“One of the sublest releases of chemicals is at that moment of triumph when we learn something or master a task. This almost always causes us to break out into a smile. After all, it is important to the survival of the species that we learn- therefore our bodies reward us for it with moments of pleasure. There are many ways we find fun in games, and I will talk about the others. But this is the most important,” Koster.)
When I read this I immediately thought of Final Fantasy. Any self respecting gamer who has played Final Fantasy know the ‘victory song‘. This song is so famous that it is now a phone ring tone. Basically, this theme in Final Fantasy plays whenever your party (or characters) defeat an enemy in the game. It serves as a signal for “that moment of triumph.” It has gained great popularity and even people who haven’t played the game know what it symbolizes.
What I wanted to discuss, or rather comment on, is how that song now has its own effects on people even without actually playing the game. Now that the tune is available for ringtones, several of my friends have it set to their phone. The first time I heard it, it caught me off guard. I was filled with a sense of accomplishment, of victory! But I hadn’t done anything. Even when I realized it was my friend’s phone that had gone off, I still remained with a feeling of satisfaction. Here, the chemical and biological make up of my body was so effected (or is it affected?) by the “moments of pleasure” that our bodies reward us with during games, that my body was conditioned to feel that pleasure when not even engaged in gameplay.
Random story that is somewhat related:
Another instance if you will. Once at a party a man named Stuart and some floosies came back to the house claiming that one of the girls had forgotten her purse. They tried to find it but to no avail. My friend Issac pulled out his cell phone, typed something in, and waited with it out continuing the conversation he, I, and our friends were having. The moment Stuart found the purse he cried from the other room “I found it!” At the same moment Issac presses a button on his phone and the victory theme from Final Fantasy plays.
