Games. For Serious.

Whenever I see somebody applying prolonged logical thought to something that the "mainstream" (whoever that is these days) might consider "silliness" or "tomfoolery", I get a warmth across my heart and a pep in my step. If happen to overhear two people in what sounds like an intense personal conversation, but upon closer inspection is about the moral implications of Doctor Who episodes, I have to laugh. Not in a mean "check out the simpletons" kind of way, but rather a laugh that says: "Oh, good! I'm not alone!"

But when someone elevates a seemingly nonsensical nerdy pastime to the point where it could benefit society, I stand and I applaud them, regardless of my surroundings. ("Even in a library, Mike?" Yes, imaginary reader! Especially in a library! So there!)

And so it was when I discovered the Extra Credits series on EscapistMagazine.com. The fine folks at Extra Credits (James Portnow, Daniel Floyd, and Allison Theus) have elevated the gamer mentality to high philosophy. Each week, they release a 5-10 minute episode that will leave you wondering why video games were ever considered toys. They cover everything from manufacturing and marketing to characterization and narrative structure to the evolution of the medium and beyond.

As someone who spends less than 200hrs/yr playing video games, I could hardly call myself a "gamer", and yet there's still something in every episode that I find utterly fascinating. The video below is particularly relevant to modern life and involves applying the core concepts of gaming to improve education techniques. Enjoy!

Do yourself a favor and check out their other videos here.