Why do you love videogames?
- Thread starter Tailzo
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OP
OP
That's a really unique post in this thread, and I love it :) It's sad to see arcades dying though. Have you bought any arcade machines to have at home to be able to keep experiencing those arcade games you love the most?
There's something really cool about learning to do something and applying that knowledge inmediately in a video game, while constantly learning from mistakes. The inmense variety in the medium is another aspect that I like a ton, along with game design in general.
Man I dunno they're like cool and stuff and in 1986 my Dad brought home a Nintendo from the Montgomery Ward's instead of a football or a guitar or something.
Not really escapism for me.
Rather, it's the one medium that offers a unique, incredibly wide-range of hands-on experiences that cannot be fully realized elsewhere.
I got into video games for the vast amount of interesting experiences you can get through them.
Whether it's playing a relaxed, visually stimulating puzzle game like Lumines, doing chores in a cel-shaded world with funky music like Giftpia (my avatar), playing a touch-based rhythm game like Elite Beat Agents, or totally upgrading your car and racing through different countries like Forza.
There are so many different experiences on offer, it feels like you can explore different frames of thought by playing a new game.
Now, add Retro games to that mix and it's like experiencing a moment in time that we'll never go back to - I can't think of any other medium that combines all the audio/visual/experiential elements together quite like video games to experience that point in time.
Rather, it's the one medium that offers a unique, incredibly wide-range of hands-on experiences that cannot be fully realized elsewhere.
I got into video games for the vast amount of interesting experiences you can get through them.
Whether it's playing a relaxed, visually stimulating puzzle game like Lumines, doing chores in a cel-shaded world with funky music like Giftpia (my avatar), playing a touch-based rhythm game like Elite Beat Agents, or totally upgrading your car and racing through different countries like Forza.
There are so many different experiences on offer, it feels like you can explore different frames of thought by playing a new game.
Now, add Retro games to that mix and it's like experiencing a moment in time that we'll never go back to - I can't think of any other medium that combines all the audio/visual/experiential elements together quite like video games to experience that point in time.
I have given this some thought. It's seems like I'm a "culture" person in that regard that I live my life working and being with my family. When I'm not I want to read, watch movies and play videogames.
I really don't want to go on experience vacations, buy expensive cars etc.
Videogames is somewhat of a logical continuation of storytelling and experience and right now the most interesting.
I grew up with nes and a lot of my friends play so it's also a natural thing for me.
When I became adult I stoped drinking beer and living that kind of life and because I have a big family I never really had that much money to spend on myself so videogames was a cheap hobby (relatively).
I really don't want to go on experience vacations, buy expensive cars etc.
Videogames is somewhat of a logical continuation of storytelling and experience and right now the most interesting.
I grew up with nes and a lot of my friends play so it's also a natural thing for me.
When I became adult I stoped drinking beer and living that kind of life and because I have a big family I never really had that much money to spend on myself so videogames was a cheap hobby (relatively).
Because they are fun and I like to be active in my kind of entertainment.
Never was a big fan of reading, music is more like a passive thing (and as a kid I never really cared about music) and
movies were also never a thing. I got early exposure in gaming thanks to my cousins and friends and in the 90s gaming was
the hot shit.
In Games I can do stuff I couldn't to in real life and experience adventures on my own, again in a way that is impossible in RL.
The medium offers unique ways to entertain you, to hook you and also it is a lot more fun to play with others. You can't read the same
parts of a book at the same time and in movies you're mostly quiet. Not in a game.
Never was a big fan of reading, music is more like a passive thing (and as a kid I never really cared about music) and
movies were also never a thing. I got early exposure in gaming thanks to my cousins and friends and in the 90s gaming was
the hot shit.
In Games I can do stuff I couldn't to in real life and experience adventures on my own, again in a way that is impossible in RL.
The medium offers unique ways to entertain you, to hook you and also it is a lot more fun to play with others. You can't read the same
parts of a book at the same time and in movies you're mostly quiet. Not in a game.
Been through some rough times, but one of the constants through these have always been games. They put my mind at ease and have helped me dealing with psychological issues, so I guess they've been a form of escapism, but also a tool to get on the right track again when I've been confused. I feel I have a lot to be thankful for. Mostly though, I enjoy playing them. There is no medium quite like it and I've enjoyed watching it grow since I was little kid up until now.
