On Gamers and Their Social Lives

[finalark]

NOTE: I originally posted this in the user blogs but I quickly found out that the blogs are broken so I thought that this would be the most appropriate place to re-post this. F8AL, if you don't think this should go here feel free to close/move it.

I have a friend who I usually spend all of the time in between assignments in my math class talking video games with. We do this nearly every day. Today were were going on about our StarCraft II match we had the previous night when the girl who sits next to me entered the conversation by basically telling us that because we play games so much our social lives will soon become nonexistent. I was about to initiate debate mode but then the teacher started his lesson and I decided that it probably wasn't worth debating video games with someone who probably doesn't know her Call of Duty from her Metal Gear.

For whatever reason, there is a stigma within the gamer community that makes us out to be anti-social freaks who only interact with other people when they're yelling at them over Xbox Live. The thing that most people seem to ignore is that video games can enhance your social life rather than hinder it. I don't think I can even count the amount matches of Smash Brothers, StarCraft, Halo, F-Zero, Power Stone and others that my friends and I have bonded over. What most non-gamers seem to miss is that multiplayer is more than just a bunch of twelve-year-olds throwing around cuss words. If you can find a group of people who like the same games that you do then I can gladly say that video games can bring you together just as well as any other mutual interest.

However, this doesn't mean that the opposite isn't true. There are countless news stories talking about problems that video games have caused, and this is what's probably causing this misinformation on the gaming community to spread. You always hear stores about how addiction to games ruins marriages and causes people to die of starvation. But here's the thing, despite what politicians have told the general public, it's not the game's fault if this is happening to you. It's yours and yours alone. If you decided to spend all weekend power leveling your Troll Mage rather than go bowling with your friends then that's your fault. If you decided to spend your weekend trying to unlock a pointless achievement rather than go swimming with your niece then that's your fault. If you decide to cancel all plans with everyone you know just so that way you can you can gun down some aliens then you have absolutely nobody to blame but yourself.

Video games will only destroy your social life if you let them. Video games can bring limitless fun and bonding between you and your friends. However, as long as there are people who don't have self control and get addicted to a game then the general public with never see us as anything but a bunch of anti-social apes who can't comprehend anything but "shoot" and "drop f-bomb."

 

[Brightside6382]

That's why you hide your powerlevel when you are around normal people.

 

[Pikaville]

That's why you hide your powerlevel when you are around normal people.

You're amazing.

Yep I also totally agree with the OP.

I have made lifelong friends because of smash.The fun you can have playing multiplayer games with friends is nearly unrivaled.

 

[TigerWoods]

Video games have most certainly taught me a lot about the world... in it's own way.

SWF is a testament to this I guess. Smash brought me some new friends... and brought me to this site. I've formed a lot of close bonds with people here. The people of this forum taught me a lot about myself. I've changed a lot of my worldviews since my first post on here...

The AE and its members kindled my interest in photograhpy, showed me how to take proper pictures... and explained to me that I was good at taking them. XD

The CM forum taught me a bit about writting stories... and that I actually enjoyed amateur writting.

A game actually inspired me to create the SWF Gym on here. It's a lot of fun watching people grow and develop.

Creo que si... Video games are like a conduit for the sharing of ideas. When people discuss something they both enjoy together... Deeper conversation is inevitable.

 

[O D I N]

That's why you hide your powerlevel when you are around normal people.

You win the internet sir.

Now then onto the topic of being social/not.

I've enjoyed video games probably before I embarked upon the journey that kicked me out of my mother's uterus. Don't ask. Too long of a story for just one night.

Anyway, while I have enjoyed video games, I do find that actually interacting with people face to face, while playing/sans video games, is much more enjoyable than doing the same thing over the internet. There's almost a sort of bond, that occurs when you are interacting with someone face to face rather than through tubes and wires and speakers (if that).

Perhaps bond isn't the right word. But anyone who understands what I mean will... under... stand... >.>

 

[MuraRengan]

Well, I live around mostly idiots so I don't mind being anti-social. If there were people worth hanging out with, I'd hang out with them. But the only thing outside my walls are idiots who do drugs and wear their pants too low. I don't particularly care when people say that I play video games too much, at least I'm not out doing something that could poetntially ruin my life for no good reason.

This, of course, is my own personal situation.

