Why do you game?

Hey guys, I don't ever game on my machines, but am interested in what gamers see by gaming and in investing so many hours (not to mention money) in gaming and all it entails.

So, why do you game?

I'd rather be outside walking/biking/swimming or bar hopping than let a few hours get away from me by being 'unproductive' in front of my computers by 'just' gaming on them.

Please take this in the right spirit... I really am interested in your thought processes.

Cheers!

 

For the headshots.

 

I spend 10hrs a day talking to people, its nice just to escape reality once in a while lol.

 

We are who we are, some of us like the OP grew up enjoying their free time by going outdoors and socialising, others get their mental fix by staying in front of a computer. Anyone who would say otherwise could safely be accused of intolerance and bigotry in my opinion.

 

I'm only a casual gamer, but I do it because it's fun.

I don't game often though because I have a farm to work on.

 

i level up in games, and the OP levels up in this forum
same difference

 

That was meaningless. If you don't know just say so.

 

it depends, sometimes you just want to run away from the reality, other times you just want to hang with your friends or something. Well another reason is what do you know, they're fun <-- which im guessing is the reason for most people.

 

addiction.

 

Is not a good thing.

 

Thanks for all the replys (Krane, what are your thoughts on this?)!

The last one is the one I'm 'scared' of: addiction. lol...

I guess being old is part of this though - my reflexes are a little rusty now, huh?

Please, keep them coming, pkim1230 has a point: whether they are called 'games' or not: we do what we're good at and what is enjoyable to us.

Cheers!

 

Cos it's fun.

 

To justify my gear.

And to give the verbal finger to 12-year-olds.

 

Because PK IRL is generally frowned upon.

 

There's just something rewarding about pitting your own skills against others in the virtual arena. It's the thrill of being good at something, better than others. It's an excellent feeling, looking at the scoreboard post-match and seeing your own name at the top.

All the glory of being a boxer, but without the physical effort.

 

You're never too old to have a go.

Unless you're 70 or something.

 

^Truth. Last year I taught my 55-year old uncle to play Call of Duty 4 on my Xbox 360, the first video game he's ever played in his life. Now he plays MW2 on Steam almost every day.

 

Lol, that's pretty awesome. Is he good?

BTW, Tilleroftheearth, my stepfather, who's getting close 45 now, owns a PS3 and plays on it fairly regularly.

 

i travel, go out with friends, watch a lot movies, hit the bars once in a while, dive and love the outdoors.
but of all those gaming is my favorite hobby.
nothing beats entering a virtual world and kicking a!@ after a hard days work (or during a hard days work )

 

because it tweaks my interest more so then sitting around, reading a book, or watching TV. in short, INTERESTING

 

It's simply entertainment. For me, it's no different than reading a work of fiction, watching a movie, a gameshow, or a sporting event. We all enjoy entertainment, and I like mine to be interactive, whether it's as simple as Peggle, or an engrossing event like Dawn Of War.

Yes, I enjoy being active, but one can't spend every minute and hour of the day doing "something". Games are great for downtime, and it doesn't have to be a 4+ hour fair to be meaningful. Making progress in a game can be very rewarding.

My dad taught me the fun of games back in the 80s, and he's as hard working as they come; a real man's man. He said, "Once you've handled your daily responsibilities, you time is yours to do with, as you see fit." Then he put in the Zaxxon tape.

 

I'll go with addiction for me j/k

Started when I was little on a commodore 64 and it's just progressed on with every computer I have owned since. Don't watch much TV, and the only books I read are my computer certification books which can get boring if read for too long so games make a nice break.

Somewhat social as well, all my friends play as well so it's nice to hit the virtual world with them. Real life is great too, but the sun has to go down sometime. When it does me and my friends choose FPS, RTS, MMO whatever we are feeling at the time.

Heck even my 50 year old dad enjoys his World of Warcraft for an hour maybe 2 a day after a hard days work (when he's not working on cars and motorcycles).

 

clearly because its fun and it gives you the ability to do something you wouldn't be able to do in real life. eg. Grand theft auto, mass effect. You can immerse yourself in something that makes you feel special and indulge in something that you could've only imagined 10 years ago (think about RPG's nowadays like dragon age and mass effect.)

