I played a video game last night, and it was a very interesting experience full of insights and thought-provoking events.

I saw firsthand how growing up in an economically unstable environment can affect life choices. Then, I was taken into a simulation of the dangers of drinking and texting while driving.

Next, I rekindled my spirit of adventure by exploring a beautiful virtual mountain range, complete with multiple types of wildlife. I saw breathtaking rural locales and then looked through some sometimes run-down, sometimes artsy urban environments. It let me come to my own conclusions about what was good and what was bad and made me want to get out and explore for real.

Later, I was faced with the choice of returning stolen money to its owner or keeping it for myself. I chose the former, and it felt good, even if it wasn't real. I drove around for some time, (good practice for seeing how traffic works as I prepared to take my driving exam) and I listened to the in-game radio, enjoying some new tunes as well as some biting social commentary. I was presented with a foreign film parody and standalone short film, as well as a story about a broken family trying desperately to understand each other's needs.

Finally, I was given the chance to look into a woefully hidden issue in society -- abuses in therapy. My character had the prices of his doctor's appointments raised and when he went to one of his appointments, he was cut off on the verge of a breakthrough by the selfish doctor since he was "out of time." It was saddening to see that occur after choosing to open my character's heart up to the doctor, but what is really heartbreaking is that this sort of thing happens regularly in real life. I'd like to see more awareness for this issue in the future.

Anyways, the game I was playing? "Grand Theft Auto V," one of the most controversial titles of its time.

I'm very serious about this -- you can learn a ton from any kind of media. It's not so much about what you experience as it is about making sure you really experience something. Think about that next time you plan on mindlessly slogging through a game, movie, book or whatever -- it's good to relax, but it's better to reflect. There's a balance between both that isn't struck often enough. Take a minute to think about what a piece of media actually presents before you label it as "worthless" just because it's vulgar entertainment.

Sometimes an experience offers more than initially meets the eye.