Curse

Sentinel Guardian · Jun 08, 2012, 07:23 PM // 19:23

Why do we game?

Such a simple and obvious question, yet such a difficult one to answer. 'Fun', is not an answer. To answer the question, one must look inside at their motives behind gaming, what they consider fun and why. The reasons why one plays video games can vary a great deal. In many cases (especially competitive gaming) the question reveals a dark side of oneself that the gamer is often embarrassed and afraid of facing. To many gamers, the very question is considered offensive.

So why do we game? Why do we spend countless hours grinding away at numbers on a boring mouse wheel? Why do we repeat the same thing over and over? I can and will answer that question, but to do that I'll have to open pandoras box and deal with things that haunt gamers in the wii hours of the night.

The reason why a person plays video games is for the same reason we watch movies, play sports, learn a musical instrument, and run around aimlessly as children. It's the same reason why all animals play at all ages.

As a child, we experience our surroundings, and we learn that we are capable of much more than we first thought. Instinctively, we gain pleasure from exploring our potential, posessing a natural tendency to learn new skills and explore new ways of thinking. By playing, we practice the mastery of skills that we can apply to many other situations. This empowers us and allows us to learn even more skills and do even more amazing things. Whether it's a child that plays ball in the grass, an adult that performs in a professional sport, or the elderly playing bingo, the motive is the same. It's in our nature to play, to learn, to practice and master. Each form of play offers something unique. At the end of the journey, you gain something irreplaceable that stays with you for life. This is why play is so important, and it's why a marathon runner will put themselves through hell. It's why a person sits there for 2 hours through a movie. It's why a person will sit there for countless hours playing a video game. They don't play for a trophy, the trophy is just a keep sake of what they learned from their journey. They play to empower themselves, to better themselves, to come out the other side with more than they started with.

In professional sports (usually contact sports), you sometimes see a person who isn't playing for the same reasons. Rather than empowering themselves and learning new skills, they focus on a single strength, only concerned with power over others, beating the opposition down, gaining the trophy and getting all the attention. This happens when a person stops playing at some point in their life. Their personality wastes away, and they lose the instinct to better themselves and learn. Feeling the sense of loss, they lack the ability to see and understand. The only pleasure they can find is from instant gratification. As a person, they continue to waste away and degenerate until they're banned from the sport. What follows is drug abuse, violence and anything they can reach to feed the ever increasing hunger for instant gratification. When a person stops playing, they begin to die and rot as a person. Your mind is like a muscle that wastes away if you stop using it. Sadly, through prison style education systems, prescribed and illicit drug use, and a wide variety of social and environmental causes, society has begun to break down into a giant mess of lost people like this. We now have a generation of gamers who don't even know what gaming is, and a culture of game developers with the same attitude.

Real gaming takes the best of all worlds in one.

Like a movie, you get to experience a story. You see new things from new perspectives, and the story inspires you.

Like a sport, you get to practice strategy, tactics, and coordination. You intereact and learn through the challenges of constructive competition.

LIke a discipline, you get to focus, memorize and problem solve with speed and efficiency. You learn to multitask and harness your brainpower.

Gaming has an amazing ability to empower mankind with skills and tools beyond the wildest imagination...

Or so it once did. The video game industry has become as corrupted as the current generation of gamers themselves. With no clue about what gaming is and why they even play, their gaming experiences revolve around instant gratification. Instead of being a tool of empowerment, games have largely become a poison that atrophies the minds of gamers. The art of gaming is lost to the current generation of gamers and developers that exploit them, but a new generation of gamers are coming through that gives hope to the wonders video gaming offers. A new sprout of life within the gaming industry struggles to push through the overgrown weeds of big gaming corporations, as they starve under the debt of their own weight. And as they die, the hoarded nutrients of 'Intellectual Property' will be released to feed the new generation of games.

It's important to understand what's going on in the current generation of gamers and developers. It's important to understand what really goes on in online games, and the effect it has on peoples lives. Online games, especially First Person Shooters and Massively Online Role Playing Games, have created and cultivated a generation of psychopaths. By examining the behavior of players within these games, and the game design that causes it, this is very clear for anyone who dares to open their eyes and look. This is not by accident, this is by deliberate design on behalf of the game developers to target, exploit and monetise on antisocial and obsessive behavior. Current gaming culture is the equivalent of gambling addiction and those who exploit it.