 

[Xatres]

Video games can absolutely be a great way to unwind and hang out with friends. Unfortunately, there is a danger that people should be aware of. That is, a false sense of accomplishment. I refer everyone to read the following article.

5 Creepy Ways Video Games Are Trying to Get You Addicted - Cracked.com

In a nutshell, game designers place tiny rewords in their games that trigger your brain to feel a sense of accomplishment. We have a basic biological need for this in our lives, so gamers should always be careful to A) Actually play games that are fun and B) Not let their entire sense of accomplishment come from a game.

Aside from that, I agree with you that gamers can indeed have very healthy and full social lives.

 

[O D I N]

Well, I live around mostly idiots so I don't mind being anti-social. If there were people worth hanging out with, I'd hang out with them. But the only thing outside my walls are idiots who do drugs and wear their pants too low. I don't particularly care when people say that I play video games too much, at least I'm not out doing something that could poetntially ruin my life for no good reason.

This, of course, is my own personal situation.

Video games are a drug too. Don't let anyone or yourself fool you into thinking they're not as addictive or destructive to your lifestyle.

I'm saying this from firsthand experience. I've seen games ruin lives, and the lives they surround.

 

[Life]

^trollin' for 99.999% of people.

Let's see, $50 for a game I'll most likely get 30+ hours of enjoyment out of (possibly a lot more depending on the game), versus howevermuch to get high for a few minutes.

Yeah, I'll take the gaming TYVM.

I also speak from firsthand experience, as both a gamer and an honors student, that if you get hooked on anything (drugs, games, food, phonics, whatever) it's your fault.

 

[O D I N]

^trollin' for 99.999% of people.

Let's see, $50 for a game I'll most likely get 30+ hours of enjoyment out of (possibly a lot more depending on the game), versus howevermuch to get high for a few minutes.

Yeah, I'll take the gaming TYVM.

I also speak from firsthand experience, as both a gamer and an honors student, that if you get hooked on anything (drugs, games, food, phonics, whatever) it's your fault.

I agree, it IS your own fault. (and never said to do something else, ie drugs)

I'm just saying that anyone who thinks video games aren't destructive will have another thing coming to them.

With moderation, absolutely would I take video games over anything else. Myself, I have never done any drugs, alcohol, etc. Video games have more or less consumed my life.

But this does have an effect on the people around you. Trust me.

http://kotaku.com/5384643/i-kept-playing--the-costs-of-my-gaming-addiction

This is a very good article from a game reviewer on Kotaku. I've known too many people, almost myself included, to where if unchecked, this CAN and WILL get out of hand.

It is my own fault, as would anyone else's. But it is ultimately up to them to want to better themselves.

Look up the definition of addiction sometime. A common misconception is that it ONLY gets applied to drugs and alcohol. You can be addicted to anything, really.

Am I saying video games are bad? OF COURSE NOT (I'm on a video game forum for crying out loud). All I'm saying, is be careful. Listen to your friends and family. Listen to yourself.

As a man who went through therapy, the first step is admitting you have a problem. Don't ignore it.

 

[Deleted member]

I can honestly say that video games have had a lot of influence in me, especially Nintendo systems. Without video games, I would probably be a school nerd who's primarily goal is to make 100's on every assignment and try to be a supergenius.

But since video games were part of my in 1998, I always have a fun hobby to turn to when I feel bored. However, I haven't really played much video games recently and I'm not sure why. Prehaps it's because I don't have a job?

 

[MuraRengan]

Video games are a drug too. Don't let anyone or yourself fool you into thinking they're not as addictive or destructive to your lifestyle.

I'm saying this from firsthand experience. I've seen games ruin lives, and the lives they surround.

I see gaming more as a lifestyle than a drug. Those people whose lives were "destroyed" by gaming probably did it to themselves. But I feel no uncontrollable urge to play games. I play games because I like them, just like how peopel who read books do so because they like them, or any other lifestyle or hobby.

 

[finalark]

Odin's said pretty much everything I wanted to say so I'll just stick my two cents in on the addiction thing.

When I was in elementary school I struggled with video game addiction (mostly because I used them as an escape from all of the excessive bullying I received at the time) and it got to the point where my parents had to take away my Genesis for months. These days I've learned to try and prevent addiction by regulating my game time and forcing myself to stop playing after a certain objective has been reached or I've been playing for a certain number of hours.

