The Ultimate “Virtual” Reality, by James Rick
Our world is slowly being dwarfed by a virtual environment for every imaginable desire. More than $10 billion dollars will be spent this year on video games alone. Americans spend nine times more time watching TV than physical activity. What motivates this trend? And if this is the reality it’s obvious people don’t need motivation - they already have plenty of it. People need guided motivation.
(PRWEB) August 9, 2005 -- Our world is slowly being dwarfed by a virtual
environment for every imaginable desire. More than $10 billion dollars will be
spent this year on video games alone. Americans spend nine times more time
watching TV than physical activity. What motivates this trend? And if this is
the reality it’s obvious people don’t need motivation - they already have plenty
of it. People need guided motivation.
I would laugh on the few occasions
I heard video games compared to an addiction like crack. But I discovered it's a
more widespread problem than you might think. Let’s make some comparisons.
• Crack consumes time that could have been invested
more wisely – video games consume time that could have been invested more
wisely.
• Crack costs money – video games cost money.
• Crack can ruin lives – video games can ruin lives.
• Crack can ruin your health – video games can ruin your
health.
• Crack is addicting, meaning the more you do it
the more you want it – video games are addicting.
• Crack
is a hardcore substance that infiltrates the body’s chemical processes and
becomes an external chemical addiction. Video games get the adrenaline pumping,
which leads to a self-induced physical and mental addiction.
Many will
laugh as they read this – I want to laugh too! But video games and other forms
of electronic entertainment are like giant vacuums sucking the time out of the
ultimate reality – life. Life in the “real world” is and will continue to be the
pinnacle of existence. Yet as more and more virtual environments spring up and
becomes more “real” – more people will get hooked and escape from true world.
In my research I found a few sites that talked about their life running
game addictions and some of the steps they took to solve the problem. In one
dramatic example a gentleman took a Glock 17 9mm to his Civilization CD! http://www.logsdon.net/games/civ2.html
In another
classic example a young Jeffrey Stark writes a passionate essay on how an online
reality game has ruined 7 years of his life. He urges “Please watch your son
closely. And if you really want to do him a favor, take the computer away, or
delete his characters, delete the game, and take his EQ disc and break it. He
WILL BE PISSED at you for like a month, but eventually, he will become a
*normal* person. Its harsh, it’s cruel, but I tell u what: when he looks back
upon his life, he will thank you for doing so, as would I if my parents did this
along time ago for me.” The full essay: http://www.selfpsychology.org/_forum/0000014b.htm
What
is so fun about video games?
My hypothesis is that in a virtual environment
like video games we have more control over our virtual environments and shorter
timelines to get feedback on our performance. We can also do things in the
virtual world, without the consequences we’d normally face in public. This
allows us to free our inhibitions and experience the excitement of dating
without boundaries, running people over or shooting them on the streets – like
what you find in some of the most popular games on the market today.
It
seems that human beings are hard wired with a carnal desire to be and do
whatever we want – without limits or without consequences. The real world spoils
all that fun. The virtual world becomes an outlet for our wildest fantasies.
Whether it be commanding an army for the glory of Rome or playing the role of a
mob hit man. The excitement also becomes compounded with online gaming. The
challenge of matching wits with other players makes the gaming experience even
more intense. The brain loves a challenge – and one where a strategy can be
applied with almost instantaneous feedback (a few hours or so) is almost too
good to pass up. It becomes a problem when these hours are stacked on top of
each other for days on end and other more important time investments suffer.
The Time Vacuum
The time vacuum exists when there’s nothing to fill
it. Video games are a motivating filler of the time vacuum. T.V. and other forms
of idle entertainment also play a role. All forms of entertainment are not bad.
And engaging your time in leisure is not negative. But a real question of value
comes up when a consistent time investment yields only a short-term reward.
Have you asked yourself the value of your time investments?
Ask
yourself if the time you invest in your game, television show, or movie is going
to affect your life tomorrow in a positive way? Are you investing in the future
or are you simply killing time. Most time investments are like candy for the
mind - sweet at the time but stupid in the long run.
What can you do
that’s enjoyable today and also has a more positive impact in the long
run?
• Invest your time in your passions. Your passions
should fuel the actions that lead you to the vision of your future. If you don’t
have a clear vision – that’s where your time investment should start. (See Rules
for Goal Setting)
• Read books today that are applicable
tomorrow.
• Make a list of activities you would consider
entertainment and evaluate them in terms of current enjoyment and long term
value. Even put many new things in this list you have never even done before.
Experiencing new things can be fun! Life is an experience – soak it up. This
step alone will significantly improve your life in the long run.
These
alternate activities should be motivating enough to give you a twinge of
excitement when you think about spending time on them. They are the things
you’ll immediately bring into your mind when you find that you have free time.
You don’t want to get distracted and just do what sounds fun. You want to
evaluate the activities you’ll have fun doing ahead of time. Now this might seem
to contradict spontaneity but in truth – going out on the weekends to watch a
band play or a comedian can still be valuable activities for your social growth.
You should just know in advance where you will permit your time to be invested
and where you will not. This requires logical evaluation reinforced by a
commitment and decisive action. Knowing what you want out of life and what
you’re absolutely willing to do to get there is perhaps the best remedy for all
forms of time waste. Darwin once said, “Anyone who dares waste one hour of life
has not discovered the true value of life.”
This article is part of the
James Rick Daily Vitamin by James Rick, a daily blog that merges our
understanding of spirit with the physical world. James Rick is author of Full
Potential, a revolutionary guide to mastering your life in stages. James Rick is
also a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and CEO of two international
ventures. More can be learned at jamesrick.com.
Contact:
James
Rick
702-354-4671
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/8/prweb270313.htm