Gaming means escapism in the greatest depression

Sure, that’s a bit of a cheeky headline, but don’t let it fool you – games make for great escapism in this miserable economic climate. Don’t just take my word for it – there’s an excellent new piece in The Wall Street Journal about how folks who are laid off are spending their time – jobless and online.

From the piece:

“Now, when she [Julia Otto, an unemployed woman]‘s not sending out resumes or doing household chores, the 43-year-old spends several hours a day playing games. Her favorite is an adventure-puzzle game called “Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst,” where she hunts for clues inside a spooky mansion to unlock a mystery. She spends about $7 a month playing games on the Big Fish Games site.

“They’re an affordable way to help forget,” says Ms. Otto. “It’s not soap operas and chocolate.”

As Americans — grappling with layoffs and grim economic news — try to find ways to fill their time, the Internet is helping people with job searches. But the medium is performing another important role: a social anesthesia that distracts people from the stress of unemployment.”

The last time the economy was in a depression, it’s well documented that many Americans spent a lot of time in movie theaters, seeking affordable entertainment that could take their minds off of life sucking so hard. Maybe games (and to a large extent, the web as a whole) are exactly our generation’s way of seeking the same thing. I think I’m going to go back to playing that Puzzle Quest: Galactrix demo again, and not think about my school loans – see? It works.

Read [The Wall Street Journal]