My dear daughter,
So that’s the lesson. I have enjoyed video games a lot. I don’t doubt they have improved my cognitive abilities during my development stages, might have even improved my IQ. They helped me learn English and even become more fluent in Spanish.
Video games were actually the reason I started reading comics. I already knew about Marvel characters because they had NES, Genesis and SNES games. I have improved my drawing skills by sketching my favorite game characters. I started playing tabletop RPGs because of video games.
I can also credit videogames for getting me to learn programming and 3d design, maybe a thing or two about games design. Back in the World of Warcraft days, when you had to recruit 25 people for a raid, all with specific roles, then command everybody during the raid so it was successful, then keep all players motivated during the 4 to 6 hours a raid could last, through wipes and bad loot drops, it’s possible to consider I have learned valuable leadership and managing skills.
And last, but not least, Dark Souls can only be beaten with patience, insistence, self-control and even studying, same as almost everything in life.
But I have to admit I have this problem. When I start, it’s very hard to stop. I can’t draw limits. There were days I must have played for 8 hours, even more. Then again the next day, and the day after that, which became months and years. I think about the game and start feeling anxious, to the point it becomes the only thing in my mind. When I couldn’t play I would spend hours reading anything I could about a specific game, accessing its website whenever possible, drawing sketches of its characters. I would try to start conversations about the game with everyone. I would become agitated and cranky while going out with your mother just so I could get back home sooner to play. I would skip or postpone studies, hobbies, sport activities, going out or anything else in my life to play videogames.
I don’t regret the time I have spent playing, regret is one of the most useless feelings in life. I have enjoyed it to the fullest. I have escaped to other worlds, other universes, I have lived countless fantastic adventures, I have taken on the roles of heroes and villains, tried new existences. Sometimes a good game is much like reading a good book.
But today I know better; the best I can do is avoid it whenever I can. I am also completely aware most games are designed to create a type of addiction, a form of dependency. They might call it replay value, but they just want to enslave your attention and squeeze money out of your wallet. It’s no wonder gaming has become one of the greatest entertainment industries in the past couple decades.
I have more important goals in life. I want to spend time with you, be with you for as long as I can. It’s just one life and it’s short. I want to provide the best I can for you and your mother. I want us to have a good life. I want to interact with the world and use my mind to have a meaningful impact on those around me, and maybe on a wider set of people. I’m more confident in the future and the possibilities open to us.
Love,
Dad
Aspergers Dad 