But yeah, as I said, video games can be destructive but only if you let them. Then again, I'm pretty sure that the same can be said of anything.

 

[Ryu Shimazu]

NOTE: I originally posted this in the user blogs but I quickly found out that the blogs are broken so I thought that this would be the most appropriate place to re-post this. F8AL, if you don't think this should go here feel free to close/move it.

I have a friend who I usually spend all of the time in between assignments in my math class talking video games with. We do this nearly every day. Today were were going on about our StarCraft II match we had the previous night when the girl who sits next to me entered the conversation by basically telling us that because we play games so much our social lives will soon become nonexistent. I was about to initiate debate mode but then the teacher started his lesson and I decided that it probably wasn't worth debating video games with someone who probably doesn't know her Call of Duty from her Metal Gear.

For whatever reason, there is a stigma within the gamer community that makes us out to be anti-social freaks who only interact with other people when they're yelling at them over Xbox Live. The thing that most people seem to ignore is that video games can enhance your social life rather than hinder it. I don't think I can even count the amount matches of Smash Brothers, StarCraft, Halo, F-Zero, Power Stone and others that my friends and I have bonded over. What most non-gamers seem to miss is that multiplayer is more than just a bunch of twelve-year-olds throwing around cuss words. If you can find a group of people who like the same games that you do then I can gladly say that video games can bring you together just as well as any other mutual interest.

However, this doesn't mean that the opposite isn't true. There are countless news stories talking about problems that video games have caused, and this is what's probably causing this misinformation on the gaming community to spread. You always hear stores about how addiction to games ruins marriages and causes people to die of starvation. But here's the thing, despite what politicians have told the general public, it's not the game's fault if this is happening to you. It's yours and yours alone. If you decided to spend all weekend power leveling your Troll Mage rather than go bowling with your friends then that's your fault. If you decided to spend your weekend trying to unlock a pointless achievement rather than go swimming with your niece then that's your fault. If you decide to cancel all plans with everyone you know just so that way you can you can gun down some aliens then you have absolutely nobody to blame but yourself.

Video games will only destroy your social life if you let them. Video games can bring limitless fun and bonding between you and your friends. However, as long as there are people who don't have self control and get addicted to a game then the general public with never see us as anything but a bunch of anti-social apes who can't comprehend anything but "shoot" and "drop f-bomb."

<3 Hi how're you doing? Been a while, but I can see both sides of this. I think anything can ruin your life given the chance, and I think somethings are more suspecting to doing it than others.

Like Cocaine.

One thing that is really prone to ruining a life though, is MMOs. I can say from experience, I almost got hooked on Maplestory(and lost 70 dollars), and... over the course of 3 years my Final Fantasy XI file was 780ish days?

Yeah...it can get bad if you let it get bad. (But I recovered now )

I also agree with the making of friends, except making them online can suck. When I left FFXI..we all gradually faded apart, and I miss them dearly, but it was just how it goes. Lifelong friends is a rare thing, though.

But really, if WoW and Halo-type gamers (the stereotypes) didn't exist, this all wouldn't be brought up so much.

 

[finalark]

But really, if WoW and Halo-type gamers (the stereotypes) didn't exist, this all wouldn't be brought up so much.

Actually WoW has a **** fine community, it's just the troublemakers who are in the minority that you ever hear about.

EDIT: But yeah, MMOs can be real life-eaters. Although I never really got addicted to them (I've been playing WoW on and off since 2006 and I'm only level 76).

 

[kr3wman]

I just noticed some troll on youtube posted a comment (a month ago, lol, I don't check my channel often) on my channel bashing me for having video games as a hobby in response to a reply I gave him on some video where he was trolling...

which was probably video game related.

huh.

 

[Ryu Shimazu]

@ Finalark: I was saying the stereo types

 

[finalark]

@ Finalark: I was saying the stereo types

I know, it just annoys me when WoW players all get clumped into the "hopeless raging addict" category.

 

[Ryu Shimazu]

^ Na. I played mmos, so it'd be fairly hypocritical, as I myself was a player. Also...I have friends who are not the stereotypes XD.


Wayyyy off topic but, I'm about to get into Pokemon TCG XD. Extra money from my job and honestly it looks pretty fun. Magic does too ,but it's more costy.