gaming Video games, and the people who don't play them

[Sickman 205]

It's been five years since I last played a video game -that being Dragon Age: Origins- and I was just wondering if I'm the only one here who no longer plays any games at all?
I used to be a huge gaming enthusiast but over time, video games have lost their appeal, and nowadays I view them as giant waste of perfectly good time, which you could use to do something creative, and contributive.
I'm not bashing gamers or anything, I'd just like to hear from others who might be in the same boat with me. 

Edited June 5, 2013 by Sickman

[Rory 150]

personally I for the time being have absolutely nothing better to do with my life other than play video games and watch mlp so I really don't see a reason not to play them its a good pass time especially when your lazy and have nothing better to do like me. 

[Thrashy 2,800]

I'm not half the gamer I used to be. Video games defined my childhood, but these days I've got no time. Between work, school, fitness, and my creative endeavors, there simply aren't enough hours in the day for me to pick up a controller anymore. Perhaps one day when I'm able to ditch my dead-end job and find something that's A.) more enjoyable and B.) gives me more free time, I'll start playing again.

 

I'll probably still try to squeeze in my annual Zelda marathon during the Winter, though.

[Scootalove 10,689]

Well, I understand how people like video games but choose not to play them because either they don't have the time or, the games don't appeal to them anymore for a lot of reasons. So, people that don't play them must have a reason.

[CorporalPegasus 9]

Gaming is an art form. It is equal to books, music, drama and film. I want to get a job in the game industry, it is my biggest passion. So no, never. I feel very sad that you view it as a giant waste of time. games can be controbutive to society, science, education and much more. Games are much more than just for having fun, you know.

Edited June 5, 2013 by CorporalPegasus

[edpedrero 25]

To be honest I havent played much console games because I have not been "hooked up" with one yet, to put it simple: the last game I have played is Bioshock infinite. Right now Im currently playing Guild wars 2 from time to time, but console games? its been at least 4 months since then and probably other 4 months until Inquisition comes out and then? I have no idea.

[Sickman 205]

Gaming is an art form. It is equal to books, music, drama and film. I want to get a job in the game industry, it is my biggest passion. So no. I feel very sad that you view it as a giant waste of time. games can be controbutive to society, science, education and much more. Games are more than just fun, you know.

You either misunderstood, or missed my point entirely.

I appreciate game developers, and respect all the hard work, art, writing, and thinking that goes into the final products.

I agree that games are a valid art form. I was merely saying that playing video games is a waste of time in my opinion.

But that is just my opinion, not a fact.

 

Edited June 5, 2013 by Sickman

[IronPonyApplejack 318]

nowadays I view them as giant waste of perfectly good time, which you could use to do something creative, and contributive.

I'm not bashing gamers or anything,

 

Um...well...to be fair, this statement is bashing gamers a little, even if that's not your intention.

 

Anyways, no. I have less time to play games than I used to, but I still greatly enjoy them.

[Radiance64 7,053]

Well, there are times when I don't play games, like maybe for a day or two or so, but my idea of fun is in fact playing video games, so I couldn't imagine ever not playing them again.

[Mutemutt 773]

Well there are times when I go a couple months without starting up a single game (video game, I still play board games like chess and go in my down time). I think the longest time span was around 4 months. On the other hand, I occasionally go on gaming binges, usually after I pick up a new and highly anticipated game. I try to keep things balanced though.

 

To be honest, I do consider playing games to be a waste of time since it just isn't very productive. Similarly, I consider board games, reading (the leisurely kind, not study), sports (if you're not getting paid for it) etc. to be wastes of time. Actually, pretty much anything that you're not making a  buck off of or that's not preparing you to make a buck off of something, is a waste of time as far as I can tell. If you're only doing it because it's fun, then it's on the same level as video games: a waste of time. 

Edited June 6, 2013 by MuteMutt

[Kazuki Fuse 534]

I barely play vidya gaems anymore. Haven't even touched my 360 except to use it for Netflix. I'll occasionally play some Smash Brothers, Goldeneye or Mario Party with my bro on our old-ass N64, but beyond that the only video games I play regularly are Visual Novels (if you can even count those).

