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As Abba almost said, "thank you for the games, and giving them to me". Playing video-games, along with playing guitar and viewing pornography on the internet, is one of my main hobbies. I enjoy it immensely, and while my console collection is modest at best (a SNES, an N64, a Playstation 2 and of course a Game Boy) I consider myself one of the 'gaming fraternity', knowing enough to chat with others, be it on message boards or the real world, about all things gaming. Why, just this morning I spoke to Adam about BMX XXX, and I've made a few posts on here already...but do I think about what all this video-gaming is doing to me?
There've been many theories on the subject, a popular one being that playing violent video games makes you violent. Am I a vicious thug simply because I like the odd game of GTA, or Tekken? Not at all. Am I a braindead slug, lying in front of the TV in a constant state of zombification? Yes...but I would attribute that more to beer, day old pizza and sitting to close to the screen. Want to know what I think gaming does for you? Well, I'll tell you - games make you smarter. Games have taught me more than my parents, school or TV ever could...but what? I can see you, sneering as you read the crazy ramblings of an insane SR member...but it's true. Playing games has given me a great deal of knowledge and has, I believe, given me a headstart in many areas of life.
For instance, take my last job interview. I was walking down the corridor, and saw a security camera. Other applicants may not have every owned a Playstation, but I knew the situation - the head honcho was watching me with this video camera, waiting for me to slip up...but I wasn't having any of it. Staying well out of the draw distance, I took in it's movement, waiting for the right moment to move. I backed up against the wall, slowly side-stepping to the very edge of the camera's reach, waiting for the mechanical eye to look the other way. As soon as it turned away on its shiny metallic hinge, I ran across, into the next corridor. I realised this was the home straight, and patted myself on the back (in my head, of course).
Then...disaster! I saw a man sitting on a chair at the end of the hallway, leafing through a fashion magazine. My first thought was "hah, he's reading a girly magazine!"...but then, my second thought was "oh no, he's going in for the job, just like me!". Luckily, the man got bored and got up to get something new to read...and so, using all my skill and courage I slowly, quietly creeped up behind him. I swung an arm out, and in one fluid motion, snapped the man's neck like a twig. Careful not to be discovered, I dragged the body away and hid it behind a large filing cabinet. Unfortunately for me, there was another employee stalking the hallways and he was about to catch me red-handed. This would surely send me into alert mode, so I grabbed a nearby cardboard box (recently relieved of its load of 15million rubber bands), and hid in it. It did the trick, and I was never found out...but just to make sure, I stayed in there.
I only got out to find out what that gigantic 'clunk' noise was that I just heard: it was the janitor shutting off the power on his way out. The next morning I got out thanks to a kind soul doing the early shift. I may not have got the job, but I'd kept my cover.
Without my games, I'd never have got out of that tricky spot...and I wouldn't have been able to do some other crafty things, either. For instance, when I needed money for a new PS2 controllers, I decided to set up my own taxi service. Thankfully, many a gaming session had taught me that if I just miss hitting another vehicle, do a crazy powerslide or fly off a ramp, my fare's tip would get higher and higher. I got enough money in no time. Gaming has also brought me many fond memories, some of which are from my crime fighting days. Admittedly, I was never in the police force (due to my aforementioned chronic laziness) but my games had shown me that if I nicked a police car, I could go into vigilante mode and fight crime myself!
Gaming has also kept me in great shape, having opened my eyes to the fact that having sex with prostitutes can give me even more health than I started with! It's helped me solve tricky situations (most of which were solved by crawling through a ventilation system, stacking boxes or another variation on the two, such as stacking ventilation systems). Gaming's improved my sporting ability, with time and dedication allowing me to score the perfect free kick (fill the bar up about 2/3 of the way, and bend it to the near post).
I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone in the industry, from developers to stockists, from the people that made the Emotion Engine to the guy that decided to have analogue sticks make that clicky sounds when they are pushed down. I thank you, for all you've given to me. Gaming is my teacher, mother, and secret lover. It's provided me with laughs and tears, produced blood and sweat. It's opened my eyes to strange new worlds, and made me look harder at more familiar settings...but most importantly, it's taught me that Forward, Down, Down, Forward + Punch is Shoryuken.
