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-Why-
I write here today about something that has pestered me for ages now. A question, always at the back of my mind whenever I'm gaming. Why do I do this? Why do I spend £40 on a game of all things when i could use that money for more important things, (saving up for future, giving to charities e.t.c). Why do we as gamers continue to feed this expensive holiday, usually when we've played it all before. Why do we spend around £1000 a year on an addiction more expensive than smoking (10 ciggerettes a day) for a year? I am going to attempt to delve into the deep meanings of this important topic, trying to find an answer. (melodramatic pause) .
For this, I will need to look at HUMAN NATURE in 3 easy to swallow tablets of knowledge.
No. 1 "Human Instinct In Multiplayer Games" One could argue, that humans by nature are competitive beings, boys proven to be more so then girls. But whhat does this have to do with computer games and continually buying them? In general, most computer games nowadays have multi player modes and a game, being competitive by nature, pushes that competitive streak and much like a race, it is one human, against nother, trying to prove that one is better than the other. For some reason, there IS pleasure in proving your superiority over someone else, and for someone whos greatest talent lies in computer games, then all the bigger the reason to buy more of them, to prove their excellence. And though a non-sporty person may think lowly of an athlete for getting satisfaction through being better than someone, the same goes with computer games, and anyone who thinks otherwise, is a fool.
No. 2 "The Business Man's Secret Life" Gaming presents a break in reality, a colourful flight away from the monotony of every day life. Inside computer games, people can play as characters with a simplified life or problem, solving it, or even being or doing something that would be completely ridiculous in real life, but is made satisfying through creative talent from the designers part. (E.G tribes two, people kill eachother in an attempt to steal a flag and run back to the base, whilst obtaining a massive adrenaline burst in real life), but when this exciting break from reality, becomes the norm, then there is no escapism, because it is as good as real, and everything is known about the game. When this happens, a new game, new excitement, must be bought, this eventually running into compulsive games buying, where games are almost like a drug, for people to escape from what they already have into something more exciting.
No. 3 "The Feel Good Factor" I ask you a question which I will answer. Why do people support football teams? When a football team wins a match, supporters will generally feel happy, why? The supporter has no role in the game other than to supply the players with their weekly dosage of one gibtrillion pounds, yet no active contribution is made, yet when you hear someone talking about the football team that they support, they will often say, "WE played well yesterday" Is this a case of people venting their anger and lost excitement, and placing their emotions, into something of which they have no control over. Computer games differ in many ways, but the feel good principle is still there, yet emjoyment is placed in the players hands, so there is no denial involved after beating a game, because it was the player that won it, making the enjoyment, actually more real. That is why I believe that computer games will eventually replace football, because the player can properly feel good about themselves and a human will want more "feel good factor" hence them buying different games to test themselves continually.
Please write telling me what you agree or disagree with in this post, and make new points, untouched by me why you think that we buy computer games.
torticollis
I write here today about something that has pestered me for ages now. A question, always at the back of my mind whenever I'm gaming. Why do I do this? Why do I spend £40 on a game of all things when i could use that money for more important things, (saving up for future, giving to charities e.t.c). Why do we as gamers continue to feed this expensive holiday, usually when we've played it all before. Why do we spend around £1000 a year on an addiction more expensive than smoking (10 ciggerettes a day) for a year? I am going to attempt to delve into the deep meanings of this important topic, trying to find an answer. (melodramatic pause) .
For this, I will need to look at HUMAN NATURE in 3 easy to swallow tablets of knowledge.
No. 1 "Human Instinct In Multiplayer Games" One could argue, that humans by nature are competitive beings, boys proven to be more so then girls. But whhat does this have to do with computer games and continually buying them? In general, most computer games nowadays have multi player modes and a game, being competitive by nature, pushes that competitive streak and much like a race, it is one human, against nother, trying to prove that one is better than the other. For some reason, there IS pleasure in proving your superiority over someone else, and for someone whos greatest talent lies in computer games, then all the bigger the reason to buy more of them, to prove their excellence. And though a non-sporty person may think lowly of an athlete for getting satisfaction through being better than someone, the same goes with computer games, and anyone who thinks otherwise, is a fool.
