From Rage Quits to Real Growth: The Emotional Roller coaster of Gaming and Why It Matters
It’s Saturday afternoon and you’re trying to get ahead in Monster Hunter 5. You’re staring at the
Jin Dahaad who has broken your confidence. You’ve respawned many times but cannot seem to
just get past him. Finally, you’re gaining the upper hand, swiftly dodging the Jin’s attacks and
delivering ferocious deadly combos. Your confidence is rising, you’re sure you’re going to make
it. In a split second, your phone rings and breaks your attention, as your eyes flash to it. You
turn back to the screen only to see the Jin Dahaad deliver its large-scale ice explosion, killing
you instantly. You scream in frustration and let go of your gaming console.
Every gamer has that moment. The gaming moment you just want to scream or chuck your console
down in frustration (hopefully it doesn’t break from the impact). However, one moment that will
forever be etched in your memory is the first time A game made you cry(literally or figuratively).
That’s the moment you realize that gaming is more than just entertainment -it’s competition and
most times, raw unfiltered emotions.
The Sting Of Defeat And Why We Keep Coming Back For More: The emotions may stem from the painful sting of failure or finally succeeding in defeating that one boss who kept you shackled to a level for a long time. Sometimes, it comes from the shards of your broken ego in front of your peers like mine was. (Growing up, I played Zanzama with my mates. The rule was simple: Say Zanzama before sitting down else you receive a hefty knock on your head. You can imagine how that ended for me. I ran home crying because mypride and my head had been hurt.
Safe to say, that was the last time I ever played that game!) The first video game to bring me to tears was Super Mario World, Level 1-3 (don’t laugh). It was not even the boss! It was a stupid jump! I knew the timing. I tried it so many times but Mario’s feet would just not hit the next solid ground. I got frustrated and cried. Actual tears. It was later I realized that it wasn’t about the game. It was about me and wanting to be good at something I sucked at. I could not accept that I just wasn’t there yet.
WHY THESE MOMENTS STICK WITH US
We don’t easily forget the emotions that run through us when gaming for these reasons: We’re The Main Characters: Every choice we make is bent entirely on us so we feel the weight of the struggle. Didn’t win that race because you decided to knock down the cop instead of Bolo? That’s on you. Same way you feel so much pride the first time you defeat Malenia from Elden Ring.
The Games Teach Us: The games we play teach us sometimes. You learn patience,
persistence, how to let go and most importantly the value of failure in our life’s journey. Don’t
forget the lessons you pick up during the course of playing or the emotions that are wrung out
from you without you realizing it
So, What Was Yours?
The death of a beloved character? Did you slack off and get all your possessions looted by another player? Whatever it was, it’s proof that gaming can explore human experiences as deeply as any other. These experiences shape how we play, how we compete and sometimes even how we face real-life challenges.