So I ask of any reader, why do you play video games?

Do you play to explore the road, see things from a different view, master new skills and come out a better person?

Or do you play for instant gratification? To feel big and important? To gain pleasure in the suffering of your opponents?

One is a gamer, the other is a psychopath. Both are diametrically opposed. I for one am a gamer.

Snograt · Jun 08, 2012, 08:30 PM // 20:30

Interesting first post. Do you actually play Guild Wars?

Olle · Jun 08, 2012, 09:24 PM // 21:24

Slumpat cried,
Sticky!!!

subman247 · Jun 08, 2012, 09:43 PM // 21:43

tl;dr

I game for "fun"

tealspikes · Jun 08, 2012, 09:47 PM // 21:47

I often game to wind down after a long day at work/class, and to relax. Since that falls under instant gratification, I guess I am a psychopath.

Sentinel Guardian · Jun 08, 2012, 10:15 PM // 22:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snograt

Interesting first post. Do you actually play Guild Wars?

Yes

Quote:

Originally Posted by subman247

I game for "fun"

Fun isn't an answer, it dodges the question. What you find fun and why, that is the answer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tealspikes

I often game to wind down after a long day at work/class, and to relax. Since that falls under instant gratification, I guess I am a psychopath.

I wouldn't call that in itself seeking instant gratification. And as dangerous as it is to seek instant gratification, that alone doesn't define a psychopath. 'Winding down and relaxing' isn't an answer either, like 'fun'. It dodges the question. There might be several reasons why you play after class/work. Common examples...

1. Attempting to make constructive use of your time WHILE you wind down and relax.
2. To vent your frustrations by oppressing others, to get back the sense of power you feel you lost by your oppressive boss.
3. Hyperactivity, a need to occupy yourself with something.
4. Clearing your mind of a mental block, by doing something completely different for a while.
5. To escape from a problem and pretend you're someone else for a while.

The possible reasons are endless. Some of them good, some of them bad, some of them inbetween.

A psychopath is defined as such...

Word English Dictionary: A person afflicted with a personality disorder characterized by a tendency to commit antisocial and sometimes violent acts and a failure to feel guilt for such acts.

Wikipedia: A personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for the feelings of others and often the rules of society. Psychopaths have a lack of empathy and remorse, and have very shallow emotions. They are generally regarded as callous, selfish, dishonest, arrogant, aggressive, impulsive, irresponsible, and hedonistic. Despite this, psychopaths are often superficially charming and can be highly adept at manipulation.

Not all psychopaths wield axes in the dark. It's a road that goes only one way. Some are just further along that road than others.

GODh · Jun 08, 2012, 10:19 PM // 22:19

there is nothing on tv worth watching?

dunky_g · Jun 08, 2012, 10:49 PM // 22:49

This made me laugh. I did write a long reply, but I figured the whole argument was so flawed it would be a waste of energy.

I had to attend a meeting the other week about 'computer safety', which was ran by some old man who was of the opinion that everyone that played call of duty or GTA wanted to kill people. If you feel that everyone can be classed as either a 'gamer' who play the games to 'better themselves' or.. 'psychopaths'.. I mean.. really!? You're either really old and out of touch, or very young and incredibly naive.

I liked your use of English though, fun to read. Unsure how you can learn, practice or master.. bingo.. Some impressively bad examples.'They play to empower themselves, to better themselves, to come out the other side with more than they started with.' sounds much more psychopathic compared to 'I play because it's fun.'

Perkunas · Jun 08, 2012, 10:56 PM // 22:56

We step up to the machine, interlock our fingers and "crack!!" My right hand on the right flipper, my left in her left hip pocket. Her left hand on the left flipper, her right in my right hip pocket. Pull the plunger, hit the flippers, dings, bells, and whistles and more flippers. Oops, I missed it. Yeah!! perfect timing, you got that big one!! 30 minutes later, we turn to the crowd and say, "Beat that!!!"

From that day forward, I would learn to play it, then learn to destroy it. In the beginning, Pong owned me, but in short order, it surrendered after my first point.

Space Invaders, Galaxia, Gorf, and Missile Command. Machines I bought a quarter at a time. High scores that were untouchable. Wannabes, crowd around trying to learn my secrets.

Along came Atari. Now I can play at home. No crowds to please, just me and the machine and the challenges it presented. Some 50 games or so later, only mastering 1 or 2, it was time for something new.

