World Beyblade Organization by Fighting Spirits Inc. Off-Topic Forums Video Games

Gaming, what is it good for?

Nov. 23, 2008  6:59 AM
 
For a bit more interesting discussion on how video games effect your life/lives. For better or worse?
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For awhile now, especially with school, I find my self wondering about what its worth to me.
I mean I've played many amazing games in the span of a few years; I waited until 2004 (gt4) before getting a PS2. While I don't regret it, sometimes I wonder why I am compelled to put hours into these games. Sure they offer expirences that are unique, but then again same can be said for just participating in reality.

Lately, while I truely do love my PS3 and online multiplayer is growing on me, not saying Im addicted LOL, I have a itch to play. Coupled with frequent visits to gaming sites, I don't really understand why.

Fact is I can resist ahaha so I guess I'll play as long as its fun to play. I kind of also feel its just my hobby, like Beyblade once was.

Hope to hear some povs.
yo
Nov. 23, 2008  7:10 AM
 
Asking what gaming is good for is like asking what doing anything in life is good for. It is something that can't really be definitively answered by any person. Gaming is just fun for some, and not for others. It is that simple in my mind.

In my case however, I love gaming because of how interactive it is. Compared to other media, such as movies, there is so much more possibilities. Games can and do have all other elements of popular media and entertainment forms, and along with their interactivity, is what I think makes them so fun for me.

Video games can involve the player much more, and when done correctly, can have a big impact on a persons life. And in saying that, I am not just referring to single player games; online games with your friends can have the same effect, I think. That being said, there are sometimes those games that you just pick up and play everyday, with no deep reason or anything just for the plain old fun of it.

Sorry if this is not totally coherent, I don't have a lot of time so I wasn't able to expand fully upon my thoughts. Maybe I will later!
Nov. 23, 2008  7:33 AM
 
I think playing lots of games when I was very young contributed very heavily to my intellectual development. Moreover, they were an irreplaceable part of my childhood; I don't think many things coming up in my life will capture the magic I felt playing Pokemon Blue and Ocarina of Time.
Nov. 23, 2008  7:42 AM
 
I have a pretty simple answer. I play games as an escape, because games allow me to do things in virtual reality what is never possible in real life. They are also a great stress reliever for me, particularly online shooters like Halo and Gears of War.

But my real favorites are totally immersive single player games like Fallout 3, BioShock and Mirror's Edge that are so well put together you feel as if you are in the game's world. Being a writer, the story in a game is of utmost importance to me, as well as the world the developers have created and the atmosphere within. As Kei mentioned, I feel that video games are the ultimate form of media, because unlike passive media types such as movies, music and books, video games are interactive and if done right with a convincing world and compelling narrative, they pull players in and unlike in other static forms of media, the player has the ultimate choice what happens in the game.

We're getting to a point in the industry right now where open world games and non-linearity in games are pretty much becoming the norm. I couldn't be any happier -- I love the idea of being given a massive world to explore and no structure with which to do so. You simply go. I think this is reflective of the inherent nature of video games. What happens to the character one plays or the world they exist in is completely up to the player, so its essentially a choose your own adventure book but in a stunningly realistic virtual world.

Kei also mentioned that video games can have a profound effect on people's lives, and he's entirely correct. BioShock's narrative has been a huge influence for me in a lot of the things I have created since I've played the game. The narrative was so well written and the world was so well realized that I couldn't help being affected by the game. But its not just single player games that get to me. The social aspect of Xbox Live has converted me into a multiplayer fiend. When I was younger I had no interest whatsoever in online gaming or competitive shooters, but when I got a 360 a few years ago and I played Burnout Revenge online for the first time and started making friends who I've since grown very close to, I was immediately drawn in.

