It's Just a Game, Isn't It?

By Ivan Ma

Role models. Everyone has someone they look up to growing up. Movie stars, sports pros, historical figures. Most people would say their parents. I would say it is the same for me, but for different reasons. My parents were the things that I never want to be: ignorant, rude, and aggressive. They would want things that I felt other kids around me didn’t have to deal with. Good grades, learning another language, never talking back. These things irritated me more and more as I was growing up. As a result, I found solace in video games.

I was introduced to gaming at a very young age. My cousin let me play Pokémon, Donkey Kong, the Sims, and many others throughout my childhood. Games were something I could do with all the free time I had as a kid. My parents were fine with it, at first. Soon enough, I had become addicted to gaming. After school, I would just grind out whatever game was fun at the time. I didn’t see any problem with what I was doing. I am not even sure my parent knew if there was a problem. My grades were fine, and I wasn’t getting into too much trouble in school. Nevertheless, my parents wanted me to do something else. I would try new things here and there, but it felt hard even starting anything new.

My parents were poor, so if I wanted to try something like bicycling, playing an instrument, or drawing, it would be a real pain trying to convince them to buy me stuff. This is not to say that buying video games weren’t a problem, but at least I had support from my brother and cousin when talking to my parents about it. By the time middle school came around, gaming had solidified itself as my hobby of choice.

Gaming was how I made my first and closest friends. These friends would connect me with many of the friends that I have now. I could not imagine a life without gaming. However, in the grand scheme of things, the topic of gaming is somewhat controversial. Many people in the older generation find gaming as a complete waste of time. Music, martial arts, sports. These hobbies “build character” and “develop skills.”The older generation just does not see the value of gaming. It’s really not their fault to be fair. Gaming is a new occurrence. It takes many unique and different shapes. It is constantly changing as old games become updated and new games become developed. At face value, gaming is pressing some buttons while looking at a screen. There is inherently no personal or professional value to be gained from gaming.

However, just like how books are just words on a page and paintings are just colors on a canvas, there is more than meets the eye - literally and figuratively. Games are a way to tell a story. A story that the “reader” actively participates in. A story that ever slightly changes every time you go through it. This engaging form of media is why gaming has gotten popular in the first place. And with growing popularity comes people and with people, comes money. The most obvious way games make money is through the retail sale of the game itself. A product is created and then sold for some profit. Simple and straightforward business.

This way of making money through video games does not encapsulate the essence of video games, which is playing these video games. Esports is what really connects this community and the financial side of gaming. On the outside, it is something only a handful of people in the entire world make a living from. Talented individuals who have given up a “normal life,” in an attempt to become the best of the best. This exciting and risky career is something that is making gaming more and more popular in the eyes of the youth and elderly alike. With all the risks associated with esports for the average - and even talented - person, the one silver lining from esports is the overarching esports and video game industry itself.

The esports industry has many of the same careers as traditional sports such as managers, coaches, marketing, and so on. These positions comprise the backbone of the esports industry. They are the entryway for the average person to join the industry. And honestly, doing something “average” is something a lot of Asian and Asian Americans need. Not everyone wants to become the doctor responsible for someone’s life, the lawyer responsible for someone’s legal rights, or the engineer responsible for the functioning of a city. These jobs are time-consuming, competitive, and stressful. Other jobs give people more time to develop interests outside their professional life. With video games becoming socially acceptable and economically viable, the path of video games becoming more than just a game is something that our parents and even myself didn’t think was possible.