Why play video games?

Goofonian

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Jul 14, 2006
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Geoffrey42's comment in the guitar hero thread not only inspired me to rant briefly, but got me thinking about why I play video games, and why other people might play video games?

Obviously, in 99% of cases the answer is because its fun. But people make there own fun in extremely different ways.

For example, from Geoffrey's comment, someone might ask why you play guitar hero instead of playing a real guitar. For me, Its about interacting with music that I enjoy, that would otherwise take me years to learn how to play if I did indeed ever get good enough. And then there is the fact that learning to play a real guitar is something I would find more frustrating than enjoyable.

Or another good example is when I was little I was mad about basketball, so I would play real basketball in my backyard until I was too tired to continue or bored of playing by myself and I would go inside and play a sim. Then when I got sick of sitting inside I'd go back out to the ring outside. Rinse and repeat. I would often do this all weekend. In this case, I played basketball games to extend my time with the sport beyond what I found physically possible.
I can see very similar possibilities for people who enjoy extreme sports but just aren't talented enough to pull off a double backflip with a twist in real life.
Or people who are fascinated by the possiblity of being a mobster, but have a conscience that doesn't agree with the legal and moral ramifications.

I'm sure there are many people on this forum who play for the social aspect of it. It doesn't matter what the game is, as long as they can play with their friends on xbox live or PSN.

No doubt there are many and varied reasons why people start playing games and why they continue for years until it is a serious time and money consuming hobby. So for the sake of conversation, why do you play games?
 

Bongo Bill

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Jul 13, 2006
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Most games are designed with a structure underneath that is conducive to manipulation toward a goal. A game is a system, and mastering a system triggers something in me. Perhaps it is that creating order in a chaotic system is a metaphor for sifting through subconscious cruft and anxieties. Perhaps it is just some primitive drive to learn. The main reason I play is because I find it relaxing. There are other reasons - absorption into the superficial metaphor the system represents, competitive urges, just plain fun - but the main one is because it involves learning. It lets you try unlikely and difficult things, just to see what would happen, but with enough structure to give motivation and direction that hints at what other things might be possible. It's a task that's repetitive and commoditized enough to be comfortable and familiar, but varied enough to provide consistent novelty; difficult enough to require as much effort as I'm willing to put in, but easy enough that it neither frustrates nor taxes. It periodically provides opportunities to reap the psychological rewards of overcoming personal adversity and achieving a triumph of one's own determination, but without the tedious cycle of angst and epiphany. It's like playing a tabletop RPG where the GM is Hollywood.

That is, if the game is designed well. When it's not, I find myself asking the same question....

There's an added bonus there, because, as a sign of my destiny as a programmer, when I encounter a complex application (and games are the most complex there are!), my first instinct is to think how I would program something like that.
 

jt2002tj

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Sep 7, 2007
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video games are like any other form of games in my mind. i play for those certain moments; you guys know what i'm talking about. moments when you're on a roll or moments that just make you lol or go wow!

taking goofonian's bball example, i play bball 'cause it's a good workout and for those moments when you're in the zone, hitting every possible ridiculous shot. or when you stuff the crap out of someone on the break. it's just fun.
 

Landslide

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I play video games for the thrill of killing and maiming, without the repercussions. Ooh, also conquering. Been playing a lot of Civ4 lately.
 

Frapple

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I think the simple answer here is 'why not?' its fun and takes you away from the grind, when you're not shouting at the oh so lively 360 live crowd or complaining about bugs :)
 

David Miscavidge

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Dec 13, 2006
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I play games because even after 25-30 years, unlike cinema, literature, or other art forms, it is still emergent, still being defined. The language of games and goal-oriented narratives are coming into being right now. Even at it's utter stupidest (and there is some stupid shit out there,) I get an excited rush from it sometimes when I realize "this is fresh, this is new." I haven't felt that about film, painting or anything for years.

