Video games, false reality, and the DJ

[Midnight Carnival]

To me it's really part of my lifestyle. I mean, I do other stuff as well so it's not like I spend all of my time playing games, but I just can't remember a time in my life when I didn't know about video games. I was probably holding a controller before I could even walk.

So yeah, I've always been into VGs. It could have hurt my social life a lot if I hadn't found out a way to actually make it work in my favor.
Playing competitively led me to meet a bunch of really cool people and I'm still in touch with them even though the scene died. Some games have plots or cultural references that made me want to read stuff about them (obviously, if you enjoy playing but not reading, then that doesn't help). I don't mind mentioning it when talking to girls, all that matters is the way I do it (read : bragging about how you can do a standing 720° with Hugo is stupid. Mentioning the good times you had playing with your family and friends and how playing games sort of brings back a lot of childhood memories can be a good idea). Hell, it really doesn't matter and you don't have to hide it anyway. Once I even discussed Sirlin's theories about yomi/mind game (didn't mention his name though), about how the best players were also able to win consistently at rock/papers/scissors. I mean, ****ING Sirlin. If that isn't the nerdiest thing to tell a girl then I don't know what is. Yet it was all in good fun and she doesn't think of me as a nerd, seeing how I can talk about a lot of other things.

Lately, playing Mario Galaxy put me in such a good mood I actually felt like approaching girls (and I did ). It must be because it's so colourful, like whoever did the art for the game was on acid trip or something. :crazy:

VGs can also have great music, which is always cool. Google my username followed by "youtube" for proof.

 

[TonyWongButOhSoRite]

Dude you just got this into you're head after you saw the guitar hero southpark episode where one of the boys father says ''They sould learn how to actually play a guitar instead of playing it on the computer'' I play games cause I like too. Not all day not all nite. Just when I want to and i even play them with mad freak b!thces I bring home to the crib before I stick it in em. Nothing like that sex offender mario to get a piece of pu$$y wet.

 

[feelingloved]

yea all that time spent on video games could be spent aquiring real skills and qualities that actually make life enjoyable. even getting into the fantasy world of books is much better becuase it improves your language, social skills and knowledge. even getting a menial job would be better becuase you'd be interacting with people and making money. remember, time lost is lost forever. what you do today will either make you more or less prepared for tomorrow. experiencing the pain and frustration of the real world is necessary for success. no pain no gain. step out of your comfort zone. instead of maxing out the skills of an rpg character you should work on your own social skills, fitness and talents. instead of playing sports games you should play sports. instead of playing fps's you should do martial arts, or join the military or something. take some real risks or else let your balls atrophy while you zone out in front of a tv.

I agree. My life has been all about breaking bad habits, and discipline. Since losing my last GF, I don't play games . It was my last bad habit. (as far as I know). and its gone.

it was a heavy price.

 

[muscleman]

It's not so much about games = bad or games = good, but rather about what you could be doing with that time instead. Same thing can be said about television. People gravitate so heavily towards instant gratification that their entire life becomes nothing more than tv, games, drinking, and anything else that's fun "right away". I'm not condoning any of these (though I personally don't play video games, the only "tv" I watch is movies, and I rarely drink mainly due to my lifting), just saying there are more constructive uses of time.

Having said that I've given up video games entirely. I used to be badly hooked on everything ever released by Blizzard along with CS:S. After a couple weeks you don't even miss it anymore.

 

[Joe The Homophobe]

If I could go back in time I would get rid of my computer. Nothing kills more time that could be spent "living life" than being on the computer. Video games and the like are substitutes for girls and having fun out in the real world.

 

[Demon]

It's not so much about games = bad or games = good, but rather about what you could be doing with that time instead.

There are plenty of things you could be doing instead of plenty of other things. Stop with that excuse for poor life management skills.

Anyone who wants to, and enjoys, playing video games, keep playing. Anyone who doesn't, fine, that's your prerogative. The choices you make that work for you are not guaranteed to work for everyone else.

If you have nothing other than cheap, presumptuous assertions to add to this discussion, please just leave your baggage at the door. Problem video-game playing is like any other problem activity: they emulate symptoms of real issues. Take care of your **** and then embrace the luxury of entertainment, not before.

Since losing my last GF, I don't play games. ... It was a heavy price.

You lost your last girlfriend? Your language implies that you haven't moved on and thus have deeper, emotional issues to resolve. Video games won't help you there, at least not as a cure-all, so putting down the controller per se isn't a big deal. But it was a big deal to you, wasn't it? That's where you should be looking to place blame.

Video games and the like are substitutes for girls and having fun out in the real world.

