Finish school, go home, and play video games. This process is a common routine for many high schoolers and senior Noah Boerner is no exception. Video games have been a huge part of Boerner’s life; they have been a way to disconnect from one world and enter another. Boerner has been able to make friends, challenge himself, and find a way to escape to new worlds.
Boerner’s video game journey began when his dad first bought an Xbox back in 2012. Boerner recalls playing his first-ever video game as Minecraft. “Minecraft used to be one of the few games my dad got for me I would spend hours on day and night,” he said. Today Boerner has fond memories of playing Minecraft and gets a sense of nostalgia whenever he returns, thinking back on some of his childhood memories stored within his builds.
Today, Boerner enjoys a wide variety of games on his updated and upgraded setup, which includes two monitors and a nice gaming chair. His favorite game is Hitman 3, but he says he will play anything. “If I don’t enjoy one video game, there is always another to look forward to. There is always something new to play.” Always having something new to play is part of the joy Boerner finds in video games. If he gets bored of one thing, he can simply find something else.
Boerner finds video games a nice change of pace and a good way to challenge himself. “I find coming to school very boring and monotonous,” he said, “so gaming is a way to feel challenged.” He calls himself a “results now person,” and finds the constant input of stimuli from video games much more exciting than the school day.
Video games have not only helped Boerner with passing the time but they have also helped him grow, as a person. Boerner used to be petrified of talking to somebody whether that may be in a game or in person. “I used to be mortified of social interaction so games like Overwatch or Tarkov used to scare me to death,” Boerner said. Overwatch and Tarkov are both games that have you talk to your teammates. However, the more he played the more confident he became. Today Boerner is no longer afraid of talking to other people while playing video games and finds it funny when somebody lashes out at him because he is better than them.
Boerner typically plays alone but has been able to form meaningful and lasting friendships through video games. Boerner has made multiple friends through online gaming. He was first introduced to his friends by peers at school and then fostered his relationship with them through playing video games together like Overwatch. Overwatch, a first-person shooter, allows people to join and talk to each other while playing. Boerner typically plays with his friends in a group of five people trying to take down the other group.
Boerner doesn’t see himself leaving video games in the past when he leaves high school. He feels very confident that he will continue to play throughout the rest of his life. “Games are a huge part of my life and I don’t see myself dropping them,” Boerner said.
