Why do you play video games?

[BabeRuth]

I usually do it to past time. Like if there is a show I wanna watch or if I'm going out with my friends at a certain time thats when i play. Or the other reason why i play video games is cause I'm bored.

[cactus.]

It's a video game, not a life experience. [/color]

Things you experience in life are life experiences, including video games.

[blitz]

I'll put it like this, we all get one life, one self, one body. We get to be only one person. When we play video games, we get a little snip of how's it like being somebody else. That's especially why I like Grand Theft Auto, not because it has mafia in it and you can kill and cut heads and what not, because of the freedom that is involved in it.

 

Tell me, how many times have you ever gotten to be someone else? Few times, considering how short your life has probably been. Whenever I play video games, I feel as if nothing else matters. I cram myself into my own little world and forget all my troubles, problems, anything going on in my life. It just takes me away from all my troubles, just as being in the computer does.

 

I figured this out when I was seven, and my brother bought himself a GameCube. We used to play Super Mario Sunshine all night long and I had one hell of a good time.

 

Well, it's actually all pretty good until you go on multiplayer and watch some idiot screw it up.

[BabeRuth]

It also passes time. Why is that? when you play video games time flys by, but when your in school time goes by soooooo sloooooowwwww.

[Guest]

I play video games to pass the time of my boring.

[Slamman]

 

To escape from misery or just a hobby?

Just a hobby.

 

'Escape from misery' seems a bit much . However, I do sometimes like to escape into a good game late at night and be able to turn off my head from some of life's nagging thoughts.

Well, You'll find Real Life Misery in short order, no fear there! I've played any number of electronic games my whole life, as I'm sure you can also attest!

 

I got a question/s for Blitz, When do you EVER become someone else in real life? I'm curious for your example

As well, I don't recall cutting anyone head in GTA game play! hahaha

Edited August 18, 2011 by Slamman

[WF the Hobgoblin]

It also passes time. Why is that? when you play video games time flys by, but when your in school time goes by soooooo sloooooowwwww.

Ever heard the saying "time flies when you're having fun"?

 

 

[Mister Pink]

 

Cause its fun

 

I hate when people say ''to escape'', that's some psycho ''I live out my depraved rape fantasies in video games'' type sh*t. If you need to ''escape'', you might have issues.

 

 

 

I find the long-winded reasons for playing video games to be over-compensating in some sense. It's a video game, not a life experience.

No, I think you misunderstand. It's like watching films, playing games, watching T.V. series, there's a sort of escapism from your daily reality like work, problems, relationships, daily routine, boring stuff.

 

Wow, I'm glad you didn't give a 'long-winded' reason for why each person (individually) plays video games. I'm glad you narrowed everyones reasons and thoughts on the mater to "It's a video game, not a life experience"

 

Kind of Ironic, since you are spending some of your life on a gaming forum, then leaving the forum and playing games, don't you think? Glad you see things so simply.

 

@blitz: Good answer.

Edited August 18, 2011 by ThePinkFloydSound

[eHanHz]

Gaming is my passion. It's as simple as that.

[tj11]

Gaming is my passion. It's as simple as that.

Yeah, that's what I was going to say.

I've been playing video games for 30 years now, and I love it just as much now as I did back then...possibly more. However, GTA is my main passion. It's a virtual world where almost anything is possible and I'm in control. Do I need a shrink?

[blitz]

I got a question/s for Blitz, When do you EVER become someone else in real life? I'm curious for your example

As well, I don't recall cutting anyone head in GTA game play! hahaha

Some people change, like change in a very strong way. They change their way of being, looks, and try to become another person. For different reasons, sometimes because they're not happy with who they are, they do it for others, to be different, to get better.

 

And honestly, you never caught people's heads with the Katana on GTA?

[Garfield 2]

I play them to experience something I never will in real life.

I play Forza 3 to drive the E60 M5 and the Lotus Carlton - cars I'll never own in my life

I play CoD to experience a war

I play GTA to become a criminal

I play FIFA to become a professional footballer

I play NFS to experience illegal street racing.

[I Got The Voodoo For You]

Because people suck.

 

 

No they don't. Yes they do. No they don't. Not all they time,but most often they do.

 

 

No, but I play because its just a stress reliever. I mean, I'm not stressed but, I get annoyed sometimes and VG are nice to relieve the annoyance.

 

 

EDIT- ^^^^ exactly, but Im not a COD fan.

Edited August 20, 2011 by I Got The Voodoo For You

[Big Thangs]

i play games 2 liv out my fantasys like racin my homies online

[Mainland Marauder]

I've been playing video games since I was small enough to get agitated because I was too small to play Pole Position at the local bowling alley because I was too small to work the pedal and the wheel at the same time.

 

I just pulled up a chair to play Frogger or Donkey Kong.

 

It's just always been something I did. It's like asking "why do you watch TV?"

