I feel that a lot of people play games because its another outlet to achieve some sort of success. Whether its meeting new friends that share a common activity, playing competively, or just escaping from the world (single player).
I play games because I was a competitive basketball player until my sophmore year in high school, when I quit the JV team because I could not stand the coach that was there. I would have been on varsity the following year but unfortunately the head coach left, and the other coach became promoted. I was still active in the recreational league until I was 18, then I stopped playing competitively as I was not skilled enough to even pretend to try out for my college team (low end division 1 school).
I've always had a video game talent I knew since I was younger. My first major FPS, the one I didn't play with a gamepad that resembled something of a PS1 controller was Starsiege tribes. I felt that was a great experience for me because I learned how to not only use a mouse effectively for aiming, but I learned how to manipulate the Z axis (i.e. Jetpacking) which not only taught me how to swing the mouse for reflex shots, it also taught me how to use non-hit scan weapons effectively (i.e. spinfusor). I took that knowledge and applied it to other games.
After a year or so I started playing Counter Strike competitively, and made it all the way to CAL I after a few years of grinding it out in the lower end teams to build a reputation. My team fell apart, despite being mostly local, and I moved into a dorm with no internet access when I was 19. Thats when I found out about natural selection when I found myself going home to play the game or bringing my computer to the computer lab to play it.
Again, the reason I play games is because I enjoy a good multiplayer challenge, as human behavior can sometimes be predictable, but at other times can catch you off guard. I enjoy the ability to show off some improvisation, as I have been playing guitar for around 12 years and I love to improvise when I play, and at the same time I love to learn the ins and outs of the game, and push my abilities along with my team's to the highest level possible. That to me is what is so fun about gaming.
Also Caboose, if you need any help with your psychology assignments, I am currently obtaining a Masters in Psychological Counseling, and I have a psychology degree from my undergraduate days. If you have any questions feel free to find me on IRC or send a message on the boards.
I've been playing games since I was a little kid, before I was even in grade school. I remember playing on an NES at a friend's house, various games on Windows 3.1, etc. Like most people, I play because they're fun; I like the challenge, the feeling of accomplishment when I do something right. I didn't really get into online games until Starcraft came out, but these days, multiplayer games are able to hold my interest for much longer because there's a dynamic element involved. I don't mind the social interaction, but it's not why I play multiplayer games; it's the idea of competing with (and beating, of course <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />) another human instead of curbstomping an mindless set of algorithims programmed into the game. I've found myself leaning towards the power-gamer type a bit lately, playing to reach a higher standard, with more of a focus on winning, but I still like just fooling around, with no regard for victory sometimes.
I started playing video games on the NES and SNES with the Mario series. My first computer game was Age of Empires, my first online game was Starcraft, and my first online FPS was Counter-strike. The funny thing is that this isn't a progression as much as it's a branching interest. Instead of moving from consoles to computers or moving from offline RTS to online RTS to FPS, I just kinda picked them up along the way. I still enjoy the Mario series and the Age of Empires series, I pop onto Battlenet every now and then, and I still frequent a great Counter-strike server where I know I can hop on and enjoy some team combat.
I play games for the fun of them, and I think that immersion, strategy, action, and human interaction are fun. Blend them all together and I get RTS games of all flavors and team-based FPS games ranging from lightly tactical (CS) to more strategic (NS). I tend toward multiplayer because everything is more fun with a friend to rag on or maybe just a stranger on the other side of the internet who you can chat with while you're dead.
Because those elements I listed above are somewhat broad, I'm a freak when you look at what I play now: in the last month or so, I've played Guild Wars, Natural Selection, Counter-Strike, Age of Empires III, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Castlevania DS, and Dungeons and Dragons (sometimes you need to get away from the computer and talk to real people, not the mythical creatures on the intertubes).
I play primarily multiplayer games because they're interactive, social and skillful - its just another hobbie to me really. The same could be said of the 5 aside football I play, same reason for it.
I do play the odd single player and its mainly for the story and atmosphere that you don't get in multiplayer.
I got into really due to my Father and Grandad - my Grandad was a programmer and my Dad worked for a company which outsourced PC support. As a result it was pretty natural for computers to be a mainstay at home and for me to be introduced to them at an early age - I was playing on the early Atari consoles and then later the speccies when I was 3-4 years old.
I simply developed gaming as a hobbie at a very early age and its one i've kept as i've grown up.
I had my first gamechip inserted into my skull when I was two months old. Over the years my model was substantially upgraded. The experiment was deemed a failure at some point in the nineties. I believe it was '94, but I'm not sure, my memory of the events is sketchy. At that point, the chip was taken from me (my family tried to sue but de gubernment discredited and lampooned us), and since I have been suffering from withdrawal symptoms that can only be characterised as 'violent' whenever I cease to play games for a period of over fourteen hours. In fact, an experiment (illegal) in which I was physically restrained for two weeks brought me to the precipice of homicidal psychopathy. They claim that playing video games makes you violent, but in my particular case it is the only thing that keeps me from slaughtering the entire western hemisphere with my bare hands (or, failing that, with my incredibly manly and pronounced eyebrows) for what they did to me. They claim that I would never be able to do that. But I know that the wholesale ban on video games is coming. And then they'll see. They'll all see.