Desktop computers were beginning to appear. Along with them a Basic game or two. Duke Nukem? Oh my! Doom, then Quake, and Diablo I did try. Max Payne, D2 and Dungeon Siege. D2 alone was a righteous game, but online it was beyond insane. With Dungeon Siege I learned to make mods. Made my own maps and "invincible" characters. Dungeon Siege 2 tried to mimic D2 and fell flat on its face. I was presented with a choice. Half of my DS clan was into WoW, then other half went to GW. Although not a master of the game, GW is my game of choice this day.

fireflyry · Jun 08, 2012, 11:26 PM // 23:26

Escapism of course.

It's the same philosophy for most similar hobbies like reading, watching movies/TV, etc, etc.You could add a side of reward through progression and attainment of goals.

A lot of people have set limits on what they can attain in "RL", there is always a material and monetary hierachy many of us have little to no control over, yet in the game world we are all equal and it's only a question of timesink to attain rewards.

A janitor in "RL" can be a "GWAMM" in the game world.

Side note @ OP:You should watch a documentary called "Second Skin".I think you would enjoy it.

Lufina · Jun 09, 2012, 10:41 AM // 10:41

Just a personal opinion, but I think that the distinction must be made between "why a person starts to game" and "why a person continues to game". I agree with Fireflyry that escapism can be the motive for why one begins to game in the first place. It seems more plausible to me that one views video games (or gambling or television, for that matter) as a pleasurable diversion or distraction to daily life, rather than a means to the end of "bettering themselves", as if video games were some sort of practice to real life.

However, with regard to why games continue to play games, I think addiction fits it there somewhere. Whatever conscious motive initiated the move to gaming in the first place, it can easily become a habit, and eventually an addiction. Everquest was called "Evercrack" for a reason. The carrot-on-a-stick method has kept gamers gaming for a long time.

Certainly, an addiction involving video games is different than say... alcohol addiction, as the latter involves a depressant, and the former involves mental stimulation. I'd be interested in hearing about psychological studies that trace brain activity with regard to gaming, and seeing how that brain activity compares with other similar addictions (e.g. gambling).

fireflyry · Jun 09, 2012, 11:30 AM // 11:30

Any subconscious reward mechanic, be it gaming, gambling or sex, releases dopamine into our body.

Gamers are just people who can't afford cocaine or don't get laid enough.

I'm a gamer btw.

Zebideedee · Jun 09, 2012, 12:05 PM // 12:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by subman247

tl;dr

I game for "fun"

This and if anyone says differently, they aren't doing it right

Ps. This doesn't include fanboys that will chow down on any old rubbish that gets pumped into their consolised brains

Sentinel Guardian · Jun 09, 2012, 07:27 PM // 19:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunky_g

I had to attend a meeting the other week about 'computer safety', which was ran by some old man who was of the opinion that everyone that played call of duty or GTA wanted to kill people.

Have you considered that there's a certain amount of truth to what he said? Have you considered that there was a good reason why you had to attend that meeting? Of course, not everyone who plays those games is there because they want to kill people. But lets face it, how many are there to actually play the game, as opposed to misusing it as a medium to violently and graphically oppress and inflict harm on others for pleasure? These are two, completely opposite motives.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunky_g

If you feel that everyone can be classed as either a 'gamer' who play the games to 'better themselves' or.. 'psychopaths'.. I mean.. really!?

Yes, really

. The Bartle Test (made by Richard Bartle, creator of the very first MMO) classifies gamers into only 4 categories: Achievers, Explorers, Socializers and Killers. While I personally consider his test very misguided and poorly thought out, it does has some truth to it. It has become a founding philosophy throughout the MMORPG industry. But the Bartle Test only deals with surface factors that overgeneralise behavior. The manifestation of that behavior can come from very different sources. Instead, I deal with the central intent, the motives that drive players to do what they do. I split it up into constructive and destructive behavior patterns. Both are opposed, and perfectly fit the definitions of gamer and psychopath as stated above. It's important to understand that I'm talking about motive here. I'm not talking about destructive personality issues common to MMORPG's, like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Escapism.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunky_g

You're either really old and out of touch, or very young and incredibly naive.

Too young or too old? I'm young enough that I still skate, and old enough that I remember programming on a Commodore 64. Perhaps I'm both? Or neither? What age range and level of experience are we talking about here?