I play games because they are immersive in ways other art forms cannot be. 3D environments convey a sense of place; Levels of Halo 2 are places that I have (in a sense) been to and inhabited. Also, emotionally, games can take you to places that other art cannot by making you the player character.
 

Kelbear

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Aug 31, 2007
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Because they're fun, not because they're good for me. They're candy entertainment. I eat healthy for the most part, but I still like to indulge from time to time. It'd be better for me to completely cut sweets out of my diet, but I don't want to.

As for Guitar Hero, it's got nothing to do with guitar, and vice versa(and yes, I play both). The interaction, memorization, and criterion for improvement are completely different. It's not "Why play Guitar Hero when you can play Guitar?" it's more like, "Why play trumpet, when you could play ultimate frisbee?". They're unrelated activities. And a hint for those who still don't get it: DDR != Dancing.
 

Redfeather

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Sep 18, 2007
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Because they're fun.

There are other benefits to gaming, but really that's what it boils down to: because it's fun. There are things we'll do in games that aren't fun, just to get to the fun bits. And with MMOGs there's an entire social element which also contributes to the fun factor, but also 'obligation' factor when in-game accomplishment is tied to groups of people coordinating together to accomplish common goals.

The secondary reason for me? Well I'm not telling you. We all have them though. But even without those secondary reasons...we'd still be gaming because it's fun.

The only problem is that for some people those secondary reasons are negatives. Such as gaming because they can't really manage well in a real world social environment. Not that gaming is a bad outlet for such people, it's just that it doesn't really solve the problem. Or when people are depressed and therefore spend more time on the internet or gaming because it's an entertaining medium that allows some form of social contact while they withdraw from everything else.

It's like any other form of escapism. It's not so much a positive or negative in and of itself, but rather how it's used. But because it's a form of escapism (and fun!) even used in neutral or positive ways can ultimately have some negative results if we overindulge.

One additional aside on the entire 'I like to kill people' theme someone else touched on (in a humorous way...I think...) I was surprised how much I like to kill people. Don't get me wrong, there's bugs I won't even kill, and I've often thought about going vegetarian because the concept of eating beings who can feel pain and have some level of sentience really bothers me (but not as much as I enjoy a juicy steak, so I'm a bad person ultimately I guess) and I'm female. I mention the latter because when you have 98% of all murders committed by males...well I'm just not predisposed to it by virtue of my gender. Of course I could always be in that freakish two percent, but I'm betting I'm not.

There's simply something about facing another human opponent, and beating them (to death). The 'rush' isn't it, because that quickly fades. Sure it was a great high for a couple of weeks in World of Warcraft, but it eventually fades quite substantially. And it's not the crux of the game for me, or the primary reason I play, it merely seasons the game quite nicely adding in a spice that makes the entire experience better as a result.

But I never thought I'd get so much enjoyment from killing other players in a virtual environment...but I do. :) It's even more fun when one can feel righteous about it (such as running down someone a couple levels higher than you that jumped you on mobs because they thought they could get an easy honorless kill, but since you're on a twink warlock you can kill the mobs, and them easily. And do so! Mwhahaha.)

Anyway...fun. Yeah, that's it.
 

gameloftguy

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Sep 20, 2007
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All of the reasons above (except the making girls flee one) and then sometimes because its the only thing to do.

I'm on the train a couple of hours a day and rather than stare out the window at all the scenery for the umpteenth time, if I even get a window seat, or stare at some halfway decent looking girl until she is scared of me, I'll pull out my mobile phone and play some games to pass the time. Its better than texting someone (and free since I'm on a prepaid) and a lot more fun.
 

Pyrrian

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Oct 3, 2007
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I think relaxing and unwinding is one of my main reasons for playing. However, I also find that having some sort of challenge is also necessary. Some days are just not particularly challenging, so having a difficult game at home (I'm a fan of frantic shmups like Giga Wing, Do Don Pachi, or Ikaruga) allows me to spend a bit of time doing something that requires certain skills (memorization, planning, concentration, reflex, fine-movement, etc.) that I don't necessarily use intensely on a normal day.

