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Something that has always fascinated me is the parasocial relationship formed between YouTubers, or "influencers", and their audiences. One of the primary draws of watching career YouTubers is not the content they create on individual topics, whether that is a specific game or a specific make-up look, but rather the sense that these YouTubers are just like you--human beings. Audience members often feel intimately attached to the YouTubers to which they are subscribed because the YouTubers do not have the same appeal as idols--glamorous, rich, and effortlessly perfect--but instead appear flawed, about as wealthy as their audience, and on the lifelong journey that the rest of us walk.
Due to this type of relationship, I watch too much YouTube, which probably reflects my inherent loneliness. However, it also means I am relatively familiar with the speaking quirks and video styles of a large number of people. This script for a fictional video essay is intended to mimic John Green, author of the Fault in Our Stars and half of the YouTube channel Vlogbrothers.
Good morning, Hank, it's Tuesday!
So recently, I've been thinking a lot about games and why we play them. Like, do we play them as an escape from reality? Do we play them for a sense of accomplishment, so we can say "I beat this game"? Or is there some other primary reason that we play games? And how do your motivations change the way you experience the game?
And I think what is interesting about this is how it shapes our dialogue around games. For instance, I play games so I can understand my kids but maybe you play games because your friends do or because you want to be a game designer or because you're bored or because you're a government agency catering to lobbyists who are trying to "protect the kids" when in reality, I should be protecting MY kids.
All of these things are going to shape the way games are talked about in our public discourse. The game designers are going to talk about mechanics and the "player's experience" and balance. Avid players might sound much the same while casual player might not engage as deeply with the space. They'll say, "I liked the pretty piano music and the art" and that's all they'll really say and they'll go about their day.
The government agents are going to look at the violence and the suggestive themes. "Is that Rattata not-wearing clothes? Did Mario just jump on a Goomba's head? WAAAAH CENSOR IT! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!"
By the way, you can write to your local representatives in the light of MEPA to tell them your opinion on censorship in games, link in the doobly doo.
But what's important to remember is that none of these viewpoints are WRONG. Just different. Because the same game means something different to different people. My kids do not engage with Pokemon in the same way that I do, because to them, it's a game where you fight cute little monster pets to the "fainting" but to me, it's a learning opportunity and it's something I can bond with my family over and a representation of the kind of entertainment that's going to become more and more mainstream through the coming years. I couldn't tell you if it's good or bad but neither could the lobbyists nor the game designers nor my kids because it's not about the game but if the game fulfills their motivations to play.
And with the upcoming election just around the corner, being respectful of other people's opinions and having civil, open-minded discourse is something we should all strive to do because a failure to do so leads to the widespread apathy and self-imposed ignorance that has silenced the voices which this country serves. And as Thomas Jefferson put it simply, "We do not have a government by the majority. We have a government by the majority who choose to participate." And if the most prevalent discourse uses belittling, derogatory, and disrespectful language, we cannot expect a majority to participate. But it can be hard to recognize that when people support different policies and candidates than you, it isn't because they're stupid or evil. It's very likely because their motivations are different from you. Laws and candidates are not made in a void.
So, I think it's important to remember that it is never about whether the GAME is good or bad, but rather is whether the game fulfills the motivations of the PEOPLE playing.
Hank, I'll see you on Friday.
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