Gaming Gentlemen

Do Me Good

I would consider myself a big gamer. Always chasing skirts!

Kev.OC

The amount of time I play has lessened over the years, but I still put in maybe half a dozen hours a week or so. I had no internet worth speaking of growing up, so when the lads were all playing online I was relegated to playing single player games for the stories. The CoD's and MoH's of the gaming world just didn't have the same appeal to me. That being said however, there were always exceptions. Actually, pretty recently I decided I wanted to play the Halo series again, so I'm about half way through the first one.

Regardless of genre I think it can be a great way to unwind. And games like Uncharted, Tomb Raider, and (of course) The Last of Us can be wonderfully immersive as regards story telling.

The first iterations of CoD and MoH were incredible. I think it was in CoD where a shell exploded beside you and then they sent loud buzzing through the speakers. Was definitely one of the most immersive experiences with gaming as a teen.

vinegar_zombie

I been playing games since my Amiga commodore, so many of them were text based or very primitive graphics. To play real games had to go to arcades. Those were the the times ,people don't realise how important those places were for socialising back in the day. From nerd to cool kids everybody came to the arcades at least once a week. Going back to the discussion I don't play as much as I used to because work and loved ones but I did play A LOT back in the day. Time to time I would marathon though a game if it's especially good. Currently I'm finishing MadMax for PC. In the past I used to own Snes, Gbc, GBa, n64. Since that didn't bother much with consoles but I did play a lot of emulators so many titles from psx and ps2 library. Overall I always was a chubby nerdy kid and those games especially rpgs were a outlet, a place to completely lost myself. I have over 120 games on steam and gigs of roms on my hdd.

vinegar_zombie

ancapailldorcha wrote:

Hmmm... I don't know. New triple A titles have always been pricey. The thing is nowadays, DLC is much more mainstream whereas it used to only really apply to PC games with the odd "special" or "gold" edition hitting the consoles after the title was originally released.

Ikr. Then again back in the day a dlc was just a unlockable you play the game satisfied certain requirements and boom new stuff ! Pay to win systems are the absolute worst. I don't mind if a dlc has something new and exciting like a new campaign, but some companies asking €9.99 for a set of new skins? Just why?

vinegar_zombie

ancapailldorcha wrote:

I wouldn't have pegged you as a gamer, T. I think my tastes would be somewhat similar though I've only played Bioware's Mass Effect series. I've never really bothered with Dragon Age or any of Telltale's stuff.

Honestly telltale reminds me of those make your own adventure books were you had to read some text and then select from a number of choices select one and move to specific paragraph. Since it was a book the graphics and audio were bad but hell it really knew how to be efficient with battery. Didn't have to charge my one for the last 20 years.
They are not as much games as they are interactive novels that make you feel how your decisions affect the story. I have played walking dead and wolf among us and both were just amazing. Kudos to Telltale writers, they really know how to write a great story.

vinegar_zombie

vinegar_zombie wrote: »

Ikr. Then again back in the day a dlc was just a unlockable you play the game satisfied certain requirements and boom new stuff ! Pay to win systems are the absolute worst. I don't mind if a dlc has something new and exciting like a new campaign, but some companies asking €9.99 for a set of new skins? Just why?

Agreed.

I've been playing a lot of a game called Planetside 2, which.. I guess.. is an MMOFPS (you'd regularly get in or around 200 people on a server). It's great fun, but it is a F2P game, with weapons that you can purchase - the better ones costing more, obviously. It leads to a lot of people having the better weapons, but not necessarily because they're any good, but because they splashed out.

Ah - I forgot to mention Ingress too which the Nozzferrahhtoo has had me playing of late. That would be the only game I have installed on my phone. A lot of fun and very social it is too - but I again do not have a lot of time for it. I mostly save my involvement for the bigger actions where a lot of people are working together on something - and need more boots and wheels on the ground. I never play it alone like many do.

Nice social game though - many meet ups - a few budding relationships between people who have met - and so on.

VisibleGorilla

I used to game a lot but it has really fallen off within the last few years, I really feel it can be a serious waste of time.

If I think of all the hours that I could have put into something that would actually benefit me it really annoys me.

kunst nugget

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I get really depressed when I see some of the cashmongering nonsense that's pervaded the industry. In addition, you have publishing companies cutting corners leading to triple A titles needing to be pulled from sale. Once the Batman Arkham series became popular, Warner Brothers did their best to ruin with the latest game being so bugged it had to be pulled from sale. I'm working my way through Arkham Origins at the moment and it's riddled with them. WB announced that they wouldn't patch them because the developers were working on new DLC for it. This video shows off some of the bugs.

I played the Origins on the PS3 and I didn't have any issues with it. Tbf, I bought it a year after it came out and it had a heap of updates on it. I tend to wait for a while after games come out to buy them because I can't justify spending the whole price for a AAA game and to get the full benefit of any patching that needs to be sorted out on it.

