Controller in Hand - Caltech

Tours end up giving me a lot of material to talk about, you end up meeting a good deal of people, even if it's only for briefly.? Recently, when I brought a tour group into my room, a father saw my computer with Steam, an online video game distribution service, running.? He asked me how I had time for video games, I laughed and said I did try to make time when I could, really, they're fun when one's not in the mood to socialize.

It's interesting too, because after the tour on my walk back to my lab, I reflected on how many people play video games here at Caltech despite the workload and bunches of other things to do.? Sure, there are people who spend all their free time indoors playing games, but there are some who also only play games once in a while, or only with a couple of friends.? It's not like there's a lack of activities.? Even during the more quiet summer, there's usually something you could do with a friend that wouldn't require you to play video games.? But people still do.

One reason its curious is just how not mainstream video games are, in terms of total population that plays it versus population here at Caltech.? Many people here have 360s, PS3s, the occasional Wii, a plethora of computer gaming, games on their phones, games on their tablets, games from systems decades old even.? It's a popular pastime here, really.

Something else to consider, too, is the stigmas that video games have had for years.? Video games had been associated for years with anti social people, and yet there are proverbial social butterflies here who like video games.? Video games are accused of creating children with less intelligence, less creative acumen, yet here are some of the most qualified college students in the world, in an innovative powerhouse of a university.? They've been charged with taking away morality, and yet here we are in a college that follows a strict Honor Code, easily one of the strongest Honor Codes in the nation.

Now, as any person with any knowledge of logic or the scientific method will tell you, this doesn't mean that there is or isn't a connection with these facts about Caltech campus and the high population of people who play video games.? In the end, though, they're still interesting facts to consider.

Maybe it's because I played a lot of video games as a kid with a small group of people that I didn't realize how many kids played them.? Perhaps the overall numbers went up, I don't know.? I just never considered one of my old pass times to be something a lot of people did.? Guess here there's a lot of room for fun, nomatter what it is.

Early morning food for thought, I guess.

Keep on gaming,

Srinivasa Aditya "1-up till you drop" Bhattaru

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Source: http://caltech.typepad.com/caltech_as_it_happens/2012/08/one-more-life.html

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