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Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

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Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#151

Post by overcast »

mikestew wrote: post #145
overcast wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Overwatch is an EXTREMELY polished version of TF2. There is really nothing at its level at this point. I play both Titanfall 2 and Overwatch now. Titanfall 2 is a great, super fast team action shooter. Overwatch is completely focused on balanced team combat, each player has a unique character, with unique abilities to counter other character abilities. No two players can have the same character on one team, and the "…

Thanks, all. It's obvious I've confused Overwatch with something else. Given the backlog I've currently got, I'll wait until the "Game of the Year" discount and give it a whirl.

It was just $20 on the korean battlenet(global key) :) That's where I picked it up while I was on the fence!

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#152

Post by M_Grey »

GuiA wrote: post #148
M_Grey wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can build the skills necessary to play games over time, and of course it greatly depends on the games you play. I would tend to stay away from pure time sinks like MMO's, and I've lost the taste for 2D fighters. That said, I've been playing FPS' since FPS', and those skills wake up whenever I play for more than ten or twenty minutes. I don't see a correlation with cigarettes, which offer you nothing beneficial, a…

> which offer you nothing beneficial Nicotine can have some benefits; see for instance https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6457772 > are physically addictive on the level of heroin False. They're a bit above alcohol; heroin is much higher. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rational_scale_to_as... > and are one of the leading causes of human death. Correct.

Fair enough... if you're schizophrenic and medicated, by all means vape or take nicotine in some form. There is still no real argument for smoking though... it's the worst way to handle something that is already mildly hazardous.

Edit: By the way, for an appreciation of "A bit above alcohol", check out an inpatient alcohol detox clinic sometime... it is no joke at all.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#153

Post by siddboots »

kp1234321 wrote: post #131
dvt wrote: post #128

Guess I might go against the HN grain here. I played Counter-Strike competitively and professional from around 17-22 (I'd say on average 5-6 hours a day). I still play every now and then, but don't compete at tournaments or in leagues. I'm 30 now. Not only was my experience irreplaceable and positive (I made many life-long friends and met many cool people), but it also helped me with many other aspects of "grown-up"…

I am finding it very hard to get out of Silver because when I solo queue i frequently get matched with teammates who treat the competitive match like a casual game. Most people either don't use mics at all or they only use them for racial slurs, and many others just play like they don't really care about getting a win. It's difficult to lead the team when I get matched with three other kids who queue up together and…

I'm in my mid thirties, and only play a few games a week. But I manage to stay at around MGE rank, and usually have good experiences.

The best advice I can give you is never solo-queue. Add people to your friends list as soon as you sense that they are a good communicator and are giving a modicum of consideration to the experiences of the other players. Once you've built up 40-50 such people, you should be able to always start a game by joining a lobby, even if it might mean a bit more of a wait.

The thing is that in a group of five people, having even two or three people being on the same page and taking the game seriously will tend to dictate the tone of communication. That alone will give your team a reliable advantage over others, particularly in silver and nova levels, so you should be able to rank up reasonably fast to at least nova 2 or 3 without needing to worry to much about your individual skill.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#154

Post by greggman »

ashark wrote: post #48
rthomas6 wrote: post #19

I used to play games a lot, and I don't now. It's not that I don't want to or that I wouldn't enjoy it, I just want to do too many other things more. I have a wife and a kid who demand a lot of my time, I lift weights, I try to play board games with friends, I work on hobby projects, I read books, I do chores, I go on trips. As much as getting immersed into the new Witcher game would be enjoyable to me, I just can't…

Similar situation here. With the time constraints imposed by kids you have to drop entire categories of activities, not just moderate them, because the baseline time commitment ("oh god, last time I played this was 2 weeks ago and I only played an hour then—I have no idea WTF was going on or how the controls work") and money (PC upgrades every couple of years, new consoles) required just can't be sustained at the inc…

Everyone makes their own priorities. I have many friends with kids that somehow manage to find time to play video games. I don't find the time anymore and I don't have kids so I have no clue how they do it but I see them posting about them all the time. One has 2 kids, and other has 2 kids, one has three kids, another has 2. They guy who has three also manages to play guitar and do photography and raise 3 kids. I don't know how he does it