I think their ability to put you into a light trance type state of immersion, much moreso than passive forms of media can achieve, is remarkable. The sense of play, world interaction, getting lost in the atmosphere of a well crafted environment while controlling an avatar, there's no other medium quite like it. I've been playing games regularly since the Genesis and Maniac Mansion days on PC and have been loving it ever since. Part of the joy has been seeing the tech evolve and how stories are told mature and the ways that those stories are delivered. It's an incredibly fertile ground for artistry of multiple disciplines, be it coding, modeling, music, directing, etc etc. Then there's the hardware, seeing things like consumer VR become a thing that's actually affordable is something I never thought would happen in my lifetime. The intersection of community engagement and the flourishing of the indie scene has given so much more variety and life to gaming as well. We're living in a time where there's such a diverse array of games and devs making singular experiences I'd argue its currently the most exciting medium for artistic expression period.
That said the industry has its fair share of problems but I think the good outweighs the bad. There's never been a better time to enjoy this hobby đź‘Ť
That said the industry has its fair share of problems but I think the good outweighs the bad. There's never been a better time to enjoy this hobby đź‘Ť
it something I've looked at, it would be nice to own an arcade machine. It'd be Kung Fu Master or Space Firebird. But it wouldn't be right. My wife has put up,with my gaming for nigh on 30 years, she's no problem with games consoles under the TV or me hogging the Tv to play whatever the newest release is, but I'm not sure she'd appreciate an arcade machine in the living room.
But you're right, it's sad to see the decline in arcades, demographics change, games have changed, the last actual arcade I was in was full of repurposed console games. A giant Guitar Hero cabinet, still played it though :)
OP
OP
Wise decision, be nice to your wife :) I'm in a similar situation. I would like to have more videogame stuff displayed, but my wife doesn't want to have it in the living room, so I have just a Nintendo Switch and an xbox series x there. I have thought about buying those new replica-arcade machines several times, but I wouldn't have anywhere to place them, unless I bough stuff as small as the mini stuff that you can't even play on. I was born in 1984, so I only saw traces of the glory of the arcade age in my country. And on vacations to other countries, I was able to try see some more, but it changed quickly during the late 90s. Going to Tokyo in 2013 finally let me see real halls full of arcade games. Even those days are numbered, but we can keep the memories alive :)
Stay safe and healthy JED BARTLETT
You can do anything you want. Go bowling in vr with friends. Shoot baddies (or each other). Fighting games feel great when you get better. Platformers have amazing, bright and colorful worlds.
Or you can just talk to random people in lobbies.
Like.... I don't even know what to say -- it seems like, if I say anything, I will be leaving out ten other things. Gaming is the ultimate hobby imho. Like, so immersive like a movie (uncharted/tlou), so active like tennis (gorilla tag), so social like social media (any game with a lobby pso2 for example/VRchat/etc)... so relaxing like fishing (fishing/hunting games).
Then you've got the esports side of things with great players like Daigo and stuff.... Makes it fun to watch too!
Yea, gaming is great.
Or you can just talk to random people in lobbies.
Like.... I don't even know what to say -- it seems like, if I say anything, I will be leaving out ten other things. Gaming is the ultimate hobby imho. Like, so immersive like a movie (uncharted/tlou), so active like tennis (gorilla tag), so social like social media (any game with a lobby pso2 for example/VRchat/etc)... so relaxing like fishing (fishing/hunting games).
Then you've got the esports side of things with great players like Daigo and stuff.... Makes it fun to watch too!
Yea, gaming is great.
Honestly probably because I grew up with them. I'm not sure why exactly I like the games I do but they tend to be a nice escape and get your imagination going. It's also one of the few things my family enjoy doing together which is nice.
They're an escape from my reality, which is never as good as the ones created within the games I enjoy playing. =p
Multiple reasons.
1. I can "experience" unknown worlds and cultures outside of my own normal life. I can see something and look at it as much as i want (often) and go on if i please and not because the medium of choice dictates me to do so. Videogames aren't perfect in this regard but the mix of story and freedom is something completely unique imo.
2. I can enjoy stories in a more intense way than only through books and television/movies. Books are fantastic but they don't have voice acting (outside of audio books), visuals or music (intense or soothing and everything in between) and movies/television don't hold a candle most of the time in terms of depth and details.
3. Enjoying time with my friends and meeting new people. I'm 37 and have a job and sadly i'm not able to meet my friends as often as in my youth. Gaming gives me more chances to be with people i would meet maybe 1 or 2 times a year.
4. It's a great way to bond with friends and family. I love that my nephew tells me how much he loves Breath of the Wild, what he did recently and what new lore video he found. It's a gift experiencing the joy and wonder a videogame can create in another person.
