it aint different.

escapism is a fascinating subject.

some people exercise and do outdoor activities,
some turn to religion and faith,
while some may turn to alcohol and drugs.

and others play like me play games.

so it baffles me to see the public berate
and place danger on games like grand theft auto 5.
you know, the one that is super violent?

some people who have tried out the ipad version,
commented that the game seeds violent behaviour
and indiscipline and criminal thoughts,
that it festers gun-totting youth and degrades the social
integrity and the overall safety of the public.

...that's the whole idea of the game, you see?

can any one of us honestly say that we have never had
violent thoughts and that overwhelming sensation
to just punch and shoot and run over others?

sure we do.

the point is, we don't do it in real life.
and to say that people who go around shooting others
in actual life is totally the game's fault?

utter rubbish.

first of all, no self-respecting gamer would be caught dead
trying out the "ipad version" of grand theft auto.
matter of fact, we don't try an ipad version of ANYTHING.

secondly, you don't have to be a gamer to display
real and actual life acts of random violence and anger.
have you ever driven around KL during peak hour?

and third, people ALWAYS fail to quote that the majority,
from millions and millions of gamers out there,
95% are normal, well-behaving and decent people.

it's because games are our way of escapism.
it helps us to release a lot of stress from the day,
and it provides us with a lot of fun as well.

to seek emotional release
through activity or medium.
see? that's what escapism is.

gaming isn't any different.