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#155

Post by blkhp19 »

GuiA wrote: post #146
droopyEyelids wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe the essence of what you're saying is true, but I dispute the overall reasonableness of what you describe. The vast majority of video games are either built around the principles of addiction, or require a tremendous amount of time in muscle memory training. What you're describing seems like describing how enjoyable it can be to smoke one cigarette a month. (assuming that actually felt good). Could be true-…

I smoke a cigarette or two about once a month on average, typically when attending a party. Not only is it quite pleasant after I've had a beer or three, but they're the ultimate social hack for introverted nerds. Are you at a crowded bar/party where it's impossible to have a proper talk with someone? Step outside for a smoke, and you can instantly have a nice, low key conversation with the other smokers. Lulls in th…

As a non smoker, reading this just makes me feel depressed.

So you use smoking cigarettes as a crutch when making real conversations with the non-smokers inside gets hard? Then you fill in gaps in conversation with more smoking? Most people cope with those naturally occurring conversation gaps without breathing in smoke.

Serious question - Are you, as you stand out there with the party going on behind you, slightly repulsed by the fact that you connected with someone because you're both doing the same disgusting habit?

The whole scenario seems so absurdly sad, and certainly not something I'd "highly recommend" to anyone.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#156

Post by [deleted] »

gydfi wrote: post #115
tradersam wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

[deleted]

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#157

Post by phaed »

nvarsj wrote: post #105
marcofloriano wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can relate to you. Ten years ago (with 20 yo) i was playing WOW and skipping college. Before that, i was playing competitive Counter Strike and doing bad on high school. Today i look back and think: if i studied and worked more, i would be much far by now. Probably rich. I´m creating an online business where i have to learn and create every day. And yes, i'm very happy doing it and not playing anymore (one year now…

> if i studied and worked more, i would be much far by now. Probably rich. It's sad that we measure our progress in life in terms of material wealth.

If only we were all lucky enough to be born with all our basic needs met like you.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#158

Post by mrschwabe »

logfromblammo wrote: post #126
pikzen wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>if i studied and worked more, i would be much far by now. Probably rich. Or not. Maybe at the same place in life. Studies are not as important as a defining criteria for your life as sociocultural group, or class. I wouldn't get too hung up on it if I were you, what's done is done. >What if it paid well to be a Counter Strike player? If you're a pro player, sure, it does. There are regular tournaments with $1m prize…

No, you wouldn't be rich. Whenever I think that maybe I could have had a better life if only I had done X, it always falls apart on closer examination. It wouldn't have been better, it just would have been different . I still would have been me, and that person just isn't cut out to be independently wealthy, or famous, or influential, or even noticed . In this kind of civilization, I'm a nobody. In the end, it hasn't…

It's your world bro, you can change it if you want.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#159

Post by hanksy »

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…

This is true. I love games. But after finishing there is definitely a feeling of being "unfulfilled." It is tough.

Re: Why Ever Stop Playing Video Games

#160

Post by lolc »

blkhp19 wrote: post #155
GuiA wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I smoke a cigarette or two about once a month on average, typically when attending a party. Not only is it quite pleasant after I've had a beer or three, but they're the ultimate social hack for introverted nerds. Are you at a crowded bar/party where it's impossible to have a proper talk with someone? Step outside for a smoke, and you can instantly have a nice, low key conversation with the other smokers. Lulls in th…

As a non smoker, reading this just makes me feel depressed. So you use smoking cigarettes as a crutch when making real conversations with the non-smokers inside gets hard? Then you fill in gaps in conversation with more smoking? Most people cope with those naturally occurring conversation gaps without breathing in smoke. Serious question - Are you, as you stand out there with the party going on behind you, slightly r…

I've always tried and failed to keep my smoking habit to occasions where I could enjoy the smoking.

I wouldn't "highly recommend" trying it, because very few people can keep it at that level. I couldn't, and my way of quitting was to remember all the other ones I smoked. To this day, on the rare occasions where I crave smoking, I'll just remind myself of the nausea, the bad throat, the smell, the dizziness and whatever else the other ones, the ones I would smoke after the good one, would do to me.

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