My experience with gaming

[Qoyote]

I just wanted to vent my thoughts about this, it isn't meant to insult anyone.

I've wanted to like video games for a long time. I've heard so, so much about people's memories as teens in the 90's or 2000's, falling in love with games, playing them with their friends. For those born before then I don't know how to explain what a big cultural thing it is online. Maybe it's like going to the mall with your friends used to be? Something people assume you did back then, something people talk about fondly all the time.

I didn't get that. Let's just say junior high was like being dunked in ice water for 3 years straight and high school was coming up for air but still swimming in it. It hurt me in ways I'm just starting to recover from. Maybe it shouldn't have hurt me so much, but I've realized that doesn't matter because in real life, it did. I guess deep down, I see becoming a gamer as a way to reclaim my "lost" teen years.

The problem is I don't actually like gaming that much. It feels pointless when I'm doing it. Grinding is boring, not grinding is too easy, I don't have the patience to learn high-skill games where you don't grind because there's no real reward to me. As soon as I'm done with the game the achievement seems to disappear. I also get very lonely, even though I spend a lot of my day in front of a screen anyway and don't feel as bad.

There's a lot of games like Pokemon where I love the world and I wish I could be in the game for real, but when I play it I don't like it much unless I'm with someone. Also, even when I love the world I don't always love the plots...

The interesting thing is there's ONE game I'm absolutely obsessed with: Dance Dance Revolution. I've found three things that make it different from most other games:

1. An extremely high skill ceiling with no leveling mechanic. You either get good or you don't progress. There's no guarantee you'll beat it (which just frustrates me with other games so I give up, but here I don't).

2. It's physical. You move around while you're playing. You feel the gameplay, you're not just sitting still while your character does stuff.

3. It has a tangible benefit outside the game: it's the only workout I'll actually do, so I get the mood/weight benefits of high-intensity cardio and even a little tone for my legs. It also gets me to stretch my back, which lord knows I need.

But I busted my toe and I haven't been able to play in almost 3 weeks, so I've been thinking about other games a lot.

 

[Slime_Punk]

I typically only like games that have a practical real-life application or at least help me think in new ways that help me in real life (aside from those brutal precision platformers of course, but they test my patience which is also a valuable skill).

I don't think it's abnormal to feel as though most games are just a hamster-wheel / fetch-quest, and I view a good portion of them the same way that I've always viewed prime-time television -- it's a good mind-numbing practice for a certain type of person who needs that escape, but I honestly can't live in that same space all the time.

Obviously, I don't look down on people who like really simple TV or games, either (plus, I've still got those few rainy-day guilty pleasures like everyone else), but I think if it's not in line with real-life goals it can become more of a pacifier than something that actually helps you through life in one way or another.

 

[Misery]

Well, here's the thing: Have you tried broadening your horizons a bit?

I've been into gaming for... well, always... and I dont like the concept of grinding and whatnot either, and frankly, find most major games to be bloody boring. There are exceptions of course (Diablo) but... those are extremely rare. I need something truly engaging enough and challenging enough to even hold my attention for five minutes (which also means I dont touch mobile games whatsoever).

Why not just try something that's entirely new? Even when it comes to single-player games, you might be surprised by how much of a community there is to them. Players discuss strategies or theories, give advice, talk about the stories... I've made real friends doing this sort of thing, and I dont really like multiplayer games all that much and will usually only play those with someone I already know. But that's very rare for me.

And really, some genres just might not be for you. That's how this goes usually.

I'm going to guess though that you've likely not been exposed to 95% of the genres out there, mainly because the "main" side of the industry is... too paranoid, and considers anything outside of maybe 2 types of games (one of which being shooters) to be too much of a financial risk.

If you have an interest in the hobby, but just arent finding the things you've tried interesting... yeah, maybe try something wildly different from those. Whether that be multiplayer or singleplayer games.

The genre thing is also part of the reason why some gamers get super nostalgic about older games. Back then, the genres missing from the AAA space were, well, not missing. Platformers, real time strategy, "god games" like Populous, city builders, fighting games that arent just Street Fighter (not that Street Fighter isnt good, mind you), roguelikes, and so on... the high-cost side of the industry wont do these things because that's not financially safe, which is the one and only thing they actually care about.

