Press ‘X’ For Joy
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
Gaming does not have to be a hobby enjoyed through gritted teeth and rage-quitting, for it can just as easily foster community and comfort in times of conflict.
Written by Kylee Herrick
There is a strange period of time that occurs during the week for many individuals. The dishes are clean, there are no looming deadlines and the onslaught of emails finally come to a halt. It is a brief moment of silence and a small taste of freedom. In this space, one has the capacity to choose how to spend their time – usually beginning by taking a deep breath.
Coping mechanisms take many shapes, ranging from reading a thrilling fantasy novel or engaging in an intense workout. A person can only last so long when their life solely revolves around productivity.
Video games are an effective form of comfort and relaxation. Eyes fixated onto the screen, hands gripping the controller. Nothing can interrupt this intimate relationship between pixel and human. Regardless of skill level or interests, there is a video game for everyone.
Once a game hooks its player, the story and gameplay become hypnotic.
I have been exposed to a variety of video games throughout my life. From innocent online platforms such as “Club Penguin,” to the horrific tales of wartime in “Call of Duty: Black Ops,” my childhood and adult years have been riddled with thoughts of which disc to slide into my Xbox One, a marvelous dilemma to have.
My life would not have been the same without the 2011 title by Bethesda Game Studios, “Skyrim.” After stressful school days, it allowed me to be immersed in a world that was not my own. The game could be modified with a plethora of plugins and resources made by players. No two playthroughs were the same.
The adventure of playing video games is curated by the person playing it. Some may leave a hole in the wall, and others enjoy them with a side of hot tea.
Online and multiplayer games can also influence the experience – depending on whether the player on the other side is a friend or foe. Frustration or satisfaction, all are memories to later be looked back on with fondness.
Ian Hilliard, a freshman film and media arts major, said that video games have served as an escape and source of inspiration for him.
“One of [my] first memories of video games was playing the “Skylanders” and “LEGO” games with my sister and cousin on the Wii,” Hilliard explained. “These were the stepping stones to help get me where I am today as a filmmaker where I want to tell stories from my imagination [that] these games helped form years ago.”
Titles such as “Undertale,” a role-playing game, and ‘Pokemon’ helped a young Hilliard cultivate a safe space to express himself when he felt out of place.
The COVID-19 pandemic would flip the narrative, forcing him to find company in the online worlds of “Minecraft” and “Fortnite.”
“Within both communities I got to meet [many] friends online who I never would’ve gotten close with,” Hilliard said. “Now, six years later, I’m still close with many of them.”
He found that gaming “allowed individuals to find their people.”
Within the student body of Cleveland State University, a bustling body of gamers with similar backstories to Hilliard gather under their common interest. They train to compete and play to win.
Viking Esports is Cleveland State’s competitive gaming program, competing in such leagues as the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) and the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). It takes the easygoing hobby of gaming to a level of unyielding passion, broadcasted to a general audience.
PJ Farrell, director of the CSU esports team, sees the sport as more than letting students play video games on-campus. It is supporting their growth into adulthood.
“Video games [are] allowing them the opportunity to compete against each other and have that growth experience,” Farrell said. “Being able to deal with [and teach] failure in a safe way, I think is really awesome, I like the way that games teach failure.”
While educational, he also sees the team as a method of connecting students with their peers in a ‘home away from home’ setting.
“It's interesting to see a lot of the people that we're bringing in who played video games with their parents, siblings and family, or maybe they have a brother who moved out and went to a different college, but they're able to play and still have that connection.” Farrell explained.
Gaming is a thoughtful and engaging hobby. A crochet enthusiast enjoys the difficult dance of the hook and yarn; and a gamer thrives in the tango of their W, A, S, D keys. Farrell emphasized this aspect of the activity.
“[It’s] a lot of analytics, a lot of research,” he said. “Just being able to problem solve, we're going [into] the middle of the game like, ‘Hey, we were planning on doing this strategy and it's not working – how do we pivot to come back and win the next game?’”
Isaiah Howard, a junior film and media arts major, and Nung Lian, a sophomore general business major, are members of the team. They specialize in “Street Fighter” and “Valorant,” respectively.
Competitive gaming brought the two players together and sparked a long-lasting friendship based on trust and loyalty.
“I met Nung through a tournament circuit,” Howard said. “We played in the earlier stages of Valorant, and, yeah, he's been my best friend [for] four-five years now.”
The safe and sincere environment surrounding the team also enabled Howard and Lian to explore how video games played a role in molding their personal identities.
“I realize that I want to be a better person, you know, inside and outside of the game, because I can see [all of the rude people] that are a part of competition,” Lian stated. “It's like I don't have to be them.”
It is the innocent act of collaboration that allows connections to form. These relationships spawn within a given circle and spill into unprompted interactions with strangers, bound together by a shared interest. Howard recalled several instances in which video games broke the ice and created lasting friendships in the classroom.
“I've had a lot of classes a semester where I [meet people] who play the game that I'm playing, and I get to know them and become closer friends just because we share the same game.” Howard stated.
Their reasonings for joining the Viking Esports are personal to their journey through college. Howard, a transfer student, faced the CSU team in a match and found their skills to be unrivaled by his own. He sought a like-minded group that carried the same drive he integrated into competition – finding not only a hivemind of talented gamers, but a family.
Lian’s future was riddled with uncertainty. With the help of Howard, he visited CSU and met Farrell. His fate was sealed in an instant.
“Isaiah called me up and said, ‘Hey, do you want to come to my school to see what we have to offer?’,” Lian said. “As a high school kid not knowing what to do I was all for it, and [meeting the team] really kind of solidified the deal for me.”
Sanctuary is found in this endless room of computer systems and ergonomic chairs. Gamers like Howard and Lian breathe a collective sigh of relief when engaged in intense play, escaping the hardships of life.
Humans turn to different media for specific motives, according to CSU School of Communications professor Jeffrey Bolt. In the case of video games, the motivation can vary from social connection to increased confidence. An online server can be a symphony of opposing reasons for signing on.
“If I had a stressful day at work and I want to de-stress, calm down and just relax for thirty minutes and playing a video game does [that] for me, how is that any different than reading, knitting, gardening or going for a run if your motive is to achieve a different emotional state that you're currently in?” Bolt claimed.
Esports affixes structure to the distinctive motives of the team’s roster, in addition to seeking individual comfort. On the battlefield, each player has a role. This can transform into a desire for an online identity or purpose when placed in a ‘Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game’ (MMORPG) setting.
Bolt emphasized that it is not catfishing, nor an dishonest act. People have set identities for given scenarios, “we all play it up a little for the environment that we're in.” Video games have become vital to modern communication, with the space between the digital and material world diminishing rapidly.
“The Atari would bring family together, so seven or four of us played ‘Pong’ all together at the same time,” Bolt explained. “You don't do that now when you're playing World of Warcraft, but the technology allows.” Intercultural communication has never been more accessible in an age where the computer is never more than a few feet away.
Gaming separates itself as a hobby that can uniquely adapt to the player. Heart wrenching stories produce tears, while MMORPGs encourage the formation of tightly knit communities – there are few ways to take care of and nourish oneself incorrectly.
Connect, engage and soothe. Regardless if it is through gaming, these actions are essential for survival during societal upheaval. Turn on the computer and breathe.
