Not long ago, I was introduced to a story-driven computer game. I'm not a gamer, so I watched and listened very carefully. And here are my conclusions.
Firstly, in such games you can try out a variety of roles and practice, albeit at a basic level, a wide range of skills. If you make a wrong decision and lose, you can start over, take a different path, and continue exploring different solutions and approaches until you find the ones that suit you, resonate with you, and are acceptable to you.
Secondly, I like the fact that you don’t watch what’s happening from the outside, but participate in the process: you make this or that decision and see its consequences (although this participation is illusory, and it cannot replace living, real participation in events).
So, roughly speaking, by playing a computer game with a plot that interests you, you study danger from a distance and develop skills that can later be useful in life. It's something like a training camp.
Unfortunately, in today's world, many people (especially teenagers and those who haven't matured psychologically) become consumed by the training camp experience, discouraging them from living a real life, and leading to addiction and psychological problems. And, alas, not everyone has the courage to take these skills acquired in a safe environment and take them out into the unpredictable, unprotected world of work, enriching and enhancing their gaming experiences by interacting with real people in real, not artificially simulated, circumstances.
And one more thing. No matter how well-conceived a computer game is, no matter how high-quality its production, the possible outcomes are limited by the creator's imagination. And the number of these outcomes, no matter how numerous they may seem at first glance, is also limited.
Life, unlike a game, is completely unpredictable. And it's impossible to calculate with mathematical precision the consequences of any given action. Making assumptions about it, based on facts, intuition, various versions gleaned from more or less reliable sources, and also based on what you've encountered in computer games—yes, it's possible. But determining it definitively, with the same mathematical precision—no, it's impossible.
That's the beauty of real life, that's its whole flavor and color—it's full of uncertainty and unpredictability. And how much drive there is in it! How much adrenaline! How the blood boils! How your stomach clenches! How your stomach clenches with curiosity and anticipation—what will happen next? Can you handle it or are you too weak? How will that person react to your words? How will this person act as a result of your decisions and actions? What next step will be the most effective and successful? Is it better to do this or that?
Every day is like a riddle, a mystery to be uncovered, an adventure. Not a period, but an ellipsis…
You can practice some skills in computer games, but real life is worth living. No game, no matter how exciting, can replace it.