 

gives me something to do on a rainy day

 

I think I have more hobbies than I can afford. A short time ago I opened my first game that was bundled with my PC and I couldn't tear myself away from it. Before that, I spent over $500 on my garden when I could have used the money for other more important things. Yes, it was relaxing, but I felt guilty because it was way more that I had budgeted to spend.

So there you have it. Gaming is ok, so long as you don't let it become an addiction.

 

Anything that you do in life that you enjoy, I don't see as unproductive.

Gaming is all about escapism, entering a whole new world that is away from the world we live and work in all day.

I go to work, I meet different people, I might go to the odd dinner party or meet some new faces but when I game, I am somewhere were no other activity in my life can take me (in most cases).

You can become a super hero, a villain, a wild animal or a wizard etc, but what ever you become, you aren't harming anyone.

I am a casual gamer and have other hobbies but gaming is definitely one of my favourite ones. The mind is very powerful so with imagination you can have a lot of fun.

Almost any hobbies that are not done in moderation will be harmful whether it bar hopping or gaming.

 

Good answer LaptopNut

For me, being a senior in high school with an A average, varsity athletics, managing essays, and college stuff takes up a lot of time. When I do get a few spare hours, I like to relax my body and mind. Well I guess not my mind really. I get to sit on my comfy recliner/pc chair and kill monsters, cast spells, take on a team of tangos with my friends using the most advanced technology on the face of the planet, or play a soccer game with the Scottish National team. All using a few thumb and finger presses.

If you don't want to read all that: It's fun and relaxing.

 

I game mainly because I find it fun....I don't have a really thoughtful answer or reason....its just fun, but its when there is nothing to do. I like to do other fun stuff like hiking, hangin out with friends, getting drink with friends, goin anywhere other than home for a bit. I like to not be dependant on games for fun because I like to have an open schedule for if any friends or anything comes up that is fun; that way I'm not sitting behind the "beast (hey, its a beast in my eyes)" telling people i can't do this or that because I am in the middle of a game.

And plus, what else am I going to do in the middle of winter in Maine when everyone is busy with other stuff (I hate winter)? Got a fresh laptop with a good card, might as well put it to good use.

That being said, I have been going back to left 4 dead alot more now that i replaced the boomer, smoker,hunter and tank sounds with peter griffin, bill cosby, cookie monster, and johnny bravo (in that order) .

 

I would say its a bit of both, fun and addiction for me.
Especially playing multiplayer games (Tf2), are ridiculously fun which slowly turns into and addiction because you want to keep playing it.
Other times its about the skillfulness and recognition. Take Street Fighter 4 for instance. I love that game and play it quite regularly, and i still try out different combos/techniques and try to get better at it even though I will never go to a tournament or anything anytime soon (hell i play on my keyboard).

 

Not all gamers have super dooper computers or spend 20hrs a day play WOW.

I have always gamed on my laptop, sometimes for stress relieve, sometimes for a good laugh (aren't CSS pub servers always a good laugh? ). Though nowadays I have more important things to do such as studying. Plus my internet sucks.

Nor can everybody just "go outside", I spend my winters @ stupid cold temperatures, my summer @ the other end of the spectrum. Don't get me wrong I will take any chance I can to play sports, but since I left high school, such opportunities and time have not been around much.

 

video games are interactive books combined with motion picture. there is no particular 'thought process' involved that is any different than yours. people do what they enjoy.

while i find walking to be boring, i find bar hopping to be fun. i play video games to pass the time until something better arises.

 

- I love spending time in front of computers (a fascinating invention!), and I feel gaming is the best way to have fun and adrenaline out of a computer.

- Games test my skills and intellect with the results having no effect on my real-world life; better than facing an exam or interview !

- I continue playing a game to progress to the next 'unknown level'; Anticipation must be the driving force here.

P.S - Now I play Dead Space to learn fighting my fears (believe me, its not 'fun' to play this game ).

 

Someone promised me I'd meet a lot of chicks playing games. Little did I know at the time it would be virtual chicks in Second Life with a good chance they aren't really chicks in real life.

 

Why don't you?

 

they are a great past time that can help relieve lots of every day stress.

there are a few MMO's i've played that i have really enjoyed. i can spend literally all day playin sometimes. how cool is it to be able to play with someone from the other side of the world, while u'r sittin in bed? it's a great way to learn about different cultures and interact with a wide variety of ppl.

