I love video games. They aren’t bound to reality, there’s an audacity to their imagination, and I love how you can do whatever you want with fear of no consequences. Yes, video games are basically Subramaniam Swamy with a pause button. I’d like to clarify at the outset that I play video games, but I am not a ‘gamer’. For those wondering about the distinction, it’s the difference between a spot of gully cricket and being a cricketer. I like to shoot things. Gamers like to play independent titles where the sole objective is to get an ocarina to mate with a flower, written by one game-designer on a bead of his own sweat.

Levelling it up: In the quest for multiplayer, studios have whittled single-player campaigns down to nothing. You open one door, shoot one person, and you’ve won/lost the game. Representation pic/Thinkstock