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The question that remains constantly in my mind (Being a person who constantly plays videogames.): "Why do I play videogames so much?" has continously bothered me. My decision to do so has left me in a position of having not much in a way of a social life. I only have a small group of good friends, I don't go out of the house that much. In fact, I am a bit of an anti-social person, or I'm just sometimes too shy to talk to other people. (Hey! This isn't an opinion about me!) OK, I'll stop babbling now, but even when all of the above are happening to me - and I know I should stop sitting in front of the TV, playing Metal Gear Solid for the tenth time, and start going to the cinema, or something - I still continue to play videogames.
Whenever I'm playing a videogame, I get to become more "alive" than I am in the real world. I'm doing things I should really be doing in the real world (Things like talking to people in a confident way, etc. Not things like saying "Eat This!" and pulling out a machine gun and start shooting everybody in sight!). It might be the fact that the characters I interact to are just bits of data, programmed to have a specific response to whatever option I selected, but at least I know that the response they give me will be something that will make me feel better. (There are times when I embarrass myself for trying to say something that should have had a good response...)
Also, there's the fact that I can release all my anger at certain games. (No, I don't mean the "throw the CD/Cartridge into the floor and continously stamp on it with all your rage and make an evil laugh routine".) I usually get annoyed with people I meet at school/public places/home I just then realise that losing my temper at them will have much worse consenquences than shooting the living $%!& out of the ugly enemy from Metal Gear Solid.
There's also the fact that certain games have a way of getting me out of this world of ours, which sadly, seems to bore me now (for reasons I won't bother to write). Fantasy games, such as Final Fantasy may have worlds based on ours, but at least they have something exciting and fun you can do on them without many annoyingly unfair restrictions. I get this feeling this world of ours seems to have a way of making things that should have been fun be wrong, when it should have been perfectly all right to do. Most notably the teachers on my school, all I can really do is just talk to my friends with all those teachers watching every student's every step and action, anything I do can be punished with detention...
Well, I suddenly read all what I wrote again then I figured out something, that's me I'm talking about. I then wondered why everyone else plays videogames. I then came to a simple conclusion, which I think is the reason why they made vidoegames in the first place (I hope it is anyways.). Videogames were created because they're fun! Once you think all those sounds, polygons and bits of data (and others) have joined together, they create something everyone can all enjoy.
That's why we play them, because it's fun, and something we can all enjoy for various reasons. Except there's a problem you see. Everyone else (with only a good few exceptions, you know who you are!) seems to be bothered about why this game's going to rock because it can run a billion polygons per second, or why this sequel will be the best cos' the first one was. No one seems to care about how much fun this certain game is going to get anymore. I just wanted everyone to remember that, and next time, try to not read the rating on a review of a videogame (Don't care if it was one star or five star.), instead, read what the review says about the game, and if you like what it's about, then get it. Maybe even if it really got a one star, you'll still enjoy it in that nice unique way, which is what really matters...
But what you said, I think like you say it's to become someone else. To become that hero, to be something you never will. You get to decide whether they live or die and it's the sheer power of being able to do this that is the same power of murder. Wel not quite but it got my word count up, didn't it?
Boy is it late and I have to be up for 6am, I'll just not go to sleep.
Letís be reasonable here, who DOESNíT want to be James Bond. Who DOESNíT want to leg it around Russian bases blasting the hell out of anyone who gets in your way? Remember what you used to play in the playground? You and your mate going around, pretending to break in to secret bases, and disarming nuclear weapons. Hell, I even know people who still do that! Weíve all done that. Any normal kid SHOULD have done that. Itís only natural to want to be someone else at some point in your life. Who hasnít watched Michael Owen on the pitch and not thought, "God I wish I could play like that" Maybe we play games because we look up to the main character in it. Maybe we donít.
Then thereís the "God I hate my life" option. When you encounter a rough patch in your life, you just want it to go away. So what do you do? Go out on the razz and get completely ratted until youíre so drunk you fall asleep in a flowerbed. Whatís the result of that? You wake up with a horrible hangover and the problem seems to have got worse. So what else can you do? Whenever I hit a low point I lock myself in my room, slap Perfect Dark or ISS 2000 in my N64, stick some decent music on and just play and play and play. I play until my problems gone, until I feel good about myself again. I immerse myself so much in the game that I just forget whatís going on in my life and until I BECOME the person in the game. Until itís ME whoís run up behind that guard and disarmed him, until itís ME whoís just scored from 30 yards. Iíll emerge from my cocoon feeling better and happier, ready to embrace whatever the problem may be.
Then thereís option 3. "Iím bored so Iíll go and play my computer until I can think of something better to do"
I barely ever do this. If I do itís usually only for five minuets. Why? Because playing a game just to pass time leaves me feeling hollow. I just donít enjoy it when I do this. I canít explain why I donít get enjoyment this way but I just donít.
Why were games invented in the first place? To make money and to have fun. But since then the times and consoles have changed. People donít play just for fun anymore, although we still do do that. No, now it can be anything, an escape, a way t pass the time, A damn fine way to destroy your social life... There are so many reasons why we play. The three Iíve listed above are probably the most obvious reasons.
But everyone plays for different reasons. Mine is to have fun and to escape. What's yours?
escapes the troubles of the real world?...mmmm....how come games are becoming
more like the real world then?
Yes, I believe that you are right. Games are always becoming more realistic and that is what people want, but it does let you forget those problems, well a good game anyway should be able to do this. It lets you control someone elses life and control their destiny so you are giving a second chance. Maybe that is getting carried away, but some people might see it like that.
You will never find true answer
... either that or the fast forward button is appealing :o).
> escapes the troubles of the real world?...mmmm....how come games are becoming more like the real world then?
A prime example of this is the Sims...... A game where you control people in a "real" world.
Why do people play this type of game when they can do the real thing themselves?!
If I have some mates round. Videogames are our way of socialising. You always get someone who always wins, and someone who always loses. It becomes a competition and you can have fun and a laugh, and even 'break the ice' if you don't know someone very well. Thats my experience anyway....!!
C!s