After that I'm immigrating to Sri Lanka to open a fashion boutique.
I play games for almost every reason there is, good and bad, except venting anger - that reason's just stupid. Started gaming on the Atari and was hooked straight off. Moved on to the NES, from the Mario games to the Dragon Warrior games and loved em all. loved the stories and the challenge and the distraction and immersion solo, and loved playing with friends for the socialization. one of my favorite multiplayer memories was playing the original Battletoads on the NES with a friend - infinite lives with the Game Genie, we played the co-op mode and killed each other along with the enemies for hours.
tangent: one of the best marketing moves Nintendo ever made was sending me Dragon Warrior for free. There was just a coupon in Nintendo Power - cut it out, send it in, and they sent me the game and I think a T-shirt for free. no company would dream of doing that today, but if they hadn't, I might never have gotten hooked on RPGs. I loved it and bought dragon warrior 2 through 4 as they came out, all the final fantasies, etc...
there have been times where I was depressed and used video games to stave off (or perhaps prolong?) the depression, but overall I'd consider them a very positive part of my life. I don't know what I'd fill my time with if I didn't have games. TV is mostly boring, sports make me retch. movies are good but expensive. these days I raid nightly in WoW with my guild and my fiance, and I try to squeeze in other games where I can... I think it all balances out pretty well.
I've just realized that a majority of my gaming time isn't actually spent playing games. I've invested countless hours just looking at how they work and building them, molding them into my own designs. Barring a lack of transportation my senior year in high school I could quite possibly be a programmer right now (bah, programming only being taught at one high school in a city).
I guess I just like to feel like I'm accomplishing something (as the real reason to play). Unfortunately, almost every thing I start ends up being shelved half finished. I've worked on:
NS level (woot, ns_docked), which is my attempt at creating a fully realized deck of a spaceship. Unfortunately it's only about 1/10 completed (I usually do everything at once, lighting, architecture, sound, effects...so the design goes slowly and I end up getting kind of bored).
DoD and then (now) DoD:S map dod_neuville (probably about 1/5 complete, geometry wise, anyway).
CS:S map - probably about the only thing that I've made that has ever come remotely close to being finished...it's a house designed for close quarters CS-zombies action (because normal CS:S sucks). I've only played it on a LAN with my friends...but I'd like to think it's a cool map (plus it's probably 9/10 complete, but it's small). [If anyone wants to try this map out, feel free to send me a PM and I can email it to you, if you want to try some CQB...the bots don't necessarily always work the best, but it does have fun parts...in fact, I also created 3 other really quick maps for zombie-based havoc, some more finished than others, if anyone wants to try them]
Hearts of Iron 2 mod, which adds tons of historical sub plots and real historical events (with pictures!)...I only ever finished 3/4s of 1936 (but that encompasses probably 100+ events and event trees).
Urban Assault - an old game that came with my joystick, I learned how to modify their level creation .txt files to such a way that I could create my own levels (or cheat and give myself about 20 sectors full of turrets so the computer couldn't destroy my host station since I was, admittedly, fairly inept at actually playing the game at age 14).
Age of Empires 2/ex - I created one of the most in-depth RPG scenarios you've ever seen. It was then lost in a computer crash and never released (at about 1/2 completion). I then attempted to recreate it, and that went along pretty well...I might even have a copy of that scenario <i>somewhere</i> (also half-created). In Germany I spent some of my time designing a scenario for me and my roommate to play on a team against a relentless computer assault, which was pretty fun.
Civilization 2 - I created a mod of Aliens versus Predators, with hand made artwork (the xenomorph looked good...the other stuff, not so much - the tech tree was awesome, split into 3 trees for Predators, Aliens and Human factions)...plus it had a new volcanic terrain to replace Tundra and some different resources (borrowed from a Mars scenario, I think)...never really finished at all...
Sim City 2000/3000 - I built so many buildings and cities that I can't even remember half of them. I also built some cities for a diorama of geographic land structures that I printed off and put on my paper mache island for a school project ...It was sweet.
Neverwinter Nights - I had a pretty cool mod, some fun, intriquing quests (heck, my newbie quests were awesome - find a stone relating to earth, wind, water and fire in the town (one in a fire pit, one where you can hear wind blowing loudest, etc.) along with a cool Lizard guy who let you play a riddle game for money and exp. Unfortunately my NWN disc 1 snapped in half (well, it has about a 2 inch long crack, anyway), and I refuse to put it anywhere near my CD-ROM...plus there's NWN2 now anyway.