[repsol rave 2,963]

i am pretty much addicted to video games.

doesn't matter if it's something like call of duty or bioshock or forza motorsport.

i really think video games are a type of art that isn't really accepted yet as an art.

if you see what developers do with games these days, i think its just simply amazing.

i mean, the cut scenes from a game like dead space 3 could make a perfectly good movie!

[Soundgarden 2,758]

I used to be enthusiastic about video games, but they lost their appeal to me. The only type of games I would pick up and play would be Visual Novels, even though I'm fairly new to them :V

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

I have select handful of games that I like that to play. Other than that, I'm not too much of a gamer. I spend most of my freetime listening to music or practicing guitar. 

[Hansel 1,512]

I stopped gaming around the time the 360/PS3/Wii came out. On a general level, I find modern video games incredibly dull, and at the risk of sounding like Hipster, the older games were far more addictive, creative, and generally much more fun to play. (With a few exceptions, of course) Even most modern RTS games seem to bore me, and that used to be my favorite genre.   I have no idea what gamers are like these days, and maybe it's just me, but I'd much rather play a game of Spyro or Age of Empires II then Call of Duty... 12? Or whatever the latest release is... something to do with a dog I think.

   
There are modern video games that I do like, Portal being one example, but I find that a lot of (mainstream) video games focus so much on realism, epic stories, and cinematic cut scenes that they seem to forget about the game play, and have forgotten how to make a game addictive.

That's how I feel, anyway.

Edited June 6, 2013 by Hansel

[Princess Periwinkle 3,775]

I used to game every day, but It's been a few months since I touched a controller. I've been finding better things to spend my free time doing.

[Soundgarden 2,758]

Age of Empires II then Call of Duty... 12?

 

 

I love you now, no matter how much you hate Dubstep

 

OT: Also, I have found other ways to killing time, mostly music and anime :VVV

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

I stopped gaming around the time the 360/PS3/Wii came out. On a general level, I find modern video games incredibly dull, and at the risk of sounding like Hipster, the older games were far more addictive, creative, and generally much more fun to play. (With a few exceptions, of course) Even most modern RTS games seem to bore me, and that used to be my favorite genre.   I have no idea what gamers are like these days, and maybe it's just me, but I'd much rather play a game of Spyro or Age of Empires II then Call of Duty... 12? Or whatever the latest release is... something to do with a dog I think.

   

There are modern video games that I do like, Portal being one example, but I find that a lot of (mainstream) video games focus so much on realism, epic stories, and cinematic cut scenes that they seem to forget about the game play, and have forgotten how to make a game addictive.

 

That's how I feel, anyway.

The thing is, there are too many fuckin' FPS's nowadays. That's part of why I lost interest in gaming. I'd much rather play Castelvania over Modern Warfare or whatever.

 

i really think video games are a type of art that isn't really accepted yet as an art.

if you see what developers do with games these days, i think its just simply amazing.

i mean, the cut scenes from a game like dead space 3 could make a perfectly good movie!

Ehh... it's debatable I guess.

[Hansel 1,512]

 

I love you now, no matter how much you hate Dubstep

 

OT: Also, I have found other ways to killing time, mostly music and anime :VVV

 

Hey now, I don't hate Dubstep, I just don't like it much.

I do hate how it's indirectly effected other electronic music, though, but that's another story. 

 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

I'm not much of a gamer. I do love Pokemon, but I haven't even touched any of those games in months. During this past school year, I just didn't have the downtime to put into the games I did like. Gaming takes up a lot of time, at least for me. Once I get into something I like, I have trouble putting it down. That just doesn't work when I have a full academic schedule. I might pick up something like Pokemon or Okami again now that I do have more free time to relax, but I'll agree with you that games are counterintuitive to productivity, at least for me. I don't think that there's anything wrong with having gaming as a way to relax and do something fun (because I definitely have used them that way, and probably will again), but when there's more important work to be done I just tend to avoid it.

