Revolt Against "Social" Games, The "Anti-Social" Rebirth?
Posted by Michael Mindes on October 10, 2011
In the darkness, I can hear the steady breathing. How long has that been there? Over 5 minutes? I cannot remember, the glowing screen of my iPad mesmerized me and I lost track of the time. My youngest daughter is certainly asleep, releasing me of my need to be in her room, but I could do one last thing... One more turn...
My name is Michael Mindes, and I am addicted to games. Sure, I keep it mostly under control now, but like a sober alcoholic, I understand that the addiction is still there.
Being born in 1981, I grew up with Nintendo, Sega, and computers. The games available then were really good. Sure, the graphics were not up to today's standards, there were bad games, and maybe I am nostalgic. Nonetheless, as Playstations and the Internet came along, the gaming options multiplied.
I have been addicted to at least 4 different MMORPGs, and I refuse to try any new ones. I fear becoming an absentee father consumed by a supposedly "social" game. At least these games try to addict you with a with the quality and depth of game play.
Unlike the psycho-mathematically engineered "games", which utilize tricks to release feel-good chemicals in the brain. You click or tap around a screen while your brain chemistry tells you, "FUN! FUN! FUN!", even though you know better. To make matters worse, these games claim to be "social" by tapping into Facebook, Twitter, and allowing you to share your accomplishments. Don't forget who you are playing with... Nobody.
It is bad enough when 3 out of 4 adults sat at a table, staring at their phones instead of talking to each other. I was the one that ignored the text messages and emails. We have opportunities to interact with real physical people, and decide to interact through a phone's texting capabilities.
Now, we can sit there in the dark, playing with ourselves. Err, I mean playing social "games".
Where has the interaction gone?
The "anti-social" games have excelled at interaction and thus actual "social" aspects. The best example that comes to mind is Dungeons and Dragons. Long maligned as "anti-social", but what do players do? They sit there, talk to each other, strategize, roll dice, and laugh. That seems social to me.
What we need is a revolt against these social games, and a rebirth of the "anti-social".
As a parent and a gamer, I want to play games with my children, face to face. Not through a digital interface. I hope that I am not alone in that, this is one reason I started Tasty Minstrel Games.
Start by getting away from the digital "social" games and replace them with physical games that require interaction.