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunky_g

I liked your use of English though, fun to read.

Thank you

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunky_g

Unsure how you can learn, practice or master.. bingo.. Some impressively bad examples.

Try playing bingo against the elderly, and you will respect their talent. They do it to strengthen their memory, focus and coordination. It helps to combat the degradation of old age. It's a very good example.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunky_g

'They play to empower themselves, to better themselves, to come out the other side with more than they started with.' sounds much more psychopathic compared to 'I play because it's fun.'

How so?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perkunas

Some 50 games or so later, only mastering 1 or 2, it was time for something new...Although not a master of the game, GW is my game of choice this day.

There's a common phrase, 'Jack of all trades, master of none'. But the secret behind that is that the second part was made up to make everyone else feel better. The more you master, the faster and easier it is to master new things. Become a master at everything, that is the spirit of gaming

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireflyry

Escapism of course.

For some, sure. But not for everyone.

For the vast majority of both players and developers, they all believe black and blue that they have a solid and true philosophy on gaming. The truth is, they don't have a clue. It's my hope to bring those philosophies into question and to encourage both players and developers to re-evaluate their philosophies to bring them in line with reality, so that video games can become a cure instead of a poison.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireflyry

A lot of people have set limits on what they can attain in "RL", there is always a material and monetary hierachy many of us have little to no control over, yet in the game world we are all equal and it's only a question of timesink to attain rewards.

Which reminds me of power traders. They siphon time and resources from players like a parasite, setting unrealistic prices, reselling items, taking advantage of buyer ignorance and pretending that what they're doing is a 'service to players', to which they get their 'rightful' cut to support their time and effort in providing that service. Sound familiar? Insurance companies, pyramid schemes, snake oil salesmen. Here's a recent article regarding banks and their 'god given right to profits'. The motive behind it, whether online or offline, is the same. With the protection of internet anonymity, people are more free to act on their desires than without that protection. A faceless person on the internet will reveal their true colors. All the worlds underriding problems and solutions are emulated and magnified on the internet, and that includes economics.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireflyry

A janitor in "RL" can be a "GWAMM" in the game world.

Three Janitors get GWAMM in the game world. They each have a different motive.

One does it for an 'e-peen', so that he can flaunt it and put down others to feel big and important, taking pleasure in the humiliation of his lesser peers. This Janitor is a psychopath.

One does it because he has low self esteem and wants a status symbol that will get people to accept him. This janitor is a misguided gamer.

One does it because he wants to finish the game and explore what it has to offer. His GWAMM is a keep sake of his journey. This janitor is a gamer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireflyry

Side note @ OP:You should watch a documentary called "Second Skin".I think you would enjoy it.

I just watched it. It has some good points, some of which I have made here myself. But it only touches the surface. It also presents a gross, sensationalist misrepresentation of MMORPG's, both for and against. Regarding the topics the video deals with...

Friendly 'family' atmosphere: This is as rare in MMORPG's as a glass of water in a desert. Though it troubles many too much to admit, the majority of behavior in MMORPG's is destructive, especially in PvP. While games start out relatively friendly, they always degenerate quickly into a psychopathic mess. Game developers and Guild leaders all have their special philosophy that solves it all, but its the same result every time. There's always an excuse, and someone else to blame. Dare anyone admit that they just have it all wrong. The real reason why games degenerate is because...

1. Developers don't set an example. They write vague EULA's that few bother to read (nor should they be expected to), stating what you cannot do. Usually this is common sense, but over the years these EULA's have become increasingly obscure and oppressive. Yet they state nothing about what you should do. It is the responsibility of developers to actively set the stage for constructive behavior, to steer their game communities and encourage them. When you hand out weapons to a group of angry, troubled people, and say, 'do what you may', it's obvious what's going to happen. It isn't the players fault, it's the developers fault. And the developers are directly responsible for the wellbeing of the players within their game, and the paradigm of behavior therein.

2. The gamers themselves don't set an example. There's a common misguided myth that the best way to deal with a troll is to ignore them. This myth was spread by trolls themselves. It offers a cheap way out, passing the problem onto someone else to deal with. Meanwhile, the trouble maker roams free and unhinidered. People often believe that trolls thrive on a reaction. This is untrue. Trolls feed on the freedom from consequence that internet anonymity provides.

