Question Why do you play video games?

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V games became my entertainment medium of choice once they evolved to the point where they provided me with significant control over my actions and my effect on the developing action or story.

Even games with less agency, such as puzzle games, were still preferable because I could try different things or explore different areas. Contrast with a detective book or show, where I either 'got' the delivered hint or clue, or I didn't—just too passive.

This century, games have of course developed to be able to rival other visual mediums, while still providing often considerable player agency. What show can rival the experience of Microsoft Flight Simulator, where I can fly to any destination in the world, not merely the one the show's visiting next week?

I can blow stuff up, or dabble in magic, or build an empire, or match marbles, or simulate building a PC or farm, or shred zombies, or pick out hidden objects. What's not to like, for everyone? :)
 
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Video games just sort of replaced television for me. While the average American spends a few hours each day watching TV, I spend some time (not usually quite that much) playing video games instead and never watch television at all.

Games have a lot of advantages over other entertainment. For one thing, they aren't passive, which helps to hold your interest and increases your immersion. Many games involve using eye-hand coordination and problem solving skills, as well, which means they may actually be better for you in some small way than passively watching a show.

A non-gamer probably has an image of a "game" in their head that they think of any time someone mentions the hobby, and that may actually color their opinion of gaming, but the number of game genres is vast. The reality is that there is something for everyone, including many excellently told, nonviolent narrative games. More than a few of these contain stories that put much of Hollywood's storytelling to shame. I mention narrative games mostly because non-gamers tend to watch television, stream movies, etc. and because of these games' general accessibility, which would make them good starting points for people interested in giving gaming a shot.

Finally, just below the surface, I suppose I'm a little defensive. Implicit in these types of questions is a question of morality. Non-gamers tend to ask why you are gaming because they feel that gaming is time poorly spent. They've already made a judgement when they ask the question. You never hear the question, "Why do you watch television?" It's just accepted. The truth is that gaming is just another thing that people do to relax and have a little escape, and it's no worse than other ways of achieving that. Of course, you could always exercise, but that would be awful...
 
You never hear the question, "Why do you watch television?" It's just accepted
I think that's where the defensiveness resides—people 'know' they shouldn't spend so much time in front of TV, so society has made a global tacit agreement not to talk about it. So 'tolerated' rather than 'accepted'.

Non-gamers tend to ask why you are gaming because they feel that gaming is time poorly spent
No need to be defensive, people ask that kind of question about all facets of life…
Why do you work so much?
Why do you run marathons?
Why do you put on makeup?
Etc etc etc
…with the same implied criticism—that lack of awareness is on them, not the person being queried.

Ignorance about gaming should be steadily decreasing, with it well ahead of all other entertainment sources except for TV & home video. Bigger than Hollywood, bigger than music, bigger than sports… there's only so much ignorance to go around!

People can hardly have failed to notice all the benefits and skills gaming can bring to general life:
Computer assembly
Concentration
Cooperation
Coordination
Detection
Empathy
Exploration
Farm work
Immersion
Improvising
Interdependence
Investing
Job flow
Leadership
Mental flexibility
Multitasking
Orienteering
Patience
Perseverance
Planning
Probability
Manufacturing layout
Reading
Relaxation
Resource management
Socializing
Strategic choice
Strategy
Tactical flexibility
Tactics
Teamwork
Timing
 
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I have been playing video games for almost as long as I knew about computers. Probably longer, I don't remember first arcade machine I saw, but I can tell you when i saw first computer game, 1982.

I never thought about why I play them, its just something I have done for most of my life and I never stopped to ask why. I just do. I guess its a hobby as early on we would collect games for computers we didn't own. PC wasn't really a games machine in early 80's, so the games were for all sorts of machines. It was more about having the games more than being able to play them. I then swapped to consoles until 1999 when I got a PC finally.
 
  • Playing with my nephews
  • Dopamine
  • Earning money
  • Exploring the unknown
  • Boosting my IQ/EQ to unfathomable levels🎒
  • Audio/Visual effects
  • Cinematography techniques
  • Inadequately clothed female characters
  • Building and destroying stuff, often in that order
  • Lore/Characters
  • Shooting stuff
  • Blood&Gore
  • Guns
  • Hoarding
  • Clever use of game mechanics
  • Dyes
  • Simulations
  • Surviving
  • Best a foe
  • Manipulating the market
  • Winning/Loosing
  • Flipping
  • Customizing
  • Theorycrafting
  • Mods
  • Nostalgia
  • Progress/Achievements
  • Cyber/Punk/Gothic
  • Dystopia
  • Mobs
  • Treasure
  • Loot beams/explosions
  • and so much more.....
 

McStabStab

Community Contributor
I'm married, have two kids under 3 years old, and during the pandemic I've been working way more than the normal amount of hours. Gaming is the place I can go to completely remove my mind from the endless string of thoughts required to keep my family and business healthy and growing. I turn my brain off to the real world and fully commit it to something that requires an entirely different skill set and thinking pattern. It's my oasis.
 
Funnily I ask myself that question often, mostly when I'm playing a game I find absolutely boring yet still continue playing.
Recently playing Bobmber Crew for a few hours "Why am I playing this? it's boring, repetative and unpolished" Closes game down
Opens it back up 30 minutes later "One more chance"
Rinse and repeat
I do that with Youtube videos. Get stuck in a rut.
 
Nov 15, 2020
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Video games just sort of replaced television for me.
This, in a nutshell. Games allow me to actually do the things I would otherwise merely watch unfold on screen in TV shows or movies. Granted, this statement would not apply 20 or so years ago when games were rough pixels cobbled together to form a semblance of a picture. However, today, thanks to tech advancements, it's almost hard to tell the difference in many cases. While I still watch media, they rank far lower than games in my things-to-do-in-my-free-time list.
 
@Frindis that reminds me of this timeless piece I saw one day. Possible its an early Banksy, as it wasn't too far from Bristol where he's from originally.

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To the question, well video games are fun. I like all forms of media that tell stories, but video games have always been my favourite
 
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