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There's probably no better feeling than putting yourself in the firing-line and coming through victorious.
Yes, I like a challenge; I think deep down we all do - whether it be against man or machine.
There's something strangely thrilling about taking yourself to the precipice and gazing into the abyss.
When fear and excitement are present in equal amounts it nearly always creates a life-enhancing spark.
"Live dangerously" was the motto of the 19th century philosopher Nietzsche, and what he meant by this is that we should always attempt to live our lives as if our every moment could be our last - we should only embrace security so as the squeeze out the breath of contentment, for it is overcoming adversity that gives life meaning.
The stagnation of over-safety should always be viewed with a suspicious eye.
And this is how I desire things to be when it comes to gaming.
The truly great games always drop the player into a knife-edge situation.
Whether it's driving on the absolute limit - or as Murray Walker would say: "on the ragged edge".
Whether it's a First Person Shooter that drops us into a world infested with immediate danger where we are a bullet away from Game Over.
Whether it's a platformer where one hurried or badly-judged leap will see us plummit into oblivion.
It might sound like a contradiction, but I play games in order to relax and escape, yet I've always found that games which require of me full-on 100% concentration are always the most relaxing.
Games that take me [as it where] to-the-brink because of fear of failure are always the most enjoyable.
Even though these types of games usually go hand-in-hand with feelings of frustration and confusion [and even anger], they are always the one's which bring with them the most satisfaction.
It's all about challenge and achievement.
I genuinely enjoy being pushed to the limit.
So I suppose when it comes to games I'm what some might call a "purist" - that is to say: the fun of gaming is found totally in the intensity, complexity and challenge of the gameplay.
In my opinion the greatest games are those which require and demand from the player intense concentration, total mastership of the controls, fast reactions, and quick decision-making - in other words: the most effective and addictive games are those which take us on a journey of non-stop, skillful action.
For me, storylines should take a back seat, they are just not that necessary when compared to the importance of "pure gameplay" - in fact, most storylines serve only to fragment the gameplay - *points an accusing finger at Metal Gear Solid 2....*
It's only within truly challenging and intense games where skill and mastership are required in order to progress and succeed that the player can find him or herself experiencing moments of inspiration - moments when they achieve a result which they didn't think was possible.... and within the inevitable limitations of games, this is a rare and wonderful thing.
Yes, I like a challenge; I think deep down we all do - whether it be against man or machine.
There's something strangely thrilling about taking yourself to the precipice and gazing into the abyss.
When fear and excitement are present in equal amounts it nearly always creates a life-enhancing spark.
"Live dangerously" was the motto of the 19th century philosopher Nietzsche, and what he meant by this is that we should always attempt to live our lives as if our every moment could be our last - we should only embrace security so as the squeeze out the breath of contentment, for it is overcoming adversity that gives life meaning.
The stagnation of over-safety should always be viewed with a suspicious eye.
And this is how I desire things to be when it comes to gaming.
The truly great games always drop the player into a knife-edge situation.
Whether it's driving on the absolute limit - or as Murray Walker would say: "on the ragged edge".
Whether it's a First Person Shooter that drops us into a world infested with immediate danger where we are a bullet away from Game Over.
Whether it's a platformer where one hurried or badly-judged leap will see us plummit into oblivion.
It might sound like a contradiction, but I play games in order to relax and escape, yet I've always found that games which require of me full-on 100% concentration are always the most relaxing.
Games that take me [as it where] to-the-brink because of fear of failure are always the most enjoyable.
Even though these types of games usually go hand-in-hand with feelings of frustration and confusion [and even anger], they are always the one's which bring with them the most satisfaction.
It's all about challenge and achievement.
I genuinely enjoy being pushed to the limit.
So I suppose when it comes to games I'm what some might call a "purist" - that is to say: the fun of gaming is found totally in the intensity, complexity and challenge of the gameplay.
In my opinion the greatest games are those which require and demand from the player intense concentration, total mastership of the controls, fast reactions, and quick decision-making - in other words: the most effective and addictive games are those which take us on a journey of non-stop, skillful action.
For me, storylines should take a back seat, they are just not that necessary when compared to the importance of "pure gameplay" - in fact, most storylines serve only to fragment the gameplay - *points an accusing finger at Metal Gear Solid 2....*
It's only within truly challenging and intense games where skill and mastership are required in order to progress and succeed that the player can find him or herself experiencing moments of inspiration - moments when they achieve a result which they didn't think was possible.... and within the inevitable limitations of games, this is a rare and wonderful thing.
RM18 wrote:
> Brilliant post Nomad_Soul, one of the best things I've read on here
> for ages, truly deserving of a GAD.
*
Thanks RM.
Funnily enough, I was taken to the brink last night trying to beat the final boss on GunValkyrie.... it took me 5 hours to defeat the mother.... when it finally fell - oh, the satisfaction.
> Brilliant post Nomad_Soul, one of the best things I've read on here
> for ages, truly deserving of a GAD.
*
Thanks RM.
Funnily enough, I was taken to the brink last night trying to beat the final boss on GunValkyrie.... it took me 5 hours to defeat the mother.... when it finally fell - oh, the satisfaction.
Brilliant post Nomad_Soul, one of the best things I've read on here for ages, truly deserving of a GAD.
