This past weekend I traveled to Chicago for a formal with
some friends. On Saturday afternoon the boys were not interested in going
shopping so instead they decided it would be fun to go to Dave and Busters
Arcade. As soon as I walked in I looked around to find tons of little kids
running from game to game like it was the best day ever. It was funny because
we came in a large group of people all over 20 years old, many of which are
seniors and will be going on to live in the real world next year. Yet, somehow
a Saturday afternoon of arcade games was able to bring in a wide spectrum of different
age groups. We all immediately went to buy power cards which give you a certain
amount of points per dollar and the points enable you to play the games. Each
game is valued at a different number of points. My friends and I each bought
the power plus card ,which cost us $28.00 and gave us 150 points.
We all finished out our cards and ended up with thousands of
tickets and we most likely would have been able to win that giant monkey we had
hoped for. But something felt so wrong. Here we were these “adults” in an
arcade standing on line about to cash in tons of tickets and we watched as all
of these little kids walked by us with eyes wide screaming “look at all those
tickets!” That is when we decided that we were going to give the tickets away
to someone who cared more about tickets. There was one little boy who watched
as we spun the wheel and won the jack pot of 1,000 tickets. We went searching
through the arcade to find him and when we did we placed all of the tickets on
him and I have never seen a kid so excited. It was like it was Christmas! This
trip to Dave and Buster’s made me realize that even with arcade games as humans
it is natural for us to want to win and be the best. It isn’t about enjoying
the game; it’s about winning the game
-Shannon Funsch
-Shannon Funsch
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I completely agree with your idea that it isn't about enjoying the game, but it has become about winning the game. I think that in society today, people are so focused on "winning" and beating others for the best possible prize and they are willing to do anything to do so. Instead of enjoying what we are doing in life, we are doing anything in our power to get ahead and beat out our opponents. For example, when many students study for a test, they are cramming the information into their brain and not actually absorbing and understanding it. Students today want to get the best possible score on their exams, even if this means temporarily memorizing the material and not actually learning or remembering it after the exam is over. I think that it's important that we enjoy what we are doing, not just racing to the finish line-- life is not a race. Next time I go to an arcade, I will remember to play the games I actually enjoy and want to play, not just the games that will get me the most tickets and a better prize!
ReplyDeleteHumans just seem to have something engrained into their heads about winning. Competition is such a big part of our lives and past. We evolved from the rest of nature where competition is evident throughout. I don't think it's something that we can really help to an extent. You found yourselves caught up in the gaming at the arcade and spending a good amount of money to win mostly useless prizes; something I probably would've done too. It's not about the prize though; it's about the winning aspect, a sense of achievement to show off hard work. I do agree however that it's important to take a step back every once in a while to enjoy things instead of only thinking of winning. Otherwise, we'll miss out on a lot in life. Good job on giving your tickets to the kid by the way!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you that arcades like Dave and Busters are not about enjoying the games. Now that prizes are involved, the sole purpose of playing is to score the highest and win the best prize by getting as many tickets as possible. What happened to the old fashioned I just wanted to play ski ball or something. My sernior year of high school, we had senior night at Dave and Busters. The only reason people were happy to go was because we would get something out of it, something substantial as well as a lot of food. Dave and Busters is not the only place that attracts people because of the prizes; places like Nathan's does as well. At the Nathan's near my house, it isn't the salty french fries that attracts most customers anymore. The arcade they have inside attracts many families who bring their kids to win prizes. Also, many other fast food chains use prizes as a reason to come in. All kids meals come with a little plastic toy, exciting the child and tempting them to come back to collect them all. What happened to just food and fun? When did it become all about the rewards?
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Dave and Buster's before but I can imagine it is just like my favorite place ever since I can remember called Chuckie Cheese. Growing up I would always go here solely to get as many tickets as i could possibly collect, even if it meant standing in front of a dumb machine where I would press the button each time I thought it touched the color I was at. The only reason I ever wanted all these tickets was to win a really cool prize at the end, preferable the giant stuffed animals. It's funny that at 20 years old, if I went back to Chuckie Cheese, I would have been exactly like you and done the exact same thing as when I was 10 years old. It's crazy how it really isn't about enjoying the game, it really is just about getting the most tickets so you can win the best prize. Thank was so nice of you to give that little boy the tickets, can't say I would do the same but he must have been so happy!
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