How Ms. Player Became

Addicted to Video Games:

And survived to tell her tale!

What you will see here, dear

readers, is a story of Ms. Player,

who is admittedly not a real person

– but then, who is?

Ms. Player represents the stories

of fourteen women – their struggles

in a time when they were addicted

to video games. As much as

possible, without distortion, I have

taken their words and put them into

the mouth of Ms. Player – she is

their voice, their representation in

our story.

When you hear me, in the commanding role of Narrator, these are

my observations on what these fourteen women were saying. And

so you see me now, ready to tell you, dear readers, about these

addicting adventures of Ms. Player.

1

Once upon a time, Ms. Player found a video game.

“I felt very bored and was looking for

anything to pass the time.”

When DaMan showed up, she decided to start playing it.

“As the situation got worse, the less

power I had to change it and make it

better. I felt like I had no control over

what was happening in my life.”

2

When DaMan started making too many demands, Ms. Player escaped into the game.

“I questioned how I had gotten myself

into this mess. The games were an

escape. I could understand why

gamers are so into this.”

3

In this game, Ms. Player found she could be anyone she wanted.

“I didn’t know who I

really was, so I could

be anyone. I felt that I

really needed to start

being the person who

would have different

options.”

4

And she could go anywhere she wanted.

“It’s like I am in another

world, and I like it. I had

not a care in the world

when I played this game.

This is what life is about.”

“Like, wow, this is going to be fun. I

am going to meet different people

and see more places.”

5

Ms. Player met very interesting characters.

“I enjoyed playing the game

because I was interacting with

characters I love. I cared for

the characters I was playing

with, so I wanted to do well

with them.”

Characters who kept her going.

“Being so fond of the characters I was

playing and interacting with kept me

going, because I wanted to defeat the

bad guys for them and with them.”

6

Ms. Player was having so much fun.

“I thought this was the most

entertaining game I had ever

played. I constantly won, and I

liked the feeling of winning, of

being the best. It made me feel

good and made me happy.”

7

Because of the escape the game provided from DaMan.

“It gave me a chance

to escape my

everyday troubles. It

isolated me away

from my problems

and made me forget

what bothered me.”

Because of how powerful she felt.

“I felt like I had a lot of power

over the game as I moved from

level to level. The game made

me feel in control of something,

which is what I needed to feel,

like I had some sort of control

over something in life at that

stage.” 8

So she went deeper, and deeper, into this game…

“I was spending

a lot of time

playing the game

instead of doing

more ‘productive’

things.”

And further and further away from DaMan and his demands.

9

But on her wanderings, Ms. Player began to have wonderings…

“How can a game

make me feel so

confident and

powerful when I

feel so weak in

reality?”

10

Because as deep as she went, Ms. Player knew she could never truly escape DaMan.

I don’t think that’s the case

always. You have to remember

I’m not like everyone else. So

you can’t put their words in my

mouth. But, I’m not even saying

this now, am I? Did anyone say

this, or do you just need me to

be saying this now to keep the

story going? Is it even my story

anymore? Am I me, or just

someone you created?

Sorry, but you did start wondering about how addictive this was becoming, didn’t you?

Is that not the definition of addiction?

Okay, then a definition of addiction.

I felt as though I was consumed through

the game and nothing else seemed to

matter at the time.

I don’t know about the definition, but I

guess it can be a definition.

I did feel like I was becoming addicted.

I had never been addicted to a game

that badly in the past.

11

Because the game started to take control, right?

“When did I allow this

to get this out of

control? The game

had power over me

the whole time I

thought I had power

over it.”

For no matter where she went…

12

…or who she talked to…

…or even who she went as…

Narrator’s Note: Lara Croft is the epitome of male desire and female empowerment. 13

...the game became overwhelming!

“I felt like a slave

to the game.”

You have to run! You have to get out of there before it’s too late!

I know that! I’m the one

who told you that!

14

“How long have I

been like this? How

can I stop being like

this? I need to

regain my power. “

“I concluded that it was a

good thing then. This

video game helped me

to adapt to hard times

and situations. I also

had the power to stop

playing my game.”

15

Ms. Player returned, better for her journey, to face down DaMan.

“The game helped me to

cope with what was going

on. My game was a huge

factor in the happiness I

achieved that year.”

16

And so happily ever after came for Ms. Player…

UNTIL…

17

Once upon another time, Ms. Player found a video game.

When DaMan showed up, she decided to start playing it.

18

When DaMan started making too many demands, Ms. Player escaped into the game.

The End

The Beginning 19

Do you want your story to be over?

Don’t I get a real

happily ever after?

Well, not when you

put it like that.

20

Now, dear readers, what did we learn today about playing video games?

[INSERT

YOUR

ANSWER

HERE]

21

Very interesting, but my interpretation of Ms. Player’s adventures is that we all face times of lacking the ability to control our fate. Playing

games substitutes for feeling in control.

The problem is if we keep playing to get this feeling, we believe only the game can provide it. In time, the game controls us instead of us controlling the game.

You see, it’s all about power relations. We see it swirling around us, this whirlwind of power we can never completely grasp, yet we desire nonetheless. Do you understand what I mean, dear readers?

Of course, that’s just her

interpretation. Of course, am I not entitled to have an opinion?

As much as anyone is,

maybe more so because

you did the work.

That’s very kind of you to say.

Did I say that?

Here we go again…

22

This has been a

Constructive Deconstruction

All images were “retrieved” from the vast resources of the internet,

save for the representations of “Ms. Player” and “DaMan”.

© 2007