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Have you ever thought life would be better if it was a video game? Not like Resident Evil or The Last of Us, of course — something cozier and more upbeat, like Super Mario Bros or Journey? No drab 9-5 job, taxes, and dealing with insufferable people day in and out, just jumping from platform to platform and having the adventures of your life?
It might sound fun, but researchers have actually found that some things from video games can bleed into our real lives — at least we might feel like they do. Back in 2010, Dr. Angelica B. Ortiz de Gortari of Stockholm University coined the term “Game Transfer Phenomena” (GTP). She found that some experiences from video games, such as what gamers hear, see, and feel, might carry over into the real world.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that Bowser is coming to kidnap your princess. Ortiz de Gortari’s research examines how video games stimulate our senses to the point that we might continue to see or hear elements from the game in the real world.
Back in the 1990s, researchers glimpsed the phenomenon after people reported seeing blocks after playing Tetris. Others said they would keep imagining themselves fitting things together the way they did in the game even after they were finished playing.
Unlike simply thinking about the game, GTP manifests involuntarily. Ortiz de Gortari likens it to seeing shapes after looking at a bright light for a long time. Some might still hear sounds and music from the game, to the point that, according to Angelica, “Sometimes gamers assume that they actually left the console on, because it’s very vivid.”
These “hallucinations” might also include movements reminiscent of playing. “Involuntary movements of your finger when you see something from the game, or something related to the game,” Ortiz de Gortari told the BBC. Or “moments of disassociation, moments where they think that they are in the game and they perform some action.”
If you’re an avid gamer and have never experienced GTP, you might be in the minority. Research shows that around 82-96% of gamers felt at least one type of GTP in the last 12 months. Interestingly, age plays a role: younger gamers report feeling GTP more often, especially those aged 15-22.
Nevertheless, people don’t see GTP as a negative experience, and some even want to induce it. With that said, researchers warn that sometimes GTP might lead to confusion and sleep deprivation, and that very extreme cases might even lead to psychosis.
Have you ever been in a real-life situation that resembled a video game, Pandas? And do you think you’d enjoy life more if it was similar to your favorite video game? Share your thoughts with us in the comments! While you’re here, don’t forget to check out our previous publications about funny memes for gamer dads and this list of cursed gaming setups that have threatening auras.