I'll play between 6-12 hours a week as it's a great way to unwind and there's so many great games out there that I'd prefer to be playing them than watching shíte on telly.

vinegar_zombie

VisibleGorilla wrote: »

I used to game a lot but it has really fallen off within the last few years, I really feel it can be a serious waste of time.

If I think of all the hours that I could have put into something that would actually benefit me it really annoys me.

I know what you mean. If I think about all that time I spend leveling my character , and making him the best he can be , instead of using that time in my own development.... That the thing that games give you a false feeling of accomplishment. Having a dank KDR or best Warrior on the server doesn't really translate that well into real world experience. I remember heaving this realization after my CJ in GTA:SA become a super buff dude and a fighting expert, while I was heavily overweight . I had the same feeling watching all the kids playing guitar hero. I would say the level of effort to play on expert mode would be more then enough to learn few cords...

VisibleGorilla

vinegar_zombie wrote: »

I know what you mean. If I think about all that time I spend leveling my character , and making him the best he can be , instead of using that time in my own development.... That the thing that games give you a false feeling of accomplishment. Having a dank KDR or best Warrior on the server doesn't really translate that well into real world experience. I remember heaving this realization after my CJ in GTA:SA become a super buff dude and a fighting expert, while I was heavily overweight . I had the same feeling watching all the kids playing guitar hero. I would say the level of effort to play on expert mode would be more then enough to learn few cords...

Exactly. Why level up your own fantasy character when you can level up yourself in real life?

This line of thinking is primarily why I stopped really playing games. I have an addictive personality so I can't really play the games casually, I'll have to do/get/see everything which is a giant time sink that can be better put into my own personal development.

The_Bot

I'd be a casual enough gamer, an hour here an hour there. Like to play it in the evening time or the weekend as an alternative to watching tv. Currently playing Football Manager 2014 but I'll probably put that down in a few weeks and play Rome II total war again only to pick up FM14 again a few weeks after that. I don't really buy lots of games, just a few I know I'll like and get plenty of replay value.

Rezident

VisibleGorilla wrote: »

I used to game a lot but it has really fallen off within the last few years, I really feel it can be a serious waste of time.

If I think of all the hours that I could have put into something that would actually benefit me it really annoys me.

Relaxing, having fun, laughing and the sheer escapism from my nightmare job, most certainly do benefit me.

Andrew Laeddis

Are any of your ladies gamers, lads, past or present?

vinegar_zombie

VisibleGorilla wrote: »

Exactly. Why level up your own fantasy character when you can level up yourself in real life?

This line of thinking is primarily why I stopped really playing games. I have an addictive personality so I can't really play the games casually, I'll have to do/get/see everything which is a giant time sink that can be better put into my own personal development.

I do enjoy a good game time to time I must admit that I have completed SouthPark:SoT 100% on Steam, but I don't stay up 2 , 3 in the morning doing quest and stuff. I actually redirected my interest into amateur weight lifting, and so my new 'achievements' are to beat my previous lifting records . I must say it is much more satisfying because I am making a positive change , and people recognize my dedication. I can see my cousin doing exactly the same mistake, by playing MOBAs day and night, but you cannot really convince somebody to stop until he realizes how much of a wast this is. Nope you are Gold Rank if , you are 22 living in your mothers house , on €188 . Also it makes all the stories about how much pussy you had that much less convincing ....

flyingsnail

Rezident wrote: »

Relaxing, having fun, laughing and the sheer escapism from my nightmare job, most certainly do benefit me.

I can very much relate to this.

kunst nugget

Andrew Laeddis wrote: »

Are any of your ladies gamers, lads, past or present?

No and she calls my PS an Xbox just to annoy me.

mahoganygas

I've started to get back into gaming a bit in the past year.

I take a couple of hours here and there and lock myself away to play some games. The missus says I'm the better for it. She notices how it picks up my mood and I start to enjoy 'real life' so much more.

I find it therapeutic. A great way to focus your mind, and also to relax a bit. Particularly strategy games. I love thinking 20 steps ahead. Jotting down rough plans on a notepad. Ticking off goals. I like to do two playthroughs differently and then compare them afterwards. "What's the fastest/most efficient way I can conquer France?"
Funnily enough I approach my day job in a similar way.

Of course the fear is that 6 hours per week quickly turns into 20 or 30. Some games are incredibly addictive and you can't help but get absorbed into them. I dabbled with WOW a few years back. I spent an entire summer grinding away. When I met up with my friends on a rare night out I noticed that I was pale as a ghost in the photos. They had suntans! That's when the penny dropped. I had wasted a summer.

blue note

I used to love computer games growing up, but PS2 was the last console I actually had any interest in playing. I actually installed Championship manager 97/98 on my laptop about a year ago and played a few seasons with Aston Villa, but it's just an interest that has left me.

kunst nugget

mahoganygas wrote: »

Of course the fear is that 6 hours per week quickly turns into 20 or 30. Some games are incredibly addictive and you can't help but get absorbed into them. I dabbled with WOW a few years back. I spent an entire summer grinding away. When I met up with my friends on a rare night out I noticed that I was pale as a ghost in the photos. They had suntans! That's when the penny dropped. I had wasted a summer.

