So what exactly is a videogame? Is a game just bunch of ones and zeroes that chatter back and forth amongst each other to produce a preprogrammed experience? Is it just a plastic box filled with a thin leaflet of paper and circular piece of polycarbonate plastic with a hole poked in the middle? Or are games someones vision of an alternate existence, a recreation of past events, or a future where we battle aliens on a regular basis?
In my mind a game is an escape from the limits of reality, a relief from the daily grind that we are all consumed by. A time when a developer picks you up by the cranium and places you in an alternate world where the polygons and pixels make up the landscape. A place where you can be whatever you want to be. Whether its a soldier, blue hedgehog, assassin, or even a magical creature, the choice is yours. And what a choice it can be. There are just so many different games and genres out there that the possibilities are endless when it comes to choosing exactly what, or whom you want to play as. And if picking out of a few generated characters isnt for you take a picture of yourself and plop it onto a body. Its just that easy in some cases with games that have a customizable character feature. Even games that dont offer this latest technology still give you a lot of options when it comes to changing your characters appearance. Heads, body types, and the articles of clothing your character adorns can be adjusted to your liking. So whether you want to be a Mage in a purple robe, Niko Bellic in his Rockstar underwear, or just a pink Spartan Soldier, you just might get lost in the character menu for a couple of hours.
Selecting a game can be a difficult decision. Depending what you want to do or the identity you want to assume, the choice can be a hard one. One path will lead you into a dark world where an evil presence has taken over the land. Another will put you at the helm of a futuristic spaceship navigating your way to the final boss fight. So whether you want to be Tony Montana, or just play as Nintendos famous Mario character the choice is up to you.
There are many paths to choose, which one you venture down is completely up to you.