Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less.

by Jamison DeLorenzo

As a person who tends to run screaming from social situations it’s hard to fathom how addicted I have become to social gaming. Okay, you’re not going to catch me looking for people to play High School Musical with. What I mean is that Guitar Hero and Rock Band have both worked their way into my main gaming rotation. Or, to be more accurate, they’ve moved in, taken over the living room, require regular meals, and demand constant attention.

All this talk about things moving in, taking over my life, and recovery this must sounds like a thinly veiled venting of moving past a bad breakup. This is uncomfortable- let’s just move on.

Despite the circling overtones of negativity the attention is well deserved. Any recovering online addict will tell you that a distraction is needed to remove the taint from your system until you’ve moved on. With World of Warcraft banished from my gaming realm I needed something to fill the sudden and uncomfortable void, and two games have done that for me. Rock Band et al has a dark power of allowing one to move past the always embarrassing air guitar or steering wheel drumset while providing soothing music to play along with (yes, there are days that transform classics from Iron Maiden into digital audio therapy). Sure, you’re still playing a fake instrument but now it is a popular video game so you have nothing to worry about.

I realize that I am very late to the party- not just for the aforementioned musical games but for getting into games that change how we interact with them. I never disliked the control ideas that drove the creation of the EyeToy, DS, or the Wii. The Dance Pad brings something to the table also, and while I would not be caught dead playing DDR, anything that brings hoards of females into gaming is not something I would initially call a bad thing.

For the record, any male gamer who claims not to have enjoyed watching women play DDR once in their life is a liar. Please understand that normally I would not feel the need to defend myself for being entertained by certain games. If this makes you think I’m nothing more than a juvenile pervert then go ahead and enjoy, but know that least I am the one being honest.

… let’s keeping moving on.

The real reason these games are compelling isn’t just because they provide a different way to play or because they let you think that you are a music superstar performing on stage. These games are a draw because you can hang out playing these games with friends and have a good time. It is true that not all songs in these games are gems (for example, anyone who feels the need to do a cover of Ballroom Blitz is inflicting unwanted and excruciating pain on society), but when you get multiple friends embarrassing themselves along with you playing these games it is strangely impossible not to have a good time.

The revelation for me isn’t that I enjoy this type of game or even that getting friends together to play these games is now an enjoyable experience. Normally what encourages me to spit out a few thoughts about a game or related idea is something I read online or in some gaming magazine that forces me to either cheer loudly because somebody else agrees with my point of view (which is admittedly rather uncommon) or to go on some long tirade about how insane something is. This time I felt the need to share this sudden love affair with you all. If you have been hesitant to give these games a try you need to find someone who has them and give it a go. I honestly believe you will not be disappointed.

Wait- I’ve gone from breaking up to being a pervert to admitting to an affair. I better call it a week before this goes any further.

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