You might be aware of John Gabriel's 'Greater Internet F***wad Theory'. It's a popular idea that 'normal person + internet anonymity + audience = total f***wad'. I propose that if you're a f***wad on the internet, youre a f***wad, period.

Gaming addiction: There is no such thing as gaming addiction, and this has been dealt with many times in the past. The topic is brought up routinely by poltiical interests as a foot stool to promote and validate unpopular, oppressive policies. People regularly misuse the word addiction and the actual problem gets twisted out of context. It's closely tied to the myths regarding gambling addiction. The actual addiction problem in gaming stems from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. There are behavior patterns that can make this problem better or worse. Most game developers these days deliberately take advantage of this and milk it. A classic example is the Zynga empire of facebook games. Farmville has gained about 10 times the players of World of Warcraft in its prime. Other problems mislabelled as addiction, involve taking advantage of problems that are already there. Greed, and a feeling of inadequacy are both deliberately exploited by game developers to trap players into a vicious cycle of never ending competition against each other. By this, I'm not talking about constructive competition from PvP matches. I'm talking about destructive competition, farming more than others to get an item or title, so that you will get 'respected and accepted' by someone finally.

Suicide: The video tries to make the point that gaming by nature destroys lives and causes people to suicide. Gaming is the very opposite. Suicides happen for the same reason facebook suicides are getting more attention nowadays. Psychopaths who drag others down for entertainment, bringing their defenceless victims to the point of suicide.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lufina

Just a personal opinion, but I think that the distinction must be made between "why a person starts to game" and "why a person continues to game"

Yes, and I make that very important distinction myself. What happens during a players experiences in a game has an impact on them, for better or worse. All behavior is contagious, including psychopathic behavior. This is why I say that the current culture of online gaming is poisonous. It quickly corrupts those who are weak against peer pressure, and just like a son or daughter who hangs around the wrong crowd, the destructive behavior of one individual spreads to others. The same can be said for constructive behavior. I quote an example from a player in Guild Wars...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lufina

I agree with Fireflyry that escapism can be the motive for why one begins to game in the first place.

In a constructive environment, a person who games to escape from something will find the tools and inspiration to solve their problem.

In a destructive environment, it will only make the problem worse. And since they aren't facing their problems, they're defenceless against negative peer pressure.

Not all players play video games to run away from problems. It may be common in online games in this day and age, but it's important to note that there are many more players on the sidelines, waiting for a constructive environment to play in. You can see examples of this when you look at the popularity of games like Little Big Planet. The paradigm of motives and behavior within MMORPG/FPS games, doesn't remotely resemble the billions of actual gamers with higher standards. Make them a worthy game world, and they will come. Right now, the MMORPG industry is in shambles, because almost noone wants to go near their broken games and psychopathic communities.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lufina

It seems more plausible to me that one views video games (or gambling or television, for that matter) as a pleasurable diversion or distraction to daily life, rather than a means to the end of "bettering themselves", as if video games were some sort of practice to real life.

From an MMO player perspective, sure. The rest of the world doesn't see play and gaming like an MMO player does. Hence why so few people play MMO's. Gaming is a hobby like any other. People have hobbies because they want to get better at things that interest them. Think of any hobby and see how true this is. Only an MMO player games for nothing more than the chasing of pleasure, because in most cases the MMO player becomes an MMO player because of a problem they have. All play is practice to real life. If your motive to play is to simply chase pleasure, you're misusing games like a drug. People chase pleasure when they have nothing meaningful in their lives. And a game with a constructive environment inspires players to find something meaningful, by the example it sets.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lufina

with regard to why games continue to play games, I think addiction fits it there somewhere. Whatever conscious motive initiated the move to gaming in the first place, it can easily become a habit, and eventually an addiction. Everquest was called "Evercrack" for a reason. The carrot-on-a-stick method has kept gamers gaming for a long time.