What have you learnt from gaming?
Thank you for reading this post.
-swander87
There've been many theories on the subject, a popular one being that playing violent video games makes you violent. Am I a vicious thug simply because I like the odd game of GTA, or Tekken? Not at all. Am I a braindead slug, lying in front of the TV in a constant state of zombification? Yes...but I would attribute that more to beer, day old pizza and sitting to close to the screen. Want to know what I think gaming does for you? Well, I'll tell you - games make you smarter. Games have taught me more than my parents, school or TV ever could...but what? I can see you, sneering as you read the crazy ramblings of an insane SR member...but it's true. Playing games has given me a great deal of knowledge and has, I believe, given me a headstart in many areas of life.
For instance, take my last job interview. I was walking down the corridor, and saw a security camera. Other applicants may not have every owned a Playstation, but I knew the situation - the head honcho was watching me with this video camera, waiting for me to slip up...but I wasn't having any of it. Staying well out of the draw distance, I took in it's movement, waiting for the right moment to move. I backed up against the wall, slowly side-stepping to the very edge of the camera's reach, waiting for the mechanical eye to look the other way. As soon as it turned away on its shiny metallic hinge, I ran across, into the next corridor. I realised this was the home straight, and patted myself on the back (in my head, of course).
Then...disaster! I saw a man sitting on a chair at the end of the hallway, leafing through a fashion magazine. My first thought was "hah, he's reading a girly magazine!"...but then, my second thought was "oh no, he's going in for the job, just like me!". Luckily, the man got bored and got up to get something new to read...and so, using all my skill and courage I slowly, quietly creeped up behind him. I swung an arm out, and in one fluid motion, snapped the man's neck like a twig. Careful not to be discovered, I dragged the body away and hid it behind a large filing cabinet. Unfortunately for me, there was another employee stalking the hallways and he was about to catch me red-handed. This would surely send me into alert mode, so I grabbed a nearby cardboard box (recently relieved of its load of 15million rubber bands), and hid in it. It did the trick, and I was never found out...but just to make sure, I stayed in there.
I only got out to find out what that gigantic 'clunk' noise was that I just heard: it was the janitor shutting off the power on his way out. The next morning I got out thanks to a kind soul doing the early shift. I may not have got the job, but I'd kept my cover.
Without my games, I'd never have got out of that tricky spot...and I wouldn't have been able to do some other crafty things, either. For instance, when I needed money for a new PS2 controllers, I decided to set up my own taxi service. Thankfully, many a gaming session had taught me that if I just miss hitting another vehicle, do a crazy powerslide or fly off a ramp, my fare's tip would get higher and higher. I got enough money in no time. Gaming has also brought me many fond memories, some of which are from my crime fighting days. Admittedly, I was never in the police force (due to my aforementioned chronic laziness) but my games had shown me that if I nicked a police car, I could go into vigilante mode and fight crime myself!
Gaming has also kept me in great shape, having opened my eyes to the fact that having sex with prostitutes can give me even more health than I started with! It's helped me solve tricky situations (most of which were solved by crawling through a ventilation system, stacking boxes or another variation on the two, such as stacking ventilation systems). Gaming's improved my sporting ability, with time and dedication allowing me to score the perfect free kick (fill the bar up about 2/3 of the way, and bend it to the near post).
I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone in the industry, from developers to stockists, from the people that made the Emotion Engine to the guy that decided to have analogue sticks make that clicky sounds when they are pushed down. I thank you, for all you've given to me. Gaming is my teacher, mother, and secret lover. It's provided me with laughs and tears, produced blood and sweat. It's opened my eyes to strange new worlds, and made me look harder at more familiar settings...but most importantly, it's taught me that Forward, Down, Down, Forward + Punch is Shoryuken.
What have you learnt from gaming?
Thank you for reading this post.