I've edited M:TW/R:TW/RoN/Civ2/3/4/AvP/HL and countless other games to fit my whim. I can delve into any sort of .xml file or something and change the game to be something more fun to play (well, generally). My HoI2 mod started simply as somethng from playing with events...but then (before sort of dying) became a full fledged undertaking.
I also have multiple VB 'games' that sit very unfinished, an RPG, a multiplayer Risk-style game, a time travel game. If I knew C++ I'd probably be more interested, since I doubt anyone wants to play crappy VB games (heck, I think it's gone from VB6 to VB.net or something now).
I guess I play video games to bend a make believe world to my every whim...that's probably a good, popular reason to play for some people. You can do things never possible in the real world, you can create things that you couldn't make otherwise, you can exercise your knowledge and you can create a unique story (my AoE2 story was kind of generic, but fun to play with 3 other people, despite its unfinished form). I just like the potential to control my own and others future actions, I suppose (be it with simple walls or actual events).
*This overly verbose post brought to you by UltimaGecko's fingers - why write a 20 page history paper when you can waste your time typing useless garbage in a forum?
<!--quoteo(post=1579874:date=Nov 23 2006, 04:27 AM:name=Comprox)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Comprox @ Nov 23 2006, 04:27 AM) [snapback]1579874[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> My first PC was a 486 (yah, Im old in comparison to some, like the dude above me <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />). Think I was playing Police Quest 1 first off. My friends dad was big into computers back then, and from visits to his house, got more into them.
I play games for 2 reasons. I play single player games for a good story. Even games which are downright terrible, Ill end up cheating through, just to see how the story turns out. I also play for socialism as well in the multiplayer games. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
POLICE QUEST ZOMG!
Haha, I remember that game! I even remember the awesome and silly tune you heard when you drove that "police car" around the "city". Lol.
<!--quoteo(post=1581591:date=Nov 28 2006, 01:33 PM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolfighter @ Nov 28 2006, 01:33 PM) [snapback]1581591[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> I had my first gamechip inserted into my skull when I was two months old. Over the years my model was substantially upgraded. The experiment was deemed a failure at some point in the nineties. I believe it was '94, but I'm not sure, my memory of the events is sketchy. At that point, the chip was taken from me (my family tried to sue but de gubernment discredited and lampooned us), and since I have been suffering from withdrawal symptoms that can only be characterised as 'violent' whenever I cease to play games for a period of over fourteen hours. In fact, an experiment (illegal) in which I was physically restrained for two weeks brought me to the precipice of homicidal psychopathy. They claim that playing video games makes you violent, but in my particular case it is the only thing that keeps me from slaughtering the entire western hemisphere with my bare hands (or, failing that, with my incredibly manly and pronounced eyebrows) for what they did to me. They claim that I would never be able to do that. But I know that the wholesale ban on video games is coming. And then they'll see. They'll all see. After that I'm immigrating to Sri Lanka to open a fashion boutique. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Haha, you're a funny guy <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
Let's see. Our first computer was an Amiga Commodore A600, along with a whole bunch of games. I was just like 4 7 years old and I didn't even know what english was, and I had major troubles with getting the games to start.
Heh, I have this bizarre memory from when me and my dad desperately tried to start this game by clicking on the README file. Not even my dad knew how to start a game <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> So it was all luck when we actually got it to work.
Some of the games we had for that machine was Hunter, Mortal Kombat and Cannon Fodder.
Next up was the Nintendo, and we had a lot of fun with it. Me and my brother used to play Double Dragon together a lot.
Then after many years we finally got the SNES. We didn't have many games, we borrowed and rented games instead. Some of the games I remember was Super Metroid (my personal fave), Super Mario World, F-Zero, and Yoshi's Island.
Then we got a N64 in 1998 or 97 I can't remember exactly, and I got my first PC in 2004.
Anyway, I play games because they entertain me and they give me something to do when I'm bored, simply put.
Then after many years we finally got the SNES. We didn't have many games, we borrowed and rented games instead. Some of the games I remember was Super Metroid (my personal fave), Super Mario World, F-Zero, and Yoshi's Island.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No Jurassic Park? Bah. At least get a Mario Kart or Chrono Trigger in there or something <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> .
(Super Metroid and Super Mario World are ++ though)
Jurassic Park on the SNES was one of the first games to really shake me. I'd often stand at a door thinking "I don't want to go in there, I don't want to go in there, I don't want to...". Never got so unnerved since then until the Marine Campaign in Alien vs Predator (the atmospheric PC game though, not the cool arcade game :3 ).