The game industry is also quite interesting to me. Here's something that is young enough that I can see it constantly progress, and following the changes on games is a hobby I find enjoyable. That's why I always feel compelled to play newer games - I want to see gaming evolution.
 

Damn Dirty Ape

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Oct 10, 2007
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The same as with movies, it puts you in another world. For a couple of hours you're a ww2 commander, a commando fighting his way through paranormal clone soldiers or a mayor building his city. Only difference is, compared to movies you're actual in control.

I've got alot of imagination, when I was young I had daily battles for castles and military bases. When I started playing videogames it gave me the chills, because it was the exact same thing only better. I really do miss that "Wow" feeling I had when I first played red alert, but that's another topic all together :)
 

VideoGameFan

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Oct 10, 2007
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I play video games, because it's fun. Gamers think that it's their world. If it has to be their world away from the problems of the real world (like for example, the War on Terror, crime, etc.), then let it be their world away from the problems of the real world.
 

Spinwhiz

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Oct 8, 2007
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The main reason I play is to have interaction with friends. I played sports growing up but since now I have friends that are married, too old or don't live near me, online gaming allows me to still hang out with them. I even go to the extent of not playing EQ2 or Halo 3 unless friends are on to hang out with.

Just my two cp
 

hooliganyouth

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Oct 3, 2007
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There have been several times I've asked myself this question - usually after hours of EXP grinding or falling off the same moving platform for the fiftieth time or having my ass handed to me by a boss...again.

I love gaming. I've spent my entire life gaming and will continue to do so. From 2600 to X360 I've: wandered, quested, blasted, double-jumped, dungeon crawled, raced, sniped, liberated, conquered, and saved the Earth countless numbers of times. Unlike literature - high brow or pulp or anywhere inbetween - gaming is interactive. I am not being told what happens to someone else. Reading doesn't require the reflexes and cognitive facilites that gaming does. Sure you may need to take notes on the extensive cast of characters in "War & Peace" but does Tolstoy require you to remember their stats/skills/powers/strengths/weakness/usefulness in combination with other characters/how they fare against untold combinations of foes? I'm making a generalization I know but you get my drift.

I am in complete agreement with you folks who point out escapism. Sony's "Live in your world. Play in ours." is still one of my favorite ad campaigns. My day to day life is pretty dull. Sleep, eat, commute, work, eat, work, commute, time with significant other, eat, and finally get to game for a few hours before sleep. Weekends are for chores and seeing friends and hopefully one solid day of gaming. Pretty routine. Gaming has always been the escape hatch ever since I was little kid.

Cheers to gaming and all the fine folks who bring games to us - except for the really crappy ones like the 50 Cent game.
 

GrandBoy

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Oct 10, 2007
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Games are indeed fun, and they are also (like the site) a form of escapism, if you return home from work after recieveing a one-on-one talk with your boss which involves swear words and loud voices, then games are perfect, they help to relieve stress for one. I admit, some games aggravate me more (a good example is the cheating s**m population on SOCOM) but I do agree, it's just a game.

anyway, in reply to some random dude above, Game's DO infact teach you in many way's.I'm currently one of the most intellectual people for my age group (like ill say what dumbasses) and have been taught :
Maths Via Final Fantasy.
Complicated English words Via games for above my age (at that time).
History Via Age of Empire's/MoH/every other WWII shooter and it's mum.
etc etc.
SO gaming , believe it or believe it not , IS a form of education.
Suck It Mr Games-Are-Bad-For-You.

EDIT: Game's increase your reactio times, that's been proved, but seriously what does that matter? Unless somebody throw's a bomb or something at you.Reaction Speed's form very little anything. Toned down language because it's offensive or sumit, seem's my opinion is now illegal :/