-swander87
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
As Abba almost said, "thank you for the games, and giving them to me". Playing video-games, along with playing guitar and viewing pornography on the internet, is one of my main hobbies. I enjoy it immensely, and while my console collection is modest at best (a SNES, an N64, a Playstation 2 and of course a Game Boy) I consider myself one of the 'gaming fraternity', knowing enough to chat with others, be it on message boards or the real world, about all things gaming. Why, just this morning I spoke to Adam about BMX XXX, and I've made a few posts on here already...but do I think about what all this video-gaming is doing to me?
There've been many theories on the subject, a popular one being that playing violent video games makes you violent. Am I a vicious thug simply because I like the odd game of GTA, or Tekken? Not at all. Am I a braindead slug, lying in front of the TV in a constant state of zombification? Yes...but I would attribute that more to beer, day old pizza and sitting to close to the screen. Want to know what I think gaming does for you? Well, I'll tell you - games make you smarter. Games have taught me more than my parents, school or TV ever could...but what? I can see you, sneering as you read the crazy ramblings of an insane SR member...but it's true. Playing games has given me a great deal of knowledge and has, I believe, given me a headstart in many areas of life.
For instance, take my last job interview. I was walking down the corridor, and saw a security camera. Other applicants may not have every owned a Playstation, but I knew the situation - the head honcho was watching me with this video camera, waiting for me to slip up...but I wasn't having any of it. Staying well out of the draw distance, I took in it's movement, waiting for the right moment to move. I backed up against the wall, slowly side-stepping to the very edge of the camera's reach, waiting for the mechanical eye to look the other way. As soon as it turned away on its shiny metallic hinge, I ran across, into the next corridor. I realised this was the home straight, and patted myself on the back (in my head, of course).
Then...disaster! I saw a man sitting on a chair at the end of the hallway, leafing through a fashion magazine. My first thought was "hah, he's reading a girly magazine!"...but then, my second thought was "oh no, he's going in for the job, just like me!". Luckily, the man got bored and got up to get something new to read...and so, using all my skill and courage I slowly, quietly creeped up behind him. I swung an arm out, and in one fluid motion, snapped the man's neck like a twig. Careful not to be discovered, I dragged the body away and hid it behind a large filing cabinet. Unfortunately for me, there was another employee stalking the hallways and he was about to catch me red-handed. This would surely send me into alert mode, so I grabbed a nearby cardboard box (recently relieved of its load of 15million rubber bands), and hid in it. It did the trick, and I was never found out...but just to make sure, I stayed in there.
I only got out to find out what that gigantic 'clunk' noise was that I just heard: it was the janitor shutting off the power on his way out. The next morning I got out thanks to a kind soul doing the early shift. I may not have got the job, but I'd kept my cover.
Without my games, I'd never have got out of that tricky spot...and I wouldn't have been able to do some other crafty things, either. For instance, when I needed money for a new PS2 controllers, I decided to set up my own taxi service. Thankfully, many a gaming session had taught me that if I just miss hitting another vehicle, do a crazy powerslide or fly off a ramp, my fare's tip would get higher and higher. I got enough money in no time. Gaming has also brought me many fond memories, some of which are from my crime fighting days. Admittedly, I was never in the police force (due to my aforementioned chronic laziness) but my games had shown me that if I nicked a police car, I could go into vigilante mode and fight crime myself!
Gaming has also kept me in great shape, having opened my eyes to the fact that having sex with prostitutes can give me even more health than I started with! It's helped me solve tricky situations (most of which were solved by crawling through a ventilation system, stacking boxes or another variation on the two, such as stacking ventilation systems). Gaming's improved my sporting ability, with time and dedication allowing me to score the perfect free kick (fill the bar up about 2/3 of the way, and bend it to the near post).
I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone in the industry, from developers to stockists, from the people that made the Emotion Engine to the guy that decided to have analogue sticks make that clicky sounds when they are pushed down. I thank you, for all you've given to me. Gaming is my teacher, mother, and secret lover. It's provided me with laughs and tears, produced blood and sweat. It's opened my eyes to strange new worlds, and made me look harder at more familiar settings...but most importantly, it's taught me that Forward, Down, Down, Forward + Punch is Shoryuken.
