It’s 2004, and I just finished my first playthrough of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I’m on a high, emotionally charged, and mentally exhilarated. I was a hero, having just rescued the kingdom and saved the fate of the world. This experience left me forever changed- but was it for better or for worse?

Flash forward eight years to high school senior Daniel, on his PC almost every night, constantly chasing that feeling of being the hero. Hundreds, if not thousands, of hours were spent in the pursuit of this goal, and eventually I had to ask myself: What am I actually accomplishing with all of this?

Video games have changed a lot over the years. As graphics improve and developers continue to find out what keeps you playing their games, digital environments are created that cause our subconscious to ask the question: why go back to the real world?

Gone are the days of games like Paper Mario, Donkey Kong 64, and Chrono Trigger- where a long game took 30-40 hours to complete: we are now in an age where some gamers spend hundreds or even thousands of hours on a single game. With this in mind, some questions must be addressed: What are the holistic effects of video games on a person or society? Are they simply another form of entertainment, or perhaps a gateway to something even more sinister? These are questions that I explore as this article unfolds.

Upside… Down?

Before you get too up in arms about all this, let’s give credit where it is due and visit what I find to be the most plausible benefits of video games, and try to explore whether they are the best means to these ends.

• They immerse you in a story. This is perhaps the strongest reason to look favorably upon video games. Storytelling is a fundamental part of being human- a point that will be expounded on in a future blog post. The way that video games can immerse you in a story-scape is remarkable; however, this upside is overshadowed by the downsides.

The best types of storytelling are the ones that have stood the test of time: the spoken and written word. These archetypes of entertainment actively engage the mind and soul without separating you from reality, the environment for which we were created. This is why I wrote The Veil: I wanted to continue the age-old tradition of telling a story that enriches reality, rather than separates one from it.

• They are a good way to socialize. This is, to a point, valid- they can be a lot of fun with friends. The camaraderie experience of getting a group together to play some good old FPSs like CoD or HALO is hard to beat- or is it? What if you were playing airsoft or paintball instead? What if you were applying your will to succeed in a competition against or alongside your friends while mountain biking, rock climbing, or playing basketball? There may be good times to break out the ol’ game system, but if this is a predominant way you connect with others, it’s worth asking whether it’s truly enriching those relationships.
• They help to develop hand-eye coordination. Despite the claims of many, the evidence for this is weak. There have been studies that “prove” that video games have a positive effect on cognitive abilities, but this benefit seems to extend mostly to digital environments. There are also limitations to these studies, which are laid out at the bottom of the mentioned article.

One must ask oneself: what environment am I preparing myself for and gaining abilities for? The digital or physical world? If one desires to develop hand-eye coordination and cognitive abilities, reaching for the controller or VR headset is not the solution. Play outside. Bike down a mountain. Build something that you can sell. Chop wood. Shoot clay birds- or hunt real ones. Simply living as an active human- the way you were designed to live- will provide all the hand-eye coordination that you will ever need.

• They are just another form of entertainment. In response to this, one must ask oneself: What exactly is entertainment? If your answer is along the lines of “a way to pass time while avoiding boredom”, then I would like to suggest a more meaningful perspective on the philosophy of entertainment. In the Western world, the consensus seems to be that entertainment itself is the end goal of an activity, but I advocate that it was designed to be the means to the greater end of general betterment. 

Think of a developing child- they are encouraged to play by running, climbing, exploring, creating, and doing all that it is that kids love to do. These are activities that children are innately driven to because they are “fun”, but biologically, they provide the essential function of developing the child. Skills and motor functions are improved via play, as well as physiological conditioning pivotal to the child’s well-being. In fact, ample play time is the baseline, and the lack of it is to the child’s detriment

I would argue that this innate need never really goes away; it just matures in adulthood. We move from the playthings of childhood into the pastimes of adults, but those pastimes nonetheless have the potential to better us as humans. Sports get you outside to move your body and interact with other people. Books help us ponder other realities to learn deep truths about the world and who we are. Foraging enables you to learn more about nature by nourishing your body through your environment. Rock climbing teaches you endurance, flexibility, and physics. Board games help you apply strategy and logic while spending time with family and friends.

Sure, entertainment for entertainment’s sake has its place, but this should not be the baseline. In a society devoid of much of the hardship of previous generations, we have become entertainment junkies and have forgotten the reason why we want to be entertained in the first place: we want to become better. Video games, for the most part, do not make us better as human beings: in fact, they often hold us back from truly beneficial activities.

• They help you learn new concepts. There is a lot of educational potential with video games, but most people aren’t primarily playing them to expand their minds. The developers know this and create their games accordingly. Sure, you can learn things from video games (like history, science, philosophy, etc), but this can be achieved much better by other means- Fiction and non-fiction books, documentaries, personal research, conversations with experts, etc. Historically, this has not proved to be a very strong argument for video game involvement.

