Ahh, Oh god don't Kill me with you raging Biceps!You know, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. This is a question that has sprung in my mind many times before. Do I really like Video Games? I really Don't know. You see, I play video games, a lot, but the problem is, is that I don't really enjoy them most of the time. Now by enjoy I don't mean that I think the game is no fun or terrible it's just that I never ever am as pulled in by a game as many other people seem to be.
Everyone seems to have stories about these awesome moments they've had in a game, or about how they noticed certain aspects of a game, while for me I don't see any of these things. For example, my friends talk about all these amazing moments they have playing GTA4, like simple things like cool jump off of a ramp or a funny happening between them and a pedestrian where they ended up running him over in a car. Now these are all cool, but when I have these moments I can't help myself to think, "Yeah that happened, whatever, it isn't really that amazing." I still don't know why I don't seem to notice or enjoy certain aspects of games that other people do. Maybe I'm just a jaded asshole. I honestly don't know.
Even though I don't notice all of these kind of things that other people do, I still feel like I enjoy video games. Just not in the same way. I have always been a big film buff. I've always admired many films and have dabbled in acting myself once having dreams of being apart of the industry. This is where my somewhat weird perspective on games comes in, I enjoy a game like I would enjoy a movie. I play, more or less, for the experience rather than the gameplay. I want to be taken away into another world. I think that's such an amazing feeling. It's almost like being sucked into a movie but even more so. I feel like everything I do has an impact on the world, and in many cases, it does. I love that feeling so much. I always hated watching a film and knowing that shit was going to go down and the only thing I could do was be that annoying guy in the theatre going "No don't go in there, runnn runnnn!!!" (Oh god, for the record I really don't do that). Â I just enjoy the feeling of control over my surroundings, most of the time I couldn't give a shit about gameplay. Which feels like an awful thing to say.
If that Bomb's gonna' go off...Feeling some sense if of control is one thing, but games have even given me a sense of belonging also. Very recently I've become apart of the Giantbomb community and have been doing what I can to participate in it as much as possible. This is one thing that makes me completely adore video games. It's fanbase. I love the culture that has spawned around video games. I love it simply because video games can bring people together so well. I can honestly say some of my most memorable gaming moments were the ones that I shared with my friends.Online or real life. There's just this big sense of comradery that's created because we all have the same passion. In the end this is the greatest thing to ever come out of gaming and it's culture. Because of video games I would never decide to produce a podcast with a couple of guys, I would never even bother to write. Somehow gaming has motivated me to do something semi-productive for once in my life. Â
I think the things that come out of gaming itself is what I love about games than the actual game part of it.
You know, writing this and looking through everything I've said so far, I think I've already come to a conclusion. Yeah, I do like games. Sure, maybe not for the gameplay, but for the more broader reasons. The people, the experiences.Â
Ahh, Oh god don't Kill me with you raging Biceps!You know, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. This is a question that has sprung in my mind many times before. Do I really like Video Games? I really Don't know. You see, I play video games, a lot, but the problem is, is that I don't really enjoy them most of the time. Now by enjoy I don't mean that I think the game is no fun or terrible it's just that I never ever am as pulled in by a game as many other people seem to be.
Everyone seems to have stories about these awesome moments they've had in a game, or about how they noticed certain aspects of a game, while for me I don't see any of these things. For example, my friends talk about all these amazing moments they have playing GTA4, like simple things like cool jump off of a ramp or a funny happening between them and a pedestrian where they ended up running him over in a car. Now these are all cool, but when I have these moments I can't help myself to think, "Yeah that happened, whatever, it isn't really that amazing." I still don't know why I don't seem to notice or enjoy certain aspects of games that other people do. Maybe I'm just a jaded asshole. I honestly don't know.
Even though I don't notice all of these kind of things that other people do, I still feel like I enjoy video games. Just not in the same way. I have always been a big film buff. I've always admired many films and have dabbled in acting myself once having dreams of being apart of the industry. This is where my somewhat weird perspective on games comes in, I enjoy a game like I would enjoy a movie. I play, more or less, for the experience rather than the gameplay. I want to be taken away into another world. I think that's such an amazing feeling. It's almost like being sucked into a movie but even more so. I feel like everything I do has an impact on the world, and in many cases, it does. I love that feeling so much. I always hated watching a film and knowing that shit was going to go down and the only thing I could do was be that annoying guy in the theatre going "No don't go in there, runnn runnnn!!!" (Oh god, for the record I really don't do that). Â I just enjoy the feeling of control over my surroundings, most of the time I couldn't give a shit about gameplay. Which feels like an awful thing to say.
If that Bomb's gonna' go off...Feeling some sense if of control is one thing, but games have even given me a sense of belonging also. Very recently I've become apart of the Giantbomb community and have been doing what I can to participate in it as much as possible. This is one thing that makes me completely adore video games. It's fanbase. I love the culture that has spawned around video games. I love it simply because video games can bring people together so well. I can honestly say some of my most memorable gaming moments were the ones that I shared with my friends.Online or real life. There's just this big sense of comradery that's created because we all have the same passion. In the end this is the greatest thing to ever come out of gaming and it's culture. Because of video games I would never decide to produce a podcast with a couple of guys, I would never even bother to write. Somehow gaming has motivated me to do something semi-productive for once in my life. Â
I think the things that come out of gaming itself is what I love about games than the actual game part of it.