No, they're supplements. Entertainment is a luxury. When you treat entertainment as a luxury, that's when you're thinking straight. The things that people let take over their lives aren't where the problems originate.

 

[feelingloved]

It was more so that I found video games were an escape. I turned to them when things in my life were not going so well. I see the harm now.
Another aspect is every girl I ever met generally hates video games.
So who needs a hobby like that.

 

[TechBarbarian]

I used to spend a lot of my time playing video/computer games, but moved on to other things that I found were more rewarding. There's nothing inherently wrong with gaming, just not for me anyore.

The thing I don't understand is this current emphasis and glorification of the "gamer lifestyle."

 

[comic_relief]

While I agree with your hate for halo and guitar hero, I cannot agree with you on about everything else.

First off, have you tried Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare? That game is fvcken sick. Loved it.

Secondly, I play video games a total of 10 hours a week or less. Most of the time, it is multiplayer game such as Mario Party or Mario Kart with a bunch of my buddies trashtalking each other.

Thirdly, video games like anything else should never take over your life.

comic_relief

 

[The Kidd]

peolple who actually have lives still play video games in their spare time because they find them fun, not as a replacement for life.

someone with a life wouldn't question themselves about playing video games

 

[Falcon]

I play video games from time to time. How else can you man a spaceship and fly through the galaxy with lasers blazing?

Why watch a movie when you can play a game that makes you feel like you are in a movie?

 

[KontrollerX]

Heh heh Falcon sounds like you own Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Halo 3.

Definitely awesome games though Bungie needs to update the Halo 3 playlists.

BTW, I am posting this from the Nintendo Wii internet channel lol.

 

[LionOne]

How to stop playing computer games

Well, I'll post what I have written on my website (http://lionvibes.wikidot.com/computer-games)

Computer games are bad for us DJs*. Well, they are bad for anyone. They eat up our time, the time we could use to have some real life experiences and skills. Playing WoW in internet isn't social whatever the addicts might say. Computer games are even worse than watching TV. You just cannot about talk about some computer game but you can talk about some interesting TV program you have watched.

Here's how to stop playing games:

* Understand that they don't have anything to give you, they have no value. You want to develop yourself as a person and video games can only mess up your head.

* Commit yourself to quitting. it's not "I can reward myself with a game or two when i succeed in this and this". You have to stop it completely. No games for you anymore, adults don't play video games.

* Delete them from your hard-drive, all of them and all your saved games and whatever related material you may have. If you own the games, just give them away or sell them.

* Don't think about the games. If you are addicted to some game you will first think about it frequently but the KEY to quitting is not to think about them. When you start to think about some game, make some "access denied" sign in your head or force yourself to think about certain thing or anything which prevents you from starting to think the game more.

* Do gym, preferrably 3 times a week. You will feel more powerful. Eat well and keep your body toned. This itself involves much work and if you have no other hobby do this.

* Do things that you like with your friends. Go play pool, tennis, poker, clubbing, football or whatever.. Learn some new skills by taking classes. Think it like this: "the more i do these things, the more i have things to talk about" or "the purpose of life is to experience things, real value in real life comes from experiences and video games have nothing to offer you." You don't have to take some hobby to be super passionate about, try be passionate about everything. If you are asked to do something, just go, never stay home and watch tv instead.

* Start talking to many girls and tell them all the cool things which has happened to you and what you have done. Much more will happen now that you have quit playing. You don't have to do things just to impress girls but it is huge motivation to get yourself moving.

Essentially, quit playing, build real-life value and show that value to everyone. Hope you succeed!

*Note: Not all computer games are necessary bad. You can find some value from Flight Simulator or such if you plan to become private pilot or something. And I'm sure there are some games which help you some other way. Only 99.999% of games are total rubbish and take away your time. If you can handle your gaming (like max 1h / week) then there's no problem.

*Note 2: Online POKER has become exremely popular nowadays. But think about it: do you really think that it will bring you some real life value (that is: money)? There are only few people who can make their living from internet poker. And this is very time consuming profession. I don't claim that you are not able to profit from online poker but DO YOU really want to sacrifice your time when what you really get is usually just small profit or just loose all your money? If you are an addict or play frequently, ask yourself: how much I have profited and is it REALLY worth it? Sure, if you can CONSTANTLY profit 10$ per hour or more (to get you a living) then keep playing man (or consider having another, more profiting job), you are one of the very few online professionals who actually profit from this. If you are not making this profit then follow the steps above and quit playing.

 

[Yookiwooki]

A Video Game is a product. The main goal of a product is to make money, not to make you happy. The only goal a game publisher has when they make these games is to make as much money as possible, they are not trying to make a game that will improve your life.

