Why You Should Play Video Games

    I know, I know.  This is strange!  Why would I be writing about this?  Well, in my Leadership class, I (again) have the wonderful opportunity to write something that would persuade another.  And this is what I've chose to discuss.  Why the particular subject of da video games?  Well, I believe that there is a lot of hate and negativity on playing video games going around and I would like the ability to voice my thoughts and opinions on this subject.

    I was talking to a friend of mine and he said that he had "no life" because he played a lot of video games.  And I thought about this.  When I think of somebody that has no life, I think of someone who is a couch potato and watches shows and eats all day long.  But he told me that his "no life" was spent by playing video games.

    Playing video games = "no life"?

    Sir, I think not.

    Why would immersing yourself in another world that our universe doesn't contain "not a life"?!  How does learning important skills (some of which we will cover later on in this post) that can be taught in the comfort of you home "not a life"?!?!  How is experiencing a life beyond your own, one that has different emotions, one that possibly bonds with creatures or plants, and watching them develop as a being "NOT A LIFE"?!?!?!

    *clears throat*

    And now, my fellow Twisters, here are the few reasons why you should play video games:

Experience a World Beyond Your Own
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     Now as I said before, you get to immerse yourself in a world that is beyond the reaches of this universe.  It could even be a world that this world we live on has experienced, like the Victorian era or the 1980's.  It might be portrayed in a way that has already been seen and done or in a completely different way.

    I believe that everyone has wanted, at least one point in there life, to be taken to another world where they can do anything.  Like shooting some bad guys, saving the world or universe (depending on the game), whatever it might be!  It's just something we naturally desire.

    Still not convinced on experiencing that otherworldly world?  Here, let me show you some pictures of some games that have truly immersive environments.

    The first four pictures are from the game Destiny, a sci-fi shooter that lets you travel across the universe to fight the evil that haunts it.  It is one of my favorite games, one of the reasons being its environment.  It's truly submerging you.  Just look at all the detail and the creativity that it all has!  It's truly inspiring.  I've always escaped into the realm that it was presenting to me.

   The next four pictures are from the game Horizon Zero Dawn.  I haven't personally played the game, but I knew that it was one that had spectacular environments and landscapes.  Instead of it having more of a looming presence like Destiny has, Horizon Zero Dawn has more earthly, mystical vibes to it.

    These are only some of the possible worlds that can be experienced.  I tried to find some that had a haunting feel to it, but it was hard because I had a particular image I wanted to show and I couldn't fine what I was looking for...

    In short, there is a world for you all to experience!  They are unique and different, all with changing elements to make you all go through something all its own.

​Important Skills

    There are many skills that can be learned from playing video games.  What are those skills, you might ask?  WELL.  LET ME TELL YOU!

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​    In the world of video games, there are moments when it's going to get tough.  And in those moments, you can't just look down at your controller and spam whatever buttons because you're confused (though this will happen many, many times; this has happened to me waaaaaay too much).  So, as you continue to play video games, your hand-eye coordination becomes better.  You've memorized what button is where, what each of those buttons do, and when a difficult situation arises, you will have everything down.

​    Another thing that is very evident in the world of video games are the puzzles.  There are a lot of puzzles.  Too many, in all honesty.  One of the key features of the Legend of Zelda is the puzzles contained inside.  And trust me, they do get tough (just try beating Hero Mode).  In these types of situations, you'll need to think and use your knowledge that you've gained from the game and just basic logic (both will soon grow) to solve them.  Puzzle-solving is also very wonderful if you ever want to tackle an escape room.  These are known for being very tricky and you need to think outside of the box to solve them (just like in Fetch!).

    *throws hands up into the air pointing at the skills*  See!  Important skills!

A Visual Story
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    Have you ever wanted to experience what you were watching on TV, but not read it?  Did you still want to have that same visual effect that you were having as you were watching whatever it might be?  Playing a video game gives you that experience.

    Have you ever read a book and bonded so much with the characters you felt as if you were travelling alongside them?  Have you ever wanted to see what was actually happening and what the places actually looked like?  Playing a video game lets you see all those things.

    A video game is a book and a movie combined.  It's a playable movie; it's a visual story.  You still get very attached to the characters.  You still get to cry with them.  You still get to laugh with them.  You still can experience heartbreak and sadness with them.  But you can also see (in clear high definition, hopefully) what it was like for them.  How it all, those emotions, those experiences, their position in life, came to be.

    You're definitely not getting cheated out of an experience.  Not at all.

    You're getting an enhanced version of one.

^-^

    And that, my fellow Twisters, is why I believe you should all play video games.  It's a fulfilling and rewarding experience once the journey's all over.  And if there's another game in the installation, you get to experience more of it.  Just in a different way.

    Have you played video games before?  If so, which one is your favorite?  If you haven't, do you want to?  Tell us in the comments!!