Video Games:
A Misunderstood Protagonist
A Misunderstood Protagonist
8 May, 2020
Illustration by Michael Korfhage
He finally gets home after a long and hectic day of dealing with aggressive bullies and grumpy schoolteachers. He drops his bag to the floor, grabs a snack, and plays some deep house music. He slumps his body on his bed and starts his favourite video game, No Man’s Sky, and begins to unwind. This is what Omar Mansour used to do in high school to relax after a bad day, and this coping mechanism has not changed as he entered college.
When thinking about video gamers, people usually imagine violent, lazy, or socially inept individuals who slouch in their chairs with game controllers in their hands. However, these stereotypical traits that have been scientifically debunked by researchers over and over again. According to Statista, there are 2600 million active video gamers in 2020, with 758 million of them being concentrated in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It would be unfair and unrealistic to paint those millions with the same brush.
When thinking about video gamers, people usually imagine violent, lazy, or socially inept individuals who slouch in their chairs with game controllers in their hands. However, these stereotypical traits that have been scientifically debunked by researchers over and over again. According to Statista, there are 2600 million active video gamers in 2020, with 758 million of them being concentrated in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It would be unfair and unrealistic to paint those millions with the same brush.
While the general perception of video games is stereotypically negative, video gamers themselves see it differently. For them, video games are a place to connect with others, relax, and get immersed in fictional worlds. Sometimes, as an unnoticed side effect, players might even gain knowledge or learn a new language.
Subconscious Learning
Unlike other entertainment mediums, video games offer something that books and films cannot: interactivity, exploration, and immersion. They are like movies you can control. Omar, a 19 year old student, said, “Video games are different because they are active entertainment, there is an output and input of information unlike movies or books which are passive entertainment as there is only an output of information.”
Following the course of three strategy video games that cover three historical eras, Mohamed Mokhtar, a 22 year old engineering student, gained knowledge about topics he would not have known about otherwise. Crusader Kings II covers the span of 400 years from the early middle ages to the renaissance, Europa universalis IV follows the Renaissance period to the Victorian Age, and Victoria II encompasses the time from the Victorian Age up to World War 1. The goal of the games is to establish a dynasty (or state) and ensure its survival and expansion. The games mimic real historical events and are based on the real world’s map.
Unlike other entertainment mediums, video games offer something that books and films cannot: interactivity, exploration, and immersion. They are like movies you can control. Omar, a 19 year old student, said, “Video games are different because they are active entertainment, there is an output and input of information unlike movies or books which are passive entertainment as there is only an output of information.”
Following the course of three strategy video games that cover three historical eras, Mohamed Mokhtar, a 22 year old engineering student, gained knowledge about topics he would not have known about otherwise. Crusader Kings II covers the span of 400 years from the early middle ages to the renaissance, Europa universalis IV follows the Renaissance period to the Victorian Age, and Victoria II encompasses the time from the Victorian Age up to World War 1. The goal of the games is to establish a dynasty (or state) and ensure its survival and expansion. The games mimic real historical events and are based on the real world’s map.
Illustration by freepik
“I knew a lot about economy, trade routes, colonization, political regimes and ideologies, geography, history, and I memorized the map of Europe and Northern Africa, all out of nowhere,” said Mohammed. He continued, “Later on, this translated into my real life and this knowledge gave me an advantage over others when I entered a student activity that discusses political, economic, and social topics.” These games were a chance for him to learn more about something he was already interested in but never completely explored.
Besides subconscious learning, some games are designed to be purposefully instructive. Kerbal Space Program is one of them. It is a space flight simulation video game that takes place on a fictional planet where aliens are trying to launch their own space program and a player must administer their efforts to build a spaceship to land on the moon. Mohammed said, “Even though it was just a game, it felt like someone compiled engineering courses and decided to quiz me on them.”
Besides subconscious learning, some games are designed to be purposefully instructive. Kerbal Space Program is one of them. It is a space flight simulation video game that takes place on a fictional planet where aliens are trying to launch their own space program and a player must administer their efforts to build a spaceship to land on the moon. Mohammed said, “Even though it was just a game, it felt like someone compiled engineering courses and decided to quiz me on them.”
Real Mars Rover Engineer Timothy Szwarc is challenged to build a rocket that can successfully get to Mars (Duna) In Kerbal Space Program.
Better Than English Tutors
Learning a second language is not easy, but when you are driven to learn a second language to understand something you love, the learning process can be simpler and more enjoyable. Video game players who do not understand English might have a hard time understanding the gameplay, story, narrative, and character dialogues inside of a video game. Sometimes, while playing a video game in a foreign language, players might not notice that they are actively learning another language. Rather, they realize by the end of the game that they have acquired new vocabulary and gained a better understanding of the language.
“I would have never learned English if it were not for video games and movies,” said Abdulrahman, a 19 year old student. “I was fluent to the point that I would fight with my English teachers in prep school when they miss-spelled or mispronounced words.” He said he did not exactly know how he learned English that way, but he remembers repeating words he heard in video games, butchering them a lot, and using Google Translate before being confident enough to speak English fluently.
