What do you actually ENJOY about games and why?

[Phasmal]

Broadly speaking, I like games because of the sense of escapism (haha).

I like being able to experience new worlds and new stories.
I'm also a big fan of character customisation.
In some games, I like knowing I'm being depended on. Loved healing and tanking in WoW.
And occasionally I like to push myself. Never played DOOM as a kid, but got it about a year ago to see what the fuss was about. My boyfriend challenged me to beat it on Ultravoilence. It was a lot of fun. Had to shout to the next room `Jesus, how many rockets does a cyberdemon take before he goes down?!`. Lots.

Oh, and I also like playing with people I know. Mostly my boyfriend. We make a great heavy/medic team and there's no better tank/healer combo.
Spending time with him in games is the best. I remember how touched I was that he let me go on Skyrim first when we'd been bickering about who would go on it first for weeks. (We took it in two-hour turns- we're losers)
Also I met him through games so there's that.
<3

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Story. If the story is something I can get invested in and like, then I really don't care about the graphics, the gameplay, or nearly anything else.

On the flip side, if the story is boring, terrible, or simply doesn't exist, it doesn't matter how good the game is, I won't play it.

 

[Ipsen]

Exploration.

Whether that be a RPG's world and/or story arc, or a 2D fighter's mechanics, the question of 'what do you have to show or teach me?' in any interesting regard motivates me to stick around this medium.

On an outside perspective, I also like to see games change. Novelty is a big selling point in video games, but I'm still naive enough to believe, and be excited for the new things that can come to games.

 

[krazykidd]

Story and challenge. Especially if they go hand in hand. Dark souls is a good example. Story ( or lore) wize it's all doom and gloom against all odds, the gameplay reflects that. I want me be pushed to my limits. Feel like i am acheiving something everytime i'm gettin closer to my goal. Especially if the goal is saving the world

Too bad in Dark Souls you're actually condemning the world or just slightly prolonging the inevitable... God I love that game. I picked it up for PC and before I knew it 400 hours of my life was gone, and I don't regret a minute (except for trying to beat Manus a dozen times on NG+. Fuck that guy. Also waiting for PvP invades).

I meant saving the world in general, not necessarily in Dark souls. Although, Dark souls put an awsome twist into the formula.

 

[Vigormortis]

Depends on the game, my mood, and what flavor of experience I'm looking for. And, in some cases, I'll turn to the same game for different reasons or I'll turn to different games for the same reason.

For example, if I'm listening to a podcast, I'll boot up something like Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, Starcraft 2, Left 4 Dead 2, or somethings similar because I can mindless play them[footnote]Usually against bots.[/footnote] while most of my attention is on the podcast.

However, if I'm looking for a challenging multiplayer game to play; one that challenges my critical and reactionary thinking skills; I'll load up the same games.

Another example, if I'm looking for a compelling narrative-driven experience let's say, would be that I sometimes will load up something like Half-Life 2 or Deus Ex: Human Revolution. At other times I'll want to just load up a game that I can just run around in, explore and appreciate the world design, and blow things up. Half-Life and Deus Ex would be some usual picks.

So, as I said, it all depends. I like playing video games for many reasons. From compelling narratives to exciting action set-pieces to simple action-reward gameplay mechanics to phenomenal artistic vision in level design, sound design, etc.

If I had to narrow it down to one particular reason, it would be "escapism". The more a game can immerse me into it's world, the more it makes me feel as if I've been transported to another place or time, the more it can intrigue me with it's blatant or implied lore, the more likely I am to both enjoy the game and return to it in the future.

 

[JayElleBee]

I like having to earn my story. Games aren't like books and movies which essentially hand the story directly to you with very little effort on your part. You have to work to find out what happens next with games, and I like that.

 

[Evonisia]

I like entertainment. That's very broad but I can't really point out things I like. I can say "I like world building" but if that was the case then BioShock: Infinite would be my second favourite game (behind the 1st one). I could say "I like story", but then Rayman Origins and Legends (two of my personal favourites) would just be dropped like rocks. I could say "I like it to look nice" but then Saints Row 2 would be dropped.

It's just a mesh of story, characters, personality, world building, colours which fit the tone, how fun the gameplay is, soundtrack (sometimes), among others.

 

[LeQuack_Is_Back]

Basically.... freedom. It could be something as simple as letting me goof off between story missions (ala Assassin's Creed/Infamous/Prototype), letting me choose how the story or certain quests go according to who I side with (Fallout) or having the game set me down in a world and say "go nuts" (ala Mount and Blade or X3)

Hell, even a mostly linear game will still be fun to me if there's hidden power-ups and such (Metroid Prime). These sort of games feel like my extra time put into a game is rewarded.

 

[Maximum Bert]

Well I mainly play games for leisure so I always look for the game to provide me with a good experience if I am playing it and enjoying what it is offering either and / or through gameplay, story, character portrayal or whatever and it is much greater than what I am not liking about the game then I am happy.

A game with sublime gameplay can still leave me cold and same with story it really just comes down to how I feel about the game in general and whether I think its offering me enough to bother to keep playing it and of course things are swayed by my own tastes and preferences so thats why the experience is what matters for me or more importantly from my perspective my experience with the game. So its basically the same thing I enjoy about a lot of books, films and music as well, games arent any different in what I am looking for its just another medium to enjoy in the same way although of course the inputs are different.

