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Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

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Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#111

Post by spicytunacone »

2Pacalypse- wrote: post #34

I've been playing a single video game for more than half of my life (I'm 30 now). I've dabbled with other games, but this game and the community around it contributed a lot in making me the person I am today. I don't plan on stopping any time soon. In fact, for the past few years I've shifted most of my free time from playing that game to helping a friend develop cool shit[0] for it, so we can hopefully prolong its l…

Hey 2Pac. While not nearly as focused on BW as you are, it and a handful of other competitive gaming scenes I feel were pretty key during my formative years as well. I loved the attitude to improvement: break down an issue you're having into simpler pieces and figure them out to paraphrase a Spooky adage of yore[0]. Considering that's the essense of what we do in math and CS, it's hard to not see a connection. Sounds cheesy but learning how to play 3rd Strike as a young teen made me see I could help myself much more than I previously believed.

Unlike some SC2 posters in this article, being a part of long-established communities as opposed to one explosively (and unsustainably) growing one, I didn't have ambitions of grandeur and was just able to enjoy it all at my pace, too. I think my only regret is forgoing single-player games with that time. Trails in the Sky FC put on hold to ladder on Fish while the iron's hot, heh. Everytime I had thought my video game interests shelved, all it took was a friend to bring their console over where before long we're talking about best approaches to X, a trip to a Japanese arcade or for TBLS to all qualify for the largest BW offline tournament in recent history before I developed a hunger for it all again. So yeah, I don't see myself abstaining in the long, long run even if it's just to develop a little something. Best of luck with SB, didn't know you were part of the team!

[0] https://www.twitch.tv/teamsp00ky

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#112

Post by nyrulez »

If anyone loves video games, but wants to able to pace the habit somehow, thought I will mention this thing: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UY0TS9A/

It's a pre-commitment device and works great for many things, including gaming. And way better than fighting with and depleting your will power, while not giving up your hobby altogether if it's taking up an undesirable portion of your time.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#113

Post by lutorm »

laplace2 wrote: post #25

I've found learning and creating to be more fulfilling activities than videogames. That's not to advocate against gaming, or to generalize all games, but I've thought about how much time I spent playing games in the past and if I was happy with what I gained from it: I largely was not. I felt as if I was lacking in skills that I wished I had, and believe I could have learned in that time. I'm happier with myself afte…

I agree, I enjoy playing Civ, but realizing the absolutely astronomical amount of time I've sunk into it and all the things I could have done instead has really turned me off from it. Maybe it's an age thing; once you realize half your life is gone, wasting time like that seems less attractive than it once did.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#114

Post by jessriedel »

eludwig wrote: post #98
smacktoward wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but these things aren't mutually exclusive: you can learn and create and play videogames too. Not every waking moment has to be productive. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, etc. As with most things, the key is moderation: finding a balance where you're getting enough relaxation/leisure to keep yourself happy, while not dedicating so much time to it that it completely takes over your life.

Thanks for this. I was hoping someone would cover the obvious: games are fun! Why is that we feel the need to justify fun? Isn't fun (a form of happiness) what we are all striving to be able to have more of?

> Isn't fun (a form of happiness) what we are all striving to be able to have more of?

No, we are not all striving to have more happiness (although some people surely are). So long as you don't circularly define happiness as "that feeling you get when you accomplish your goals", then most people have at least some goals besides happiness, and some of us explicitly advocate that many or most goals should not be happiness related.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#115

Post by gydfi »

tradersam wrote: post #106
emodendroket wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't improving at the game an enjoyable end in and of itself? Getting really good at chess has few extrinsic benefits but nobody's embarrassed about it. Why is getting really good at Street Fighter or whatever any different?

I think the difference is chess is more a mental planning game, Street Fighter is muscle memory. (Disclaimer: I'm a huge gamer.)

I think the difference is just in status: being an excellent chess player gets you respect from a more respectable-looking crowd than being excellent at Street Fighter. Neither gets you quite as much widespread adulation as being good at golf or Formula 1 car driving, while both get you more than being good at Candy Crush. But ultimately they're all just games.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#116

Post by enraged_camel »

tradersam wrote: post #106
emodendroket wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't improving at the game an enjoyable end in and of itself? Getting really good at chess has few extrinsic benefits but nobody's embarrassed about it. Why is getting really good at Street Fighter or whatever any different?

I think the difference is chess is more a mental planning game, Street Fighter is muscle memory. (Disclaimer: I'm a huge gamer.)

Sure but Street Fighter is a very specific type of game.

Take something like Civilization that requires tons of research, planning and critical thinking. Those types of skills are more applicable to other things outside of the game.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#117

Post by marssaxman »

shmerl wrote: post #108

I don't really like when computer games are called video games. It kind of lessens their value. Computers allow implementing a lot of different features in gaming, and not all of them are visual.

They were called "video games" before people started using computers to play them.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#118

Post by enraged_camel »

pokeloki wrote: post #29
laplace2 wrote: post #25

I've found learning and creating to be more fulfilling activities than videogames. That's not to advocate against gaming, or to generalize all games, but I've thought about how much time I spent playing games in the past and if I was happy with what I gained from it: I largely was not. I felt as if I was lacking in skills that I wished I had, and believe I could have learned in that time. I'm happier with myself afte…

I went through that phase too, but deep down it was guilt- and anxiety-driven. Once I accepted that life is too short to learn everything or be the best at everything, and that I'm already really good at the things I care about and learn a lot at work anyway, I'm quite satisfied to spend free time playing games.

>>but deep down it was guilt- and anxiety-driven.

EXACTLY! There is value in realizing that one is wasting time, but viewing a leisure activity as a waste of time simply because it doesn't result in advancement is not healthy.

Personally speaking, the important thing has been learning to recognize when I'm in a productive mood vs in a gaming mood. These fluctuate all the time depending on various factors. But I no longer feel like I should be working when I play games or vice versa. It's quite refreshing.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#119

Post by tkxxx7 »

tradersam wrote: post #106
emodendroket wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't improving at the game an enjoyable end in and of itself? Getting really good at chess has few extrinsic benefits but nobody's embarrassed about it. Why is getting really good at Street Fighter or whatever any different?

I think the difference is chess is more a mental planning game, Street Fighter is muscle memory. (Disclaimer: I'm a huge gamer.)

Fighting games, at a relatively high level anyway, are much more than muscle memory. Muscle memory would be the bare minimum to actually compete.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#120

Post by yestoallthat »

eludwig wrote: post #98
smacktoward wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but these things aren't mutually exclusive: you can learn and create and play videogames too. Not every waking moment has to be productive. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, etc. As with most things, the key is moderation: finding a balance where you're getting enough relaxation/leisure to keep yourself happy, while not dedicating so much time to it that it completely takes over your life.

Thanks for this. I was hoping someone would cover the obvious: games are fun! Why is that we feel the need to justify fun? Isn't fun (a form of happiness) what we are all striving to be able to have more of?

Games are fun, until some dude in Path of Exile hands out free items because he'll delete his account after his wife divorced him for playing 24/7. And such.
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