Learning a second language is not easy, but when you are driven to learn a second language to understand something you love, the learning process can be simpler and more enjoyable. Video game players who do not understand English might have a hard time understanding the gameplay, story, narrative, and character dialogues inside of a video game. Sometimes, while playing a video game in a foreign language, players might not notice that they are actively learning another language. Rather, they realize by the end of the game that they have acquired new vocabulary and gained a better understanding of the language.
“I would have never learned English if it were not for video games and movies,” said Abdulrahman, a 19 year old student. “I was fluent to the point that I would fight with my English teachers in prep school when they miss-spelled or mispronounced words.” He said he did not exactly know how he learned English that way, but he remembers repeating words he heard in video games, butchering them a lot, and using Google Translate before being confident enough to speak English fluently.
Illustration by freepik
Omar’s experience was not much different, he explains, “Video games made me reach a point where I could speak English like a native language with other players online and not feel any language barriers holding me back.” Mohammed shares a similar story, “My English was not at its best when I started playing so I couldn’t understand certain segments in the game. It reached a point where I had to play with a dictionary in hand to understand the strategy guides for the game,”
In online or multiplayer video games, players have to communicate with each other in real-time with no chance to overthink what to say or how to word it perfectly. This offers players an opportunity to exercise their language skills, and this is indeed what a growing body of research suggests. One research suggests that that role-playing video games can be used as an educational language tool specially for "at-risk" learners who might feel vulnerable in language classrooms. This is because these games offer enough challenge with enough support and gives learners ownership of their learning process.
In online or multiplayer video games, players have to communicate with each other in real-time with no chance to overthink what to say or how to word it perfectly. This offers players an opportunity to exercise their language skills, and this is indeed what a growing body of research suggests. One research suggests that that role-playing video games can be used as an educational language tool specially for "at-risk" learners who might feel vulnerable in language classrooms. This is because these games offer enough challenge with enough support and gives learners ownership of their learning process.
Escapism
Illustration by Jim Cooke
36% of video gamers surveyed said they play video games to relieve stress. Liana said, “I genuinely believe anyone who plays games does it as escapism from stress, overthinking, or anything that is bothering them in life.”
This was evident in Abdulrahman’s life, who used video games as an escape mechanism from his troubled house and dysfunctional family. “Videogames offered me a lot during my parents’ divorce. They brightened up my mood to the point where I could not hear my parents shouting or insulting each other anymore,” he said.
This was evident in Abdulrahman's life, who used video games as an escape mechanism from his troubled house and dysfunctional family. "Video games offered me a lot during my parents' divorce. They brightened up my mood to the point where I could not hear my parents shouting or insulting each other anymore," he said.
Omar did not have a particularly good high school experience, and video games offered him a space to take his mind off of his burdens. He elaborates, “I used to come home and play No Man’s Sky, a game where you explore space, visit planets, and go to different galaxies. Playing it used to make feel so relaxed. It’s music, sound design, graphics, and just the feeling of flying a spaceship is unbeatable.”
This was evident in Abdulrahman’s life, who used video games as an escape mechanism from his troubled house and dysfunctional family. “Videogames offered me a lot during my parents’ divorce. They brightened up my mood to the point where I could not hear my parents shouting or insulting each other anymore,” he said.
This was evident in Abdulrahman's life, who used video games as an escape mechanism from his troubled house and dysfunctional family. "Video games offered me a lot during my parents' divorce. They brightened up my mood to the point where I could not hear my parents shouting or insulting each other anymore," he said.
Omar did not have a particularly good high school experience, and video games offered him a space to take his mind off of his burdens. He elaborates, “I used to come home and play No Man’s Sky, a game where you explore space, visit planets, and go to different galaxies. Playing it used to make feel so relaxed. It’s music, sound design, graphics, and just the feeling of flying a spaceship is unbeatable.”
Some of Omar's favorite shots from No Man's Sky
Life lessons
As with anything else in life, people tend to dismiss things they do not understand fully. This might explain why non-video game players tend to focus on the downside of playing video games and boast them while ignoring their upsides. Video gamers themselves are fully aware of those downsides and they do not deny them. “I entered a phase before while playing video games where it was a true addiction. I would skip meals and ignore my studies just to play, so my grades took a quick drop and I developed social anxiety” said Abdulrahman.
As with anything else in life, people tend to dismiss things they do not understand fully. This might explain why non-video game players tend to focus on the downside of playing video games and boast them while ignoring their upsides. Video gamers themselves are fully aware of those downsides and they do not deny them. “I entered a phase before while playing video games where it was a true addiction. I would skip meals and ignore my studies just to play, so my grades took a quick drop and I developed social anxiety” said Abdulrahman.
Video gamers acknowledge that video games can be a waste of time, with 32% of those surveyed saying it is their least favourite thing about video games. “It is understandable when parents have a negative idea about video games when the only thing they see is their children playing shooter games for 12 hours straight,” said Liana.
Abdulrahman only learned to balance his video games addiction with his life after a lot of trials and errors with relationships, social interactions, and a variety of jobs. On what video games meant to him, he said, “I see myself still playing video games in my mid 30s when I am married and have kids. Video games, specially right now, are an inspiration for me to do better at life, work hard, do good, and be myself. I hope it stays that way.”
Mariam Mamdouh
Journalism student
© 2020 Mariam Mamdouh. All Rights Reserved.
maryam.mamdouh@msa.edu.eg
maryam.mamdouh@msa.edu.eg
