Gamers, please come here

[Giggly]

Aside from entertainment reasons, what things (physical, mental, social etc) do you learn from gaming?


Also, what kind of games do you enjoy playing the most and WHY?

How many hours per week do you estimate you spend playing?


PS - when answering please keep in mind that I'm not a gamer.

Thank you.

 

[Craft]

I learn mental and social from CRPG's(Computer Role Playing Games or Western Role Playing Games). They're dialogue heavy, you can choose your own dialogues limitedly, resettable, and unreal so I can learn about differing personalities through social experimentation. Also, the factor of "choice" creates instances that are thought-provoking. Destroy a soul-trapping device to save the trapped souls or make use of the device to kill greater evils. Force a race to be good or allow them to do bad but with their own will. Stuff like that. Then...there's the stats that you tweak. Which ability is the best? etc.

I like CRPG's because they're convincing, thought-provoking and because I can interact directly with the characters.

I play 12 hours per week maybe.

 

[Asterion]

It depends on the games, some of the ones that pit you up against other people cause to to learn how people think, test your reflexes and your wit, a lot of extremely quick thinking be required for success, you wouldn't believe how fast people react to situations in fighting games, and the same goes for strategy games like starcraft, in which players are required to be fit otherwise their brains will not have enough capacity to play at higher levels. Other games often include puzzles and a bit of problem solving, The Legend of Zelda and Tomb raider are classic examples, but most of it is story telling and repetition. I also think that playing a lot of video games teaches you how to deal with frustration and anger, particularly the older games, where they are rather cruel. If you fall of the edge a few times, it's game over and you have to do EVERYTHING all over again.

I'll play a huge variety of games, but there's usually one or two that I focus on and try to complete. At the moment, Mass Effect and Viva Pinata. I play something like 20 hours a week unless it's uni times, then I'll try not to play at all.

 

[Giggly]

I learn mental and social from CRPG's(Computer Role Playing Games or Western Role Playing Games). They're dialogue heavy, you can choose your own dialogues limitedly, resettable, and unreal so I can learn about differing personalities through social experimentation. Also, the factor of "choice" creates instances that are thought-provoking. Destroy a soul-trapping device to save the trapped souls or make use of the device to kill greater evils. Force a race to be good or allow them to do bad but with their own will. Stuff like that. Then...there's the stats that you tweak. Which ability is the best? etc.

I like CRPG's because they're convincing, thought-provoking and because I can interact directly with the characters.

I play 12 hours per week maybe.

It depends on the games, some of the ones that pit you up against other people cause to to learn how people think, test your reflexes and your wit, a lot of extremely quick thinking be required for success, you wouldn't believe how fast people react to situations in fighting games, and the same goes for strategy games like starcraft, in which players are required to be fit otherwise their brains will not have enough capacity to play at higher levels. Other games often include puzzles and a bit of problem solving, The Legend of Zelda and Tomb raider are classic examples, but most of it is story telling and repetition. I also think that playing a lot of video games teaches you how to deal with frustration and anger, particularly the older games, where they are rather cruel. If you fall of the edge a few times, it's game over and you have to do EVERYTHING all over again.

I'll play a huge variety of games, but there's usually one or two that I focus on and try to complete. At the moment, Mass Effect and Viva Pinata. I play something like 20 hours a week unless it's uni times, then I'll try not to play at all.

OH wow, this is very enlightening!!! Thank you. What do you think of games that are played alone? Different experience?
Hoping to get more feedback.

 

[kyuuei]

Aside from entertainment reasons, what things (physical, mental, social etc) do you learn from gaming?

To me, strategy games keep my sense of competitive..ness.. in check/alive. I don't get so complacent, and I don't get into super competitive mode either. It's an outlet for that.
Emotional outlets are awesome via video games. The super complex stories and characters of RPGs, the rage and combat of fighting games.. it's an escape and a release, similar to the high I get from reading books.
Puzzles challenge your mind, and keep you sharp and searching for new ways of doing things. It's a useful skill to have in the real world as well.
Also, the social circle is amazing. Having similar interests with others immediately, you not only have something to talk about/play together with immediately, but it opens avenues easier with other gamer-friends. I have trouble talking to strangers.. but it seems easier once I know they're gamers as well.

Also, what kind of games do you enjoy playing the most and WHY?