No girlfriend/wife/######buddy to take up my time. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
<!--quoteo(post=1582895:date=Dec 1 2006, 08:02 PM:name=Geminosity)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Geminosity @ Dec 1 2006, 08:02 PM) [snapback]1582895[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Jurassic Park on the SNES was one of the first games to really shake me. I'd often stand at a door thinking "I don't want to go in there, I don't want to go in there, I don't want to...". Never got so unnerved since then until the Marine Campaign in Alien vs Predator (the atmospheric PC game though, not the cool arcade game :3 ). <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--quoteo(post=1583141:date=Dec 2 2006, 02:12 AM:name=Revlic)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Revlic @ Dec 2 2006, 02:12 AM) [snapback]1583141[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> Was alot better on the Sega Genesis. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'd have to disagree here, this is one of the cool things about old consoles, you didn't just always get simple copies from console to console. Jurassic Park on the Genesis and the SNES were vastly different. They had nothing in common aside from using movie characters and dinosaurs.
SNES JP - top down shooter, except in doors where it'd be first person; story-based exploration and puzzle solving to a minor extent. The goal was to collect eggs.
Genesis JP - side scrolling shooter/platformer. The goal is essentially to get to the right side of the screen (except occasional difference). You could play as the raptor...plus the T-Rex was awesome for back in the day. He freaked me out as an 10 year old. It was like "OMG, OMG, OMG, T-Rex! AHHHH" To be fair, the reaction of seeing the T-Rex in the SNES version was similar. Both games actually only had one weakness for the T-Rex...plus at the beginning of the game the T-Rex roars "Sega" which is sweet.
Sega CD JP - puzzle game, very limited shooting. A very unique sort of game. Some pretty good atmosphere, but I always sucked at it. I haven't seen it in my room for the past 10 years, though, so I have no idea where it went. Again, T-Rex = ZOMG! You ran around collecting eggs, risking your life for no apparent reason other than saving the eggs to bring them to the mainland to unleash a mighty dinosaur apocalypse across the globe...or something.
NES JP - similar to SNES, except no first person...and the plot/goal is a bit more ...uhh...hidden. I could never get past the first T-Rex level...I just had no idea what to do.
Gamegear JP - kind of like the Genesis JP, except crappier graphics and some helicopter shooting spree thing. It made less sense than the NES version.
Thus ends my experience with original JP games on consoles...PSone managed to get a JP:Lost World game, it had awesome graphics, but was essentially a side scroller...kind of annoying really, since there were like no save points. Looked neat though (also had a holographic case, only one I've seen, reminded me of the gold Zelda cartridges).
Thus ends the Jurassic Park console game descriptions (SNES = most fun)
I dunno I still get cravings to play the Genesis version of Jurassic Park.
The Gamegear version blowed chunks, even then, it had a jeep game that was pretty much the highlight.
But the thing I liked about the Genesis version was the fact it took quite a bit of skill to sleep raptors. Not to mention using concussion grenades or rockets. It was made using the same system as Aliens 3.
not many people remember the Jurassic Park PC game.
Never played the SNES of Jurassic Park though. But the PC game was the same thing. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
whaaaat? You never played it yet you said the Genesis version was better? silly :p
I don't doubt they were both good... I don't really remember much of the Megadrive version but it was fun. The SNES one was the one that genuinely frayed my nerves though :3
I should mention that I';m fairly drunk at the momnt, so you wouldn't otherwise get so honest an answer. And I'm probably going to regret being so bloody honest later.
Why do I play games? for lack of somethung better to do. Because I'm procrastinating. Because I'm running awa from doin something that I wshould be doing or dealing with something I don't want to do. For fun; for the storyline. For feeling like I'm interacting with people, for competition. For the glory of victory.
At the moment... for lack of soething better to do. Sometimes I don't even really enjoy what I'm doinig on the computer but do so because I can't think of a better alternative or because I on;t want to et on with doing whatever else it is I have to do.
Ideally, though, I play them because I enjoy them; either for the competitive challenge of beating someone else, or for the mental challenge of puzzle solving (less so these days since I'm now employed full-time as a programmer, and the last thing I want to do when I get home is do any kind of heavy brain work). I enjoy games that make me think; that actually have good storylnies to them.
