I find myself complaining a lot about kids these days and the games they have to play. What, with their Halos, and Calls to Duty. Yet, most kids that I find myself coming in contact with don't play either of those games, or anything of the sort. What I have found, is that they all like Minecraft.
Minecraft is a game that has taken the world by storm, for no discernible reason. The game came straight out of left field, and suddenly it's a household name. Why is that?
I think it's because we, as people, enjoy building stuff. We like to put in the hard work, and we like to use our imagination to be able to say "Look what I made!" That's exciting, and the kids love it. There is something special about building up your fortress in Minecraft, and admiring all of the work that you've put into it. Exploring to find the resources, digging them up, fighting off the mobs, avoiding falling in lava, and finally making it back to get to work. Minecraft may be a really boring game to watch, but it is a thrill to play. You can level the entire world of Minecraft, just so that you can make whatever kind of structure, or sculpture your heart desires. From that, there is a sense of accomplishment.You put in the work, and the hours, the blood sweat and tears to build what you had envisioned. Minecraft isn't the only game to allow for this level of creation.
Lots of games these days are offering up custom tools to allow players to make, well, whatever. Little Big Planet 2 introduced a creation mode that allowed players to change up the rules of the game, to go from a sidescrolling platformer to an arcade style shooter like Galaga, or a cart racer, or a sports game, or a music rhythm game. Players are very creative people if you give them the option and freedom to make something. Similar to Minecraft, players put in a lot of work to make a really amazing mod for Little Big Planet 2. Little Big Planet 3 looks to take that level of creation even further with new characters, who change the mechanics of the game, and new layers to their levels. All while maintaining that adorable aesthetic.
These are ways that we, as players, can feel powerful without having to enact any kind of violence on a digital representation of our fellow man. They may be few and far between, but nonviolent power trips are out there. Remember playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero? Those games made you feel awesome. At least when you were playing well. Sure, the music was all set along a track, and you had to play it note for note, but the instrument you were playing wouldn't be there without the player there. Without a single element from the song, it would feel empty. Harmonix did this earlier with their game Amplitude. The game had songs with different tracks for players to play and complete. Setting off one track would free up the player to go to another and so on. Once the player got into a rhythm, which is a core mechanic of the game, the player could go right on down the line until the end of the song with ease. The player had the sense that they were making music, and it was awesome.
Speaking of going down tracks, which the only kind of transition that I could think to make, how about racing games? Have you ever wanted to drive a car that is worth more than you would ever make in your life? To feel the power behind it, and push it to its limits without fear of consequence? Racing games like Forza, Need for Speed, Grid, Gran Turismo, let players do something that they will most likely never get the chance to do. I love going fast, and I love cars. For those reasons, I love racing games. Drifting around corners, music blaring out of my speakers. Those are things that I cannot do in my car, at least without fear of my engine breaking down. I also don't have the time or money, or knowledge of engines, to do the things that I did for my cars in games like Forza Motorsport 3, or Need for Speed Underground.
There are many ways in which video games make us feel awesome, and it doesn't have to involve a gun. Games can take us to new worlds, let us do awesome things, and let us create something that's never been thought of before. Games are far more than just power trips, or mindless violence. Games can be creative tools, and they an give us incredible experiences. When you look beyond the haze of recycled schlock that is put out on a regular basis, you can find some amazing gems that are worth playing, for both young and old.
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