The Many Careers in Gaming
I’ve been playing a lot of simulation games recently. You know the sort; ones where you manage things (Theme Hospital), ones where you create vast cultures (Civilisation III) and ones where you have to just generally beat some rivals up (Age of Mythology… well, it has fighting in it).
I guess if I was to go see a psychiatrist about this recent pattern, they may suggest that it has something to do with trying to regain control in my life that I feel I’m lacking. However, I’d wager it’s more because it allows me to do something very different from what is possible in the ‘real world’.
I’ve played a lot of games over the long, long years. Many of them putting me in a position either impossible for me to emulate entirely or one that is highly improbable. I’d say that a couple that have affected me the most would have to be Harvest Moon and, more recently, LifeSigns. Let’s start with Harvest Moon, though.
Trying to build all the Wonders of the World in Havana. What could be more fun?
An issue of the aforementioned control could be brought up here (or saved for a future article), but I feel the biggest attraction to the ‘farm-simulation’ games for me would have to be the lifestyle portrayed. After a stressful day in the office/University/other-generic-place, what would seem more delightful than relaxing on your own farm. Free from the stresses of the rat-race, completely self reliant and in a town with a true sense of community and happiness. Alright, so the Harvest Moon games can still be fraught with it’s own brand of stress in trying to tend crops, woo women and milk your cows all in seemingly five minutes, but the thought is still there. The picturesque landscapes, the uncomplicated country living, the myriad of potential future wives… who could ask for more?
Lifesigns is another one of those games that gave me a view at what my life could have been (more theoretically than literally). I’ve always secretly admired those in the medical profession and, had I thought about it a little more when I was younger rather than dreaming of game designing, I could have been a nurse by now. Instead, I did neither and became a Film graduate and academic instead.
Those of you who've played Theme Hospital will surely be scarred by the music and constant announcements.
Anyway, I digress. The portrayal of life in the A&E department of a hospital appealed to the dreamer side of me. It may have been one of the reasons I found the game so enjoyable, as it presented the job in a form that I had always thought of. Exciting, ever changing, challenging… albeit with a little too much drama and stabbing (thankfully, less so than ER however). In that sense, I relished the chance to deal with patients as they appeared. I got a real kick out of diagnosing them with spectacular finesse and saving lives. Whilst it may be a career that is beyond my abilities in real live, on the DS I was able to experience it.
As attractive a farm-life is, a 6am start in the morning is not.
I guess what the above paragraphs are getting at in some long winded, meandering way, is that games offer a portal into another life. Not just in the obvious, space-marine-going-against-the-flood/reapers or wielding-a-hugely-out-of-proportion-sword-and-equally-outlandish-hairstyle kind of way. Premier football manager games, anyone? Not many people get to manage any team in the Premier League, nor do they get to actually BE Wayne Rooney (or, is he not popular anymore after the World Cup debacle?). Even games like Gran Turismo and Blur, to some extent, offer us a taste of a high-octane life behind the drivers seat. But do games actually affect your future career paths?
A date with one of The Newb Review team if you know which version of Football Manager this is. Answers on a postcard, please.
For me, gaming set me on the road I’ve lead through life quite significantly. Not by influencing me to take up learning how to be a Railway Tycoon or manage my own Theme Park, but by getting me interested in the medium and by offering me such rich experiences. As a near graduated film student I’m well aware of the influence film can have on people’s lives. The glances into cultures, countries and lives that if offers (as well as the blood, guts and gore that would make most people faint in real life).
Yet games are fundamentally different because of that wonderful thing called ‘interactivity’. Offering even you, yes you, that chance to become a football manager, a racing driver and of course, even Master Chief. Every game gives a unique experience that could never be matched in real life, a chance to dip in and out of dream jobs or lifestyles. To experience danger, then switch off when it all becomes a little too scary. To love millions of partners, friends and companions without ever meeting them in person. Ok, so maybe that sounds a little too grandiose, but it’s true, you know.
So, how about you? Have you been deeply influenced by any games? Are you looking to buy up a Premiership team because of Football Manager? Maybe you’ve even taken that step towards becoming a master surgeon because of Trauma Center?
- Sabbi Stone
Theme Hospital~Legendary