<!--quoteo(post=1582474:date=Nov 30 2006, 11:11 PM:name=UltimaGecko)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(UltimaGecko @ Nov 30 2006, 11:11 PM) [snapback]1582474[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--> No Jurassic Park? <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Haha, we borrowed that game too... several times <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
Ive been playing games since before I was 2 years old :o
I think the heirarchy was something like Spectrum>NES>SNES>Atari>Amiga>PC/N64/PS2
The first two being mostly single player games, Faxanadu's music used to give me nightmares (my dad used to play it), SNES multiplayer games like SF2, Mario Kart, Bomberman (hell even multiplayer Secret of Mana when my cousin brought it round) ontop of the staple classic single player games. Amiga classics such as Alien Breed, The Settlers (again multiplayer), X-Com blahblahblah '95 C&C, '97* Starcraft, Duke Nukem, '98 Quake2 Halflife, '00 CS, '02 NS
I got the internets on and off a while but finally had an isp my parents would let me use in 97/98, the PC was in my dads study and I was very rarely allowed to use the 'net (plus I had to pay them for it with my pocket money aww lol) this started out as saturday mornings several hours playing starcraft with friends or quake2 if no one was interested, later my parents started allowing me to play clan matches in quake during the weekday evenings. Roll on puberty and a pc in my room (plus free 56k isps) and it starts to get a little more intense :o Weekend days with friends often become weekend all nighters and most nights are spent playing games if not doing anything else D: By the time I was 15 I was playing everyday from like 6pm-4am just crashing on either my bed or the sofa whenever I needed to sleep. Then theres a coupla year gap where im doing jack ish with games cause theyre boring and people are no good wooh <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> gym/live/etc (I also think I was playing rugby 4 times a week, dont remember)
Roll on NS and from 1.0-very late 1.04 I cant put this game down, and neither can anyone I showed it to and for some reason am playing ShatteredGalaxy the RTS-MMO(*spit*). Additionally, from playing large quantities of NS I have my first "strategic apithany" and for a week no one can seem to touch me at any strategy game, be it chess, broodwar, whatever, it is very weird <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
Then I go to university, I did have internet access but I dont think I played much, NS 2.0 was highly disappointing
Find myself mostly playing FFXI after moving back in with my parents D: I try to get back into NS but the entire NS scene is more or less dead. And uh thats about it lol
I playeda ishload of other games but this is my internet history as I remember it
Nowadays I dont particularly play many games several hours a week of NS and a flavor of the month here and there for a while, (now finally after all that ish) I play games to basically keep myself 'mentally fit' to make sure I can still think things through right w/ the reflexes to match <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> I think the main appeal to playing games for me is creative expression, a game where you can make something out of nothing(such as adv. tactics/strategy) a game that requires you to not only think outside a box but paint the walls in the process (generally speaking said box should be someone else <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" /> ) Most games I only play to catch up on old friends with though.
That being said some games I just play for the experience, such as psychonauts and some games I just play for the challenge and fusion of mind and objective, DDR
Comments
I play games because I was a competitive basketball player until my sophmore year in high school, when I quit the JV team because I could not stand the coach that was there. I would have been on varsity the following year but unfortunately the head coach left, and the other coach became promoted. I was still active in the recreational league until I was 18, then I stopped playing competitively as I was not skilled enough to even pretend to try out for my college team (low end division 1 school).
I've always had a video game talent I knew since I was younger. My first major FPS, the one I didn't play with a gamepad that resembled something of a PS1 controller was Starsiege tribes. I felt that was a great experience for me because I learned how to not only use a mouse effectively for aiming, but I learned how to manipulate the Z axis (i.e. Jetpacking) which not only taught me how to swing the mouse for reflex shots, it also taught me how to use non-hit scan weapons effectively (i.e. spinfusor). I took that knowledge and applied it to other games.
After a year or so I started playing Counter Strike competitively, and made it all the way to CAL I after a few years of grinding it out in the lower end teams to build a reputation. My team fell apart, despite being mostly local, and I moved into a dorm with no internet access when I was 19. Thats when I found out about natural selection when I found myself going home to play the game or bringing my computer to the computer lab to play it.
Again, the reason I play games is because I enjoy a good multiplayer challenge, as human behavior can sometimes be predictable, but at other times can catch you off guard. I enjoy the ability to show off some improvisation, as I have been playing guitar for around 12 years and I love to improvise when I play, and at the same time I love to learn the ins and outs of the game, and push my abilities along with my team's to the highest level possible. That to me is what is so fun about gaming.
Also Caboose, if you need any help with your psychology assignments, I am currently obtaining a Masters in Psychological Counseling, and I have a psychology degree from my undergraduate days. If you have any questions feel free to find me on IRC or send a message on the boards.
I play games for the fun of them, and I think that immersion, strategy, action, and human interaction are fun. Blend them all together and I get RTS games of all flavors and team-based FPS games ranging from lightly tactical (CS) to more strategic (NS). I tend toward multiplayer because everything is more fun with a friend to rag on or maybe just a stranger on the other side of the internet who you can chat with while you're dead.
Because those elements I listed above are somewhat broad, I'm a freak when you look at what I play now: in the last month or so, I've played Guild Wars, Natural Selection, Counter-Strike, Age of Empires III, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Castlevania DS, and Dungeons and Dragons (sometimes you need to get away from the computer and talk to real people, not the mythical creatures on the intertubes).
I do play the odd single player and its mainly for the story and atmosphere that you don't get in multiplayer.
I got into really due to my Father and Grandad - my Grandad was a programmer and my Dad worked for a company which outsourced PC support. As a result it was pretty natural for computers to be a mainstay at home and for me to be introduced to them at an early age - I was playing on the early Atari consoles and then later the speccies when I was 3-4 years old.
I simply developed gaming as a hobbie at a very early age and its one i've kept as i've grown up.
