Video games: why do we play them?

[Zenith]

Okay now we all have video games and consoles, but why do we play em?

My stepfather says playing video games only makes you stupider and everytime me or someone else I know makes a mistake or accident he flames us on how video games will make us make more and more mistakes.

Now I'm not asking on how to respond to my stepfather because he is always right and he has me scared to touch a controller.

But back to the point, we all play video games for our entertainment, but is it pointless? Do we become stupider through excessive play? Are we wasting money on stuff that'll do this to us? I just wanna know what everyone else thinks. (I'm kinda depressed)

And ppl just pressure me until I wish that they were gone.

Thanks for your consideration - Zenith of TPS

 

[Office_Shredder]

You become stupider by playing video games? What should you do instead, bash heads against somebody in football? Video games are safer than most activities, it seems like a smart thing to do

 

[Zero Beat]

I play them for the competetiveness, joy, and pride(Pride for me : Halo/DOA Ultimate/DOA4/Soul Calibur 2/3, and SSBM). Halo system links = Made of Holy **** and Pure Win.

#2
You become stupider by playing video games? What should you do instead, bash heads against somebody in football? Video games are safer than most activities, it seems like a smart thing to do

Personally, I do both and maintain a balanced life. I try not to over-do things unless they're meant to be over-done.

Extremist----------Virtue------------Follish.
Strive for the middle is my protocol.

 

[supermariopro101]

No! Video games have a lot of logic and deep thinking skills. Not to mentoin hand and eye coordination.
Take Meteos and Tetris for example, you must have quick thinking and strategy to be good at these games. I don't know why you would think video games would make you stupider, especially with brain age out now. Video Games is for something to do when you are born. As long as you aren't playing them 24/7 I think it's safe to say video games cannot be compared to making more mistakes. And Video Game industries show no signs of quitting anytime soon so just tell your stepdad to lay off or just ignore it.

 

[FastFox]

I get turned on by all the little characters..
..
.

Just kidding. We play them because they offer us another reality to escape to. Often one more interesting than our own. They give us the chance to be whoever we want, be it someone with a huge sword, or a bounty hunter in space. They can relieve us of stress that we feel from the real life, and can be a really good conversation starter. Your stepdad might as well be saying that books are bad too, as they can also take us to an alternate world. Think as a video game as an animated, interactive book. Most RPG's have the same amount of words as a regular novel. Video games in no way are bad for you.

 

[typh]

We can take random samples of the Melee Discussion room to see if your elder is correct.

i have a things first i ground spiked a lvl 9 com and the match was over in 6 secs

second i made an amazing 30 second combo gettin a yoshi to 120 percent ending with a spike unfortunetly the time ended id say a nano second be4 he would hav died i was like NOOOOOOOOO

Daddy: 1 Us: 0

And I demand you unquote my edited post! It never existed!

 

[Zero Beat]

I think they don't make you stupider.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

If someone could scientificly back up how video-games make you stupid, then maybe i'd care enough to consider it. Otherwise, GTFO. I'm with you.

 

[Matt]

My brother and his friend brought their Nintendo DS's to the theatre last night when we waited an hour before X-Men 3 started. A few other people in the theatre also had their DS's. Everyone played Mario Kart together. <3 Nintendo

It's a fun and engaging form of entertainment, it brings people together, and it enhances problem solving skills and fine motor skills as well. Some surgeons warm up their motor skills before an operation by playing video games. True stuff.

I personally play games to escape responsibility and reality (the reality being that I have tons of responsibilities I'm escaping). And it tends to be a cheaper alternative to alcohol. I mean, unless we're talking about Pabst.

Well, not only cheaper for the most part, but much better tasting. Mmm, I just love the taste of Mario!

 

[ZMan]

I play them because I have nothiong better to do during summer break.

 

[Matt]

Nosir! There is always something better to do instead of indulging oneself in hours and hours of entertainment. I won't call it needless, but there are certainly always better options available. At least, this is true if you have a conscience that's as unforgiving as mine...

*sobs* I should be writing!! What am I doing here?! KILL ME

 

[supermariopro101]

Nosir! There is always something better to do instead of indulging oneself in hours and hours of entertainment. I won't call it needless, but there are certainly always better options available. At least, this is true if you have a conscience that's as unforgiving as mine...

Talk about pot calling the kettle black.
But seriously, playing video games 24/7 can be bad for your health.