The rest of the world looks upon this kind of thing as manipulative, shameful and disgusting, hence why they don't play MMO's. For those who are used to MMO's (both players and developers), they are desensitised to it and think it's normal. It isn't. Using the Zynga Farmville example from earlier, it's the exact same tactic as poker machines. Everyone thinks Farmville sucks, but people go back to it and they dont know why. They dismiss it as addiction for convenience. But it has nothing to do with addiction. It's just messing with peoples heads and pushing their buttons. Those with a weak will and a lack of discipline, are prone to this type of exploitation, because they lack the tools to deal with the emotions those games are designed to poke at. Have you ever noticed why both games and poker machines seem to always have the same types of reward sounds? It's designed to toy with your emotions and provoke you into going one step further. That isn't an addiction, and it's not even a game. It's just the exploitation of peoples weaknesses. Instead of playing a game, the game is playing the player.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lufina

I'd be interested in hearing about psychological studies that trace brain activity with regard to gaming, and seeing how that brain activity compares with other similar addictions (e.g. gambling).

The shape of things to come.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireflyry

Any subconscious reward mechanic, be it gaming, gambling or sex, releases dopamine into our body.

Any subconscious reward mechanic is dishonest, manipulative and highly effective. Subliminal messaging is banned for that reason. But we are still bombarded with advertisements everywhere we go, and advertising companies focus heavily on messing with peoples heads to subversively exploit them. That is not ok.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireflyry

Gamers are just people who can't afford cocaine or don't get laid enough.

Perhaps for MMO/FPS players who misuse the games to pursue pleasure. But not so for real gamers.

With all of the above in mind, here's an interesting video series from Shavaun Scott...

HigherMinion · Jun 09, 2012, 09:40 PM // 21:40

Ah, but are sociopaths pretty cool guys who use overused memes and doesn't afraid of anything?

Answer no to the above question, ???, profit.

Sentinel Guardian · Jun 10, 2012, 05:33 AM // 05:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by HigherMinion

Ah, but are sociopaths pretty cool guys who use overused memes and doesn't afraid of anything?

There's a common misunderstanding between sociopath and psychopath. While being similar, a psychopath is more focussed and aggressively seeks out victims. While a sociopath is more destructive to self and more reactive to situations.

In both cases, the reason they do it on the internet is because they can get away with it easier. If anything, chronic fear of consequence is their main drive. That's why we have laws and social codes, the sole purpose of which is to hold psychopaths and sociopaths in check, preventing them from causing damage to others. This is why most psychopaths have learned to be cunning and subversive in what they do.

They overuse memes (like leet talk), because they lack the personal development tools to express themselves independently. They copy their whole identity from others and have a vampiric disposition. It's important to understand that both sociopaths and psychopaths are not born, they're made. It's learned behavior, and functions like a virus that spreads amongst those who have a weak immunity against it.

There's nothing cool about it.

**cosyfiep** · Jun 10, 2012, 06:11 AM // 06:11

my husband had the game when I came back from overseas...he wanted us to play together since most computer games are solo....gw was not (and only cost the price of a single game). It was something to do together. (we used to be in a BOARD gaming group, however, we moved and there is nothing but tumbleweeds where we are now, not to mention most of the kids here havent even HEARD of avalon hill

let alone played something more complicated than monopoly!).
That was the plan, but the best laid plans of mice and husbands---now I play and he works 2 jobs....I play because I have the desire to finish what I started (goal orientated person) and have yet to do that with this game. I play no other online games though I do have some computer games (spore and alien crossfire--which my hubby and I do play together, though he likes to play on a much higher level than I and finds it 'boring' to 'come down' to my level now).

HigherMinion · Jun 10, 2012, 06:54 AM // 06:54

I can only tell you why I play games, and it may be the same reason as a lot of people, but I don't know. I just don't like people, nor do I get any satisfaction from spending time with them. Games are fun and occupy my spare time. /fin

Junato · Jun 10, 2012, 03:15 PM // 15:15

Why do I game?

That's a very good question. I don't game that much and I don't really understand why do people play WoW or why they are hardcore gamers. I am a casual gamer so I game to pass the time. Sometimes I seek instant gratification in games, because life is long (depending on each person you will get something different).

I believe their is a correlation to loneliness and gaming. If someone were to study that correlation people will find the answer to why we game.

SheRaisesTheDead · Jun 10, 2012, 09:23 PM // 21:23

Simply put, I game to escape any numerous amounts of things, but for the most part, a reality or destiny I did not chose. A reality I don't quite fit in vs a world I can be anything in.. I'll take the latter any old day.

Reality has always lacked substance for me, and I discovered through gaming, I could easily gain, or with a little effort and time, gain what I felt was missing in 'that version of my life'. Yes I can differentiate between reality and game reality, I sometimes chose not to though.. it makes the immersion so much more thorough for me.