on video-games
random thoughts on why gaming is a force for good
Video games have long been regarded as an inferior form of entertainment. Dismissed as childish distractions rather than sophisticated art forms. Banned or restricted to prevent children from becoming mindless screen addicts. And yet, even when I was a child, I felt something deeply wrong with this interpretation, something that failed to grasp the true value of gaming.
Growing up with two older brothers, video games were an integral part of my childhood from a very young age. The Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 1 through 3, and the PSP—these devices lit up my imagination and energized my days for years. I still remember my older brother letting me secretly play GTA: Vice City, or when my mom gave me Call of Duty 3 thinking it was less violent than Assassin’s Creed, the game I had originally asked for.
The only recurring conversation among parents back then was the classic comparison between “their time,” when kids played outside for hours, and “our time,” when screens seemed to colonize every moment of boredom. Even though I didn’t personally experience harsh restrictions, I remember clearly that among adults, video games were considered a second-tier medium—something meant to entertain kids or teenagers, not a serious form of culture like the media they consumed.
Over time, I stopped playing as regularly, especially toward the end of high school and during university. I had a few comebacks, like during the pandemic with Warzone, but I had largely distanced myself from what had once been a major part of my virtual world. And yet, stepping back helped me see more clearly the value of it all. That very recognition is now drawing me back to games, so much that I’m seriously considering buying a PS5.
Here’s how I would summarize the value of video games:
They let you experience parallel worlds in first person, interacting with them and becoming their protagonist. This level of immersion activates specific neural circuits that stimulate creativity, imagination, active participation, and deep engagement;
By living these worlds firsthand, you can test the impact of your decisions in a simulated and protected environment. Videogames act like a training ground for your decision-making process, where you can empathize with and feel the consequences of your actions. The bond you form with a character you control in a videogame is unmatched by the one you form with a character you merely watch in a film;
Like all forms of play, games help you become familiar with winning and losing, especially in multiplayer environments;
Open-world games highlight the value of exploration, constantly engaging your decision-making: where to go, which door to open, which mission to choose, how much time to invest in leveling up, or whether to take on a difficult challenge early to accelerate your run;
They train skills like sensory responsiveness, strategic planning, and teamwork;
Today, video games represent the most advanced field of experimentation for adaptive experiences, the kind that will shape the future of our lives. It’s no coincidence that much of the progress in AI (think of GPUs, adaptive algorithms, and machine learning) has been, and continues to be, driven by the gaming industry;
Video games immerse us in multiple virtual realities, expanding our intuitive grasp of them. Metaphorically, they are a gateway into the quantum world, opening our minds to hold and navigate parallel states of being;
In an age where digital consumption has become synonymous with passive scrolling, video games offer an alternative as a mentally active, constructive form of digital resistance. The problem isn’t just how much time we spend in front of a screen, but how we spend it. More gaming might actually help slow down the cognitive decline of modern society.
Video games aren’t just content to consume. They are experiences to live, worlds to explore, and choices to make. In a time when everything seems to push us toward passivity, play remains a deeply active and human act.
Throughout evolution, humans have always used play as a practice groung to prepare for real life. Video games are a digital extension of this evolutionary impulse.
Gaming shouldn’t be seen as a guilty pleasure to justify. It is a language, one we must learn and explore more deeply if we want to understand ourselves and the world around us.