You might not agree with me when I say gaming is the most entertaining medium (although if you’re reading this, I think you might). What you can’t deny, however, is that it’s certainly the most ethereal.
Now, I’m not talking about the forthcoming onslaught of games with a strong Christian message, like the strategy title Left Behind: Eternal Forces, where players square off against the forces of Hell (like we haven’t seen that one before).
What I mean is this: Gaming is the only medium that can be considered “divine†because it is an exact mirror of life itself.
Let me explain, because I get the feeling I’ve lost a few of you already.
Break down every aspect of gaming. A game contains a world that has basic defining properties, like environment and physics, which govern it. It’s been created by someone (the developer) other than the entity that inhabits it (the player). The player is free to move about the world, but is confined by those basic limiting factors. However, he can still act as a creator himself, by acting out some sort of life cycle or battling an insidious force or creating a vast civilization.
All this is not unlike our perception of life. The world in which we live has laws governing its every property, more commonly known as physics. Regardless of your religious viewpoint, you cannot deny that you did not create the earth and galaxy and universe and everything contained therein (unless of course you’re a student of solipsism). Yet again, people are able to shape their own lives, the lives of those around them, and the world itself.
In opposition, take cinema. Like a game, a story and setting has been created by a group of individuals other than the observer. But this world is merely static, with the onlooker on the outside, staring in at a particular world. He doesn’t have control of the character’s actions on screen. No matter how hard I concentrate, I simply can’t make Jean Reno turn around at the climax of “The Professional.†And believe me when I say, I have tried.
It’s that immediate interaction and bond that’s created between player and character (plus, all the potential subsequent consequences) that makes gaming so much more fulfilling, poignant, and ultimately spiritual.
Even the language that’s used in the industry is indicative of a higher calling. Is it any coincidence that the greatest developers of all time (the Wright’s and Meier’s and Spector’s) are referred to as the “game gods?†How about the whole “god game†genre, most often promulgated by those aforementioned individuals?
I’ll admit, there are some issues that arise with this whole theory. Game developers are extremely adept magicians. They create the illusion of choice, making the player believe he has the ultimate authority in a game. The limitations in place range from the obvious (Wander can’t build skyscrapers in Shadow of the Colossus) to the subtle (Valve often speaks of its clever level design that keeps the player advancing toward the right direction in Half-Life 2’s game commentary).
Ultimately, we must clarify that no game currently in existence, no matter how advanced, is yet capable of perfectly mirroring a deep and meaningful existence, with the potential to enact any physically possible action. Even a game as complex and rewarding as The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, with its seemingly endless amount of books to read and plants to cultivate and places to explore (not to mention the deep and long-lasting interactions the player can make with NPCs and the world around him), cannot match the level of intricacies that the world we inhabit exhibits. The workforce and technology required to produce such a place is beyond the scope of the human imagination. Instead, we’ll note that the model games are built upon and the fundamental principles behind their design are what reflect our existence.
Since the beginning, games have been considered entertainment. As they’ve continued to grow and gain mainstream appeal, countless scholars have grappled with the issue of whether or not they’re art. Now, I’d like to think that games will soon be considered the perfect alternate reality.
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