Games: waste or want?

In 2011 this industry reported $25 billion in U.S. sales (the independent NPD Group measured $10.5 billion in 2009). Its average worker makes $90,000 annually, with the highest concentration in California, Texas, Washington, New York, and Massachusetts. Since 2005, it's grown eight times faster than the economy - no wonder when the average American has consumed 10,000 hours worth of its product by age 21 and half a billion people use it daily.

Yup, you guessed it: video games.

The more shocking statistic is game saturation. Ninety-seven percent of youth ages 12 to 17 play video games regularly; that means only three percent of teens aren't into it. Eighty-three percent of parents limit game time, but "limited" is relative. The average gamer (60 percent are male) is adult and plays eight hours a week, but five million Americans (no age specified; average gamer is 34) play at least 40 hours per week. No, that's not a typo and yes, I checked. Forty hours a week, same as a full-time job. I once spent summers reading that much.

Where does the time go? Much like my books, to fantasy land. At least that's where most of the money, and apparent addiction, go. They're called role playing games - RPGs - and the latest, Skyrim, outsold the first Harry Potter movie in record time.

Old timers (and I use that term relatively), this experience goes far beyond Pac Man or Super Mario Brothers. In RPGs you make more choices; the plot in these "stories" is not entirely laid out for you. You encounter footprint-leaving dragons, lovely maidens, and beautiful landscapes; Skyrim's are described as especially artistic.

There is a Pavlovian trigger-response element, an affirmation, to the psychology of games. Players can develop a sense of pride in accomplishment (dragon slain, treasure won) and get instant satisfaction; call it a high. Battle enemies with cool fireballs in your pajamas, but you needn't do it alone. Unlike my books these are social experiences (well, virtually social). Gamers "meet" and play with friends old and new from around the globe, which they describe as rewarding.

So while I'll never be convinced that the imagination required isn't limited, as all images are provided, these are definitely imaginative experiences. They're also phantasmal; fictional characters in RPGs have been described by gamers as "more interesting" than real people. In all fairness, I could say the same about a few literary characters.

And of the violence? Yes, there is quite a lot and the violent games outsell the others. Researchers cite study upon study linking Mortal Kombat-style games to more aggressive feelings and behaviors. Preteens and Grand Theft Auto don't mix.

On the other hand, video games can be used for good, too, such as skills training and education. Instruction delivered interactively can hold interest longer than a dull film or lecture. At a D.C. veterans' medical center, war vets play games as part of therapy. Apparently these "serious games" deliver more bang for the therapeutic buck for certain patients with cognitive problems after combat injuries.

In our brood they run the gamut - one an avid gamer (age 28), one in the 3 percent of "never" (16), and two between. I have no interest, but keep an open mind. Their appeal and economic impact can't be denied, but 40 hours a week stuck to a screen... There must be a way to balance the real world and its escape.

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network who will never give up on books. Email [email protected].