 

What's funny to me is there are people >15 years older than me who grew up playing Pong or whatever else in the late 70s/early 80s, they're well into their 40s now and there is still this mentality of video games being just for kids.

[TheBlackProject]

Only reason why I'm still playing video games is because I loved it as a childhood. I don't even like video games anymore, but I pretend I still do and just lie to myself. Video games were much better in the late 90's and were extremely enjoyable as they had cool magazines to subscribe to and they'd send demo discs in the mail and give free Pizza Hut demo discs away when you buy a box of pizza. 1998-1999, those good ol' days.

 

Life will never be that good again, I wish I was 17 in 1998 instead of 2011.

[tj11]

I've been playing video games since I was small enough to get agitated because I was too small to play Pole Position at the local bowling alley because I was too small to work the pedal and the wheel at the same time.

 

I just pulled up a chair to play Frogger or Donkey Kong.

 

It's just always been something I did. It's like asking "why do you watch TV?"

 

What's funny to me is there are people >15 years older than me who grew up playing Pong or whatever else in the late 70s/early 80s, they're well into their 40s now and there is still this mentality of video games being just for kids.

You didn't miss much, Pole Position sucked. Donkey Kong and Frogger were awesome, as were Elevator Action, Galaga and Phoenix. As for that "video games are for kids" mentality, perhaps it's because us hardcore gamers are a minority. Who knows?!

[ChossenOne]

For fun and to distract me from the horrors of reality. Right now it's the same reason I watch movies and T.V.

[Mainland Marauder]

 

You didn't miss much, Pole Position sucked.

I know, but it was more about the experience than the actual gameplay then, and I was maybe four years old then. Lots of old arcade games were a blast for a few minutes, then you lost interest when you realized it wasn't all that good. There were exceptions, such as the ones you mentioned.

 

I remember when I was little like that, I wouldn't play trackball games for awhile because my finger would get pinched in the trackball. Now I try playing Marble Madness on this arcade compilation pack for PS2 and miss having that. It's the only way to play that kind of stuff.

 

Donkey Kong was probably my first legit "favorite game." I had an Atari 400 computer, more comparable to a Commodore 64 than an Atari 2600 which is what most people think of today when they hear Atari. The DK port for those Atari computers was better than the NES one. Maybe because of this, I was kind of late to the NES party, which I did around mid-1989. Which was good timing, because 89-90 was pretty much the NES' peak. Then I had a SNES and Genesis, then a Playstation and Sega Saturn. That was basically my "hardcore gamer" time. It's been more of a casual thing for me as an adult, perhaps because I haven't always had the money to throw at getting the latest big thing as soon as it comes out. (Working on changing that.) I do play a lot of sports games and my favorite two series are probably GTA and Metal Gear Solid. Red Dead Redemption blew my mind. No, I don't think I'll quit playing anytime soon.

[tj11]

You didn't miss much, Pole Position sucked.

I know, but it was more about the experience than the actual gameplay then, and I was maybe four years old then. Lots of old arcade games were a blast for a few minutes, then you lost interest when you realized it wasn't all that good. There were exceptions, such as the ones you mentioned.

 

I remember when I was little like that, I wouldn't play trackball games for awhile because my finger would get pinched in the trackball. Now I try playing Marble Madness on this arcade compilation pack for PS2 and miss having that. It's the only way to play that kind of stuff.

 

Donkey Kong was probably my first legit "favorite game." I had an Atari 400 computer, more comparable to a Commodore 64 than an Atari 2600 which is what most people think of today when they hear Atari. The DK port for those Atari computers was better than the NES one. Maybe because of this, I was kind of late to the NES party, which I did around mid-1989. Which was good timing, because 89-90 was pretty much the NES' peak. Then I had a SNES and Genesis, then a Playstation and Sega Saturn. That was basically my "hardcore gamer" time. It's been more of a casual thing for me as an adult, perhaps because I haven't always had the money to throw at getting the latest big thing as soon as it comes out. (Working on changing that.) I do play a lot of sports games and my favorite two series are probably GTA and Metal Gear Solid. Red Dead Redemption blew my mind. No, I don't think I'll quit playing anytime soon.

I pretty much just stuck to the arcades until in my mid 20's. I've purchased numerous consoles including the Sega Genesis (Megadrive here in Australia ) and Nintendo 64, and still have them today. I would never part with my old systems.

But there's one difference, we're opposites in that I was a casual gamer as a kid. I didn't become a hardcore gamer until the mid 90's. And I'll be a gamer until I'm at least 75!

[mrpain]

It's a great time killer.

 

Really that's about it. It's the same question as "Why do we watch television?"

[_Rob_]

Because in general life is boring, every once in a while peppered with something truly interesting, so we fill the rest of our time with distractions, Video Games being one of the best as it helps a lot of people switch off for a while.