I will more than likely be a hardcore gamer until the day I die. Its not just a hobby for me, its almost something of an obsession. Not an unhealthy one, mind you, I don't go for days on end without eating or going to the bathroom to play a video game, but I'm almost always thinking about what's next on the release lists or the games I already have that I can't wait to slog through. If I'm not thinking about any particular game in general, I'm thinking about issues within the industry and blogging about them. I find the notion that video games are any less healthy of a hobby than music or movies to be an absurd one.
Nov. 23, 2008  2:49 PM
 
I really do think that playing Pokemon games at an early age (around 5 or 6?) helped my vocabulary. It also made me want to read more at that time (I learned by doing Hooked on Phonics and hated it so much I wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible). At an early age I knew what an "ember" was.

I think that playing fast-paced shooters like Halo 3 trained my eyes to see little things in movement (such as an opponent far away moving, but you can still see and locate their position), either at a distance or at close-range. While I have bad eyesight (especially without my glasses), this "skill" has provided a practical use in everyday life for me.

Strategy games have also been introduced to me at an early age (around the same time I played Pokemon). While I don't play as many RTSs as much as I used to, I still have played some in recent times (Advance Wars 2, Age of Empires II). This helped me develop both my planning skills (preemptive strikes/creating fortresses/resource management) and my quick thinking skills (I'm under attack- flank them, use ranged units on elevation where they can't hit me, or have a front line to help stall for time?).

Video games are also a way out. Sometimes I have too much schoolwork and taking naps can get old over time. Plus, I can't control the amount of time I'm asleep during a nap.

I can cut people to pieces or rip them to shreds with a machine gun and get away with it in a video game.
Nov. 26, 2008  9:44 AM
 
I find the older I get, the less video games appeal to me. I don't think it's so much me growing out of 'em. More like they're growing beyond me. These days, realism in games is a pretty big thing, and I just don't care about that kind of stuff. I'm an old school fan of platformers and puzzle games. This could be the reason I've often stuck more with handheld games for my GBA than buying up stuff for my gamecube; they have a tendency to remain truer to my ideal videogame experience.

A good deal, too, why I don't play videogames much anymore is because I've really been focusing on Tabletop RPG's over the past few years. Chucking some dice with good friends in a world we create ourselves is much more satisfying for me than pushing buttons in an isolated game world (yes, I realize most gaming systems have online capacity now. Not something I could now {or possibly ever} afford).
Nov. 26, 2008  11:06 AM
 
these answers are all very interesting. thanks for posting guys Grin Daps

Its funny, I totally forgot about the the interactive media thing writing the OP. Yeah I would defend video games as the ultimate media really, I definately used that argument on my mom a couple times. Its more productive and rewarding than watching tv. I'll cite MGS series as my personal favorite tho because for me it was so compelling while the gameplay was fun as hell.

I think something I would enjoy alot it is too play those GREAT old games that I missed out on. those simple mechanics of 2-4 gens (plus GB/GBA) ago seem so appealing, pure i guess. it like know exatly what you can do. Anyway..

BT you mention pokemon, I think I benifited from it like wise.

Hope other memebers will post what they think aswell.
Nov. 27, 2008  4:04 AM
 
(Nov. 23, 2008  7:42 AM)Roan Wrote: They are also a great stress reliever for me, particularly online shooters like Halo and Gears of War.

Uhmm


I like playing video games because, like Roan said, it's an escape. They provide a means of escape from reality to virtual reality, they give me ideas that I could possibly use in a story, and all in all, they're fun. I really don't think life has much of a purpose, so why not spend your life having fun?

Playing video games is a part of that.

EDIT: Wow, I just realized how emo the post sounds
Nov. 27, 2008  3:22 PM
 
Games like Sim City 3000 actually make me understand a lot of issues I would otherwise be clueless on.
Infact any business game (roller coaster tycoon, sim city, ect) made me understand my economics a bit better.
Seeing as I started playing them at something like 5 or 6, I've NEVER had money issues. I've always been really wise about what I buy and if I really need it.
I blame that on video games.
Nov. 29, 2008  5:25 PM
 
In the end you die anyways, so what is life good for? Unless you believe in certain religions then life is purely for the fun of it just like gaming! =]