Go with the Flow: "Playing video games is good for you."

 

 

I guess it's called Modern Jazz, but it encompasses the now increasingly Cinderella years from around 1940 to 1960. The band started off not so hot, but we made a point of applauding anyway, and there was an immediate improvement in their performance. The fuel of creativity is not money, it's social connection.

 

The thing is that 99% of the 'audience' completely ignored the music. You might be tempted to think that's because it was jazz, but really it makes no difference what style of music might be played. Musicians are now firmly part of the furniture, except in certain prescribed special conditions, just as being called 'Justin Beiber' or 'Lay Gaga' or <insert any famous musician here>. When that happens, everyone will pay attention, because society has stated 'These are famous people, therefore it's OK to acknowledge them'. Otherwise... well... why bother? There's more important stuff to do, such as discuss famous people on famous TV programs, shopping, the looks of an attractive person across the bar. Who cares if over in the corner there's a guy who's showing what he can do after decades of carefully practising and studying and developing his music and is now, in the moment, creating a window to that fantastic magical world that lies beyond logic, reason, shoes, celebrities, cars, money, fame and fortune. You know the place, don't you? It's where the magic is... the magic that's left over when you stop thinking those thousands of random, pointless thoughts that most people seem to eat up

ravenously and discard without a... ahem... thought.

 

 

But what has this got to do with video games? Well, quite a lot actually. A great video game takes you to the same place that a great musician does. Although the techniques used by video games are different, the aim is the same: it is to get the player to enter a state which is often called 'flow'. It's a state of mind where, in the zone, the game player no longer has random thoughts about pointless things, but is focused in the moment. Instead of being drawn in to an internal dialog, the player is drawn into a state of being. It feels wonderful when it happens, and ironically it is in this state that our powers of perception and out ability to make quick decisions at at their highest. It is when you are flowing that you are truly alive and when you perform your best, when you are able to make decisions based on your experiences of the past and your predictions of the future, but without any fear of the decision you make in the moment.

 

 

These days, this quest for flow seems out of fashion. It appears generally frowned upon, and schools seem to actively try to keep their young students from achieving it. Self doubt and self consciousness are the currency of modern education, and this is mirrored within society. It is uncool to take anything too seriously, to show too much interest and certainly it seems uncool to acknowledge when someone is doing something that is purely flow related without a bigger purpose (such as fame and fortune, or simply getting laid). For example, if it was cool to appreciate the art and craft of a musician in full flow, people would actually shut their incessant babbling and listen as the musician plays.

 

There are two exceptions in current society to this unwritten rule. First of all it is socially acceptable to shut the mad chatter of the brain down through drugs, such as alcohol. In fact, getting drunk is something people wear as a badge of honour. Although alcohol can actually shut down the otherwise never ending chatter of the brain and help you get into the flow, it is socially acceptable because it is also associated with not taking oneself too seriously, and that is the ultimate social currency of the day. Unfortunately, salvation for human kind will not be found in the bottle.

 

The other exception is video games. They are considered cool, perhaps because too few have seen the truth yet. When you play a video game, the level of concentration required is often such that the inane chatter of the mind stops, simply because all available brain power has to focus on playing. Most people also do not play video games with any bigger purpose; it's just 'a bit of fun', so it can be considered just as cool as getting plastered (which is UK English vernacular for getting drunk... the Eskimos may have 40 words or something for snow... interesting how the English must have about the same just for getting completely inebriated). This might actually be another reason why video games could save the world... at least until someone notices and video games go out of fashion.

 

Yes, people, I am exposing the truth. Playing video games is good for you. They help you to stop thinking about Justin Beiber and Lady Gaga and the Graham Norton show and shoe shopping and fast cars. They help you experience living in the moment, they have the same benefits of being legless without the health risks. They are good for your brain. And for the moment, they are cool.

 

Now if you don't mind, I am going to check out where they are at with Star Wars the Old Republic. May the Flow be with you.