This may come as a shock, but I play video games, occasionally.   I know. It’s unfathomable, isn’t it?   The games I play, though, aren’t the ones where you steal cars and run over hookers and drug dealers, or mindlessly shoot at other players for hours on end.   The stuff I play is what is called RPGs, (role-playing games).   These games are more closely related to movies and books: they follow a particular character as he makes his way through some sort of adventure.   The only real difference from books and movies is that there is a lot of stuff in between the story highlights.
          So, why do people read books about warriors slaying dragons, or watch shows about men whom run at the speed of light, or just daydream of casting magic spells?   I’ll tell you.   “Life can be boring.”   Don’t get me wrong.   Life has much potential.   Why else would movie-making and book-publishing be billion dollar industries?   Many of us, yes, myself included, dream of extraordinary places and daring adventures whilst staring at the fabric wall of our cubicles or serving the next person his “special” coffee.
          In the late 60s, a psychologist, named Marvin Zuckerman, discovered a personality trait in some people called Sensation Seeking.   This trait is, essentially, found in people that crave unique experiences.   These are not the people whom crave normal routine.   I have this trait, which is probably why writing ever appealed to me in the first place.   According to Zuckerman, some sensation seekers use drugs: it stands to reason that they would.   Not all are on that end of the spectrum.   I get my sensations from the things I mentioned.   Why, on earth, would anyone need that when he can create and define worlds and characters: setting them on paths that unfold toward the fantastical?
          You may remember a post I did before about alcohol’s role in writing.   While many consider alcohol to be just another drug, don’t be confused.   What I was talking about then wasn’t taking “drugs” for the purpose of sensation seeking.   It was merely one possible option of getting the ego out of the way when trying to get things on paper.   When asked what drugs I do, I still maintain that “I’m high on life.”   With all of the sensations I’m already getting, why would I need anything else?   Well, maybe just a little more travel and sight seeing: the stuff that’s better than books and games.