Change of coordinates

Yesterday I ran into this intriguing article that reports in some depth about the fact that many people in their late 20s and early 30s are leaving the workforce completely or at least partially to devote more and more time to playing computer games. The article starts by recognizing that, thirty or forty years ago when video games first become commonplace, this would have been unthinkable, because they just did not provide an experience rich enough to support thousands of hours of play but, combining the improved computational capabilities of the gaming devices and the newly introduced social aspects, the games today have checked all the boxes to become, at least for some, a very fulfilling alternative reality.

The journalist, Ryan Avent, goes on to analyze the tensions between the enjoyment of luxuries and the means to be able to afford such luxuries, mainly work. It is a frequent problem in Western societies today that many workers do not actually have the time to enjoy the luxuries they can afford: they cannot go on week-long vacation because their job does not allow it., they do not manage to go out for a night out because synchronizing their schedule with their partner is a nightmare or just because they do not have someone to take care of the children. In this sense, the advantage of video games is that they are very cheap in comparison: in most cases you pay once 50, 60 or even 100 dollars, but then you can play for months for just the price of one night out (or maybe two if you are a bit money sensitive). This combination of low price and long time of enjoyment makes the perfect mix for someone to take just a part-time job and enjoy the rest of their day playing, especially if they can count on the support of parents or other relatives to host them.

Photo: pxfuel

Considering that the article was written for The Economist, it is understandable that it focus on the loss of opportunities for the gamers and waste of human capital for society: precisely in the years where they should be forging a career and working really hard to demonstrate their value, they choose to take a step back from the labor market and let the opportunities pass them by. But to be fair, it ends with a remarkable idea that I have been entertaining for some years now: as in any real video games, if the game of life and corporate success get so difficult that it becomes simply unmanageable and a source of endless frustration, it is only normal that people would give up and look for other ways to attain a certain degree of self-satisfaction. And video games are able to provide this in some cases.

One key aspect of modern video games is that many of the serve also as socialization platform. The players do not only play together, but they also have the opportunity to chat about subjects not related to the game, to simply "hang out". For people with social anxiety or simply difficult access to people with similar interests, this is a very interesting way to spend their time. It is much easier to strike up a conversation if you know that you have the game in common, so you can ask about their performance, discuss techniques, past good and bad experiences, etc. And once the conversation is going, veering into more important (but harder to break) subjects, such as family or job problems, loneliness and the like. In fact Mr. Avent cites this kind of experience in more than one case, where the gamers found support in the corresponding communities.

The article dates back to 2017, but in the meantime the current pandemic has proven that life can certainly go on with a lot less in-person activities. Gamers have only been the spearhead of the trend so they are to some extent to be thanked if we now have Zoom and all the technologies that have allowed us to keep working from home. These have been applications that have been in preparation for years with only limited level of acceptance, but once we have had real need for them, they were ready. Unfortunately the use of avatars has not become widespread in the working environment and we are mostly limited to the "talking head" mode of communication but with some luck the progress will continue in the right direction and soon we will be able to immerse ourselves in virtual environments where we can work and play without having to leave our home.

Finally, there is one idea that the article does not even approach and that is the Keynesian corollary of the high productivity: once the consumable become cheap enough that we do not need to work all they long to afford them, it is only normal that we start working less. Millennials have been accused of being picky with the jobs they accept, requiring them not only to pay well enough but also to be meaningful, so that they know what they are working for. The attitude of the gamers is just a different change of coordinates: give me the job that leaves me the most number of hours free in the day while still being able to sustain myself. Of course, this is very bad for the corporation, which thrive in the consumerism and the race to the top: if people lose interest in buying things the merchandise will start to rot in the stores. And because they buy a lot less things, they will also stop competing with one another to get rises in the hierarchy of the companies, so many of them will be understaffed or will be forced to survive with whatever they have at hand.

The good consequence of all this is that, as we have seen thanks to the pandemic, people staying at home can have a significant impact in the reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-effect gases. So it is possible that, rather than the "quirky" and "odd" people that we have been considering them, gamers have just been ahead of their time, honing their tools and getting ready for a word significantly less focused on owning material things and more on the experiences and the relationships that we can establish with one another. Let us see what comes out of this. Have a nice evening.