As many gamers out there can relate to, most of the people I know don’t play games. I’ve often wondered what the perception is of a gamer to those that don’t play, or who do play but with far less frequency. With the advent of mobile gaming, more and more people are some type of gamer, whether they find that to be true or not.

So I got to wondering, what do non-gamers wonder about gamers? What do they wonder about video games?

So I asked.

And here’s what my friend H.F. had to say:

I’m sorry but I’m REALLY not helpful in this category. The last video game I played was Super Mario Brothers so that shows you how long it’s been since I’ve played games! I’ve never been interested in video games at all if I’m being honest. If I have some free time I’ve always been a reader and a music enthusiast (loves I know we both share:) I don’t know anything about the culture and haven’t ever really thought about it. My friends have all been into the outdoors and sports, myself included, so I haven’t ever even had a close friend whose been a gamer. I’m sorry I’m not helpful with this!

I actually think this is quite helpful!

(Allow me to diverge a bit here and say that I love that my friends are willing to answer my video game questions even if they aren’t into video games. Those are some solid friends; I appreciate them!)

I love that certain games transcend situations; Super Mario Bros. is definitely one of those games. It says so much about certain classics that they managed to reel in people who may otherwise not consider playing.

H.F. isn’t wrong: I do love reading and music. I do both as often as possible. However, sometimes these things can be incorporated into games! I’m not simply referring to the abundance of excellent scores out there (though those do exist), but music-centric games. The obvious choices that come to mind are Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but there is at least one other game that teaches you how to play an actual guitar: Rocksmith.

I have always meant to play Rocksmith, as I have been interested in learning how to play the guitar for some time. Rocksmith teaches you practically: you plug either an acoustic guitar with a pickup, or an electric guitar (the recent entry also supports bass guitar) directly into your game console via a supplied cable, and the game has a responsive feedback system which adjusts to your ability level. It’s pretty amazing technology. One I hope to make use of in the near future.

As for reading, oh goodness, most RPGs and certainly JRPGs have an abundance of reading. So much so, that the latter could be loosely described as interactive visual novels. I recall when I started playing Persona 4 Golden on the Vita (another game I would like to get back to), there was so much reading.

But I love a good story. And I was hooked.

I love that there are so many varied experiences out there.

There are numerous open-world games with beautiful environments, and certainly the Witcher 3 comes to mind. If someone couldn’t necessarily be outdoors (for whatever reason), there are more than a few games to content themselves with in the interim.

As for sports, goodness! Games like the yearly iterations of Fifa are huge. Several sports games have yearly installments, and they can also be used for interesting purposes. I have a friend who physically plays ice hockey, but also plays NHL each year. I can only imagine going through the motions, even through a controller, could help for strategy on the actual ice.

So while I would never suggest replacing any activities solely with video games, there are a plethora of exciting experiences out there to be had within them.

I am certain I will be a gamer for life.

And with that, I’d like to thank H.F. for her time and thoughts. I truly believe that games can connect us and foster stronger bonds, and that’s a remarkable thing. Whether they are video games, board games, card games, or any other type of game, I’m in.

Cheers to more questions and the discussions they bring!