The Impact of Video Games

What was the last thing you discussed with a casual acquaintance at length? I'm betting it wasn't a book. As I sat with a coworker discussing the most recent Call of Duty game, I got to thinking about the cultural relevance of video games. My coworker is almost ten years older than me, he is a veteran, and has worked as a mechanic. Other than our understanding of how computers work, we have almost nothing in common, yet we were able to have a lengthy dialogue about video games. Could we possibly do the same thing with a book? I doubt it. I'd be willing to bet that more young Americans today play video games more than they read for leisure. I know much more about video game history and different video games and how they compare than I do about classic literature. It is my opinion that in modern times, video games are more culturally relevant to young people than are books. It's been a few months since I read a book for leisure (a shorter record than most people my age I'm sure) but I play multiple video games every day. Video games do have their own culture and history, and I think many young people are more familiar with the works of Electronic Arts and Bungie Entertainment than they are with those of Chaucer and Whitman.