I have been itching with a question that came to my mind the other day.
Where reality stands for someone who feels more comfortable in their dreams or computer games?
When I was still in middle school, I started to question the subject of reality when I read a science fiction fantasy book. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the book, I remember that the subject of the book was a family who prefers to stay away from the physical world and do all their activities, except physical activities such as eating and drinking, in a system like virtual reality. The main character in the book was somehow expelled from the civilization, left the established colony and left alone in the wild world. The main idea of the book was that nothing virtual could replace reality and that reality was much more beautiful and satisfying.
For me, who was 12 years old and saw the world in more black and white, this made perfect sense. At that time, I was just beginning to question the existence of the world and life, whether we really exist. My first thought was that people living in virtual reality are being deceived and nothing virtual can replace reality. As time passed and my thoughts developed, I started to question why I couldn't be happy in virtual reality. According to the claim of the book, in virtual reality; the feelings were felt much less than they actually were. He gave examples such as "The smell of flowers was much nicer in the real world". While a part of me was definitely arguing that the opposite was unacceptable, another part of me started to question whether it is really such a big problem that the scent of a flower is a little more artificial in a world where you can experience flying to infinity very close to reality, and you cannot die during the experiences. Because I think this is what virtuality actually offers us; actions and experiences without real consequences. When you kill someone in the virtual world, it has no repercussions or dire consequences in the real world. Even though I do not have a vast knowledge of computer games and the virtual world, I think this is one of the main things that attract people.
When considered, the common appeal of dreams and computer games; there can be unpunished and fruitless experiences. Both seem like experiences that exist only in the moment and will not affect the rest of your life afterwards. In our daily life, we have to think about all our decisions so much that sometimes people just want to have an experience without a negative result. As far as I have observed, people who have anxiety or have difficulties in social balances are more likely to play computer games and spend time in virtual environments.
There is no user manual you can look at in life, and we cannot accurately predict the consequences of our actions all the time. The result of our actions is not black or white, and the result is not just a few choices, it is an endless possibilities. Unlike video games, we only have one life as we know it, and when it's not the way we want, we don't have the option to start over. Compared to real life, computer games and dreams are much safer environments, so it is much easier to escape from the evils and unknowns of life and take shelter in their safety. It may also be a result of this situation that those who are depressed sleep much longer hours. People who do not enjoy life find the answer in virtual realities or in the safety of their own brains.
As technology developed, dreams and computer games began to look more alike. Creative computer games were derived and developed. People started to build worlds and lives for themselves in games. While creating their own houses and visual landscapes in the Minecraft game, they lived the lives they wanted to live in the Sims game. These games are just the most well-known examples, humanity built a life through this platform and they redefined many concepts, especially sociability. Increasingly, many people developed an addiction to computer games and started to build their whole lives on it. Computer games have become a huge industry, not only for the creator but also for the users. Gamers and computer game celebrities appeared. People established their professions through computer games, and these games gradually became the life of some people.
Whether we accept it or not, the reality of some people is not the daily life we live, but social media and computer games. So how true is that? This is the question that I have a harder time answering. These games have an addictive and numbing effect at some point. Although this numbing effect creates an opportunity for people to escape from life in a short time, it causes individuals who have problems in the long run to escape from their problems and deepen their problems. This does not mean that there is no one who plays a lot of computer and does it from a healthy point. With that assumption, the question becomes more difficult to answer. I cannot judge and say that it is wrong, especially the new generation's adoption of computer games as a way of perception and living. Who am I to decide what is right and what is wrong? I cannot find the authority to say to those who create their reality and personality through social media and the internet as a healthy beings, "no, what you did is wrong, reality can only be in the world outside the internet and you cannot choose the opposite". I don't know which one is better, or if there is one better or worse.
Of course, this analyze can go a lot further, like: The life we live in right now, is it the real life? How can one make such a judgment when we can't be sure of it yet? What is the real life I've been talking about throughout the whole writing, is there such a thing? In fact, can we know for sure that what we call real life is not a dream? I will neither be the first nor the last to ask any of these questions. Unfortunately, I do not have the answers to this questions, which have been asked by many people for such a long time; in books, movies and countless works of art that have been made.
Especially with the development of technology, these questions came to our minds more often. As we see what we can do, what can be done… I guess that the question "What if life is a simulation?" crossed the minds of almost all young people at least once. We see endless worlds created by algorithms, the Matrix, the Truman Show, etc., which have become our general culture. We grow up with those kind of movies. As a natural consequence of all this, we are probably more inclined to question reality than previous generations. As we see reality far from certainty, our value to it decreases and our reality becomes more unstable. The "real world" loses its importance and value in our eyes, so our reality becomes much more fluid. For Gen X, another reality is almost unthinkable, while for Gen Z, reality has lost its meaning. Gen Z, who has a more hedonistic point of view, is more inclined to pursue their happiness and make the environment where they feel happy their own reality. Since virtual environments in which they cannot be controlled, feel freer and express themselves better give them more pleasure, they escape from the world and make virtual environments their reality. And I think the answer is yes; Some people, especially Gen Z, have made dreams and especially computer games their reality. Although it is unhealthy for some people, I think it is not a problem for those who do it in a healthy and conscious way. Times and perceptions change, and I believe we have to accept that at some point.