Portal Playing Dad Frustrates to No End

[Baresark]

The experience shows us how some people's brains just aren't wired to play games. Growing up playing Pac-Man or Super Mario Bros. gives you those skills. Growing up playing Ball-in-a-Cup doesn't.

This is indeed a series of pretty funny videos. But the assessment of the author shows how little he knows about the human brain. I don't know what the profession of the father is, but he is simply learning a new interaction that did not previously exist to him. All people would look equally as idiotic in that situation. He sees hydraulics and assumes that is what must be manipulated. The portal gun exists outside reality and is not something someone with practical real world experience would not readily know how to manipulate without at least a little thought. Gamers take stuff like that for granted all the time. Really, his assumption that the hydraulics must be manipulated can be taken as either a failing of the developers, or taken as a strong example of realism in the game. It's more like the father is used to exclusively linear thinking and manipulating the world in new ways such as with a portal gun is simply unknown to him before this point.

i'd actually say that you failed in your assessment, and in fact, proved the the author's statement. i mean really, you're saying the exact same thing right here:

The portal gun exists outside reality and is not something someone with practical real world experience would not readily know how to manipulate without at least a little thought. Gamers take stuff like that for granted all the time.

that's it right there. it's the difference between an experienced gamer and this guy's dad. growing up not having played video games does mean that your brain may not be wired to figure these puzzles out initially, but there's no reason that the brain can't be rewired.

Actually, when they say something is "wired" a certain way, it's a term used to denote that something is permanent and the subject would have no hand in it. Usually these things are are said to be a talent. I said that his brain is changing and will learn, develop new neural pathways, and become accustomed to the tool we know as the portal gun. Just like any tool you stick in the hands of a child. The author used language that denoted a talent or skillset unavailable to the older generation, which we both agree is false.

PS. I loves me some language!

 

[Sheaphard117]

lol, that reminded me of a dog getting freaked out by its own reflection

 

[PrototypeC]

Oh c'mon, it was a little, "here, gimme that controller geez", but what a cool dad to try so hard to figure this out and not get angry when he kept ending up in the same place.

He actually overcomplicated it rather than oversimplifying it, not to mention he was thinking about it in terms of everything in the vicinity, whilst most gamers would just run through and not notice the little bits and pieces that make up the game. Not to say he did a good job his first time through, but that dedication to solving the problem is really admirable.

Not to mention, this is hella(?) funny to watch

 

[duchaked]

That was painful to watch.

I love the dad though.

yeah he's a real good sport about it haha

Ughh its like watching your girlfriend play a game youve completed to no end. So frustating

tried to show my ex-girlfriend Halo 3...kind of a waste of time hahaa

 

[maninahat]

I've tried getting my girlfriend to play portal. With constant supervision, she has made it to level 16. It is a nightmare, not only because she seems to lack the problem sovling skills to handle even the basic puzzles but also because this is the first First Person style game she has ever played. Even if she works out the solutions to puzzles, she can't actually carry them out. Very frustrating to watch, but I can't blame her.

Just goes to show how difficult it is to get into gaming if you are an outsider.

 

[Zombus]

AAHHH JUST SHOOT IT OVER THERE &;@##%*@!!

^ EXACTLY THIS. It's like when you introduce a game you are awesome at to a friend and they SUCK and you have to repress the urge to tear the controller out of their hands and scream at them to "Begone from this place, vile wretch!".

Or maybe that is just me...

 

[The Random One]

Frankly, I'm surprised he can even move around. First person movement is ridiculously complex to figure out if you're not used to it.

 

[K_Dub]

So fucking frustrating!! My God! Power to that kid though. I couldn't be as patient as he was! Kudos to him.

 

[Hatchet90]

I'm so glad that I grew up with a dad who was addicted to PC games (Grim Fandango, Quake, Duke Nukem).

My dad quoted this game as being "too easy".

 

[DarthFennec]

Lol actually he figured it out faster than I thought he would. Faster than my father did anyway lol

 

[Grabbin Keelz]

This is truly a moment of valuable video game history.

Who knew the best recipe for making an epic gaming experience is letting your dad play.

 

[MaxwellEdison]

The first video was all I watched.
Honestly, his reaction was pretty smart for someone who lives in a world that lacks portals. IRL, the hydraulics probably would be the answer.

 

[MMMowman]

My older sister while playing portal, " If only I had some type of portable device.... (5 mins later) oh..."

 

[Ghengis John]

If you'll notice he skipped his dad past the first part of the game.

He didn't, actually. The son mentions that he just didn't start taping the whole thing till that level.

No he says "I wish that I started the game where you started" during the video. If you listen to the actual comments he even says "I only skipped you past the first part."

 

[Biosophilogical]

That was really aggravating to watch. I was almost to the point of yelling at my laptop...

I finished the first video. I couldn't take anymore. My brain was hurting from my suppressed 'give advice' compulsion.

 

[koolgool]

If you'll notice he skipped his dad past the first part of the game.

He didn't, actually. The son mentions that he just didn't start taping the whole thing till that level.

No he says "I wish that I started the game where you started" during the video. If you listen to the actual comments he even says "I only skipped you past the first part."

No, you misheard. He started at the beginning of the game. It didn't occur to me to record it until he hit that chamber. In the video, I said "I wish I started when you started the game" as in I wish I started recording. I even commented on how he got the first puzzle pretty quickly.

Go back and play Portal again. There isn't much of a tutorial. My dad's foreign to the WASD controls. He was even confused with how the mouse was supposed to guide your vision. This was his first computer game and he'd never played anything like it before.

 

[Someone Depressing]

He got to the average 10th minute mark in 55-Minutes.

I was screaming at my computer whilst watching this XD!

 

[Aptspire]

I didn't really scream at the screen...but I did facepalm

 

[Zom-B]

Actually, when they say something is "wired" a certain way, it's a term used to denote that something is permanent and the subject would have no hand in it. Usually these things are are said to be a talent. I said that his brain is changing and will learn, develop new neural pathways, and become accustomed to the tool we know as the portal gun. Just like any tool you stick in the hands of a child. The author used language that denoted a talent or skillset unavailable to the older generation, which we both agree is false.

PS. I loves me some language!

fair enough, i guess we're on the same page. however, i've never known or used the termed "wired", in this context, to mean something permanent or immutable. in the usage of this article, "wired" is simply a state and can be changed. just like the wiring in your house it can be "re-wired" to perform new functions or change existing ones, but is by no means set in stone.

i guess it comes down to an issue of semantics. bloody semantics.

 

[EddySpaghetti]

I had a straight face trough part 1 2 3 and all the way to when he picks up the Companion cube the last time in part4, but when the music stoped as he droped the cube i just bursted into laughter...then the music started again as he picked up the cube...that was realy funy...very nice touch there...xD

Oh and about the hole thing, i guess some ppl don't realise how easy it is becouse theire not used to this kind of puzle or gaming generaly...it all comes down to geting used to somthing, just like anything else...

The dad in this video probably can do somthing the son can't, and that to the son seems imposible or is just to hard to figure out....

EDIT
I just red some of the other comments and noticed that, what i put in a line and half, others have namaged to evolve into a very complicated over 10 lines of text explanation.
Ive asked myself this previously in other contexts: Why do some people have to make something simple into somthing so much more complex?
(do not answer my question i have the answer and cake)