Video Games - Real Life 2.0?

So this past week, I had the opportunity to play two games that made me put on the pensive cap. On the surface, neither game seems all that thought provoking - Guitar Hero 2 (for the Xbox 360), and Wii Sports (for the Nintendo Wii). If you arent familiar with either game there are plenty of good reviews out there, but the long and short is that both games use non traditional input devices and both games are insanely fun.

But as I played guitar hero yesterday afternoon for the 5th consecutive hour (you should have seen me rock "Freebird") I asked myself what in the world I was doing. Here I was, sitting on an uncomfortable stool, doing my best "MTV Unplugged" impersonation while I played on "a third grader's guitar" (my girlfriend's term) to songs that, in some cases, I didnt even like. In my younger days and for a stint in college, I played a real guitar. It was most certainly enjoyable, but never in my life had I sat down for 5 hours at a time to play it. And while I may pretend otherwise, between us, I'm really not all that musically inclined. And yet, I rocked, hour after hour yesterday.

I've also played real tennis - never been much of a fan. But enter Wii Tennis, and I'm ready to start hitting the virtual court like I'm headed to Wimbledon. Playing at a friend's place over the weekend, I was literally screaming at my "mii" (the self created Wii avatars you play as) when I swung forehand rather than backhand during a critical point in match. And in five minuets, with no previous Wii Tennis experience, not only had I exhibited more passion than during a lifetime of real tennis games, but I was hooked. I even broke a sweat...

Now other than showcasing my chronic addiction to video games, these experiences have also lead me to wonder... are video games creating real life 2.0?

In case you havent guessed, I'm an avid gamer, and I have been most of my life. Madden, a pro football game, has been one of my favorites as long as it has existed. This is partially because I'm an avid football fan, and partially because Madden lets me be and do the things that I've always wished I could do in real life. Its ironic, as pressing a series of buttons on a strangely shaped little controller really has nothing to do with football. And in that, there has always been a disconnect. Games are artificial. Real life is real. And while some would argue that the line is not so clear, I think its a fair assessment that the input device has a significant impact on the experience.

But with games like Wii Sports and Guitar Hero 2 - are the rules starting to change? In the space of about an hour, I went from novice, to playing along with Aerosmith songs. It took all of about 30 seconds of practice before I could play a competitive game of Wii Tennis. And during these experiences, I'm not just mashing X's and O's on a little control pad - I'm really strumming and changing frets, I'm really swinging and putting slice on the ball. At the time, I was enjoying both games with friends in person - but with this magical internet of ours, I could just as easily play with friends across the country as easily as if they were in my living room (once Wii supports online play). And for whatever reason - both of these "games" were more fun than doing the real thing. But then again... what makes it real? Uh oh... I just went and blew my own mind.

I'm not suggesting that one day you'll go to a Dave Matthews concert and see him jamming out on a video game, or that Andy Roddick will ever play a US Open match from his Wii. But with new, more lifelike games, and more realistic inputs to control them - are we headed down a path where eventually the games themselves become more interesting, enjoyable, and accessible than the activities they simulate? Or perhaps... just as real?