 

Heh. My response was a half joke.

However, games can be addicted. There are research/news articles about this and I'm sure you can find it easily.

I play games maybe 1 hour or up to 3 hours a day. To "hang around" with friends whom I can't meet in real life due to distance. To have fun with friends, basically. I hardly have any fun with many single player games.

Now that I think about it, I don't remember what fun is. Been such a long time.

 

The technology. Watching interactive games grow from 2 sticks and a ball to photo-realistic worlds with 64 people playing from around the world is quite a treat and I guess will never be repeated.

 

Well imo its because every person needs something to get away from reality or whatever. Some people drink, some takes drugs, some do sport etc but i game. Every person needs as "thing" to make their life more exciting. For me its gaming Plus as the guy above me said its amazing seeing new technology come out.

 

On the flipside, I suppose it could be argued that you get nothing really worthwhile out of it. The worlds are imagined for you unlike e.g. reading a book, there's nothing actually to be taken away from a game in terms of knowledge or life experience, and even social gaming is basically a far more solitary version of going out to a pub in a group and skulking in the corner talking about d&d.

Some games are borderline cultural / technology culture experiences, but these are fairly few and far inbetween. I personally think for example the first Wipeout was one of them - it blew everyone away for it's approach to music and design, although the game was also great.

Essentially it's overall an interactive version of watching an entertainingly bad movie with your mates, but it could be said that we (well - I don't, which is why I've never finished a game in the last ~20 years) spend far too much time on it.

I suppose the OP is at the same time a little curious and a little high-horsey about it. Everything in moderation I say. Except for the gear to play the game of course

 

To escape reality, to have a break, to forget tomorrow you need to wake up and go to work

 

For the lolz.



No, just kidding. I game because I enjoy it. I enjoy meeting the people I play with, the challenges that come with the game, and probably most of all, the story.

I LOVE a good game with a good story line. It's almost like reading a book, or watching a movie. I can't wait until the next scene, or what will happen next. And it is a BIG plus if I can choose the outcome (Mass Effect style).

 

I game because I enjoy it...

I despise walking/swimming and bar hopping...particularly the last activity...I was exposed to plenty of the last when I was in the Navy (rather than sit on the ship by myself when we pulled into Perth, I went bar hopping with my friends...since I was married and didn't drink, there was not much fun to be had other than breaking up fights between my friends and the locals...bar hopping was one small step in front of sitting by myself on the ship reading out-of-date magazines...of course, bar hopping also includes walking which doesn't help...)

As with most things, if your life remains in balance, I don't see enjoying time spent in front of the computer playing 'games' any more or less 'productive' than bar hopping...or, for that matter, any more 'cool' or less 'cool' than walking/biking/swimming or bar hopping (and I won't say that I took offense...it's very difficult to offend me...but I always bristle when someone suggests a hierarchy of acceptable/approved activities...particularly when it comes to the seemingly constant ridicule of WoW 'addicts'...)

As for how I arrived at enjoying it:

Atari 2600 for Christmas 1978...
Little League Baseball was over...
Swimming pool was closed...
My BB gun and my brother's BB gun were confiscated due to an, um, accident
TV had four VHF channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS) and one UHF channel
Was not an avid reader yet
Morrissey and Johnny Marr hadn't met yet
VCRs were not quite affordable and VHS rentals didn't exist
My dad didn't like Stratego and my brother didn't understand it...
The Atari 2600 (Combat; Land, Sea, Air Battle; and Brain Games) was perfect...I could play against my brother...I could play by myself...

Gaming is just another form of entertainment to me like reading a book, watching TV, watching a movie, listening to music, jetskiing or riding a VFR800...what I found intriguing about gaming through high school, college and now is that it allows you to simulate doing things that most of us will never get a chance to do (eg, flying a Shrike torpedo bomber off the TCS Midway to destroy a Nephilim capital ship before said Nephilim ship can destroy your fleet with its sooper dooper plasma cannon)...and there are many (most that are worth playing) games that make you think and provide some value beyond just simple fun...

 

since i was 12 i was constantly outdoors playing football and basketball with my friends then midway through the basketball season in 10nth grade i tore multiple ligaments in my knees. then i spent the next two years rehabbing but i could not get my explosiveness back and because i am only about 5'8 i am no longer able to play competitively.
when i do play i have to stop after half an hour otherwise my knees swell up and i can't walk for a day or so. So, i started playing games like NBA 2k10 during my free time about 2hrs a week. And half the time my friends are over.