 

[Zenith]

It still trips me out tho.
He proves that it has corrupted my mind.

Like all adults he says that old stupid sayin:
WE NEVER HAD VIDEO GAMES WHEN WE WERE YOUNG, WE HAD TO PLAY OUTSIDE!!!

But he has experiense in almost all important fields so he outsmarts me at anything.

 

[supermariopro101]

It still trips me out tho.
He proves that it has corrupted my mind.

Like all adults he says that old stupid sayin:
WE NEVER HAD VIDEO GAMES WHEN WE WERE YOUNG, WE HAD TO PLAY OUTSIDE!!!

But he has experiense in almost all important fields so he outsmarts me at anything.

Your stepdad sounds just like my dad. No ones perfect so you must accept the fact that your stepdad is not always right.

 

[Zero Beat]

It still trips me out tho.
He proves that it has corrupted my mind.

Like all adults he says that old stupid sayin:
WE NEVER HAD VIDEO GAMES WHEN WE WERE YOUNG, WE HAD TO PLAY OUTSIDE!!!

But he has experiense in almost all important fields so he outsmarts me at anything.

Well we have games now. And there's a reason why we have them, to play them. Simple concept.

 

[Resting_Fox]

Well some video games make you dumb. You jsut have to notice whether of not your analytical thinking skills are being challenged. Strategy games, for instance, are highly cerebral and exercise one's ability to think ahead and assess situations, which are obvious necessities to living.

But if your stepdad's complaining about you being stupid, you could read books just as much as you play games. Then he would have less grounds for his judgements.

 

[Uncle Meat]

What was the name of that game that was making people with Alsheimers forget stuff faster?

EDIT: Slower, I mean!

 

[Zenith]

What was the name of that game that was making people with Alsheimers forget stuff faster?

Pppl with Alseimers play video games?
OMG

 

[Uncle Meat]

Well, they did this study with some Nintendo DS game where they had people with Alsheimers play it and they were forgetting stuff slower.

*NOT FASTER, MY MISTAKE!

 

[Zero Beat]

Pppl with Alseimers play video games?
OMG

According to Uncle Meat, yes. And they "started to forget stuff".

Anyways, I don't see how playing video games has affected my thinking at all.

 

[Lt. Killjoy]

Well, then you're foolish. Video games do affect your brain. I'm not going to do research though, because playing video games has made me the smartest man alive and an expert on the subject! I'm also not going to say how they affect your brain. I'm just going to say that when you play against me you'd better learn to be a good loser boy because I bring the pizzain mo fo. I mean you'd best be steppin' cause my shizznit is gonna rain on you like it just hit the fan, the ceiling fan none the less. You must understand I am 1337!!!11!11!!

 

[Matt]

You're thinking of Brain Age, which is part of a 3 game series that started in Japan to help train your mind. The average player is age 45, or so I've heard.

 

[Shazz]

It still trips me out tho.
He proves that it has corrupted my mind.

Like all adults he says that old stupid sayin:
WE NEVER HAD VIDEO GAMES WHEN WE WERE YOUNG, WE HAD TO PLAY OUTSIDE!!!

But he has experiense in almost all important fields so he outsmarts me at anything.

No offence but it doesn't sound like you're very old.. In time, you will come to totally ignore everything your parents say.

Nah but seriously, just remember that people we respect and look up to will (such as fathers and mothers) make you believe alot of stuff that are questionable at the very least.

 

[Rici]

Nah but seriously, just remember that people we respect and look up to will (such as fathers and mothers) make you believe alot of stuff that are questionable at the very least.

Very true, somehow I let my mother tell me that the sky is blue because the little water particles reflects the sea(I was 7 or 8 I think ,so I believed it lol).

 

[deathblazer]

I think around 1/3 of us are addicted to video games like SSBM and will be addicted to SSBB.

 

[Mud Buddha]

Okay now we all have video games and consoles, but why do we play em?

My stepfather says playing video games only makes you stupider and everytime me or someone else I know makes a mistake or accident he flames us on how video games will make us make more and more mistakes.

Now I'm not asking on how to respond to my stepfather because he is always right and he has me scared to touch a controller.

