The Record

Holding world records for things in video games. It makes me think. What do they do? What are they good for? Everyone is always so drawn to the top, the #1s. It's flashy. It's a title. It's bragging rights. It's a natural response to become envious, but what of it, when it's all a game?

Records about games—is that all they are for? Fame? These skills may be appealing to the crowds but how would one value the skill? They typically don't bring in money. They don't do anything for survival. And except for the very select few, neither do they make you your living. Perhaps we're led to believe simply here by being on the internet, the populous loves their gaming records because in this digital world there is little to do with survival.

The internet is different from real world in that it is not something (for most) you must maintain or attend to to achieve success. The salary, the  home, the spouse, the career, and the material in general are all very well things further down on Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The means to survival and living in reality. Internet is its own world, an alternative one where the pyramid is structured different. People existed and lived quite fine before the internet existed, which goes to say Maslow's pyramid for the internet is different. Video game skills, records? What are they a part of? Indicators of one's... what? Social media being a significant, if not the most significant thing on the web, fills some tier, but what? Without anyone to see, share, and speak about your record, does it really exist? And In an alternative universe, we all exist digitally and instead, roles are reversed where we manifest ourselves into physical bodies with the offline world as this alternate universe's "internet." What does this then say about that salary, career, etc? Then think life itself is the game. Level up to the max, set records, and win by having a secure and fulfilling life with all of the wealths and enrichment—no fame, but still the hero and winner of the game.