 

[Sectan]

Characters and atmosphere. Gameplay has to be good, but if you don't have either of those then the gameplay has no meaning. Creeping around finding things, seeing scenes and trying to figure out what happened or just even watching a never ending sunset is cool in itself.

 

[GonzoGamer]

So many things. The fact that you can go from thoughtful puzzle to mindless mayhem in a switch of the disc or even the same game.

I like having to earn my story. Games aren't like books and movies which essentially hand the story directly to you with very little effort on your part. You have to work to find out what happens next with games, and I like that.

Yes, and I like how in a wide open game, others will have a different story.

A lot of my favorite games from the past 10 years (like San Andreas and Fallout 3) have that quality and they also are so big that I actually get lost. That impresses me because I have a good sense of direction. Getting lost, it can be the biggest thrill.

I also like how genres can be flipped and skewed. Look at driving games which aren't just racing, you also have Crash Junctions (which I miss) and whatever you call Katamari.

 

[PH3NOmenon]

Problem solving.

That's the broadest applicable term, really. I find myself looking for this in my gameplay. Identify the obstacle and find the most efficient way to deal with it or the most creative way to deal with it. Or the one that's downright the coolest.

This applies to RTS games, to card games to tower defence and match-4 games like puzzle quest. Hell I even apply it in my first person shooters and RPGs.

Letting yourself be absorbed by a problem, letting your entire world be reduced to this single issue at hand and looking at the tools at your disposal and selecting the right ones for the job is just so enjoyable. Taking risks and planning for contingencies and then watching your plan come together... that's what gaming is to me.

Mind you, there's also a lot to be said for randomly faffing about. Driving around in Saint's Row 3 and seeing how long you can drive a motorcycle without taking your hands off the throttle is great fun too. An engaging story is always nice, but I read books for that. Mostly I come back to solving a problem; be it how to be the best credit to my team, how to get highest up on the leaderboards or how to finally beat that damned level. Damn you, SpaceChem, for being too difficult.

 

[Black Reaper]

I like fast action games that make you feel like a badass not in the story(like Borderlands 2), but in the gameplay, like the Batman games, the combat challenges are awesome, and the harder they are, the cooler they make you feel when you 3-star them

I like games that feel hard, but possible to beat, like getting 3-stars in the combat challenges in Batman, or Metal Gear Rising

I like doing huge combos, huge combos are always satisfying

I like having a balance between challenge and catharsis, a good enough challenge to make the reward feel worth it, and vice-versa

I like it when the characters aren't just some hypocritical mass murderers who say they fight in the name of justice

I like a lot of things, these are just the ones that come to mind

 

[scorptatious]

There's a lot of things I love about games. I love the sense of magic and wonder a lot of them provide, I love exploring the worlds I'm in, I love the stories they provide and the different ways they are told, I love the various challenges they provide me, and I love the variety in genres and gameplay types there are.

Gaming is something I'm very passionate about. And I'll only stop gaming if I either lose my eyesight and hands, or I die.

 

[Jusey1]

For me, some games are specific... But the major thing being I love freedom to go and do whatever I wish in a game and not be forced in a specific role I strongly dislike. Heck, my favorite games are The Elder Scrolls series which has been famous for that since Daggerfall. Also love Minecraft for that same reason...

I also am a huge fan of AI and love watching what they do, how they react, etc... So I do have fun getting things to fight one another and simply watch from a good distance.

 

[pilouuuu]

I like good graphics, just like I enjoy looking at a nice painting, but I also like great characters like in Mass Effect series and Monkey Island games.

I love visiting amazing new words like in Bioshock and Assassin's Creed.

I do like challenging gameplay where I feel I'm becoming more skillful.

I like to release stress with games and also to enjoy a good story as in The Walking Dead. I also like choice and consequence like in Fallout games.

 

[Drummodino]

I enjoy a wide variety of different games for a wide variety of reasons. I think the two most important for me are gameplay and story (big surprise).

I love rich, immersive stories. Games like The Last of Us, Persona 3 and 4, Bioshock Infinite. Games like these have terrific characters, great dialog and interesting settings. I love it when a game's story can make me react emotionally, whether that emotion is rage, sadness or whatever.

Story can also be more subtle. Sandboxes where you're encouraged to explore, discover lore and find all the little side stories contained in a sprawling open world. I love that.

With regards to gameplay, I want it to just be fun. I love games like Vanquish, Far Cry 3 and Borderlands because those games are just so fun to pick up and play.

Thirdly visuals are very important to me. I can't play many retro games just because I can't stand the old style graphics. If a game has a distinct art style (e.g. The Walking Dead) or just looks gorgeous (e.g. Far Cry 3, Skyrim) I will at least be interested.

 

[gamernerdtg2]

Suggestions for the OP - you should really try Zeno Clash Ultimate on the 360. I'll come back here and comment more fully later on.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

I like to overcome challenges within games. It's why I like games that have difficult boss battles, e.g. Dark Souls, SMT games, Final Fantasy optional bosses, Hack and Slash games etc.

I also like to immerse myself in different worlds, Like in Fallout 3 or Morrowind.

And I also like to compete against other people in games like Gears of War or Battlefield.

 

[Maxtro]

The number one reason why I enjoy games as a 32 year old man.

It's the best form of escapism from my life that I can find.

They are a relatively cheap way to pass the time and focus my mind on something.