In fact, an experiment (illegal) in which I was physically restrained for two weeks brought me to the precipice of homicidal psychopathy. They claim that playing video games makes you violent, but in my particular case it is the only thing that keeps me from slaughtering the entire western hemisphere with my bare hands (or, failing that, with my incredibly manly and pronounced eyebrows) for what they did to me.
They claim that I would never be able to do that. But I know that the wholesale ban on video games is coming. And then they'll see. They'll all see.
After that I'm immigrating to Sri Lanka to open a fashion boutique.
tangent: one of the best marketing moves Nintendo ever made was sending me Dragon Warrior for free. There was just a coupon in Nintendo Power - cut it out, send it in, and they sent me the game and I think a T-shirt for free. no company would dream of doing that today, but if they hadn't, I might never have gotten hooked on RPGs. I loved it and bought dragon warrior 2 through 4 as they came out, all the final fantasies, etc...
there have been times where I was depressed and used video games to stave off (or perhaps prolong?) the depression, but overall I'd consider them a very positive part of my life. I don't know what I'd fill my time with if I didn't have games. TV is mostly boring, sports make me retch. movies are good but expensive. these days I raid nightly in WoW with my guild and my fiance, and I try to squeeze in other games where I can... I think it all balances out pretty well.
I guess I just like to feel like I'm accomplishing something (as the real reason to play). Unfortunately, almost every thing I start ends up being shelved half finished. I've worked on:
NS level (woot, ns_docked), which is my attempt at creating a fully realized deck of a spaceship. Unfortunately it's only about 1/10 completed (I usually do everything at once, lighting, architecture, sound, effects...so the design goes slowly and I end up getting kind of bored).
DoD and then (now) DoD:S map dod_neuville (probably about 1/5 complete, geometry wise, anyway).
CS:S map - probably about the only thing that I've made that has ever come remotely close to being finished...it's a house designed for close quarters CS-zombies action (because normal CS:S sucks). I've only played it on a LAN with my friends...but I'd like to think it's a cool map (plus it's probably 9/10 complete, but it's small). [If anyone wants to try this map out, feel free to send me a PM and I can email it to you, if you want to try some CQB...the bots don't necessarily always work the best, but it does have fun parts...in fact, I also created 3 other really quick maps for zombie-based havoc, some more finished than others, if anyone wants to try them]
Hearts of Iron 2 mod, which adds tons of historical sub plots and real historical events (with pictures!)...I only ever finished 3/4s of 1936 (but that encompasses probably 100+ events and event trees).
Urban Assault - an old game that came with my joystick, I learned how to modify their level creation .txt files to such a way that I could create my own levels (or cheat and give myself about 20 sectors full of turrets so the computer couldn't destroy my host station since I was, admittedly, fairly inept at actually playing the game at age 14).
Age of Empires 2/ex - I created one of the most in-depth RPG scenarios you've ever seen. It was then lost in a computer crash and never released (at about 1/2 completion). I then attempted to recreate it, and that went along pretty well...I might even have a copy of that scenario <i>somewhere</i> (also half-created). In Germany I spent some of my time designing a scenario for me and my roommate to play on a team against a relentless computer assault, which was pretty fun.
Civilization 2 - I created a mod of Aliens versus Predators, with hand made artwork (the xenomorph looked good...the other stuff, not so much - the tech tree was awesome, split into 3 trees for Predators, Aliens and Human factions)...plus it had a new volcanic terrain to replace Tundra and some different resources (borrowed from a Mars scenario, I think)...never really finished at all...
Sim City 2000/3000 - I built so many buildings and cities that I can't even remember half of them. I also built some cities for a diorama of geographic land structures that I printed off and put on my paper mache island for a school project ...It was sweet.
Neverwinter Nights - I had a pretty cool mod, some fun, intriquing quests (heck, my newbie quests were awesome - find a stone relating to earth, wind, water and fire in the town (one in a fire pit, one where you can hear wind blowing loudest, etc.) along with a cool Lizard guy who let you play a riddle game for money and exp. Unfortunately my NWN disc 1 snapped in half (well, it has about a 2 inch long crack, anyway), and I refuse to put it anywhere near my CD-ROM...plus there's NWN2 now anyway.
I've edited M:TW/R:TW/RoN/Civ2/3/4/AvP/HL and countless other games to fit my whim. I can delve into any sort of .xml file or something and change the game to be something more fun to play (well, generally). My HoI2 mod started simply as somethng from playing with events...but then (before sort of dying) became a full fledged undertaking.
I also have multiple VB 'games' that sit very unfinished, an RPG, a multiplayer Risk-style game, a time travel game. If I knew C++ I'd probably be more interested, since I doubt anyone wants to play crappy VB games (heck, I think it's gone from VB6 to VB.net or something now).
