Life is a Video Game

by Dyske Suematsu  •  July 27, 2001

The older I get, the less I’m aware of my own existence. Or, rather, I’m only aware of myself and nothing else. In other words, I feel very solipsistic. Life feels to me like a video game.

In video games, there are environments, cultures, languages, and opponents. You create those worlds by turning the machine on. In it, the world reacts to what you do. And, you can turn it off when you are tired. As long as you are playing, you are creating a history within that environment. When you turn it off, that world does not go on without you. If you are out, then the whole world goes out. The Tekken characters will not go on practicing, preparing for the day you come back. Gran Turismo drivers will not go on driving, wondering what happened to you. Duke Nukem fighters aren’t going to walk around wondering why no one is shooting at them.

Though, these are silly thoughts, I’ve been feeling the same way about my own life. If I die, the power is out. The game is over. It makes sense. The world that I perceive has a meaning only to me. You don’t perceive what I perceive, so your world isn’t the same as mine. If I turn it off, then it’s over. The world I perceive does not go on without me perceiving.

It’s the same in video games. You and I can play the same exact game, but I create my own history within it. What I experience in it is very different from what you do. What goes on within your game has a meaning only to you. Even if you turn it off, it would not influence my game. Your world ends when you turn it off. My world continues on.

In my world of Gran Turismo, for instance, there is a world-famous driver named DYSKE. His driving style is precise and consistent. It’s virtually impossible to beat him. He has dominated a vast majority of the championships around the world. After every race, he takes home 5 million dollars. His garage at home is filled with over 100 cars tuned up to utmost perfection. This is my world of Gran Turismo. When I turn it off. It’s over.