 

Q: Why do you game?

A: Because I can.

 

Love all the responses, especially the detailed ones!

Just want to clarify, there is 'bar-hopping' and then, there is bar-hopping. The main event for me is not getting drunk, forgetting what my name is or generally acting like a little sl*t. It is the companionship, the chance encounters of meeting other good friends (other than the 'core' gang I hang with) and letting life take a meandering course for a little while.

The point is mainly the socializing in a relaxed, fun and not too predictable atmosphere... heh, heh... something like gaming I guess but without using anything but our conversational skills to 'keep the party moving'.

And when the 'party' seems to be at a standstill - there is always the next little pub down the road to explore.

I guess it is a little bit like being a kid again because there is no looming deadlines, there is no 'equipment' around to make it feel like work and it is a safe place to say anything/think out of the box without that line of thinking being subjected to interrogation too deeply.

And, by 'equipment' not only do I mean my/our workstations, but also specifically my cameras too.

Escaping as far away as possible is what makes me enjoy my 'free time' more. If I had the equipment around, even just within eyesight, the enjoyment would be diminished substantially.

(Yes, on the cold/rainy/miserable days the studio does not offer the right atmosphere for an effective 'escape' - even if all the gang can make it over).

Keep the posts coming, I really like how this thread is developing.

Thanks to everyone that contributes.

Cheers!

 

I game because it is an excape from reality after a long day of work. Take my aggressions out on a zombie Nazi or enemy soldier.

 

I've evolved to computer games from general gaming, actually - always been fascinated by games, particularly complicated or involved ones. Strategic boardgames, wargames - yes, RPG's, too, though I always hesitate to mention them as society tends to get the wrong impression of those! - and my biggest complaint was I could never find people to play games with. Then, I discovered computer gaming, back on a TSR80 followed by (gasp!) the coolness of a commodore 64.

Atari followed soon after, then a host of other cool console games, then the Nintendo craze and Playstations. Computers went to Apples, then Apple II's, then the glory of 4046 chips. Each one brought new and different strategy games - things that could challenge my strategies, puzzle solving skills, and tactics.

Of course, soon after the '46 chips, Windows appeared, and my DOS games were harder to play. No worries, though, as now we have a whole new host of windows based games. (And here I met what is STILL my all-time favorite game in Civilization...)

Tech grows and changes, usually bringing new and exciting things. Interestingly, though, I always gravitated towards complex turn-based strategy games, and never got into the FPS or even RTS titles - just not my thing. (This is why I say tech 'usually' brings us new and exciting things - as a turn-based strategy gamer, lately I've been hard pressed to find new games, as the market seems to have swung towards MMORPG's, FPS, and RTS titles... but no complaints, that is what the market wants, and I understand that!)

So, anyway, why do I game? I dunno - you may ask someone 'why do you enjoy chocolate?' or 'Why do you like to play cards?" We're wired for different desires, and for me, gaming provides a place I can scratch my itch for complicated board games without having to dig out the box, set up the pieces, and find 3 to 5 friends willing to spend a whole weekend playing board games. It's a hobby - clearly not for everyone, but then again I don't understand how some people can enjoy, say, stamp collecting. But, hey, if you do - more power to you!

Here's the short answer: each of us to his/her own, really. Everyone needs a hobby, one of mine is gaming... I kinda hope I never grow out of it, really!

 

I am sure you have watched a movie, read a book, played cards, played a board game, etc.
I see no real distinction between those forms of entertainment and playing a video game for entertainment.
Video games can stimulate your brain in the same manner as the all the above examples combined.

Of course playing a game for 12 hours straight could be considered unproductive, but I would also consider "walking/biking/swimming or bar hopping" for 12 hours to be unproductive as well.

Surely you have a hobby beyond old world means of transportation and talking?

I'm surprised you cannot relate to a gamer when you have nearly 2000 posts in 6 months on a forum dedicated to computer hardware. Do you consider your time on the internet to be unproductive?

 

I thought that was what the internet was for.... I mean, really, how did people ever waste time effectively before the internet??

 

My point exactly