I'd have no interest in the likes of WOW or multiplayer in general. Give me a decent single player game with a coherent story that's around 15-20 hours long with good gameplay mechanics and cutscenes that don't last a half hour long.

I'm not asking much…

mahoganygas

Andrew Laeddis wrote: »

Are any of your ladies gamers, lads, past or present?

I tried to involve herself but she didn't really have an interest.

Then one weekend I was playing Sims 3 and she kept looking over my shoulder, asking what was happening now etc.
After bugging me for a shot all day I finally let her play my character. What's the worse that could happen, right?

I showed her the basics then headed off to the toilet.
5 minutes later I heard frantic shouting and ran out to find my Sim dead. Killed whilst trying to repair a TV.

Never again.

kunst nugget

blue note wrote: »

I used to love computer games growing up, but PS2 was the last console I actually had any interest in playing. I actually installed Championship manager 97/98 on my laptop about a year ago and played a few seasons with Aston Villa, but it's just an interest that has left me.

The PS2 completely bypassed me and besides dabbling a bit with the Wii and a PSP over the last couple of years I hadn't much contact with gaming. I won a Vita about 2 and a half years ago and then picked up a PS3 for peanuts at the beginning of last year and I've had a blast getting back into and playing the best of the games from last generation with costs next to nothing to pick up digitally in the PS Store sales. I'll probably pick up a PS4 in a year or two but I'll be honest, I'm in no rush. I still have plenty of games to play for the PS3 as it is and there's still not a huge amount out that is off interest to me two years into this generation.

The_Bot

Andrew Laeddis wrote: »

Are any of your ladies gamers, lads, past or present?

Mine likes playing games on her iPhone, including one where your character is a chef!

Regarding the next gen consoles, I'd personally wait another year or so, to let a better catalogue of games build up. Right now we don't actually have a huge one. I do have a PS4, but it does annoy me when I'm looking to buy a new game and there's nothing interesting for me.

Hence my eagerly awaiting Fallout 4.

Andrew Laeddis

Andrew Laeddis wrote: »

Are any of your ladies gamers, lads, past or present?

Got them into Ingress but also only help with big operations. The extra cars really help though.

One did go through a serious phase of Angry Birds but gave it up in frustration. They did borrow an XBox off someone for a couple months once recently enough and played mostly those recent Batman games.

As for past - no none of them were into it and one of them even used to refer to Age of Empires as the "Build a man game" - because she liked the way the Town Centre Object could be set to build and produce another one of those little blue pants wearing men.

smash

My playstation was known as 'the netflix machine' until I got a smart TV and now it's just known as "that thing that gathers dust and takes up space on the shelf"

ancapailldorcha

VisibleGorilla wrote: »

I used to game a lot but it has really fallen off within the last few years, I really feel it can be a serious waste of time.

If I think of all the hours that I could have put into something that would actually benefit me it really annoys me.

Time and other commitments to give just one reason.

I don't get this "waste of time" view people have with it. It's an opinion that seems to be solely aimed at video games. I mean, why bother with any sort of recreational pastime when you could read Dostoevsky instead. I'm read a tome about Robert Fisk's time in the middle east yet I have no intention of going there to report on events. Is that a waste of time?

VisibleGorilla

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Time and other commitments to give just one reason.

I don't get this "waste of time" view people have with it. It's an opinion that seems to be solely aimed at video games. I mean, why bother with any sort of recreational pastime when you could read Dostoevsky instead. I'm read a tome about Robert Fisk's time in the middle east yet I have no intention of going there to report on events. Is that a waste of time?

I wouldn't see it as just gaming, but hey thats what the discussion is about. Sitting at home relaxing binge watching Netflix would be similar in my view, nothing is really gained that will benefit you long term.

Imagine you took all the hours spent gaming and put those into health/career/relationships/etc... I think the majority would be much better off, I know I would. As I get older I now see it as a massive time sink with zero real life benefits.

ancapailldorcha

VisibleGorilla wrote: »

I wouldn't see it as just gaming, but hey thats what the discussion is about. Sitting at home relaxing binge watching Netflix would be similar in my view, nothing is really gained that will benefit you long term..

Fair enough. Various studies have shown that it enhances spatial awareness, dexterity and general attention to detail.

VisibleGorilla wrote: »

Imagine you took all the hours spent gaming and put those into health/career/relationships/etc... I think the majority would be much better off, I know I would. As I get older I now see it as a massive time sink with zero real life benefits.

Different strokes for different folks. Most of the people I know around here are mainly interested in drinking themselves destitute which isn't for me. I subscribe to the old adage that time enjoyed is never wasted. We're all heading for the same place anyway.