I'm like you, I prefer to be totally immersed in a game, one that requires my full concentration - so I finish two hours later not knowing where the time's gone. Funnily enough, I find that more relaxing than a game where I am fully aware of everything going on around me and never really in danger of losing my control in the game.
I'm like you, I prefer to be totally immersed in a game, one that requires my full concentration - so I finish two hours later not knowing where the time's gone. Funnily enough, I find that more relaxing than a game where I am fully aware of everything going on around me and never really in danger of losing my control in the game.
I agree totally, i'm addicted to playing Smash Bros on Very Hard mode, even though I get soundly beaten almost every time. It's just so fast and furious, you have to be constantly alert. Although I do find some games jst as relaxing if they are done *really* well, like Skies Of Arcadia :) Unfortunalty FF games don't manage his for me, they're just too boring..
There's probably no better feeling than putting yourself in the firing-line and coming through victorious.
Yes, I like a challenge; I think deep down we all do - whether it be against man or machine.
There's something strangely thrilling about taking yourself to the precipice and gazing into the abyss.
When fear and excitement are present in equal amounts it nearly always creates a life-enhancing spark.
"Live dangerously" was the motto of the 19th century philosopher Nietzsche, and what he meant by this is that we should always attempt to live our lives as if our every moment could be our last - we should only embrace security so as the squeeze out the breath of contentment, for it is overcoming adversity that gives life meaning.
The stagnation of over-safety should always be viewed with a suspicious eye.
And this is how I desire things to be when it comes to gaming.
The truly great games always drop the player into a knife-edge situation.
Whether it's driving on the absolute limit - or as Murray Walker would say: "on the ragged edge".
Whether it's a First Person Shooter that drops us into a world infested with immediate danger where we are a bullet away from Game Over.
Whether it's a platformer where one hurried or badly-judged leap will see us plummit into oblivion.
It might sound like a contradiction, but I play games in order to relax and escape, yet I've always found that games which require of me full-on 100% concentration are always the most relaxing.
Games that take me [as it where] to-the-brink because of fear of failure are always the most enjoyable.
Even though these types of games usually go hand-in-hand with feelings of frustration and confusion [and even anger], they are always the one's which bring with them the most satisfaction.
It's all about challenge and achievement.
I genuinely enjoy being pushed to the limit.
So I suppose when it comes to games I'm what some might call a "purist" - that is to say: the fun of gaming is found totally in the intensity, complexity and challenge of the gameplay.
In my opinion the greatest games are those which require and demand from the player intense concentration, total mastership of the controls, fast reactions, and quick decision-making - in other words: the most effective and addictive games are those which take us on a journey of non-stop, skillful action.
For me, storylines should take a back seat, they are just not that necessary when compared to the importance of "pure gameplay" - in fact, most storylines serve only to fragment the gameplay - *points an accusing finger at Metal Gear Solid 2....*
It's only within truly challenging and intense games where skill and mastership are required in order to progress and succeed that the player can find him or herself experiencing moments of inspiration - moments when they achieve a result which they didn't think was possible.... and within the inevitable limitations of games, this is a rare and wonderful thing.
Yes, I like a challenge; I think deep down we all do - whether it be against man or machine.
There's something strangely thrilling about taking yourself to the precipice and gazing into the abyss.
When fear and excitement are present in equal amounts it nearly always creates a life-enhancing spark.
"Live dangerously" was the motto of the 19th century philosopher Nietzsche, and what he meant by this is that we should always attempt to live our lives as if our every moment could be our last - we should only embrace security so as the squeeze out the breath of contentment, for it is overcoming adversity that gives life meaning.
The stagnation of over-safety should always be viewed with a suspicious eye.
And this is how I desire things to be when it comes to gaming.
The truly great games always drop the player into a knife-edge situation.
Whether it's driving on the absolute limit - or as Murray Walker would say: "on the ragged edge".
Whether it's a First Person Shooter that drops us into a world infested with immediate danger where we are a bullet away from Game Over.
Whether it's a platformer where one hurried or badly-judged leap will see us plummit into oblivion.
It might sound like a contradiction, but I play games in order to relax and escape, yet I've always found that games which require of me full-on 100% concentration are always the most relaxing.
Games that take me [as it where] to-the-brink because of fear of failure are always the most enjoyable.
Even though these types of games usually go hand-in-hand with feelings of frustration and confusion [and even anger], they are always the one's which bring with them the most satisfaction.
It's all about challenge and achievement.
I genuinely enjoy being pushed to the limit.
So I suppose when it comes to games I'm what some might call a "purist" - that is to say: the fun of gaming is found totally in the intensity, complexity and challenge of the gameplay.
In my opinion the greatest games are those which require and demand from the player intense concentration, total mastership of the controls, fast reactions, and quick decision-making - in other words: the most effective and addictive games are those which take us on a journey of non-stop, skillful action.
For me, storylines should take a back seat, they are just not that necessary when compared to the importance of "pure gameplay" - in fact, most storylines serve only to fragment the gameplay - *points an accusing finger at Metal Gear Solid 2....*
It's only within truly challenging and intense games where skill and mastership are required in order to progress and succeed that the player can find him or herself experiencing moments of inspiration - moments when they achieve a result which they didn't think was possible.... and within the inevitable limitations of games, this is a rare and wonderful thing.