But back to the point, we all play video games for our entertainment, but is it pointless? Do we become stupider through excessive play? Are we wasting money on stuff that'll do this to us? I just wanna know what everyone else thinks. (I'm kinda depressed)

Thanks for your consideration - Zenith of TPS

1) It's pointless in the same way that reading books or visiting Art Galleries are pointless. It's all subjective.

2) No, you don't.

3) See the first and second points.

 

[Zenith]

No offence but it doesn't sound like you're very old.. In time, you will come to totally ignore everything your parents say.

Nah but seriously, just remember that people we respect and look up to will (such as fathers and mothers) make you believe alot of stuff that are questionable at the very least.

How funny

I'M ONLY 15

 

[Uncle Meat]

I'm fifteen, too, and my brain has developed normally.

 

[Zenith]

I'm fifteen, too, and my brain has developed normally.

OMG
Uncle Meat is my age. Seriously, everyone is old enough to hold a job.

Nothing wrong with this brain, itz just my stepfather and him always proving me wrong and stupid.
And I don't like being wrong.

 

[Tipo mastr]

OMG
Uncle Meat is my age. Seriously, everyone is old enough to hold a job.

Nothing wrong with this brain, itz just my stepfather and him always proving me wrong and stupid.
And I don't like being wrong.

Do any of us?

 

[Shazz]

OMG
Uncle Meat is my age. Seriously, everyone is old enough to hold a job.

Nothing wrong with this brain, itz just my stepfather and him always proving me wrong and stupid.
And I don't like being wrong.

I figured you'd take it the wrong way. I'm not saying your stupid, and you're most probably not, but when people like your stepfather, with seemingly vast knowledge (from your perspective), tells you something, you are way more subject to the information.
It's common to swallow every hook rather easily. It's because you have a sort of elderly respect towards him (I'm guessing).

What I was trying to say is that I don't think he's 100 % right, and I think if you reflect upon it, you'll find flaws in his statements. Adults always attack video games with accusations.

For example:

They waste time that could be spent doing homework or doing domestic choirs.
They create killers and/or violent people.
They make your brain slower etc.


Only 1 there is 100 % true, have a guess .



PS. This post is not stating the fact that you have this kind of respect that I'm trying to describe, but IF you have that kind of relationship with your stepdad, I'd think twice about the discussions. Kind of confusing to write it actually, hope you get it a little at least.

 

[twally]

as far as i am concerned, video games are just a fun and exciting way for me to beat my friends in something. it is no differnt from baseball, scrabble, or an eating contest...well, you do different things in each, but each is a competition to prove who is the ultimate. that's it. it is about fun and competition. how can ya go wrong?

 

[Baron_54]

You guys make me feel old... but I've found that games help me a lot in what is to eventually become my career, since not only do they relieve me from stress, but they inspire me character-wise, plot-wise, etc.
Take for example, Fire Emblem, the first one I played, I was impressed by the idea of 48 main characters each with their own detailed backstory, personalities and abilities, and incorporated such idea into my work.

 

[thedocsalive]

Like all adults he says that old stupid sayin:
WE NEVER HAD VIDEO GAMES WHEN WE WERE YOUNG, WE HAD TO PLAY OUTSIDE!!!

Outside is where the Civil War happened!

I think we play video games because we can do things we could never do in real life. It's the same reason some people read, except video games are interactive and we can control what happens. It's fun.

 

[ixnayonthehombre]

Video games are all about being different. While nobody here is really a freak, I can almost(key-word=almost)be absolutely sure that nobody on this site is or ever was the captain of his high school football team. At one point in your life, whether consciously or unconsciously, you decided to play video games instead of go outside...and while you can play videogames with your friends, it all stems from being anti-social(even if it's just a little bit). I mean, almost(again, key-word=almost)everyone who clinically plays video games is smart, so they can't be all bad for you...especially RPGs, many of which are more text-heavy than some novels.

 

[Zink]

Psh. I'm a heavy gamer and in 2 years I could be soccer team captain. Along with originator of the fencing team. And I'm not set up too badly academic-wise either. Getting rid of this stereotype is part of Nintendo's goal.

 

[Sporkman]

Or your step dads sorta like me, i noticed i can argue alot of points well and play quite a good devils advocate. Its doubtful he has these seemingly vast quantities of knowledge, i dont, im reasonably intelligent but im no steven hawking, most of what i say is taking what someone else says and turning it on its head, leeching off what they know. Although most points i argue on i do have a reasonable base intellect of the subject.

