Video Games as An Escape

I’m very happy to have a car on campus because it seems best that I get off campus at least once a week to keep from going crazy. Going out and exploring, doing things, is my primary escape. I was talking to my roommate a few weeks ago and joking about  how he must be stronger than I am not to have that escape anytime he needs it. Although, I thought about it and realized that he has an escape too, it’s just a little different than mine.

While I escape to a geographically different place, my roommate uses video games as his liberation from the daily grind and escapes to a different place mentally. I don't think either of these are better than the other, it's about whatever works best for each individual.

The fact the video games can offer that escape is pretty cool. Part of the reason this is possible is because the accomplishments achieved in a game can activate the same rewards system in the brain as other, real life accomplishments. This dopamine high can be rewarding and can offer players fulfillment, however, this effect can create problems when the line between real life and the game is made less distinct and the world to which one escapes becomes less of an escape and more of a part-time home.

In my next post, I will further explore the possible dangers of video games as an escape.