What do video games mean to you?

wong

Hey everyone,
I'm currently doing a project at college.
It involves me designing an 8 page supplement for the Guardian on a self-initiated topic.

I'm doing my project on videogames and why they are good great. Sorta like a big **** you aimed at critics of videogames.

Would really appreciate it if you could please tell me why you love videogames so much and anything else you can add to the whole area of videogames (reaction to critics and what they say about videogames, the harmful effects etc..)

hightower1

wong wrote: »

Hey everyone,
I'm currently doing a project at college.
It involves me designing an 8 page supplement for the Guardian on a self-initiated topic.

I'm doing my project on videogames and why they are good great. Sorta like a big **** you aimed at critics of videogames.

Would really appreciate it if you could please tell me why you love videogames so much and anything else you can add to the whole area of videogames (reaction to critics and what they say about videogames, the harmful effects etc..)

For myself I suppose video games are a form of escapisim and fantasy role play. Where a movie go'er would watch a movie they can relate with the protagonist I play video games where I can relate with the protagonist and envisage myself in the situations presented.

A main reason I would play a video game I suppose would be a kin to a carrot and stick structure... perfrom action A to get to power level B and complete action C and so on. its a contast thing, we like the challange of completing a game and being brought close to loosing, it makes it sweeter when you are faced with the same situation again but are more powerful. We all fantasise about being presented with contextually ordinary situations in daily life but being able to over come these with ease by being more powerful than we actually are, video games fufill this fantasy on a compressed scale and timeline allowing that sense of "I have had a tough time with this situation before but look how easy it is now because I am more powerful now after putting in the effort".

In terms of reaction to critics of video games I would say it vastly improves hand eye co-ordination and creative thinking. When we play games these days I find personally we are not looking at it from a contextual point of view, not in a sense of "oh this is my avatar, to get past the obstical what would HE do" but more what would the programer more than likely want ME to do here. That also translates to online MP, for instance I play MW2 online and games like that while use the pretence of violence ;they do not infact focus on violence. Example, to win a match of MW2 - an apparently violent game - it is not the most violent player that wins, in fact the majority of the time it is the calmer person, the person who can get inside the minds of other players, empathise with their emotional state, who can predict their behaviour and patterns that will win.

gamer_beast

i think there great because they help me learn some educational things and i heard on the radio that people that play shooter games have fast responses in real life , as you need them in the game:D i really love em cos they just entertain me. i live in the country there not so amny people so you konwe i play them all the time to entertain me and sometimes they make me do stuff on the computer like video editing as i have a dazzle:Dhope this helped you:D:D

MiCr0

i think this should be posted here:
[Surveys and non-media research]
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1250

Sabre0001

I enjoy the social side of an "antisocial" hobby - I love having friends over and playing hours of Street Fighter / FIFA / Rock Band / any other game - I even have different groups that I will play with living locally.

I am involved in organising frequent tournaments for Street Fighter which combines a social element with a more competitive environment.

Then I am enthralled by the completely competitive scene - the "eSports" scene. It is amazing to watch the best players in action / to see how players deal with massively pressurised environments. Clearly talented individuals and when you look at the meta-strategic game, it is a different world.

Games have layers of depth - the best ones are ones that people can pick up and play but there will always be something new to discover.

Helix

theyre a job

Beruthiel

A good, entertaining game can be an excellent way to waste a few hours on a cold, dark winters day.