You know, writing this and looking through everything I've said so far, I think I've already come to a conclusion. Yeah, I do like games. Sure, maybe not for the gameplay, but for the more broader reasons. The people, the experiences.Â
Video games have a great many purposes. They provide thought provoking discussion points and can be amazingly immersive and atmospheric if you let them. Yet they can be just mindless fun and entertainment aswell. A game like Bioshock has one of the best atmospheric settings and story lines in any game, but its gameplay is rather dubious at best. But on the other hand a game like COD4 has a very weak story and atmosphere but it succeeds in providing you the adrenaline fueled entertainment that shooting dudes in the face can provide.
And then extensions of the games themselves further that experience. Those extensions being the varied communities that spring up around the games where you can meet like minded individuals. Whether its online play with friends, real life friends or people on a message board. You can always find video games bringing people together and providing more entertainment without actually needing to play the game.
Sites like GiantBomb where you can sit down and discuss games with folks provide just as much entertainment as playing the games themselves. Especially when its a discussion with like minded individuals who share the same thoughts on a game as you do. Not everyone looks "deep" into games to notice the small things like you mentioned, some people just want to play for fun and and cut the philisophical bullcrap. Some people just want to shoot dudes in the face and not have to think of the meaning of life while they do so. And rightly so because when you start finding that having to think about the game reduces the enjoyment of its simple aspects then yeah, its not fun and we play video games for fun, right?
I completely understand what you mean. I have a weird habit of playing a game, enjoying it, but then stopping to talk with random dudes on the internet about the game. The culture and communities spawned from gaming are what makes it so great for me too.
tokyochicken, I think I understand what you mean. I've always been more into games for the "experience" as well. I tend to enjoy plot-heavy games--games like Xenogears, Lost Odyssey, FFT, MGS, etc., but I have had several memorable "gaming moments" as well. I haven't really had many of those moments recently, but a few years ago when I was mostly occupied with college and work, I had several memories from playing Halo 2 online.Â
As for the stories people tell you, I think some of them are exaggerating. Some of them may be genuinely excited, but I'm willing to bet others just want something to brag about to their friends.
Unlike you, I haven't had social experiences with games for ages. I had one close friend throughout my childhood that was into games almost as much, we enjoyed playing multiplayer games like Starcraft and had great times playing and talking about RPGs, but other than that, I had a few friends before high school that enjoyed playing Goldeneye and Mario Kart, and that's about it. My social gaming experiences have been with people I've only known online, since most people where I live hate games. Everyone I know, including my family has always thought games contain no value, or are simply toys. It is sad that so many people still don't understand them, but then again I don't live in a big city. One of my goals in life has been to change that impression. Many of the things I enjoy aren't popular (not because I'm against things because they're popular, but because I have a variety of tastes), so I've always felt it to be a mission to spread what people enjoy about things like games.
I agree with you, that the sense of community from gaming websites and magazines is amazing. It is almost unrivaled. I think gamers have been insulted and ridiculed so many times, that most of us have just learned to create a nice online community where we can have a good time discussing games.
I enjoyed your blog, and I'd be curious to learn what some of your favorite games are.
But for me, talking about games seems to take priority over actually playing them. Maybe I'm just so overwhelmed by the number of games I own that I don't even want to attempt to play them. Or maybe its just a testament to the great communities I'm a part of. Over 7000 posts on GameSpot, over 1000 on Giant Bomb. It's got to mean something, right? I just wish I knew what.
"But on the other hand a game like COD4 has a very weak story and atmosphere but it succeeds in providing you the adrenaline fueled entertainment that shooting dudes in the face can provide."
What are you talking about??!?! The story in CoD4 was awesome! You're crazy Hamz.
I know what you mean though Tokyo, I recently wondered whether or not I would like video games in 5, 10, 20 years? I used to tell myself, and my mom all the time, that I would be watching Saturday morning cartoons until I died, but I don't anymore, and I'm not dead yet, so....
Part of my reason for thinking that I might one day stop, was my backlog. I have like 35 games I still need to finish, and I think about them, and it excites me, but once I put them in, I just... lose it. It's strange and it makes me feel guilty. I figure, if I don't beat a game, the first time I pop it in, I probably won't beat it. Those online experiences are somewhat to blame, my CoD4 addiction is always there, breathing down my neck telling me to play it, not that game that stops me from talking with others. Come and talk with people, and play an awesome game. Two for one, rather than only doing one thing at a time.
I dunno, lots of problems, but seemingly no solution. Maybe when my LIVE runs out soon, I'll delay buying more for a little while, maybe that'll motivate me...
But in all seriousness, I don't think that you "just don't really like video games." I think that you haven't played a game where the gameplay rivals the experience. I also think you need to find that game.
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