I guess I play video games to bend a make believe world to my every whim...that's probably a good, popular reason to play for some people. You can do things never possible in the real world, you can create things that you couldn't make otherwise, you can exercise your knowledge and you can create a unique story (my AoE2 story was kind of generic, but fun to play with 3 other people, despite its unfinished form). I just like the potential to control my own and others future actions, I suppose (be it with simple walls or actual events).
*This overly verbose post brought to you by UltimaGecko's fingers - why write a 20 page history paper when you can waste your time typing useless garbage in a forum?
My first PC was a 486 (yah, Im old in comparison to some, like the dude above me <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />). Think I was playing Police Quest 1 first off. My friends dad was big into computers back then, and from visits to his house, got more into them.
I play games for 2 reasons. I play single player games for a good story. Even games which are downright terrible, Ill end up cheating through, just to see how the story turns out. I also play for socialism as well in the multiplayer games.
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POLICE QUEST ZOMG!
Haha, I remember that game! I even remember the awesome and silly tune you heard when you drove that "police car" around the "city". Lol.
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I had my first gamechip inserted into my skull when I was two months old. Over the years my model was substantially upgraded. The experiment was deemed a failure at some point in the nineties. I believe it was '94, but I'm not sure, my memory of the events is sketchy. At that point, the chip was taken from me (my family tried to sue but de gubernment discredited and lampooned us), and since I have been suffering from withdrawal symptoms that can only be characterised as 'violent' whenever I cease to play games for a period of over fourteen hours.
In fact, an experiment (illegal) in which I was physically restrained for two weeks brought me to the precipice of homicidal psychopathy. They claim that playing video games makes you violent, but in my particular case it is the only thing that keeps me from slaughtering the entire western hemisphere with my bare hands (or, failing that, with my incredibly manly and pronounced eyebrows) for what they did to me.
They claim that I would never be able to do that. But I know that the wholesale ban on video games is coming. And then they'll see. They'll all see.
After that I'm immigrating to Sri Lanka to open a fashion boutique.
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Haha, you're a funny guy <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
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Let's see. Our first computer was an Amiga Commodore A600, along with a whole bunch of games. I was just like 4 7 years old and I didn't even know what english was, and I had major troubles with getting the games to start.
Heh, I have this bizarre memory from when me and my dad desperately tried to start this game by clicking on the README file. Not even my dad knew how to start a game <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> So it was all luck when we actually got it to work.
Some of the games we had for that machine was Hunter, Mortal Kombat and Cannon Fodder.
Next up was the Nintendo, and we had a lot of fun with it. Me and my brother used to play Double Dragon together a lot.
Then after many years we finally got the SNES. We didn't have many games, we borrowed and rented games instead. Some of the games I remember was Super Metroid (my personal fave), Super Mario World, F-Zero, and Yoshi's Island.
Then we got a N64 in 1998 or 97 I can't remember exactly, and I got my first PC in 2004.
Anyway, I play games because they entertain me and they give me something to do when I'm bored, simply put.
Then after many years we finally got the SNES. We didn't have many games, we borrowed and rented games instead. Some of the games I remember was Super Metroid (my personal fave), Super Mario World, F-Zero, and Yoshi's Island.
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No Jurassic Park? Bah. At least get a Mario Kart or Chrono Trigger in there or something <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> .
(Super Metroid and Super Mario World are ++ though)
Jurassic Park on the SNES was one of the first games to really shake me. I'd often stand at a door thinking "I don't want to go in there, I don't want to go in there, I don't want to...". Never got so unnerved since then until the Marine Campaign in Alien vs Predator (the atmospheric PC game though, not the cool arcade game :3 ).
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Was alot better on the Sega Genesis.
Was alot better on the Sega Genesis.
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I'd have to disagree here, this is one of the cool things about old consoles, you didn't just always get simple copies from console to console. Jurassic Park on the Genesis and the SNES were vastly different. They had nothing in common aside from using movie characters and dinosaurs.
SNES JP - top down shooter, except in doors where it'd be first person; story-based exploration and puzzle solving to a minor extent. The goal was to collect eggs.
Genesis JP - side scrolling shooter/platformer. The goal is essentially to get to the right side of the screen (except occasional difference). You could play as the raptor...plus the T-Rex was awesome for back in the day. He freaked me out as an 10 year old. It was like "OMG, OMG, OMG, T-Rex! AHHHH" To be fair, the reaction of seeing the T-Rex in the SNES version was similar. Both games actually only had one weakness for the T-Rex...plus at the beginning of the game the T-Rex roars "Sega" which is sweet.
Sega CD JP - puzzle game, very limited shooting. A very unique sort of game. Some pretty good atmosphere, but I always sucked at it. I haven't seen it in my room for the past 10 years, though, so I have no idea where it went. Again, T-Rex = ZOMG! You ran around collecting eggs, risking your life for no apparent reason other than saving the eggs to bring them to the mainland to unleash a mighty dinosaur apocalypse across the globe...or something.
