On the surface, the
linked-to article has nothing to do with gaming. Do a search for the word "game" or "videogame" and
you'll turn up zero results. But given the amount of time we spend on this obsession, we like to try to think more
broadly about gaming and how it fits in to our daily lives.
Jugglezine is an online publication focused on work-life balance issues. In their latest issue, Eric Wilinski examines the negative emotions that result from our constant comparisons to our peers, friends and neighbors. He writes, "We're ... wired to strive for the things we think will make us happy--but to never quite achieve happiness itself. We're constantly thinking that happiness is just around the next corner--that happiness will finally be ours once we acquire the products we desire...."
Sounds a lot like gadget-obsessed gamers that we know who are stuck on the hedonic treadmill--achieving one new toy, they immediately lust for the next gaming toy. The HDTV. The next-next gen console. The upgraded video card. Is any of this extra gaming technology actually making any of us happier? Is it actually increasing our sense of satisfaction and enjoyment with the world?
There is hope. Among the article's suggestions: find what the Buddhists call "mindfulness" and psychologists call "flow," "a sense of being so absorbed in the present moment--in whatever task you're currently involved in--that any regrets or worries you might have about the past or the future recede from your consciousness." That's where gaming's salvation lies and where gaming's true value emerges. Some games do offer a genuine flow experience. Most do not.
[Image is a small slice of a Jugglezine illustration by Catherine Lepage.]
