I cancelled billing on my World of Warcraft account today because I have all but quit playing. It’s a great game that’s a lot of fun. The problem is, the fun never ends. You could play twenty-four hours a day (many people try) and still never finish. It’s not that type of game. It never ends. There is no end, there are no rounds, or winners. It just keeps going and going. For people who have trouble managing their time, this is an invitation for disaster. In life you have to prioritize and divide your time and energies. There is always something more important you could be doing than playing games for several hours a day.
Cable television poses the same problem. Recently I was able to sit and watch cable for the first time in a long while. As soon as I sat down I did not move for three hours. I couldn’t tell you what I watched because it made no impression. That time was wasted. On the other hand, the last time I watched PBS (I’m sure cable has similar educational programming) I learned that if you mix water with quick lime you get a mixture that acts as an effective carbon dioxide filter. Now that is something I might be able to use.
Why do people spend so much time consuming entertainment media? What does it provide? An artificial type of human contact? A desire for a more exciting or rewarding life experience? I would be interested to see how much time writers spend reading, or actors watching television or movies, etc. Film, video games, and television are not damaging on its own, but I am troubled by the way people use it as a replacement for experience and involvement.