  out right isolating a group of people from being able to access the core material of the game due to differing life circumstances between the developer and player. As a medium its probably best to maintain a more escapism quality rather than try to change the world. but at the end of the day if an individual wants to say something why shouldn't they be able to express that through whatever medium, be that gaming or otherwise.(edited)

JimeNutron07/12/2018
Video games should be renamed to something that doesn't imply it's supposed to be fun, or have a winner or loser, so that they can be used as any other medium; a form of expression of any ideas or concepts. Just like movies or books, there is a place in the world for video games to offer escapism in a fully fictional world, or act as educational or analytical commentary on the factual, or anything in between or a combination of both. Games as a medium are already beginning to be used as more than just "games" in the original sense. Sure, some games like Rocket League are still strictly "games", and that's fine, there's definitely a market for that. But other video games are starting to express whole universes alongside the game, like Overwatch, The Witcher, Red Dead Redemption, etc. And more recently, video games have begun pushing the envolope on that Game<->Interactive Narrative Experience spectrum, making us question whether we can really rope all these programs into the term "video game" while still doing the games with no winners or scoreboards justice. Think Night in the Woods or Life is Strange.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is, games have already been moving away from pure escapism for a while now, and I think there's much more room in that non-escapism market and it would be a good thing for the market to continue expanding into it. But that doesn't mean the escapism games have to shrink; they are just as valid.(edited)

Froz07/12/2018
I have always seen video games as a source of expression in a creator point of view, it's a work of art and a product of passion and those are usually the ones that most people gravitate too. Video games like all forms of art should and will evolve through the times in its own way and utilize the medium in the best way possible.  Escapism is simply one way of using the medium and like any form it can express so much more too. I want to believe that most of us here all came together because of video games and the effect that it has left behind in our lives. I personally have been constantly criticized for putting video games in such a high degree daily and I understand that because not everyone will understand and that's ok. Video games should and must allow itself to tell stories best suited for the medium and it shouldn't try to focus in anything because each creator has his/her vision for their piece and we should respect that but they will and should understand criticism will come and will be needed to make their piece even better. I suppose that's what Video games have over classical art and the like, it can be edited and we should utilize that to its highest potential to make even better experiences and stories for the player.

July 15, 2018

Lemon07/15/2018
Absolutly, Unless you want to foster as society like the one in the famous novel ”fahrenheit 451”, that is absolutly necessary, Especially for those of Which dont consume much of other media.