The Guardian view on video games: computer generated worlds are influencing real ones | Editorial

It's long overdue that society recognises a new gaming culture has emerged from a more social, diverse gaming community

It's possible to play [video] games with no ulterior motive, but I do think they provide a place where we can actually be vulnerable and more open to the full spectrum of human emotions," the author GabrielleZevin told the Guardian ahead of the launch of her 2023bestseller. Zevin's absorbing novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow examines how video games can ease suffering, challenge assumptions andforge human connections through alternate realities, eschewing the common misconceptions of them as childish or violent.

Gaming allows players to immerse themselves in experiences that they have not had or would not have otherwise. While those virtual experiences have their limits in conveying the reality that they are simulating, gaming - being more social than ever before - has developed a more participatory, even empathic culture, as Zevin understands. This should be better understood as video games increasingly influence our reality.