Written by Joshua Gallegos
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a big nerd. Why else would you visit The Nerd Daily? Here at The Nerd Daily we celebrate every facet of nerddom, and that also extends to video games. In this article, I want to just take a moment to talk about what makes the video game industry specifically, in the midst of all the nerdy fandoms out there, so special. My initial thought was actually to write persuasive essays about the legitimacy of video games as a form of expression that should be taught and studied like books, music, art, and movies. Instead, I’m simply going to point out facets and features that have made certain games “classics,” and why I think these specific works can hold their salt against their cousins in movies, TV, and novels. And who knows, maybe some of my feelings surrounding gaming’s legacy and feasibility as a whole will sneak in here and there. Just be warned: I will nerd out, and I’ll nerd out freaking hard. Join, fellow nerds.
That said, while reading these short posts you must understand that I truly believe that we are in the infant stages of a medium that is going to evolve storytelling and human experience to a new level, that video games ought to (and will) be studied like the classics of centuries before. Already, people are beginning to understand the significance of movies and how they’ve changed storytelling, and already the study of film is being implemented at every level of schooling. Why? Because the benefits are finally being seen and understood. Right now, gaming is too young of a medium and is not fully understood, but in time, the same will happen.
I was going to move on but now I’d like to finish this thought out. Maybe this short article will just act as a “pilot” of sorts for this venture of mine. But, in all honesty (and you’ll probably think this is ridiculous), I think video gaming is going to be the future of learning; more specifically, that it is actually the key to unlocking higher learning in the average individual. Humanity learns 80% through experience, and video games have already proven to be a tactile, skill-honing experience unlike any other. I just can’t help but see the potential in the days ahead when math concepts, literature stories, art programs, and historical events are all experienced by students through the power of video gaming—a medium that has been creating tangible virtual realities since its inception. In our schooling system today, we already do our best to simulate real-life situations for students. Knowledge is presented from the known to the unknown, and teachers already work hard to have students visualise concepts. So imagine a video game simulation that grounds the concept in some reality for students to actually experience themselves as opposed to just trying to imagine in their head or study it on a page. Knowledge and communication could skyrocket.
Eventually, I believe the medium will break out of its “video game” moniker and just become pure virtual reality—or should I say, virtual realities. They’ll be called something like “virtual experiences” or “video realities,” because eventually, every form of reality–and truly, the potential is for every form–will be able to be experienced by the user through VR technology. Experiences are so invaluable in shaping a human being, and what we now call video games—what we often assume is just mindless entertainment and escapism—are actually leading the charge into a new frontier of human experience, knowledge, and understanding. A goofy headset today will be the world changer of the future. Fingers crossed, anyway.
Despite the technology’s potential not having been fully realised yet, already we can catch glimpses of the sheer power the gaming experience has. It can be truly overwhelming. And that’s what this blog is going to be about—those glimpses at the future of humanity, through the little cartridges of experience we call video games. If this were literature, then we’re living in the times of ancient Greece, people. The potential of this medium is just beginning to be unlocked, and we have the whole of the human experience to realise its potential completely. It’s only a matter of time.
