Sleep, Read, Game: Does Creating Things Matter?

Beyond reproduction and the number forty-two, I feel like the tertiary purpose of the universe is to create things. All we have when we’re dead is the things we created and left behind. I don’t create that many things in my life, though. Sometimes I feel bad that I haven’t written a novel, developed a video game, or made a series of viral web videos that my family and friends can remember me by when I no longer exist in this form.

Sometimes I think I spend all the time that I’m not doing life-sustaining things, like working, I’m just sleeping, reading, and playing video games because they are my carefree, fun activities. As you can see from the pictures, I get very into it. Sleeping, reading, and playing are all sort of the same. They aren’t wastes of time because they make you a better person, but they aren’t productive because you aren’t creating anything. As gamers, I hope you can sympathize with my problem. The things I enjoy most don’t feel lasting. They just feel good.

I’ve had days where I’ve played 16 hours of Guild Wars 2 and eight hours of something else. Those are some of my favorite days. I feel like I accomplished something when I complete a campaign or get a meta-achievement. I don’t know if it’s normal that the most fun I can have is to simply sit and consume games. I don’t need to contribute much, and I feel as if I’ve had a fulfilling experience.

I didn’t create anything, but I get the high of having done something. Gaming feels like cheating the system. I should have to make something big to get that high, but I don’t. I can game instead and get little other than an increase in mood.

It’s strange, though, because the qualities people value most in me come from the time I spend online. It’s my joy. I center myself through Guild Wars so when people comment on my positivity I point them there. When people say I’m smart, it’s because I’ve read so much. It may not be the way to create the most, but reading and gaming are things I’m going to continue because they make me joyful, curious, determined, and cultured. 

I would endorse video games. They give people a sense of community, make you more likely to see problems as solvable, increase your likelihood of thinking of other people as potential allies or “quest givers” that you can help, and urge you to persevere when faced with a difficult challenge in real life because you are used to failing, re-evaluating, and then winning.