Video games, from fantasy to realism?

When I was little, you played video games to escape the real world. You warped into a fantasy world where if you ate mushrooms you would grow bigger and if you ate a star nothing can hurt you. You also played games with some sort of symbolism, like in books and stories. The best example of this is the Legend of zelda. The whole meaning behind the legend of zelda games is to stand up for what is right no matter what odds are against you and to be brave when all hopes seems to be lost. Those games are the ones that you will remember and never forget. Yeah, back then, you played video games to escape your reality, so that you could be a hero and save people. Now, it seems that you can't escape reality. Games like Grand Theft Auto, Driver: you are the wheel man, The getaway and True Crime: Streets of LA seem to focus more on "Getting away with it" rather than save the world and help people. Even in True Crime, although you're a cop in the game, let's face it, who hasn't beaten up the civilians and stolen their cars. The video game industry is making games that don't carry the very reason why games were invented in the first place, to escape reality. Why would I want to entertain myself with reality if reality is what makes me stressed? You know taxes, education, bills, work, romance life,family tragedies, etc. I would much rather spend some time in a fantasy world where coopas are trying to kill me than in the very world I live in. It also feels good sometimes when you play a game like Zelda where the fate of the world depends on you, a world where you save the day and you become a legend. Those were the games. Do you guys share my opinion?

yes i do i agree with you. there are a lot of realistic games, but there are a lot of fantasy too so you can choose which kind of games you play. but also all games are a form of fantasy you know,like when you play a sport game you probably aren`t as good in real life as in the game so that is a form of fantasy.though personally i love the more fantastical games like zelda. the first game i ever played was alex the kid in miracle world and i loved that game and that was a fantasy game too.and all the games i`ve enjoyed most are the more fantasy style ones so, yes i see what you mean.it is better to escape reality more than just play an extension of it

I, too, play games to escape reality and I thinkyou're right about the meaning of videogaming. However, I don't really share you opinion about the so called "realistic" games. They look realistic, and similute realistic stuff. However, if we talk about games like GTA:Vice City and such, would YOU (in real life) be shooting those people, hijacking their cars, etc.?
What I mean to say is, that despite the realistic look of those game, the can still be used to escape OUR reality.

I play games to escape the reality that everyone hates me.
That's also why i'm in this form.

I do agree with you Charles....the first game i ever played was Super Mario Wrld for the SNES....it was one of the best games i have ever played...but now as mroe realistic games come out like you said,GTA,True Crime, and even some sports games.....they are way too real.....

Now the first time i ever placed my hands on a zelda game was back in 1999....LttP.....it was amazing and it really wasnt a way for me to escape reality...i was only nine then.....i had no "problems" to speak,,,

but now i use games and anime manga....to well escape the real world....i mean i hate almost every thing about this place called earth....cept my gf..whom i love lotz....but i am made fun of at school....llotz,,,so i pick up my controler or GBA and i suddenly am the hero of Hyrule or i am participating in a game of Trible Triad...maybe even fighting off a huge monster named Behemoth..or a Tonberry....but now with games like the above mentioned GTA and such games are being made worse and worse...there will be less places for people like me to escape to...

Don't listen to what those *******s say Crushed hope. I think you're cool! Anyone who likes Zelda is cool! (General rule, like zelda = cool) You know why people in high school never made fun of me? I'm tuff, I've worked on a farm since I was nine. Even if you are stronger than I am, I can still kick your a$$ cause I keep going and going, the karate classes I've been taking since I was 4 also help. But what you should do man, is not listen to them, there are a lot of anime fans out there man. Anime's cool, don't listen to them.

well in reality I would never beat up a little old lady and take her car...

so in a sense I can still escape reality by going to Liberty City where I can steal expensive cars and trash em later...

I guess the video game industry is just always on the look-out to new and innovative ideas for games...we certainly dont always want the usual ho-hum video game...

Perhaps the typical games of today resemble the real world much more closely than the biggest games of a decade ago, but ragardless, you are still entering a fantasy world, where you can do things you would never do in real life.

The only case where this is truly different is with games like the sims, which are designed to directly emulate life.

Yes, and how many people in real life do you know that have an arsenal of weapons hidden in his pocket and the person can go around getting caught in explosions, dies and then manages to start off from the same spot? In a sense it is fantasy just not everybodys fantasy.