Its been mentioned and touched on by a couple of people but the main reason people play video games is escapism. The chance to be someone your not and experience something which you cant have in this 'world', if you will. Role-Playing Games (RPG's) are the most popular kind of escapism. I can really be bothered going into it and giving examples.

Your step dad is actually quite wrong. I can only speak for some pc games and not consoles, but some studies have shown that video games can be beneficial to mental attributes. Studies of Call of Duty (CoD) on pc were taken and it was shown that people who played this video game reguarly had faster reactions then people who dont play this video game or any similar ones (such as Counter Strike) often. As people have said, video games of chess can have insanely intelligent Artificial Intelligence which can only serve to make the human player more intelligent over multiple games. Real Time Strategy games (RTS's) can make people knowledgable of history, Shogun: Total War is a good example and i learnt a good deal about ancient Japan and its civil war, and much more effeciently then if i was reading a book simply due to the interaction (i also learnt how certain units should be used in war but the chances of wars being fought with sword and shield etc nowadays are very slim )
Hand-eye co-ordination is something else that improves with play of video games, but again only certain types. Certain types of video games change different things, Management sims are unlikely going to increase reactions, and at least nowhere near as much as a First Person Shooter (FPS) where just a couple of shots if the difference between continuing to play and watching the respawn ticker count down.

And finally the whole sports thing. Its doubtful anyone on this forum was captain of the (american) football team, simply as forums are considered more of a 'geeky' thing, and 'he' is most likely got enough friends he knows personally to chat to on msn without needing to get to know some more. But you can bet hes played video games before, he probably wasnt very good at them, but he has definatly played them, what do you think he does when hes not playing sports, partying or banging the prom queen? I myself am quite a fan of playing sports, used to be quite good at football (the REAL man's game, and only called soccer by ladyboys) but having just come out of the long cold winters we get here (in England), im a little bit rusty wont be long before its rectified.

Oh, and im 17.

 

[pokemonmaster01]

The same people who stare at the television for hours on end tell us that video games make us stupid and these people constantly criticize games. You know, video games require considerably more brain power than television, which requires what? Consciousness?

 

[Uncle Meat]

My friend's dad's friend did a study that showed a larger percentage of guild leaders from MMOs like Everquest became executives in companies than those who did not lead guilds/play the game. Hardly surprising when you think about it.

 

[rounder_nk]

video games have no outstanding affect in either direction on your intelligence. They might stretch the hand eye and visual part of your cerebrum. Games only start to have a negative effect if they take the place of fundamental and necessary parts of your life (ie exercise work etc.). Personally i play games at a reasonable distance from the tv for 2 hours maximum (this isn't even a regular daily basis). On the weekends i might play longer hours with friends but that's when i finished the imperatives. It serves as an anti drug.

 

[sheepyman]

I did a study that proved the following: Uncle Meat is not 15. He is 35. He is my brother and we are very familiar with each other. Just kidding. He's 14. I'm 15. He's lying because being younger than Zenith would be quite the akward position. Let's give it to him for now.

Aside from that, I am doubtful of the authenticity of Zenith's alleged age. I have a feeling that he's more in the realm of 12 or 13.

Zenith, your father is wrong. It doesn't make you dumber, if you think about it. How exactly does it "rot the mind"? If you think carefully, that means that it either A) Kills neurons/brain cells or B) Is literally removing knowledge from you. The latter is incredibly unlikely (unless you, during gameplay, are completely forgetting you knew certain things), and the former is true only if watching TV or a movie, or looking at a screen with movement in general, does the same. Why? Because there are two senses being affected during gaming: Touch, and Sight. Let's rule out sight for a minute, for the purpose of clarifying, and we arrive at the conclusion that the movement you're making (with your hands) is causing this brain decay. If this is the case, then forms of hand movement that involve a handheld unit must rot your brain, which is obviously false. This is why if it's something, it's sight. And obviously, it's not, and therefore we must conclude that there is no brain decay going on. This doesn't mean that playing a game that allows you to vividly experience a role doesn't cause you to display behaviors associated with the role. That all depends on your state of mind. I play this game all the time and I'm in Calculus 3 (at age 15). It's not Steven Hawking, but it's good enough to say that I don't have a rotten brain. Honestly though, I don't believe that you're 15. If you are, then you are a very callow one.