Although people play video games for different reasons, they are united by the sense of enrichment the games bring to their lives.

However, to those of us that don't play games this can seem like a confusing and bewildering pasttime. Here we want to draw back the curtain and talk about what keeps players coming back for more. We look at the imaginstaive spaces games create, the social interaction they engender and the leisure time they create. But first let's get a couple of definitions.

Imaginative Spaces

Whether you are a busy dad who plays to swtich off at the end of a long day, a young person who plays to experiment in a safe environment or a family who play to spend time together one thing is clear - games provide much more than mindless escapism. Games lead you by the hand to experiences that are as wonderful and engaging as you can imagine. They let people of any age play at the activities that are either too expensive or too unobtainable in real life. There is a real thrill to engaging your imagination and dexterity as you try your hand at all manner of activities.

As the national Institue of Play put it, 'Play is a catalyst for learning at any age. When students have fun at learning, they continue to pursue it for its own sake. It is how nature assured us how to learn about the world and our places in it. At any age, play acts to retain and enhance meaningful context, and optimizes the learning process. All gifted parents, master teachers, and wise executives know this.'

Social Interaction

Although often grouped with other media such as music and film, they are better though of in their own right. Becasue games are interactive they demand much more of the player. Although films and books can be read in different ways by different people, games are considerably more affect by what the player is able to bring to the table. Their requirement for the player to act as an agent in the world, unavoidably opens the experience up to be altered by the person playing. Because of this, one persons favourite game may well not match another's.

The biggest changes in video games of recent years, more than graphics or sound or controllers, is the focus on playing games with other people. This is now big factor in why people play games. Whether playing online with freinds all across the world, or getting family together in the living room, the social side of games provides a great context in which to interact with other people.

As the national Institue of Play put it, 'Play refreshes a long-term adult-adult relationship; some of the hallmarks of its refreshing, oxygenating action are: humor, the enjoyment of novelty, the capacity to share a lighthearted sense of the world's ironies, the enjoyment of mutual storytelling , the capacity to openly divulge imagination and fantasies. These playful communications and interactions, when nourished, produce a climate for easy connection and deepening, more rewarding relationship - true intimacy.'

Leisure

The imaginative, social and interactive elements capture some of why people play games. But more than this, there is the sense that game play is simply part of what we need to be healthy individuals. And in a world that is often focused on prodcutivity and development, it is valuable to take the time to slow down and have some quality down time. Perhaps the biggest driver and benefit for playing games is this ability to get us to stop.

As the national Institue of Play put it, 'Play is the gateway to vitality. By its nature it is uniquely and intrinsically rewarding. It generates optimism, seeks out novelty, makes perseverance fun, leads to mastery, gives the immune system a bounce, fosters empathy and promotes a sense of belonging and community. Each of these play by-products are indices of personal health, and their shortage predicts impending health problems and personal fragility.'

Why Play Video Games

Here we have some reasons that video games are fast becoming one of our most popular past times. Not only do we get to engage our imagination, enjoy social interaction and claw back some leisure time, but we get to have great fun doing it.

If you'd sounds like something you'd like to do, getting started couldn't be easier. Our buying guides for consoles and games describe some easy steps to take you through the whole process. What's more it needent cost an arm and a leg, as you'll read you can get started for as little as 50 GBP.

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