Why Do We Play Games

[scottcr]

What is it that makes us want to play games?

No game has ever engaged me like a movie has... I've never had the same connection to characters in a game as I have had in my favourite films. A game has never made my cry... and very rarely made me genuinely laugh.

I'm playing Okami just now - and I enjoy it... but really - what is the game here? There's no skill to it - it's a case of playing it long enough and finishing it. Fallout 3 - play it long enough and finish it. Oblivion. Final Fantasy 7. Zelda. Pretty much any narrative game - it's just a case of sitting in front of it for long enough and you'll see the end. Many parts of these games will be brain burstingly dull.

In the time it takes to play these things we could watch many many movies - with all kinds of emotional attachment. All kinds of real thought provoking scenarios...

but no - we sit for hours finding triforce pieces, or finding dogs, or jumping around to level our agility skills up a bit.

Why do we do it?

Really - isn't it all just a phenomenal waste of time?

[Uzi]

I think you should stop playing

[Quest]

Interaction is compulsive and occasionally thrilling.

[Couch Corpse]

Maybe you should buy something other than a Wii.

Play better games, or more correctly, games more suited to your needs. There's a problem amongst gamers where they feel compelled to play everything and like everything. And what's with this constant need to progress, to play the latest and alleged greatest, I still go back to Tempest 2000, Halo, Advance Wars, Robotron, Outrun 2, and loads more.

Don't get me wrong I love trying out new games and look forward to new releases as much as any body, but unlike most I think 95% of games are not worth you time. The games you mention are about exploring worlds rather than competing narratively with film, but there's nothing wrong with a quick blast. A game is fun for me because it's core mechanics are fun, not because of some engine waving bullshit which has me wandering around for hours doing nothing.

[therealjohnpeat]

I reckon I play games for 3 reasons - in no particular order

1 - I enjoy seeing how games work, what mechanisms are in place, how the combat works, how the dialogue works, what the world is like and all that jazz. This is the part of me which keeps on buying games even tho I have loads to play anyway (and which means I often only play 25% of a game!!)

2 - I enjoy the challenge/risk/reward/progression that a game offers. Whether it's a short-term jag from a quick online battle or a longer game against an RTS or completing an offline story or even that immortal obsession, levelling a character in an MMO. This is what keeps me playing games when all the stuff in 1 (above) has passed-by

3 - It kills time. I often end up sat in front of the PC waiting for calls, replies to emails, auctions to come around or eBay Turbo Lister to get off it's arse and work faster. Games are ideal for this - ditto killing an hour before her-indoors comes in from work or whatever, they're a great distraction from the rest of the world.

[Dimahoo]

Fun, Detachment, immersion, competition.

[Garibaldi]

Almost anything taken to extremes can be a waste of time, though I do often contemplate what I could've achieved rather than ploughing one-hundred and fifty odd hours into FF7 all those years back ( and much more across the board since ).

For me the appeal is simple; fantasy and escapism. I do things in games which would be impossible in real-life, they allow an easy, temporary escape from the mundanity of everyday life.

[Dimahoo]

Whatever the reason they give us enjoyment and that releases wub jizz in our brains.

[Naysonymous]

Can anybody link to that episode of A Life Well Wasted? I think its episode 2, but I'm not completely sure. I would myself, but I am posting from a phone and hyperlinking is a bit clunky. Plus I expect to sleep until noon once I get in from work and I will probably have forgotten about this thread by then.

** edit. **

I think I have sussed it. Yay me!

It was episode three (link)

[Dimahoo]

CONTENT BLOCKED BY WEBFUHER

Reason:

This Websense category is a waste of time.

URL:

http://alifewellwasted.com/

[neoELITE]

Tetris, Bejewelled, Peggle, Zoo Keeper - all of these games are like some Grade A drug that I have to keep playing. Recently, I think I was close to getting deep vein thrombosis from playing Bejewelled on Facebook for 5 straight hours without moving. I play these games because they are addictive.

Most films are flawed and dull and derivative and meaningless - just like games are. I think my list of essential game and film experiences would probably be equal - five or six games and five or six films.

I agree with the OP to a certain extent - there's not that much emotional attachment with games but then again, the same can be said about cheese and I am an avid fan of cheese.

[ah]

?

okay, first things first if you don't genuinely laugh occasionally while playing zelda, it's not the right game for you. stop playing it. second, if all you're doing with fallout 3 and oblivion is trundling through until you get to the end, you either need to stop playing because you're not getting any joy out of them for the setting and the world logic, or you need to turn up the difficulty so that you can actually appreciate the fun of the resource management/risk-reward/survival - that is to say, the "game" bits of the game.

the best thing in games is not seeing the end of the story. it is playing a game. if you're not enjoying playing the game then yes, it's probably a waste of your time to be playing through it just so you can say you got to the end, or so you can see how it pans out. when you get to the end, you save the world from a terrible enemy. there you go, now you don't need to play most of the new games coming out this year.

perhaps if you thought about videogames a little more like sports or playing a musical instrument (or, you know, games) and a little less like movies or reading a book then you'd have a more interesting understanding of what makes them appealing.