It is dangerous to depend on a video game for your happiness, because this product was not made to make you happy. It can make you happy, and sometimes it does, but when your happiness is determined by the game, you are a slave to it.

 

[comic_relief]

It is dangerous to depend on a video game for your happiness, because this product was not made to make you happy. It can make you happy, and sometimes it does, but when your happiness is determined by the game, you are a slave to it.

just like anything else. You will control it or it will control you.

comic_relief

 

[KontrollerX]

"Computer games are bad for us DJs*. Well, they are bad for anyone."

No they're not.

I'm laughing now just thinking about how many people the game Dance Dance Revolution has helped to get in shape.

Anyway though too much of anything is bad.

Balance is needed for everything to keep one's life in order.

"They eat up our time"

So do a lot of things.

Here is a small list of social activities that are also a waste of time...

1. Playing sports
2. Watching WWE with friends
3. Drinking with friends
4. Doing drugs with friends

The first one is pointless if you're not getting paid for it or training by playing to have the potential to get paid for it IMO, the second one is a time waster for sure, the third one is bad for your health and the fourth one is insanity most of the time at least if you are doing anything stronger than the old green leaf..

"the time we could use to have some real life experiences and skills. Playing WoW in internet isn't social whatever the addicts might say. Computer games are even worse than watching TV. You just cannot about talk about some computer game but you can talk about some interesting TV program you have watched."

Actually my buddy and I talk to eachother all the time about all the bad kids we own in Halo 3 and I send him videos of me pwning kids through Halo 3's new file share and Theater feature.

What is a waste of time in my opinion?

Anything a person feels is harming their life.

Period.

Be it drugs, procrastinating too much or whatever...

Videogames are no better or worse than drinking and drugging with your friends as far as time wasting goes and you can totally socialize playing videogames if you invite your friends over and kick ass with them on your squad while you all are sharing a giant pizza. That or even chatting with them on Xbox Live counts in my book.

In life all that matters is an individual's happiness and fulfillment.

If a person gets more happiness and fulfillment in life chilling out with friends playing videogames than say playing basketball or football or drinking or drugging then I say more power to them.

Anyway though the things I listed were just to point out what could be considered time wasting activities in addition to videogames. Of course they aren't wastes of time depending on the individual who those activities mean a lot to.

What do most people consider not being a waste of time?

Being productive in the work environment, learning new skills, talking to new people and all that jazz but you know what?

If your entire focus is on being productive you are going to stress and burn yourself out.

If videogames are a part of a healthy productive person's stress relief from the daily grind then they are not such a time waster after all but a life saver wouldn't you say? So in that sense they become not a waste of time but productive after all since they serve the very real important purpose of stress relief.

This topic is sadly looking for a scapegoat in the wrong place.

The topic should be about avoiding poor life management skills and learning how to multi task not being anti videogame.

 

[Falcon]

I think we can all agree that addiction to video games is a bad thing.

On video games themselves...

I remember Pook once mentioned that video games seem to fill the void of mythology in our modern age. It lets us actually take part in being the fictional hero in a sense. No more playing with cowboys and Indian figurines, you can actually be the cowboy now!

Personally, I like video games, especially when the developers themselves are incredibly imaginative. I also like video games set in un-realistic situations, something that you would probably never witness in real life. I think once you realize video games are experiments in imagination you will definitely appreciate them more.

 

[BLebowski]

Computer games are even worse than watching TV. You just cannot about talk about some computer game but you can talk about some interesting TV program you have watched.

Riiiiight....99% of TV is bull**** man. Or were you gonna talk about American Idol? If you have to do something not involving games, go to the bookstore and pick up a few good books.

Some people need to lighten up really. All this stuff about 'learning real life skills instead'. Come on, playing a video game once in a while is simply fun. When your entire life is centered around games, that's the bad situation.

There's only 1 really despicable game type: the MMORPG. It truly destroys lives.

 

[Jerry Maguire]

lol, I enjoy playing a couple of hours of video games most days.
it's an enjoyable way to relax and, as long as it's not an unhealthy obsession, is not harmful at all.
remember life is about happiness, not accomplishments.
if you enjoy playing real guitars, playing football, or video games then great.

naive sosuave members, don't listen to this narrow minded advice. don't give up an enjoyable pastime just because somebody on the internutz told you that "men don't play video games" do what makes you happy, while still involving yourself with other hobbies and keep pushing yourself out of your comfort zone once in a while. life is all about balance.

 

[muscleman]

Here is a small list of social activities that are also a waste of time...

1. Playing sports

lol

/endthread