Why does the Gamer game? Or the Raw Deal of Gaming by Zander LeNoir

Originally Published October 1st, 2024 in the Tartan

Friend, Andrew Tang, plays Tekken 3

A sensual crimson light beckons
gamers not to the streets of Amsterdam, but to the Esports Lounge of Cook Hall. There, gamers train for righteous battles in the colosseum of the digital. Black mirrors reflect their solemn stare as they transmute their beings into digital consciousness. This transhuman exchange molds the gamer into whatever role they desire. As the old adage goes, “I am a gamer. Not because I don’t have a life, but because I choose to have many.”

That garnet gaming glow ensnared me as well, dear reader. There was a true freedom in gaming, unlike any freedom reality could offer. I could reach eternity in the game. Not even the confines of mortality could stop me. Every Game Over was just an inexorable click away from resurrection. In the words of fellow student Iana Graham,

“You don’t have to feel guilt. Why go through an experience in real life, when you can just do it in a game and not suffer the consequences?”

So off I went, consequence free. I pillaged and conquered the American West in Red Dead Redemption 2, partook in global espionage in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and re-created the cosmos in Katamari Damacy. I became one with the game, and the game one with me. This trans-human digital relation allowed me more power than I could ever imagine from reality. But something was missing. I looked down at my fleshy, wrinkled hands and came upon great revelation.

“A lot of gamers are depressed. It’s easy to be addicted to games. I’ve spent thousands of hours. I haven’t put that much time into anything else.” says Esports management minor, Chase Kippler. 

Returning to the wise words of Iana Graham,  “As I grew older, I realized I was sinking too much time into video games instead of doing something productive. It can suck away from reality. People would rather have time with a video game all the time.”

What I had been sacrificing with my time gaming was the beautiful lived experience of reality. I had become headless: completely disconnected from my tangible body in order to find freedom in the abyss of the game and my mind.

However, I did find an experience unique to the Cook Hall Esports Lounge that gives me hope for the Gamer. When under the ruby lights of the Esports Lounge, you are surrounded by brothers. There is a community at Radford that allows you to reach beyond yourself. Once again quoting the always poignant, Iana Graham,

“Being right next to somebody, being in person, that experience is so much more than just being on a headset.”

In the Lounge of Cook Hall, you can hear great minds conversing, laughter, and the cheers of a well-earned victory. My time at the Cook Lounge last week was spent playing in-person, side-by-side Tekken 3, Ape Escape, and Twisted Metal: Black. I connected with old friends in unique ways and met new friends I wouldn’t have met otherwise. I’ll be keeping my eyes on Director Doug Benedict. He has tremendous power in shaping the culture and community of the Cook Lounge. He seems to care about the grades and social health of the Gamers, but will his vision keep the Gamer from losing his connection to his body? Time will tell.

- Zander LeNoir

**Notes in retrospect - I was always proud of this one. Negative feelings about gaming had been brewing in me since I had started dating Michelle. When a woman, or a child for that matter, enters your life, time suddenly becomes more valuable. You cannot build a house for your family in Minecraft alone. Despite the stimulus of productivity, the Minecraft house remains empty. Ironically, this article was written during a time I was enraptured by Final Fantasy VIII - A romantic game fitting for a romantic time in my life.

Love is a more complex feeling than just pure enjoyment. The things we love, we also often understand in ways that aren't purely positive. I love backpacking, but find little enjoyment from the grueling, toilsome uphill. No hike can be pure pleasurable descent. Games, despite the pleasure and distraction we may obtain, literally feed on our lifeforce. I'm most proud of the line, " I looked down at my fleshy, wrinkled hands and came upon great revelation."