The Field Marshal

Who Says Gaming is Bad I have been playing computer games since the good old days of Pac Man, Lode Runner, Digger, Western Bar, Alley Cat, Frogger etc. While not enough to qualify as an addict, I have been known to play a good game for 3-5 hours in one go. Gone are those days since I started working. Currently, I am playing Winning Eleven 8, Call of Duty - Finest Hour, and Prince of Persia on Xbox. Sid Meier's Pirates! comes on and off on my PC whenever I feel like leaving a stream of flotsam and destruction in the Carribbean. By the way, Pirates! is a damn good game. Its original version was released sometime in the early 1990s. Its second incarnation is awesome. My love for electronic gaming, be it on game consoles or PC, is unlikely to wane even as I grow older and into fatherhood in the future. I guess such phenomenon is going the way of mainstream in the coming 5 to 10 years as people in my age group enter middle-age. Anyway, gaming has taken quite a lot of flake from the various interest groups, for obvious reasons. Parents, for one, worry that their kids would become anti-social, develop violent tendencies or become unhealthy due to the lack of exercise. Other social groups argue that there's just too much sex and violence in today's games. Tell that to the developers of Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas. Religious groups have also been vitriolic in lambasting games for being 'satanic', unholy, and downright evil. Yup, there's a call by some churches to produce more Christian themed games. I, for one, will be giving these games a wide berth. Ok, I admit that some games are way too violent and gory. Sexuality is also common with barely dressed beach babes playing beach volleyball in Dead or Alive or Red Ninja.But to me, these are harmless. Granted that some of the scenes are too explicit for young minds. Perhaps that's the reason why all games are rated. If parents don't want their kids playing certain games, they should either, (a) check on the games they are playing, or (b) make sure that their kids can't afford the games. No one's to blame when parents give their kids so much pocket money nowadays. So, if you do not intend to watch what's your kids doing on the PC, then you better keep a tight rein on his pocket money. Many have also argued that gaming takes away too much time for other activities, like, homework, sports, social interactions, and even meals. Well, everything we do takes time. So, the same goes for gaming. But I do agree that there's a limit to how much one should play each day. For me, I used to play until my I cannot stare at the monitor any longer. And that's usually 3-4 hours of non-stop gaming. Actually, the amount of time one can spend on gaming depends on one's ability to cope with life. If a gamer can spend 5 hours on gaming and yet ace his exams, and still play competitive sports, then this fella should continue playing his games. But if the fella flunk every subject each month and is obese, then parental guidance should come in. I do not advocate gaming addiction, but only responsible gaming. A lot of parents ask what's that, or if that's achievable. Well, I can only say that people are unique and a one-size fits all solution ain't the best way to go. Parents, or even adult gamers, should know their kids and themselves. Only with such an understanding of self and their kids would responsible gaming be possible. Having rattled off from the original purpose of this post, which is becoming a habit of sorts for me. I would like to share with concerned parents or spouses out there that one can actually learn something from gaming. Take my example. Was playing Call of Duty the last 2 nights. Was having problem with one of the missions, and had to play it time and again, since the stupid game does not have intelligent save points. Basically, my mission was to take out German soliders who are advancing on my tank factory. The purpose of this mission is to ensure that no Germans get into the factory to destroy the tanks. At first, being the trigger-happy guy that I am, I took down all the soliders, especially those with bazookas threatening to blow the factory's doors off their hinges, that were pouring forth into my sniper rifle's scope. As the mission wore on, I realised that I would be swamped by the flood of Germans who kept pouring towards me. Despite my high 'kill rate', I found that I would eventually miss out that strayed bazooka that would eventually put away my doors. After trying the mission for several times, being the stoopid person that I am, I finally realised something profound. See, told you that gaming is good for all of us. Basically, I realised that I should focus on killing those with the bazookas, or those with the machine guns. Rationale being that these are the units that could inflict the most damage on me. Yeah, yeah, I am not a top rate gamer. Once that dawned on me, I had more success with this mission. Gaming aside, this realisation made me realised that this is a lesson for real life living too. While the management gurus have been harping about the need to focus on the core issues, companies have always had their eyes fixated on the least important of things. With people like me at the bottom of the corporate ladder taking the cue from the big bosses, I would also naturally fall into the same trap. What my gaming experience taught me, was this. Always find out the core issue that needs to be addressed. That's why I am employed by the organisation. To solve problems and not become part of it. Sadly, most middle managers and supervisors are so attuned to the system that they no longer see the real issues. Anyway, my mind has been sharper this few days as the lesson is still fresh in memory. But with time, I am sure it will fade away. The moral of the story is, play more games!!! It is good for you. (To readers: Pls note that the moral of the story is only applicable to those who reflect on the game. It is not valid for addicts and children below certain years of age).