[Jansh]

Seeing a guy who's shit hot at Halo or Carrier Command makes the ladies wet and panting.

[Gringo]

Because Im bollocks at things in real life but half decent at them in the computer game based medium

[Popo]

Really - isn't it all just a phenomenal waste of time?

And money!

[Rudi von Starnberg]

I'm playing Okami just now - and I enjoy it... but really - what is the game here? There's no skill to it - it's a case of playing it long enough and finishing it. Fallout 3 - play it long enough and finish it. Oblivion. Final Fantasy 7. Zelda. Pretty much any narrative game - it's just a case of sitting in front of it for long enough and you'll see the end. Many parts of these games will be brain burstingly dull.

I wouldn't call any of these 'narrative games' except maybe FF7 and I don't think its narrative was anything special.

In other words you're probably looking in the wrong place if you want to engage with a narrative.

[ahyums2]

The first answer that come to me is to explore, to discover new worlds and while reading comes a close second as a whole there's probably no better medium for this than games, albeit the vast potential has thus far barely been realised.

Of course that doesn't cover a large range of genres which I also enjoy so I think a second answer would be to do things you couldn't otherwise do and I think one further answer is similar to test and even better yourself even though that may be in a niche activity (depending on the game) which does not have any relation to anything you do in real life.

[gone fishin]

Because, no matter how dull and boring a game is, it's still miles better than watching fucking EastEnders or Coronation Street. Or the majority of drivel on the tellybox.

Oh and you get to beat "things" which makes you feel "good"

EDIT-

I don't have time for the epic games anymore, which probably explains why I'm back into my retro gaming. Or anything that's modern that can give you a quick fix of reflex testing, with some reward in it. But the problem with some games is that they feel they need to pad out the experience, by making you fucking grind out results. Recent example- Need for Speed Nitro. A great arcade racing game, except when you get halfway through it you realise that a) there's only 10 tracks and you're really only now unlocking new cars and bits for those cars and B) the difficulty has just spiked to the point where it's no longer fun to try and win.

Most games seem to follow that type of structure, instead of making it an amazing 4 hour experience (which is replayable) they just try to stretch out that content to 20 hours. It would be like Peter Jackson releasing new EVEN MORE EXTENDED VERSIONS of the Lord of The Rings. That were now 12 hours each. And had such scenes as "Interior, Small Toilet: Frodo reading the Hobbiton Gazette while taking a shite".

I think the gaming industry is fundamentally flawed because of it's £30-40 price point, it feels it needs to give you more for your money. Instead of making it £10 (like DVDs, or even going to the cinema) and trying to get more people to play them. Or making those 4 hours or so an absolutely unbelievable experience that you'd want to do again. And again. And again.

[John0]

I think the gaming industry is fundamentally flawed because of it's £30-40 price point, it feels it needs to give you more for your money. Instead of making it £10 (like DVDs, or even going to the cinema) and trying to get more people to play them. Or making those 4 hours or so an absolutely unbelievable experience that you'd want to do again. And again. And again.

Which is why the iPhone and appstore in general is becoming such a big hit, I presume... it caters for those who don't really have the time to invest in modern titles and just want a quick reflex test on the tube or whatever...

[bradigor]

No matter how much I try now, I will never be a good hockey player, I will never play in the NHL

I will never race a high spec sports car at a competitive level

I will never be a professional footballer

I don't want to kill people in real life

I will never be an NBA player

I will never be a pentomino piece that interacts with other pentomino pieces.

I'll never be able to ride a quad bike at stupid speeds in exotic locations for the sheer thrill of it.

I hopefully will never have to see the harsh realities of a post apocalyptic world with my own eyes.

Games allow me to experience these things. They allow me to escape the day to day trials of my own pathetic existence. Yeah a complete waste of time that.

[bradigor]

Because, no matter how dull and boring a game is, it's still miles better than watching fucking EastEnders or Coronation Street. Or the majority of drivel on the tellybox.

Oh. This too. The missus hates watching TV (bar Lost and the occasional doc) so is more than happy to read a book, watch me play or even join in. Million times better than knowing if Frank Butcher will sell a car. (is he still in it? Been years since I watched)

[Vemsie]

Because it's interactive nature makes it completely different than other forms of entertainment.

Because it allows me to do things that I can't do in real life.

Because variety is the spice of life and games offer lots of different experiences. Playing Mass Effect 2 is a different sensation than playing Tetris, Rock Band or Super Mario Galaxy, yet all are great.

Because they provide a sense of achievement.

Because it's fun to play together, either cooperative or in a competitive manner.

Also: I got to know some lovely people thanks to gaming.

[Professor Puzzles]

I will never be a pentomino piece that interacts with other pentomino pieces.

This is the great tragedy of my life.

Also, there aren't enough zombies in real life.

[Jamie John]

Article I quote whenever I get asked this question.

I'm not sure if I agree with it all, however.

