Why Men Play Games

As I type this out, screams emerge from my living room. Shouts of despair, encouragement, taunting and exhilaration as two boys are locked in a duel. Armed with fist-sized consoles, they press buttons to manipulate the action on the screen. The game consumes their focus and demands all their attention.

Women all around the world ask the question. Some men who consider themselves above childish pastimes ponder with amusement - "Why do men play games?" A year ago, I was one of those men. My gaming was restricted to the occasional game of tennis on Xbox or wii. Then my flat mate introduced me to soccer on PS and now I'm hooked (moderately).

As with any multi-billion dollar industry fueled by addiction, the reasons behind the popularity of gaming is intrinsic. Yes, it allows men to bond and is safer than getting drunk together, but I believe there is a deeper expression that drives men to play games.

• Competition: Games that involve sport, racing or military tactics pump the adrenaline in our system. The allure is in the transitory nature of the games. You can get away with things that are not possible in real life. If you lose, you restart the game and have another go instantly. I've been sucked into this many times. It's not just about beating the best player around, but selecting the most difficult level and beating the computer. It's innate - men are fierce competitors and the desire to win drives us to play game after game until we reach the pinnacle of success. At which point, we choose another game.

• Construct: Strategy games are usually much longer and take immense amounts of patience, planning and yes, strategy. A 17-year old boy tried to get me to play 'Dawn of Discovery.' He loved the game, he said, because it gave him the opportunity to build empires. There's a depth of sense behind that statement. Historically, men have always aspired to build. The bigger, the better. So, instead of building a real-life legacy or even literally building something, most men prefer the comfort of strategy games that allow them to play the role of conqueror, builder, warrior, king, governor, priest and teacher.
  

I foresee this as being one of the major reasons why the men of our generation lack leadership qualities. They have the skills, honed to perfection. But unlike the games they are accustomed to, real life does not afford the luxury of completely erasing the memory of a loss and re-starting a fresh game. A balanced approach is required and most men lack self-control when it comes to being boys around other men. At the same time, playing a game or two of soccer a day steals 20 minutes of my time. But it strangely motivates me to get out and improve my game on the field and it strengthens my relationship with those whom I play with.

Alright, someone's just won the game and they're shouting my name. It's now my turn to play.