I play way too many videogames, according to my wife. I think that sometimes, she wishes she could just throw my Nintendo Wii out the window (I know, that system’s so 2008). But I don’t think she’s ever considered that a game can be a spiritual experience…
PBS posted a YouTube video a couple of months back, discussing how some of the latest videogames and computer simulations attempt to evoke spiritual experiences in players. The talk all gets a bit New Agey for my tastes, but Yahoo! uncovered a comment from one viewer that really struck a chord with me:
Well, when i was 4, my dad bought a trusty XBox. you know, the first, ruggedy, blocky one from 2001. we had tons and tons and tons of fun playing all kinds of games together –until he died, when i was just 6.
i couldnt touch that console for 10 years. but once i did, i noticed something. we used to play a racing game, Rally Sports Challenge. actually pretty awesome for the time it came. and once i started meddling around… i found a GHOST.
literaly.
you know, when a time race happens, that the fastest lap so far gets recorded as a ghost driver? yep, you guessed it–his ghost still rolls around the track today. and so i played and played, and played, untill i was almost able to beat the ghost. until one day i got ahead of it, i surpassed it, and…
i stopped right in front of the finish line, just to ensure i wouldnt delete it.
Bliss.”
Have you found solace and comfort in something you’ve uncovered in a game, or another kind of visual media? Share your stories with us.