As for real life applications, there's a bit more to that than you may think. Coordination, reflexes, complex and abstract problem solving, critical thinking, and more. Games... when they are actually challenging enough... can be a great source of improvement, as I've discovered over the years.

But it's not just that. You might find that the hobby takes you places you dont expect. For me, well... it's hard to explain the sequence of events that took place, but this hobby directly led to me doing some things I never thought I would be able to due to being on the spectrum. Travelling on my own for the first time, for instance was a huge step forward for me, but that was entirely because of this. I know people often talk down about the hobby, thinking it's all useless nonsense, but.... no, it aint. Which is the case with most hobbies, really. If given a chance, that is.

And of course sometimes... it's just good to help you relax and wind down, or get your mind going with a good story.

But you arent going to find these things just trying the exact same few types of games over and over again. Branch out and truly try new things. Note though that this requires a bit more effort. The "major" games like Pokemon and such come screaming at you, it's hard NOT to notice they exist. But anything else requires actual browsing and examining on your part.

Yeah, I know, I'm rambling on about this, but... the hobby has done so much for me, and has even led to long lasting and deep friendships that I would never have made without it.

Just something to think about (and all of this includes multiplayer stuff too, mind you). If you should want to discuss anything about it, or perhaps advice on things to try, feel free to talk to me about it, if you'd like. I'm always happy to help people find new things that they might like.

 

[Bolletje]

I’m curious. You have wanted to like video games for a long time, but you don’t really like them. Would it be okay for you to accept you don’t like them and simply move on?

 

[mysterionz]

My stepdad doesn’t like Fortnite and anything XBOX related

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

I cannot relate to this thread. For some reason I have never been interested in games electronic or others.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I play many games and alternate among them and only boot up Animal Crossing New Horizons and Pokémon Cafe Remix daily to get the bonuses. I’m more of a casual gamer as I like to play solo and at my own pace.

 

[Wolfnox]

Don’t force it. Gaming is a hobby and to some a lifestyle.
Been a gamer sense pre new millennium. Super Nintendo entertainment system being my first. Followed by game boy many years later. Then original Xbox. Then PSP. Then Xbox 360 and later Ps4.
I play for the stories. I love the story telling.
Also love strategy games like Xcom or civilization Revolution.
But, it’s something I “like” to do alone. Key word “like” to do.
I’m not a fan of grinders due to lack of reward as far as lore or legends. New equipment is a whatever thing to me.

Also you haven’t mentioned puzzle games. You ever play them?


Oh. Almost forgot. Anyone who has Nintendo Ds. There’s a cartridge you can by with 208 games of the original Ds on it.

 

[Judge]

I once loved computer video games in the late 80s and 90s. Then around the turn of the century I went to work for a software entertainment entity with game titles that most of you have heard of.

Working directly inside the marketing department as a website designer soured me over how the business operated from the inside. Where they pander like crazy to shareholders and mock their customers.

 

[UberScout]

There's an arcade where I live called Jungle Rapids and they've had the same DDR machine there since I started going as a little kid. When I was tall enough to see the screen to play (at 5 I had to look up at the screen to see the arrows) and my reflexes were fast enough, I always played the "We Will Rock You" remix on Oni mode while my mother watched me, then I would put it on Random for the next two songs, and every now and then I'd get an S rank. But that's not why I loved it. I loved playing it there because on some days when I played that good and I finished, I'd turn around to see nearly everyone at the front of the arcade going NUTS. It was always an awesome time for me, and I even became a little famous for it!! Last time I went for my little sister's birthday though, they had moved it to the back area, I think they nicknamed that area the "gauntlet" because that's where all the hard games were. In the front were all the mechanical games where you could win prizes and there were a few racing games and I think there was a Walking Dead Arcade game there next to a Halo Arcade, but I always went to the back to play stuff like Tekken, CarnEvil, House of The Dead (that one's mine and Maddog's favorite) and back in the day, Brave Firefighters.


Yep, they don't make them Neo Geos like they used to, heh?