# Why I Like Video Games

* A lot of people who are productivity minded have vendetta against video games
  * "They're a waste of time"
  * "It's fake progress / achievement"
  * "Violent / anti-social behaviour"
* I want to spend some time making a case for why I love games and why, for me, they are the ultimate form of creative expression
* It may be surprising to note that I actually play games quite rarely, maybe only once a week or so on average
* Playing games can feel like homework, research and critical analysis
  * I'm always testing the boundaries, wondering how they did something technically, how it was designed and thinking of the people behind it
* This is the price you pay moving to the creative side of a field, it becomes harder to find the time and energy to earnestly consume the medium you work in
* My taste in games is reflective of this too, I have a decidedly specific taste in games
  * Single player and local co-op
  * Precise controls
  * Playing as a character, very few god mode or strategy games
* Despite this, when a *really good* games comes along... I totally lose myself in it and remember why I fell in love with the medium in the first place
  * Zelda
  * Persona
  * Dark Souls
  * Adventure, tiny worlds, exploration etc.
* To make a game requires a lot of different skills
  * Programming
  * User experience design
  * Narrative design
  * Digital illustration
  * Animation
  * Sound design
  * Music composition
  * The list goes on...
* Games are a microcosm of almost every form of expression that interests me
* But when it comes down to it, games are the most reliable way I can take the emotive landscape in my head and reify it for others to experience