Why are video games called escapism?

[Maximus Testiculos]

And not just entertainment. I am not trying to run from anything or prolong any duty. I find entertainment in visual, audio, story , action combined media. And it makes me entertained. Why is music not called escapism? Why do games not get respect? It is bigger and produces a lot more than just one side of fun.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Why do games not get respect?

It does get respect, from people who grew up with them. For the past 30 years, the media was aimed at the boomers, and boomers did not grow up with gaming so ofcourse they didn't think much of it. Once the boomers are in retirement homes, then you'll be left with a culture mostly dominated by people who did grow up with it.

[cuafpr]

because people use them to escape reality for a period of time? Music, movies, books are all forms of escapism.....

[DarkAmbient]

It does get respect, from people who grew up with them. For the past 30 years, the media was aimed at the boomers, and boomers did not grow up with gaming so ofcourse they didn't think much of it. Once the boomers are in retirement homes, then you'll be left with a culture mostly dominated by people who did grow up with it.

That's not quite correct. The later boomer generation were young teenagers when the first Atari consoles and home computers hit the market, so if by 'grow up' we mean the time pre-adulthood then some of them did grow up with it. And boomers embraced gaming and home computing btw. Many of our classic games were invented by boomers.

As for the topic, all art can be a form of escapism but it isn't always that. Sometimes it wants to remind us that the world we live in is perhaps one of the best of all possible worlds.

[roboscorcher]

And not just entertainment. I am not trying to run from anything or prolong any duty. I find entertainment in visual, audio, story , action combined media. And it makes me entertained. Why is music not called escapism? Why do games not get respect? It is bigger and produces a lot more than just one side of fun.

Music *is* a form of a escapism. Same with reading books, seeing a film, or playing videogames. Anyone who says otherwise is just wrong and probably never put any thought into it.

Videogames are probably more referred to as escapism because they are the most immersive media. Immersion factor varies game to game, but most games beat out other mediums for immersion. There's audio input and visual input and - unique to games alone - player agency. Most people don't put on a headset to read a book, but you can lose your balance in a room playing a VR game, thinking you're actually falling off a cliff. Even without VR, games can incite reactions that no other medium could. For example, when building a house in Minecraft, I've literally gotten adrenaline rushes hearing a creeper go off behind me.

While other games *can* be escapism, videogames can take it to a whole other level.

[Tooshie]

That's not quite correct. The later boomer generation were young teenagers when the first Atari consoles and home computers hit the market, so if by 'grow up' we mean the time pre-adulthood then some of them did grow up with it. And boomers embraced gaming and home computing btw. Many of our classic games were invented by boomers.

As for the topic, all art can be a form of escapism but it isn't always that. Sometimes it wants to remind us that the world we live in is perhaps one of the best of all possible worlds.

Not everyone had access to those. They were really expensive back then.

But yeah. Gaming gets so much more respect these days. My family got our first piss poor PC when I was 12, and had like 1 hour time to use it per day because icehockey and shit like that was much more "healthy and productive".

Mixed feelings about that one. In a way I'm happy that I grew up doing alot of athletics but who knows, I might be a coder who makes mad buck nowadays instead of piss poor chef with a substance abuse problem.

[DarkAmbient]

It's something of a young person's meme that 'boomers don't respect games'. It was boomers making them and later buying them for their kids and grand kids. People love to shit on boomers for just about everything. One day their grandkids will say the exact same shit about them.

[Utrrabbit]

Not everyone had access to those. They were really expensive back then.

But yeah. Gaming gets so much more respect these days. My family got our first piss poor PC when I was 12, and had like 1 hour time to use it per day because icehockey and shit like that was much more "healthy and productive".

Mixed feelings about that one. In a way I'm happy that I grew up doing alot of athletics but who knows, I might be a coder who makes mad buck nowadays instead of piss poor chef with a substance abuse problem.

My grandpa did. I have his orginal atari still with everything. Still olin the original box. It is currently in my storage.

He also had an altair 8800 that he bough lt in the 70s.

[Daedius]

I'm still waiting for that full-dive VRMMO for that true escapism!

[Tooshie]

My grandpa did. I have his orginal atari still with everything. Still olin the original box. It is currently in my storage.

He also had an altair 8800 that he bough lt in the 70s.

That's nice. My dad still to this day despises videogames and I actually got into a huge argument with him for stepping up to my young cousin when he critizised his passion for gaming.

[Azerate]

Maybe it's because English is my 2nd language, but:

1) I've never really seen people use this word in relation to games, outside of "the escapist" magazine
2) Never considered the word "escapism" as some sort of inferior way to refer to entertainment

[Thelxi]

Interesting and kinda weird that you consider "entertainment" to be higher praise for a medium than "escapism". Even weirder is that you think these are mutually exclusive.

[Tooshie]

I use the word for music, literature, movies, games and literally anything that allows you to plug off from your day to day.

[Utrrabbit]

That's nice. My dad still to this day despises videogames and I actually got into a huge argument with him for stepping up to my young cousin when he critizised his passion for gaming.

Thats when you call your dad out on his stupidity.

[Koriani]

Maybe it's because English is my 2nd language, but:

1) I've never really seen people use this word in relation to games, outside of "the escapist" magazine
2) Never considered the word "escapism" as some sort of inferior way to refer to entertainment

In Reference to your #2 - its not. Escapism isn't an inherently bad, or inferior, way.

And as others have mentioned - these are not mutually exclusive terms. Almost anything can be someone's form of escapism; certainly anything classified as 'entertainment' can also be someone's 'escapism'. And one person's "escapism" may be someone else's boring hell. =D

Its all relative, and there's nothing wrong with any of it. "Escapism" is only bad when you're doing it (the activity) to the exclusion of other things (like daily responsibilities). It can be a sign of depression, for example, if you spend most of your day engaged in something for the purpose of escapism (whatever that thing is). But again, that's only when taken to the extreme. As almost anything can be if someone is doing it to the detriment of other aspects of their life.

As for people who don't respect video games or people who don't see video games and say 'tv watching' as an equal pasttime - they're just closed minded idiots. And this is not a 'boomer' thing, this is any generation. =D Ignore them because you can do nothing about the idiots in the population.

[Raetary]

And not just entertainment.

What?

Why is music not called escapism?

Right...
Escapism doesn't mean being entertained, it means partaking in behavior that distracts you from your living reality.

Music IS escapism, ALL entertainment is escapism, as all entertainment can be and is utilized by people to distract themselves from reality.

Video games just get extra attention in that regard because games are the most visible and direct way one can engage in escapist behavior, and its the most widespread form of escapism for us younger peeps.

[valax]

You just have to wait for the boomers who campaigned all their life against videogames to die off.

[Cuppy]

Everything except sleeping, working and excersising so you can work harder and better, is escapism.

[Femininity]

What is entertainment for some is escapism for others.

[Tooshie]

Everything except sleeping, working and excersising so you can work harder and better, is escapism.

Sleeping can 100% be escapism too, it's called depression.

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Thats when you call your dad out on his stupidity.

I did, and he didn't take it well at all.