I've always been, and always will be, primarily an RPG (role-playing-game) fan. Whether it's table top (the old pen-and-paper-and-dice, actively talking like your character in the world) via Dungeons and Dragons and Warhammer Fantasy, or console Final Fantasy rip-offs (A typical RPG game with some characters in a world, going on an adventure that you facilitate).. I think they have a wide range, and RPGs are starting to leak into other genres as well so you can have amazing storylines and character development in games that were typically just "shoot those things. Now those thing. Shoot that too. Sweet."

How many hours per week do you estimate you spend playing?

Hm. Not toooo too long. I'd say I spend, on average, anywhere from 3-24 hours a week playing games. The hours go up a bit if you include researching about the game, etc.

 

[Rail Tracer]

Aside from entertainment reasons, what things (physical, mental, social etc) do you learn from gaming?


Also, what kind of games do you enjoy playing the most and WHY?

How many hours per week do you estimate you spend playing?


PS - when answering please keep in mind that I'm not a gamer.

Thank you.

I haven't been playing games that much nowadays, at least since last year.

I tend to like RPG/action-adventure games. Strategy games can also be fun. I've also played a bit of MMORPG(FFXI) back then.

MMORPG because of the online interaction. Needing to cooperate with other people to get to a goal... etc. The only MMORPG I truly liked was FFXI because there was a story to every quest(whether the story was humorous, serious, sad, happy, you name it.) You can sort of called it a book. Haven't played the game since... two years ago.

Strategy games like Civilization, needing to find what you need and what to build to your advantage.

RPG/action-adventure is a bit self explanatory. I guess you can say Kingdom Hearts is a good example of it.

 

[kyuuei]

I should also mention--you don't need to be a GREAT gamer to play games. You can just enjoy yourself--or you can get super competitive. It's like being able to choose an instant league of football teams.. From "Novice" to "NFL", anytime you want, from the comfort of your home.

 

[Tofu562]

I don't play video games for any reason other than entertainment. True, some games do build mental capacity and problem solving skills, but if I really had that in mind when I sat at my computer, I would be playing chess online or something instead. The social factor only really comes into play at LAN parties, though there is a text/browser-based MMO that I play called AstroWars where I've known a couple guys for a long time because we've played in the same alliance for awhile. I hesitate to call AstroWars a videogame, however.

I dabble in a lot of genres. I enjoy RTS games, but in truth there are really only a few worth playing, as a few titles dominate. I used to love Age of Empires III until I realized it sucked. Starcraft and Starcraft II kind of destroy all the competition in the RTS department. Say what you will about your favorite RTS titles, but when it comes down to it, no RTS has the extreme depth of strategy that Starcraft has, and with near-perfect balance. There's a reason why Starcraft, and not Command and Conquer (or some other RTS) has had a professional circuit for years and years. Like chess, it is an ever-changing game, with people constantly developing new openings, new tactics, and new strategies.
I am a huge fan of the Total War series as well. It fits into a genre all on its own. It combines turn-based campaign play with real-time tactics. The historical backdrop of each game always catches my attention. The series is also the home of a very talented modding community.

I like shooters as well, but not the more recent ones. I've played quite a bit of Call of Duty 2 and Battlefield 2 in my time, but I think the FPS genre has really taken a dive since then. The original Unreal Tournament is awesome, I've never tried any of the other ones. I thoroughly enjoyed the original Half-Life, as it required a level of dexterity most other shooters just don't have. There are several parts in the game where you need to have total control over your player (as in knowing exactly how far he will jump, walking on skinny rails, etc.) in order to advance. FEAR also had some clever innovations that makes it just plain fun to play.

If anyone of you have Steam, hit me up.

 

[Eckhart]

Aside from entertainment reasons, what things (physical, mental, social etc) do you learn from gaming?

To be honest I never played with the intention to "learn" something from it. Maybe I learned something from it while doing so, but I don't know.

Also, what kind of games do you enjoy playing the most and WHY?

I tried several genres, but the genre I feel most at home with is probably strategy games (real time strategy and old turn based games), but I also play some RPGs. I played shooters in the past too, but I didn't enjoy playing them for a longer time period usually. A few building games (like Anno) and sports games (car race, football) I played sometimes as well, though sports games is some while ago already.