 

Honestly, I would put the internet, television, and good ole fashioned reading above gaming in terms of my entertainment preferences. There really aren't that many games that I just have to play. I have gotten into some games before, but gaming is slowly losing its appeal to me. Though I will say that I'll definitely be getting the new pokemon games the day they come out. =P

[Jonke 3,743]

Video games may be a waste of time but so is every aspect of life if you make it to be. Successful, creative, productive or not, everything is boiled down to cost time.

 

--

 

I'm considering myself a video game enthusiast since i follow Nintendo but that's pretty much as far as it goes. I still play HoN / DotA 2 and a few classic titles on PC though. Not a huge library of games that interests me there. :V

[Hazardus_Havard. 479]

I like to play some of the more indie developed titles, not because they're indie, but because they can get away with doing things the major publishers are afraid of doing. They'd rather play it safe and make a game that's assured to make money, and while those games can be fun at times, they never try to push a game to its limits.

 

An example of this is Banished.

 

http://www.shiningrocksoftware.com/

 

When this game comes out, I'm going to drop all my cash on this game. It's a sim-building game that goes above and beyond so many things other sims don't do. It also doesn't have a lot of the hectic nature the others do, such as war and having to mass up armies. It's looking better and better overtime, and it's all done by one guy that does all the work in it.

 

There are still good games though from bigger publishers I really enjoy, such as Persona 4, Disgaea, or Rayman. If you think you're done with games or just don't play them all that much, you just haven't looked around well enough for that game that makes you want to continue playing it over and over, and to find more games like it.

Edited June 6, 2013 by Hazardus_Havard

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

I'm still a big gamer to this day, and I do have to say that is not entirely true.

Sure, there are a number of games these days that don't feel the same, or are just constant rehash of old games.

But there are still a good number of video games that still have great appeal, overall, it's just a matter of finding the right games. 

[Thrashy 2,800]

I stopped gaming around the time the 360/PS3/Wii came out. On a general level, I find modern video games incredibly dull, and at the risk of sounding like Hipster, the older games were far more addictive, creative, and generally much more fun to play. (With a few exceptions, of course) Even most modern RTS games seem to bore me, and that used to be my favorite genre.   I have no idea what gamers are like these days, and maybe it's just me, but I'd much rather play a game of Spyro or Age of Empires II then Call of Duty... 12? Or whatever the latest release is... something to do with a dog I think.

   

There are modern video games that I do like, Portal being one example, but I find that a lot of (mainstream) video games focus so much on realism, epic stories, and cinematic cut scenes that they seem to forget about the game play, and have forgotten how to make a game addictive.

 

That's how I feel, anyway.

 

I think a major part of the reason older games are so much more appealing is because the limitations of older systems challenged the developers in ways that forced them to get creative...challenges that modern developers simply don't have to deal with anymore. (They have new challenges to deal with, sure, but hardware limitations aren't nearly as bad as in ye olden days.) For this reason, graphic designers had to design sprites that were complex enough to look like what they were trying to represent, but simple enough not to eat up too much memory and bog down gameplay.

 

Same with musical composers. These days people have so much advanced audio technology to work with, but all chiptune composers had to work with were 3 tone channels and a white noise channel for percussion. Such limitations forced them to focus on writing memorable melodies, which is why it seems like there are so many timeless 8-bit themes as opposed to the often (but not always) forgettable scores that modern games are rife with.

 

Most of all, good classic games challenged us, the players. They challenged us in difficulty of gameplay, and more importantly, they challenged our imaginations with the highly pixelated graphics and often bare bones storylines. If I can get more emotionally invested in a freakin' old-school Zelda game than any of the modern games I've tried, there's something terribly wrong with the industry.

 

Bottom line, developers need to stop treating development challenges as something to be avoided, but rather something to be sought out and conquered, just like in the old days. It gets better results.

 

...Totally off-topic, I know. Just had to address that.

Edited June 6, 2013 by Lowline

[DND 2,355]

Um...well...to be fair, this statement is bashing gamers a little, even if that's not your intention.

 

Anyways, no. I have less time to play games than I used to, but I still greatly enjoy them.

 

Well, video games actually help people create something creative and cool. Think of all those shooting games nowadays. They must've come from somewhere. Since video games have been around long enough, I wouldn't surprised if they made these successful games just from the games they grew up with.