Gaming Your Way Out of The Cave: The Intellectual and Aesthetic Side of Gaming

Throughout history, philosophers and gamers have gotten a bad rap. Rather than pursuing productive-oriented activities like business or “saving lives” like physicians, philosophers are accused of having their heads in the clouds and gamers are simply mashing buttons while their life passes them by. However, this criticism of philosophy and gaming is rooted in shallow conception of value, as both activities have the resources to contribute to rich and meaningful life.

Nicholas Baima is an associate professor at the Florida Atlantic University Honors College, specializing in ancient philosophy andethics.He is author of Plato’s Pragmatism and Why It’s OK to be a Gamer, and has published in numerous journals, such as Ancient Philosophy, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Journal of the History of Philosophy, Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, and Phronesis.