Free to Play

              I absolutely LOVED the film Free to Play.  Not only was it a suspenseful romance, but it was a great documentary that opened my eyes to a world I do not know much about.  The main stars of Free to Play, the hard-core professional gamers, are people that I have never really come into contact with in my life.  The "gamer" stereotype has always been something of a joke to me; thinking of these people has middle aged men living off of junk food while playing video games in their mom's basement.  In Free to Play, I was able to see the stories behind each of these gamers, and therefore was able to better understand where their love of this sport came from and why they put so much time into it.  I gained great insight to the world of gamers and it has surely banished the stereotype that I held.  As far as wondering if gaming will ever become bigger than televised sports, I honestly cannot decide what I feel.  Coming from a family, and even a culture really, that values and idolizes these professional sports and their physical aspect, I don't really see how gaming could ever compete.  That being said,  technology advances every day, and the gaming community grows with it.  In a world that also values technology, I do feel that there is a great possibility for gaming to at least become televised in the future.         In some ways this could be problematic.  If gaming becomes a big enough deal that it can be done professionally, this may further decrease the number of children getting physical activity or doing well in school,  let alone going to college.  If a child sees that they can make a living out of playing their video games, they may never have a reason to leave the couch.  Although I find the world of gaming and the way that it is advancing to be truly fascinating, this is something that should be taken seriously when we consider its future.