(6 minute read)

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“The only real danger that exists is man himself.”

–Carl Jung, Face to Face, BBC TV, 1959

In her book, Reality Is Broken, best-selling author Jane McGonigal warns her readers that our society is broken. Given the recent 2024 political and social climate that may not come as a surprise to anyone. Except the book was published in 2011.

Is she a prognosticator? A soothsayer? A modern Nostradamus?

No, not really.

What is amazing is how much it applies to our situation now. “Gamers have had enough of reality,” she writes. “They are abandoning it in droves –a few hours here, an entire weekend there, sometimes every spare minute of every day for stretches at a time.”

“Right!,” says every parent since 1990.

However, McGonigal makes a persuasive argument to everyone …leave the gamers alone. They know what they are doing and, in fact, we all could learn a lot from them. The gamers and gaming world doesn’t need to be fixed, McGonigal asserts, “It is reality that is broken.”

But what does that mean?

To be sure, McGonigal does not think that gamers have lost touch with reality. They are living life in reality. This includes their jobs, families, schools, and other physical places they find themselves in.

What is happening is something different. The more time spent in cyberspace, the real world increasingly feels like it is missing something. What gamers want to know is where in reality can they find a sense of community? They seek full engagement and focus. They want the feeling of power and the experience of being the hero. Gamers desire a sense of purpose, meaning, and to feel fully alive.

Before you start judging them, read on dear reader because you may be just as “guilty.”

While surely there are moments in reality where gamers can experience some of these things, cyberspace offers these experiences constantly. Gamers have access to them in spades.

“Oh, sure it is. It’s all that dopamine hits they keep getting,” you might be thinking.

It isn’t shocking that the dopamine excuse may be your first response. Traditional and social media companies have given it a lot of attention over the years.

It is true that dopamine, a natural occurring hormone produced in the brain, is an important part for mental health. Too little dopamine can lead to problems with schizophrenia and ADHD. Too much and the level of dopamine becomes unstable and unpredictable leading to maniacal behavior.

Andy Przybylski, Director of Research at Oxford, said that hard “scientific evidence is scarce.” Judging gamers about their video game habits is outright wrong. The dopamine effect has yet to be conclusively proven.

Admittedly, the World Health Organization has declared gaming behavior as an addiction. Yet, Przbylski mentions that there hasn’t been enough scientific evidence proving it’s addictive nature.

So, what is it that keeps now two generations investing an inordinate amount of time in an online world?

What Are The Numbers?

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubt.”

–Bertrand Russell, Unpopular Essays, Simon and Schuster, 1950

In the non-real world of gaming, the “carefully designed pleasures” are abundant. The challenges of the gaming world are not readily available in reality.

What are those pleasures?

The ease of bonding with someone or a group of people is obvious in the gaming world. The games contain progressive skills that allow an immediate sense of accomplishment once the skills are mastered. They also elevate the mundane task of traveling from one place to another in the virtual world.

Reality offers far less.

And so, for the gamer, the virtual world is far more exciting and superior compared to reality. The gamers are not in denial. They are more than aware of what is “real” and what is not. But because the rewards are readily available to them they prefer to spend more time in cyberspace.

Because reality sucks!

Depending on the source, in 2024 the number of gamers in the U.S. is anywhere from 189-201 billion or 57%-61% of the U.S. population. 50% U.S. gamers play anywhere between 3-12 hours a week. Another 25% play more than 13 hours a week. The rest consider themselves occasional players. 66% of the gamers come from Gen. Z, the 12-27 year age group.

That is a lot of people opting for something different from a 100% reality check.

Gamers Aren’t The Only Cyber-punkers

In November 2024, the Pew Research Center released a study measuring online usage in the U.S. Pew is a respected institute that initiates research informing the public about issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.

In their latest research they found that many Americans are using social media to connect with one another. They also use it to engage with news content, share information, and entertain themselves. That is probably not shocking to you given that you are here reading this column. You, me, and millions of others are lawful cyber-punkers.

According to Pew, the top three cyber platforms are YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. YouTube boasts a thriving across the board usage with 93.5% ages 18-49 saying they regularly use the platform, with 86% of 55-64, and 65% aged 65+.

That’s a lot of entertainment. That’s a lot of escaping reality. And, of course, all that escaping goes anywhere with most Americans. According to the same survey 91% of American adults own a smartphone. The world is at their fingertips.

Below are two pictures. They depict how we used to get our news and information. They also show how we get it today. They were taken nearly 50 years apart and are rather self-explanatory.

Escaping reality for humans has been around a long time. It started from telling stories around the campfire. Now, it includes packing people in a darkened theater to watch the next blockbuster movie.

The trouble we have today is significant. As it was when McGonigal wrote her book, the number of people bored with reality has grown exponentially. Many are creating their own. We feel the need to escape from “what’s really going on in the real world.” The cyberworld pulls us in because it allows us to create our own sense of reality.

Combine that with competing worldviews, competing news sources, envious victim mentality, the class and socio-economic envy of of the haves and have nots, tribal attitudes, and the outright rejection of American institutions and you’ve got the formula for living in a self generated “safe” echo chambered cyberspace,

Reality is not only broken for gamers, but it is also broken for millions of Americans and humans worldwide.

Read Is Reality Broken? pt. 2.