Gamertell

Sure, that’s a bit of a cheeky headline, but don’t let it fool you - games make for great escapism in this miserable economic climate. Don’t just take my word for it - there’s an excellent new piece in The Wall Street Journal about how folks who are laid off are spending their time - jobless and online.

From the piece:

“Now, when she [Julia Otto, an unemployed woman]‘s not sending out resumes or doing household chores, the 43-year-old spends several hours a day playing games. Her favorite is an adventure-puzzle game called “Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst,” where she hunts for clues inside a spooky mansion to unlock a mystery. She spends about $7 a month playing games on the Big Fish Games site.

“They’re an affordable way to help forget,” says Ms. Otto. “It’s not soap operas and chocolate.”

As Americans—grappling with layoffs and grim economic news—try to find ways to fill their time, the Internet is helping people with job searches. But the medium is performing another important role: a social anesthesia that distracts people from the stress of unemployment.”

The last time the economy was in a depression, it’s well documented that many Americans spent a lot of time in movie theaters, seeking affordable entertainment that could take their minds off of life sucking so hard. Maybe games (and to a large extent, the web as a whole) are exactly our generation’s way of seeking the same thing. I think I’m going to go back to playing that Puzzle Quest: Galactrix demo again, and not think about my school loans - see? It works.

Read [The Wall Street Journal]