Why do I like strategy games the most? Well, I don't know. They often leave many options open for you to play a game every time which gives much replay value, you can play them very well against other human players (in RPGs this is an element which is not so present, although Guild Wars was quite big in Player vs Player play which is one reason why I enjoyed it much I guess), you can think much about the game and stuff, you can see how you improve yourself in the game. RPGs on the other hand let you build up a character, collect cool stuff, be more cooperative with other players (if it is a multiplayer RPG), some have a nice story and atmosphere...

Currently I play nearly exclusively the game Dawn of War 2, and that game just doesn't get boring even after years.

How many hours per week do you estimate you spend playing?

I have no idea, because it is varying very much nowadays. Some weeks I play very much, some I don't play at all. In general I play less time than I used to when I was younger.

 

[Beargryllz]

I don't learn anything, but I do have fun

I prefer real-time strategy (mostly starcraft) and first-person shooters (mostly team fortress)

I probably spend like 2 hours a week gaming now, and I don't really miss it. This could be a sign of depression.

 

[Coriolis]

Also, what kind of games do you enjoy playing the most and WHY?
I play mostly traditional pen/paper RPGs, specifically a modified version of D&D. Infrequently I play board games like Scrabble or Pictionary, just as a social activity. With the right group, these can be surprisingly entertaining.

Aside from entertainment reasons, what things (physical, mental, social etc) do you learn from gaming?
I don't exactly learn from RPGs, if anything it is more like skill development. I get to exercise my imagination and creativity in different ways, and try to understand how different kinds of people might see things in different situations. It need to think on my feet, make do with less than optimal solutions (after all, it's only a game!), and at least try to stay in character.

When I learned about type theory, I realized that all my RPG characters were basically my own type. After that I made a conscious effort to design characters with significant differences, but I then found I was much less successful and comfortable playing them. Gaming is one of the few activities I do with a group, so it is a significant social outlet as well.

How many hours per week do you estimate you spend playing?
My RPG group meets on average every other week. Add prep time/research, and it probably averages to 4 hrs/wk.

 

[Giggly]

In terms of being an emotional outlet how satisfying is it?

 

[Magic Poriferan]

Aside from entertainment reasons, what things (physical, mental, social etc) do you learn from gaming?

Depends on the kind.

Games in general (though some more than others) demand a kind of logical thinking to be played well that I believe is very valuable, so I take it as a way to keep my mind sharp. The field of game theory is a good tool for seeing how the kind of strategic choices we might make while playing a game are really the same as the ones we make with gravely serious matters.

I perhaps take it one step further in that I can never resist modifying games, adding and playing variants to them. I am also constantly inventing new games in my head. It's a fascinating process of constructing and deconstructing concepts.

Physically, games only really contribute if I'm playing athletic sports. I rarely ever plays those, but I'd really like to. I don't exactly need it, though, because I workout and I'm in good shape as it is.

Games do result in the majority of my social interaction. Not only does it create and excuse to come together, but it makes and easy topic of conversation and things lead from there. Usually there is much laughter when I play games with people, and in those gatherings there are almost always breaks where I talk to people about current events, or some philosophical idea I came up with, or some strange zoological fact, etc..

Also, what kind of games do you enjoy playing the most and WHY?

That's tough. Given the chance I will play just about any kind. Video games, board games, sports.

In terms of actual opportunity, I used to play video games the most by far, but now they are about tied with board games. Again, I rarely play sports, though I'd like to.
I'm not sure that I enjoy any form more than the other, but I do enjoy different genres within that.

The video games I enjoy most are probably fighters, or vs games. The ones where you have maybe two to four complex, unique characters fight each for a few rounds or so. Most people know Mortal Kombat, though it really kind of sucks. Others are like Street Fighter, Soul Caliber, etc... Samurai Showdown might be my favorite of that genre. Super Smash Brothers is a very modified member of the genre.
I like them because they involve me more than other games, and I feel like they involve more direct application of skill than a lot of other genres (First Person Shooters gives them a run, though). There's a lot of fun in only competing against one or maybe a few human opponents and nothing else (I am a competitive person). I also feel like there's more depth in ratio to breadth in fighters than other genres. A few details go a long way. RPGs often strike me as having a lot of breadth but no depth, nothing beneath the surface, you see it the first time, you've seen all you ever need to see.

Pokemon is a big exception with RPGs, though. Those games are ingenious. A lot of breadth and depth. For someone that likes testing, configuring, and exploring things a lot like myself, Pokemon is great fun.

I really like sandboxish games, though they tend to be terribly imperfect. Those are games with a lot of creative control for the player and possibly lacking in a forced goal or actual competition. Black & White and Spore come to mind. They just appeal to my desire to build and create.