1. I can "experience" unknown worlds and cultures outside of my own normal life. I can see something and look at it as much as i want (often) and go on if i please and not because the medium of choice dictates me to do so. Videogames aren't perfect in this regard but the mix of story and freedom is something completely unique imo.
2. I can enjoy stories in a more intense way than only through books and television/movies. Books are fantastic but they don't have voice acting (outside of audio books), visuals or music (intense or soothing and everything in between) and movies/television don't hold a candle most of the time in terms of depth and details.
3. Enjoying time with my friends and meeting new people. I'm 37 and have a job and sadly i'm not able to meet my friends as often as in my youth. Gaming gives me more chances to be with people i would meet maybe 1 or 2 times a year.
4. It's a great way to bond with friends and family. I love that my nephew tells me how much he loves Breath of the Wild, what he did recently and what new lore video he found. It's a gift experiencing the joy and wonder a videogame can create in another person.
Escapism
Feeling powerful
Experience feelings and situations that would probably never happen in real life
Fun
Feeling powerful
Experience feelings and situations that would probably never happen in real life
Fun
They're fun, gives me something to do, and I like discovering bugs and seeing how far I can get in a game doing the bare minimum or taking out a boss completely under leveled.
Because they engage me and ask me to use the parts of my brain I feel the most alive when using. I love figuring things out, getting immersed, etc. I like that kind of thing outside video games of course, but they're such a designed, curated way of asking me to. I'd love to do the same for others.
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
This is what I think whenever I get asked this question. I've seen videogame shit instead. I need to readapt this to things that I've done in games.
Immersion. In one night I can be a time-travelling, gravity-defying super-soldier with a portable black hole bomb (Apex); an infamous robber, burglar, thief and murderer with a bent for black magic who can teleport into people and assassinate them from the inside out (Dishonored: DOTO); A super-scientist explorer, inventor and money-making rancher of slimes ... a professional footballer, F1 driver ... practically anything you can dream of nowadays you can be, in a game.
My answer to this might be different depending on when you asking me, but my answer right now is probably similar to why someone enjoys something like parkour. The simple act of moving d-pads/control sticks around and pressing buttons to make things on a screen happen, usually controlling a character, is inherently enjoyable.
Often it's just about successful eye-hand coordination, the immediate audiovisual feedback of nailing certain physical challenges - this is why I'm often drawn to platformers or action and puzzle games with immediate feedback over more indirect game experiences. A game has to really nail other stuff for me to be patient enough to sit through less immediately satisfying mechanics. But it does happen.
Overall I like the idea of interactive fiction, and beyond that I have different reasons depending on the genre.
1. Exploration/survival/open world: I like to be in a world where my intuition guides me. I'm like this irl as well, where I like to just go outside some days and see where the my instincts take me. Problem solving is also a big part of it; how do I get there, do I walk, are there any sights on the way etc.
2. Simulation games (racing and flying mostly): I like to learn the fundamentals of manouvering a vehicle. I've had this interest since I was a child, where my mother had to drag me away from certain lifelike vehicle toys. Especially that one toy that looks like an excavator where you control the bucket with two levers. I also like racing because it's such a simple yet addicting form of competition.
3. RPG's: I love to project myself into my own character. I love making plans for how the character should evolve and act in social situations. I also like to help people in MMO's so I always play some kind of support character.
1. Exploration/survival/open world: I like to be in a world where my intuition guides me. I'm like this irl as well, where I like to just go outside some days and see where the my instincts take me. Problem solving is also a big part of it; how do I get there, do I walk, are there any sights on the way etc.
2. Simulation games (racing and flying mostly): I like to learn the fundamentals of manouvering a vehicle. I've had this interest since I was a child, where my mother had to drag me away from certain lifelike vehicle toys. Especially that one toy that looks like an excavator where you control the bucket with two levers. I also like racing because it's such a simple yet addicting form of competition.
3. RPG's: I love to project myself into my own character. I love making plans for how the character should evolve and act in social situations. I also like to help people in MMO's so I always play some kind of support character.
Because they allow me to escape from the real world. I don't even have to be particularly enjoying a game, just being focused on a game is enough to ease my mind of the burden of other thoughts.
For me, it's just a great way to engage in some escapism and immersion when there are times I need a contrast from the real world.
And fun.
And fun.
Because my life is so bad that without them I think I would be way more likely to off myself one day
OP
OP
Do you have good examples of games with dialogue between the creator and the player? Is it games where you as a player feel the gane creator wanted to say something through her or his creation? If so, is feel good games like Dragon Quest those kinda games?