Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s)

I admit it… I am thirty years old, and I still play video games. I was today. I do nearly every day. I suppose some would say it’s an addiction. Perhaps they are right. But addicted or not, they are just fun for me! I love the challenge, I love something about the electronic nature of such a venture (why DO I love computers so??) I just love video games!

And today I noticed something about why we (not just me!) love them.

For a moment, when we enter the virtual world of that game, we are in control. At least, for the most part. We have the stick, we tell it what to do, and it does it. That is not the way life works. Almost the complete opposite. No one handed me the control pad! I don’t see the pause button, the fire button or the joystick! I don’t even see the console or the TV for that matter! So, when we turn on the power on the little boxes, we in some fashion gain a bit of control of our world.

That is hard to come by, and so a little exhilarating, and a good escape from the uncontrol of our regular world.

It all become less fun when you have even less control in the virtual world than in the real one. 🙂 Perhaps that is why some folks dislike video games. They don’t make sense, they can’t control it very well… so why would you want ANOTHER thing you can’t control??!?!

I am not saying this is universally true, but saw it as an interesting perspective on why we all like video games so much. I love being the Bills and stomping ALL OVER the rest of the league in Tecmo Superbowl. For a brief shining moment, my Bills are champions!!!

(I told you it’s not real!!)

I think we will always be on some sort of quest to regain control in our lives. We plan, we strive, we create strategeries (what an awesome word…) but it’s really all for naught. Video games may give the illusion of control, but in the end, we lose those as well. There is only One who has ultimate control, and in his supreme wisdom, he actually handed a bunch of it away. To you and me. We have the choice to give him the control pad for our life. That is a hard call to make, seems like we might even be losing control that way. Why would we want to give up what little control we actually do have?

Because my friend, he is the Real Game Master. He wrote the book on this game. He is the One I want at the helm.

(Plus, He knows all the game cheats!)