I play games strictly for entertainment, at the end of the day for leisure, when I'm tired. I think they're an activity which can broadly be described as "physical", obviously in the way in which they require physical hand movements (some moreso than others), but also in the way in that they stimulate (albeit lightly) the, if you like, "practical" faculties of your brain, your ability to strategise, react and co-ordinate. They do not require that you make use of those faculties you'd reserve for when you read a book, or watch a film that may be labelled as "profound": things like comparing themes or relating the medium to its context. Games are not art; they're a sport, and an easy one. I play games when I can't be arsed to use those latter parts of my brain, when I've been using them all day reading or studying. If I play them when I am feeling fresh, I inevitably after an hour's play ask myself, 'Why am I doing this? There're much better ways I could be spending my time'. I treat them the same way as I would most TV programmes or action movies, as throwaway entertainment when I can't be bothered.

Nine times out of ten when they do attempt to engage a semblance of art they're inevitably shit at it--it's distracting and usually laughable, c.f. MGS's ridiculous storyline, FFVII's manipulative tragedy, or Bioshock's psuedo-Orwellian narrative. Games that are arguably considered as "art" are only artful in the sense that they're atmospheric or haunting; they rely on their presentation--it's all aesthetic, superficial but still having the potential to be very evocative. (I think Braid is the only game that has ever really come close, and in my opinion it's narrative was rather forced and immediately pretentious.) I bring up the subject because it annoys me that developers see fit to devote a large amount of their workforce to "writing" the game at the expense of reducing the amount of development in the places where it really matters, namely, in the gameplay and design, the most important things. Obviously in most games it's still very much a minor thing, but I get pissed off when all reviews seem to directly address the narrative from the offset, like Gametrailers starting with "story" in its video reviews. Piss off, it's arbitrary, get to the point; I feel the same way when I'm playing the game.

So, in answer to the question, I guess I play games because they relax me but still "exercise" my brain in a way that only entertaining tv programmes or films would not. (In single-player, obviously, multi being a whole different kettle of fish.)

[gone fishin]

Which is why the iPhone and appstore in general is becoming such a big hit, I presume... it caters for those who don't really have the time to invest in modern titles and just want a quick reflex test on the tube or whatever...

True, and DLC seems to be fitting this area- although they seem to go for the almost "arcade" experience in that it is just a quick, gratifying game. Kind of like a wank, really.

In fact that's what we should be getting- the quick wanks for when the missus is out, the sloppy romantic sex for when she's in and the disgusting S&M/Watersports orgy for when you're on chatroulette (when the missus is out with her mates).

Although in order to get all of those types of games, you really have to own multiple platforms. Which isn't particularly good. As it ends up costing you a fortune. In kleenex and dry cleaning bills.

[noizu]

I think all those abstract neon 80s games hardwired me as a kid into loving games. Granted, you don't get that kind of stuff so much now as so many games edge towards realism, but they're still such a window into impossible places and that's a massive part of the appeal.

And some game stories have stuck with me as much as films or books - not many, and not in the straightforward plot sense, but in the atmosphere and non-linear storytelling of something like Majora's Mask. There's a massive amount of potential for that kind of thing, and even though stuff fails all over the place just seeing how they've developed over the past 20 years is really interesting

[Uxorious]

I think the gaming industry is fundamentally flawed because of it's £30-40 price point, it feels it needs to give you more for your money. Instead of making it £10 (like DVDs, or even going to the cinema) and trying to get more people to play them. Or making those 4 hours or so an absolutely unbelievable experience that you'd want to do again. And again. And again.

I really like this idea. Even my favourite games become somewhat dull towards the end, when you start to have the urge to play something new and different, but feel obliged to finish the game first.

[Poom]

I like competing in any game real life or virtual, e.g. RL = squash... tennis.. chess.. all things you can learn and evolve at and have fun playing against other people, games are no different in this respect e.g. Starcraft , street fighter, quake , fifa , You read and learn about them and how to play them better , play other people, have fun.

[Don Rosco]

I think a big part of it is battling game developers. It's less about "How will my hero make it up that high point and defeat these enemies on the way?", and more about "What stuff does this guy want me to do finish this bit?" It's maybe a bit less immersive, but you're never more "in the game" than when you're battling someone, be they on the sofa or hundreds of miles away.

[Qazimod]

Why play games? Well, why not?

I think VerminScum put it best though - the feeling of making stuff happen with a button press makes you want to press the button again, and more often. The more control and influence you have over things, the more you want to play around in different scenarios that the game may throw at you. And having control over things doesn't just mean having hundreds of different combos (thanks Bayonetta) or a knack for flipping and bouncing all over the shop (as with Mario 64) - you can "control" the tide of a battle by managing your resources effectively in an RPG, influence the outcome of a Halo shootout with a crafty plasma grenade or suicidal melée assault, and so on. The DNA of games - the enemies, AI, power-ups, movement, architecture - all dictate how much control you have over a situation, and all games should endeavour to make it crystal clear what you as a player are able to do, and then task you with challenges that you should overcome if you're confident in your knowledge of the various aspects of the game.