NES JP - similar to SNES, except no first person...and the plot/goal is a bit more ...uhh...hidden. I could never get past the first T-Rex level...I just had no idea what to do.
Gamegear JP - kind of like the Genesis JP, except crappier graphics and some helicopter shooting spree thing. It made less sense than the NES version.
Thus ends my experience with original JP games on consoles...PSone managed to get a JP:Lost World game, it had awesome graphics, but was essentially a side scroller...kind of annoying really, since there were like no save points. Looked neat though (also had a holographic case, only one I've seen, reminded me of the gold Zelda cartridges).
Thus ends the Jurassic Park console game descriptions (SNES = most fun)
The Gamegear version blowed chunks, even then, it had a jeep game that was pretty much the highlight.
But the thing I liked about the Genesis version was the fact it took quite a bit of skill to sleep raptors. Not to mention using concussion grenades or rockets. It was made using the same system as Aliens 3.
not many people remember the Jurassic Park PC game.
<img src="http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/original/978497207-00.gif" border="0" alt="IPB Image" />
Never played the SNES of Jurassic Park though. But the PC game was the same thing. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
I don't doubt they were both good... I don't really remember much of the Megadrive version but it was fun. The SNES one was the one that genuinely frayed my nerves though :3
Why do I play games? for lack of somethung better to do. Because I'm procrastinating. Because I'm running awa from doin something that I wshould be doing or dealing with something I don't want to do. For fun; for the storyline. For feeling like I'm interacting with people, for competition. For the glory of victory.
At the moment... for lack of soething better to do. Sometimes I don't even really enjoy what I'm doinig on the computer but do so because I can't think of a better alternative or because I on;t want to et on with doing whatever else it is I have to do.
Ideally, though, I play them because I enjoy them; either for the competitive challenge of beating someone else, or for the mental challenge of puzzle solving (less so these days since I'm now employed full-time as a programmer, and the last thing I want to do when I get home is do any kind of heavy brain work). I enjoy games that make me think; that actually have good storylnies to them.
[edt]how the hell did that get repeated?[/edit]
Nobody made that joke yet right?
No Jurassic Park?
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Haha, we borrowed that game too... several times <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
I think the heirarchy was something like Spectrum>NES>SNES>Atari>Amiga>PC/N64/PS2
The first two being mostly single player games, Faxanadu's music used to give me nightmares (my dad used to play it), SNES multiplayer games like SF2, Mario Kart, Bomberman (hell even multiplayer Secret of Mana when my cousin brought it round) ontop of the staple classic single player games.
Amiga classics such as Alien Breed, The Settlers (again multiplayer), X-Com blahblahblah
'95 C&C, '97* Starcraft, Duke Nukem, '98 Quake2 Halflife, '00 CS, '02 NS
I got the internets on and off a while but finally had an isp my parents would let me use in 97/98, the PC was in my dads study and I was very rarely allowed to use the 'net (plus I had to pay them for it with my pocket money aww lol) this started out as saturday mornings several hours playing starcraft with friends or quake2 if no one was interested, later my parents started allowing me to play clan matches in quake during the weekday evenings.
Roll on puberty and a pc in my room (plus free 56k isps) and it starts to get a little more intense :o Weekend days with friends often become weekend all nighters and most nights are spent playing games if not doing anything else D:
By the time I was 15 I was playing everyday from like 6pm-4am just crashing on either my bed or the sofa whenever I needed to sleep.
Then theres a coupla year gap where im doing jack ish with games cause theyre boring and people are no good wooh <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> gym/live/etc (I also think I was playing rugby 4 times a week, dont remember)
Roll on NS and from 1.0-very late 1.04 I cant put this game down, and neither can anyone I showed it to
and for some reason am playing ShatteredGalaxy the RTS-MMO(*spit*). Additionally, from playing large quantities of NS I have my first "strategic apithany" and for a week no one can seem to touch me at any strategy game, be it chess, broodwar, whatever, it is very weird <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
Then I go to university, I did have internet access but I dont think I played much, NS 2.0 was highly disappointing
Find myself mostly playing FFXI after moving back in with my parents D:
I try to get back into NS but the entire NS scene is more or less dead.
And uh thats about it lol
I playeda ishload of other games but this is my internet history as I remember it
Nowadays I dont particularly play many games several hours a week of NS and a flavor of the month here and there for a while,
(now finally after all that ish) I play games to basically keep myself 'mentally fit' to make sure I can still think things through right w/ the reflexes to match <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
I think the main appeal to playing games for me is creative expression, a game where you can make something out of nothing(such as adv. tactics/strategy) a game that requires you to not only think outside a box but paint the walls in the process (generally speaking said box should be someone else <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" /> )
Most games I only play to catch up on old friends with though.
That being said some games I just play for the experience, such as psychonauts
and some games I just play for the challenge and fusion of mind and objective, DDR