No. 2 "The Business Man's Secret Life" Gaming presents a break in reality, a colourful flight away from the monotony of every day life. Inside computer games, people can play as characters with a simplified life or problem, solving it, or even being or doing something that would be completely ridiculous in real life, but is made satisfying through creative talent from the designers part. (E.G tribes two, people kill eachother in an attempt to steal a flag and run back to the base, whilst obtaining a massive adrenaline burst in real life), but when this exciting break from reality, becomes the norm, then there is no escapism, because it is as good as real, and everything is known about the game. When this happens, a new game, new excitement, must be bought, this eventually running into compulsive games buying, where games are almost like a drug, for people to escape from what they already have into something more exciting.
No. 3 "The Feel Good Factor" I ask you a question which I will answer. Why do people support football teams? When a football team wins a match, supporters will generally feel happy, why? The supporter has no role in the game other than to supply the players with their weekly dosage of one gibtrillion pounds, yet no active contribution is made, yet when you hear someone talking about the football team that they support, they will often say, "WE played well yesterday" Is this a case of people venting their anger and lost excitement, and placing their emotions, into something of which they have no control over. Computer games differ in many ways, but the feel good principle is still there, yet emjoyment is placed in the players hands, so there is no denial involved after beating a game, because it was the player that won it, making the enjoyment, actually more real. That is why I believe that computer games will eventually replace football, because the player can properly feel good about themselves and a human will want more "feel good factor" hence them buying different games to test themselves continually.
Please write telling me what you agree or disagree with in this post, and make new points, untouched by me why you think that we buy computer games.
torticollis
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I've had an XBox since launch.
I have 6 games.
I bought the following: - Halo and JSRF
I recieved the following: - Project Gotham Racing, Dead or Alive 3, Amped and Oddworld.
Before you ask the 4 games I recieved were from Microsoft. I got them after problems with the reward pack thing. They now refuse to talk to me when I mention Reward pack since I've got the 4 games AND a controller.
heh, I love Microsoft.
I have 6 games.
I bought the following: - Halo and JSRF
I recieved the following: - Project Gotham Racing, Dead or Alive 3, Amped and Oddworld.
Before you ask the 4 games I recieved were from Microsoft. I got them after problems with the reward pack thing. They now refuse to talk to me when I mention Reward pack since I've got the 4 games AND a controller.
heh, I love Microsoft.
If I got £15 a week, I'd starve.
Heh.
No, I'm not rich.
I'm only 16. But I had a job, one night a week, for one hour, and I got paid £15 for it.
So every fortnight I had £30, and by adding unspent money for lunch at school, I could easily afford a GC game ever fortnight :D
And all that without having to spend any 'pocket' money either :D
Jobs finished now though :( bah
No, I'm not rich.
I'm only 16. But I had a job, one night a week, for one hour, and I got paid £15 for it.
So every fortnight I had £30, and by adding unspent money for lunch at school, I could easily afford a GC game ever fortnight :D
And all that without having to spend any 'pocket' money either :D
Jobs finished now though :( bah
There werent even over 50 games that were worth buying on the N64.
Where do you people get the money to buy a game every fortnight? Are you working full time?
In the entire existence of the N64, I only purchased 20 games for it. No, tell a lie, I actually purchased ten. The other half were my brothers.
Admittedly though, that's around 2/3 of all European N64 releases...
In the entire existence of the N64, I only purchased 20 games for it. No, tell a lie, I actually purchased ten. The other half were my brothers.
Admittedly though, that's around 2/3 of all European N64 releases...
Gaming addicts. They dont have to be rich.
proper gamers, or rich ones?
Yes. This topic is about proper gamers, not just the casual gamer.
Well I've had my Cube since the start of May, and if we say it's the end of November now, thats roughly 28 weeks yes?
I have 17 games for it, which would be one game every two weeks for the last 34 weeks, which is more than half a year so far :D
And theres a few games I still want, and more being released all the time
*shakes fist*
And before you say it, I don't spend all my time playing games, I haven't completed half of them yet :/
I have 17 games for it, which would be one game every two weeks for the last 34 weeks, which is more than half a year so far :D
And theres a few games I still want, and more being released all the time
*shakes fist*
And before you say it, I don't spend all my time playing games, I haven't completed half of them yet :/
The average console owner owns something like 5.3 games, hardly a game every fortnight.
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