The 400 Project

Since my days of sitting inches away from the tube TV in my parents basement stomping on Goombas and Koopas, I have considered myself a gamer. It is the one hobby that I have maintained throughout the majority of my life. One attribute that could consistently be used to describe me.

During my years of gaming I have watched those platformers I started out playing evolve into rich and expansive open worlds to explore. Over 100,000 Gamerscore and I still have an ever-growing library of games that I have yet to touch because there are simply too many options. Video games are an amazing entertainment form, and I have gotten a lot out of playing them.

I haven’t been melting my mind staring at a screen, I have been expanding it. I have seen countless worlds and cultures. Experienced fiction by playing through hundreds of characters’ stories. Learning both real and imagined ideologies from all over our world, and well beyond it.

I have gained a deeper respect for music and its composition. What a song can mean to a moment. Hearing a score build up as a character you have grown with dies or you uncover the answer to a mystery you have been working to solve can be incredibly moving to experience. I otherwise might not be able to appreciate the role music plays in our lives.

Some of the greatest times in my life were spent playing co-op and multiplayer games with my friends late into the night. Halo, Gears of War, Destiny, we conquered many legendary difficulty campaigns. Or just carved our own worlds in Minecraft.

Thanks to the power of online gaming, I have had the ability to connect with people all over the world. I have been on raid teams with people from all over the US, UK, New Zealand, and Australia. I have played with people from all walks of life, some older and some younger but all with a common love of gaming. Many of those people I would never have had the opportunity to meet without the games I have played.

At the end of the day, I have had hours of fun, escaping from the troubles and mediocrities of the day-to-day. Games give me the chance to immerse myself in a fun experience that takes my mind away from everything else going on. And that is what having a hobby is all about.

As my library of games continues to grow, I am looking forward to all the challenges I have yet to face, worlds I have yet to explore, and villains I have yet to vanquish. Not to mention new innovations that game developers have in store to change the way we play. There is always something on the horizon to be excited about.

I am sure everyone has played some mobile games at the very least (yes, those are video games too), but If you haven’t, I recommend trying it out. Give it a shot and see what video games have to offer to you!

What have you gained from playing video games? Share your experience in the comment section below.