God, I haven't even gotten to the other kinds of games yet! It's really hard for me to answer this. I really like games .

How many hours per week do you estimate you spend playing?

If that includes all forms of games, I'd guess I play about 6 hours a week. Before I was employed or working on college, there had been a time where that was probably closer to 30-35 hours a week.

PS - when answering please keep in mind that I'm not a gamer.

Thank you.

Some of the things I said probably didn't make any sense, if not most of it...

 

[Coriolis]

In terms of being an emotional outlet how satisfying is it?

That is hard to assess. I don't consciously use it as an emotional outlet; I have other pursuits for that.

 

[Craft]

In terms of being an emotional outlet how satisfying is it?

I don't know how it works for first-person shooters like Call of Duty or games like GTA, probably related to releasing aggression or something but I don't know---I'm not the aggressive type. Though If you focus on dialogue and role-playing games like I do, it's pretty ok. I enjoy experimenting with different attitudes that I can't display heavily in real life like being extremely rude to a character, talking about annihilating the entire race of a companion who is beside me, killing an old companion, and other things that I just wouldn't normally do. To be specific, I'm thinking of games like Arcanum or Dragon Age. I think Real life is much more effective because there's more variables and uncertainties but then again, in my case, "emotional outlet"-ness depends on who you're talking to and what he or she can share. Come to think of it, I'm not really sure I understand what "emotional outlet" means. For me, it means exploration.

 

[Habba]

Aside from entertainment reasons, what things (physical, mental, social etc) do you learn from gaming?

While playing World of Warcraft, I learned lot about leadership and group organizing. I used to lead a guild of 100 roleplayers. I watched it grow, evolve, wither and struggle.
From online shooter games, I've learned much about Game Theory. That is, in order to win one has to outthink than his opponent. I got really good at that. Quite often I won just by outthinking my opponent, and it made me look like I was cheating. But once you learn that 50% of time someone is hiding behind a particular door, you tend to throw a grenade there, even thought you wouldn't see anyone. Looks like you'd be using a wallhack (a cheat that allows you to see through walls), but it's just pure experience at work.

Also, I felt as if I had found some higher truth when it comes to competition in team sports. For example, I learned that in a game of even sized teams, each team member has one opponent they should look after. If they fail to do so, his team mate is left in 2vs1 situation which he's sure to lose. That further sets the teams uneven, leaving yet another player in 2vs1 situation. Suddenly this becomes like a domino effect and creates an illusion of a much much more stronger enemy.

I've applied these lessons in football, in which I play the role of a defender. If the defening team has players that are not guarding a specific opponent, they are not actually participating the game, and thus give the opponent an unfair advantage in numbers. For every lone player in your team, there's a lone opponent on the other team. This sounds like a simple thing, but it actually makes a huge difference in the sense of tactics.

Magic: The Gathering (it's a collectible card game with very high complexity) has taugth me the philosophy of our times. Our parents and their parents lived their lives in a culture of scarsity. Salaries were lower, everything more expensive and things were meant to last, unlike in our culture where everything has to be changed in cycles of few years. Electronics we pay hundreds of dollars/euros for get out-dated in 5 years, and we just get ourselves some new ones. We live in a culture of abundance. We have choices in such a numbers that we are being swamped by them. Where as our grandparents had to learn to save things and recycle everything they had to save money, we only recycle to avoid the huge trash piles. The lesson I learned is that no matter how many awesome cards you have, you can't have all of them in one deck. In Magic: The Gathering, each player has a deck of 60 cards, at minimum. First, you might think that having a larger deck would be better, but it's the opposite because smaller deck means a reduced randomnity. The toughest part of building a Magic deck is to learn which cards you can live without. This also teaches you the philosophy of our lives. You have to learn which things you can drop out of your life. It is vital, since we are constantly being swamped by abundance of stuff. Treating your life as a deck of Magic makes it easier to realize what are the things that you really need in your life.

Of course, having been playing all my life, I've learned much of my english skills from the games.

Also, what kind of games do you enjoy playing the most and WHY?

