This is kinda random, but... I was pondering why some people just do not like video games, particularly the violence and oppositional competition aspects (in contrast to " competing with yourself," i.e., trying to improve your abilities). This led me to thinking about what it is about video games that is appealing.

Perhaps most obviously, there is the escapist factor, combined with acting out some kind of fantasy... basically being able to do things that you can' t do in real life.

But the thing that struck me is that there is perhaps a Utopian appeal to video games, which is this: they are fair. Especially the best-made games. Video games present us with a fair competition in which everyone knows the rules and everyone has access to the same means. You win or lose in a fair competition. That is something that is unlike real life -- everybody knows that " life isn' t fair," that the " winners" in life often didn' t really earn it and the " losers" often don' t really deserve it. But in video games, we have a level playing field so to speak.

Anyway, philosophize if you like.