The bad and the ugly

Now that I have stomped upon a few potential upsides of video games, there are the obvious downsides. Many people seem to know these already, so I will just briefly mention a few of them to keep in mind:

• They can be very addictive.
• Many people who are addicted to video games often have poor social lives, which leads to a steady decline in general social skills.
• Video games (just like watching TV) can negatively affect one’s mood, circadian rhythm, and sleep.
• They can put undue stress on the eyes from prolonged periods of staring into screens with no change in depth perception.
• Sitting for prolonged periods has a detrimental impact on overall health.

 

Are video games a gateway to transhumanism?

While not everyone who games dreams of becoming posthuman, there’s a deeper alignment that often goes overlooked: the desire to overcome natural limits without real suffering, risk, or sacrifice. This is the heartbeat of transhumanist thinking, and in many ways, video games simulate that dream, resulting in generations of gamers who are not satisfied with who or where they are.

What exactly is transhumanism, you may ask? According to Oxford, it is: the belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations, especially by means of science and technology. Transhumanism is not simply the desire to improve ourselves in a holistic sense- it is the idea that humans are not good enough the way they are and must become something more. While modern video games do not expressly advocate this viewpoint, they can place subtle thoughts in one’s mind that edge us closer to the slope of what lies beyond what it is to be human: I want to be powerful. I want to have special abilities. I want to be more than I am. Is this not the same ploy the serpent used with Eve? “You could be like the gods”, he said in Genesis 3, leading to thousands of years of sin and darkness.

Not only do modern video games plant these transhumanist inclinations inside your psyche, but they insatiably cheat you out of your time, passion, and health. Are these not qualities that are what have spurred humanity on for many thousands of years?

 

The usurpation of what it means to be a human

Why are video games so compelling? They hit an itch. They make you feel powerful. They make you feel wonder. They make you feel you can rise above adversity and come out the victor, or even better- the hero. Deep down, is that not what we- especially, men- want? Are these not innate qualities that have been passed down since the dawn of time?

In this modern age, we have a way of hitting this itch in a technology-based reality. These digital worlds effectively take those best qualities of us: sucking them from our hearts and straight down the drain of technocracy. We were meant to do things: to explore, learn, innovate, discover, do good, and conquer that which must be vanquished. It is part of what makes us human.

Additionally, video games cause you to miss the true adventure, enchantment, and beauty of our own world. If you think that the digital worlds that humans can create are more creative or wonderful than the one that we live in, then the Transhumanist agenda may have infiltrated your psyche more than you think. Digital worlds will always pale in comparison to the one we currently live in; you just have to learn how to find, cultivate, or appreciate it.

One simply has to see a panoramic mountain sunset before falling asleep in the sweet smell of Balsam Firs to know that this is true. Drive the Ring of Kerry to experience the dramatic contrast between the wild Atlantic and the green Irish landscape, or hike along Michigan’s Pictured Rocks: simply push yourself to do one of the countless beautifully adventurous things that this world has to offer. You’ll never realize what you’re missing until you embark on the dangerous business of walking out your front door.

 

So what does this all mean?

 

Don’t get me wrong: I know video games are fun. I’m not even saying that they’re inherently evil. There’s a time and place for them if you so choose- I simply urge you to take seriously the responsibility of stewarding your life.

So if you find yourself inspired to cut back on video games, or even stop them entirely, what will you fill your time with? The options are endless, and it’s up to you to follow your desires, but just keep in mind that not all hobbies are created equal. Try to lean into pastimes that you enjoy AND have positive outcomes:

• Get outside. Being in creation is one of the baselines of human existence, and separating yourself from it only results in physical and psychological degradation. Get out there!
• Promote your health. Do things that get you moving!
• Stimulate your mind. Watch documentaries. Read books. Learn something- anything!
• Be social. Do things with people in real life.

Choose activities that hit on these points- the more boxes they tick, the better!

 

Is there a fiction book that touches on some of the concepts in this article? 

 

I’m so glad you asked- there certainly is. The first one that comes to mind (for some reason) is The Veil by Daniel P. Glick. The Veil is a sci-fi/fantasy novel that blends military action, interdimensional travel, and ancient mysteries while encouraging you to think differently about the world that we live in. Think The Lord of the Rings or Perelandra meets The Tomorrow War, and that might get you close. 

The world is so much more interesting than we give it credit for, and The Veil brings up concepts of exactly how. If you sense this must be true, then I encourage you to give The Veil a go. Rather than leave this world behind, step into “The Veil” and explore the age-old question of who we truly are in the cosmos.

Conclusion

 

In a world that increasingly rewards passivity and digital escapism, it takes courage to live actively, purposefully, and mentally present. This isn’t about guilt—it’s about the fulfillment of who you were created to be. Let’s put down the controllers, screens, and remotes- let us run, explore, create, and conquer. Let us live lives that are truly worth living, and produce fruit that is worth planting over again until the end of time.

 

– Daniel P. Glick,

Author of The Veil