What have you learnt from gaming?
Thank you for reading this post.
-swander87
There've been many theories on the subject, a popular one being that playing violent video games makes you violent. Am I a vicious thug simply because I like the odd game of GTA, or Tekken? Not at all. Am I a braindead slug, lying in front of the TV in a constant state of zombification? Yes...but I would attribute that more to beer, day old pizza and sitting to close to the screen. Want to know what I think gaming does for you? Well, I'll tell you - games make you smarter. Games have taught me more than my parents, school or TV ever could...but what? I can see you, sneering as you read the crazy ramblings of an insane SR member...but it's true. Playing games has given me a great deal of knowledge and has, I believe, given me a headstart in many areas of life.
For instance, take my last job interview. I was walking down the corridor, and saw a security camera. Other applicants may not have every owned a Playstation, but I knew the situation - the head honcho was watching me with this video camera, waiting for me to slip up...but I wasn't having any of it. Staying well out of the draw distance, I took in it's movement, waiting for the right moment to move. I backed up against the wall, slowly side-stepping to the very edge of the camera's reach, waiting for the mechanical eye to look the other way. As soon as it turned away on its shiny metallic hinge, I ran across, into the next corridor. I realised this was the home straight, and patted myself on the back (in my head, of course).
Then...disaster! I saw a man sitting on a chair at the end of the hallway, leafing through a fashion magazine. My first thought was "hah, he's reading a girly magazine!"...but then, my second thought was "oh no, he's going in for the job, just like me!". Luckily, the man got bored and got up to get something new to read...and so, using all my skill and courage I slowly, quietly creeped up behind him. I swung an arm out, and in one fluid motion, snapped the man's neck like a twig. Careful not to be discovered, I dragged the body away and hid it behind a large filing cabinet. Unfortunately for me, there was another employee stalking the hallways and he was about to catch me red-handed. This would surely send me into alert mode, so I grabbed a nearby cardboard box (recently relieved of its load of 15million rubber bands), and hid in it. It did the trick, and I was never found out...but just to make sure, I stayed in there.
I only got out to find out what that gigantic 'clunk' noise was that I just heard: it was the janitor shutting off the power on his way out. The next morning I got out thanks to a kind soul doing the early shift. I may not have got the job, but I'd kept my cover.
Without my games, I'd never have got out of that tricky spot...and I wouldn't have been able to do some other crafty things, either. For instance, when I needed money for a new PS2 controllers, I decided to set up my own taxi service. Thankfully, many a gaming session had taught me that if I just miss hitting another vehicle, do a crazy powerslide or fly off a ramp, my fare's tip would get higher and higher. I got enough money in no time. Gaming has also brought me many fond memories, some of which are from my crime fighting days. Admittedly, I was never in the police force (due to my aforementioned chronic laziness) but my games had shown me that if I nicked a police car, I could go into vigilante mode and fight crime myself!
Gaming has also kept me in great shape, having opened my eyes to the fact that having sex with prostitutes can give me even more health than I started with! It's helped me solve tricky situations (most of which were solved by crawling through a ventilation system, stacking boxes or another variation on the two, such as stacking ventilation systems). Gaming's improved my sporting ability, with time and dedication allowing me to score the perfect free kick (fill the bar up about 2/3 of the way, and bend it to the near post).
I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone in the industry, from developers to stockists, from the people that made the Emotion Engine to the guy that decided to have analogue sticks make that clicky sounds when they are pushed down. I thank you, for all you've given to me. Gaming is my teacher, mother, and secret lover. It's provided me with laughs and tears, produced blood and sweat. It's opened my eyes to strange new worlds, and made me look harder at more familiar settings...but most importantly, it's taught me that Forward, Down, Down, Forward + Punch is Shoryuken.
What have you learnt from gaming?
Thank you for reading this post.
-swander87