I like many kinds of games. I used to be really hooked to World of Warcraft, because it was socially and mentally rewarding. I so loved developing my character, roleplaying it and socializing with my friends on the net.
Also, the shooter games are fun for the competitiviness. They are simple, fast and easy to get into, like any competitive sport should be. I dislike overtly complex games.
Football I like also for it's competetive nature. It's also a great form of excercise.
Board games are really great for social situations. You can play them comfortably on a kitchen table while having some drinks and snacks and socialize with the players. A good boargame is one that is simple yet hard to win. German board games do this well.
Party games (singing, guitar playing, motion capture games, wii games, etc) are also fun for social situations involving drinking.
As a game developer, I also like to play games to see why they are popular. It's fun to pick up the latest hit game and try to find out what are the elements that made it so good.

How many hours per week do you estimate you spend playing?

Very difficult question. Football I play maybe 3 hours a week. Also, as part of my job, I have to play games every then and now at work. When meeting with friends, I like to play few games of some board/card games. But sadly I haven't been able to play on PC for a long time. That's probably due to time issues. Time consuming single-player games on PC suddenly feel like such a waste. There's little social aspects or new to learn.


PS - when answering please keep in mind that I'm not a gamer.

Why you not a gamer and what do you mean by not being a gamer? Do you mean that you never play games? Atleast from where I come from, everyone plays games. Be it a mobile game, sports, board game, facebook game or a video game.

 

[Giggly]

I can't say that I am a gamer. I never got into it. This discussion is interesting though. Maybe I'll play sometime.

 

[RDF]

I grew up playing card games, board games, pinball machines, and then poker. As for video games, I was already an adult when Pong, Space Invaders, and Asteroids first came along. I quite enjoyed the early arcade games. But by the time Donkey Kong and the first Mario Brothers arcades came along, I was getting a little bored with video games and pretty much gave them up.

A couple years ago, however, I was reading a book about cultural trends to follow for the future, and it pointed out that modern culture has become fragmented for the younger generation. When young people are given tests on current culture, there is no one book, movie, or TV show that enjoys 100% name recognition among young people. However, that changes when it comes to video games: 100% of young people at least recognize the names of the most popular video games and/or have played them personally. Partly on this basis, this particular author said that to understand young people and evolving culture, you have to at least sample video games.

So partly for that reason I’ve been checking out video games lately. I’ve divided the games into about 8-10 main categories of video games, and I’m trying to check out 1 or 2 games per category. That ranges from so-called “life simulation games” for children, where you create a character and try to keep it alive (“The Sims”), to “casual/puzzle video games” that you play in short bursts on small hand-held game devices or smart phones (“Angry Birds,” “Tetris,” “Minesweeper”), and through the various fighter, shooter, strategy, and action/adventure games to the MMORPGs.

BTW, the following link is to a Wall Street journal article about the category of “casual video games,” how they work, why they’re so fun/addictive, etc. Testing has shown that people’s moods are improved after playing them (not suprisingly), and testing is even being done to see if they might help people with depression.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703945904575644940111605862.html

I think that’s the main thing one gets from playing games: A little burst of fun. But games can be instructive too. Think of flight simulators used for training pilots or combat simulators for training cops.

As for video games, one of the most interesting things I’ve seen so far was the Auction House system in "World of Warcraft." Characters in the games are encouraged to cultivate crafts, make products, or collect raw materials and then sell them on the game’s Auction House, to be purchased by other players who need those products (and who sell things on the Auction House that you need in return). Prices for all the different products on the Auction House are set by supply and demand. It's a good simulation of a genuine market system, and it was fun to see what events moved the market, or to try to corner the market in certain products, etc.

In any case, I think that’s what has interested me about modern video games--the variety and creativity of the experiences they offer. They’ve come a long way from Pong, Asteroids, and Donkey Kong.

 

[21%]

I mostly play one-player games that have fantasy elements and are atmospheric (preferably without a lot of killing). I like puzzle games where you 'talk' to characters and figure out what they want. It feeds my imagination. I also like to discover how the games are designed and figure out strategies on how to progress quickly. Games where you build things are also fun, too, especially if it gives you quite a lot of freedom in the process.

Apart from these 'serious' games, I also enjoy the occasional point-and-click ('escape from this room'-style online flash games), especially if it's atmospheric.

 

[ICUP]

I used to be more of a casual gamer, but other priorities took precedence. I have a ps3 and a wii. I still play every now and then, but not like I once did.
I guess the most hardcore game I tried was tf2, and I actually got pretty good at it. I've recently started playing battlefield a little.....
I played wow for awhile, and was actually guilded here and again, but guilds were not my thing. I disliked raiding, and I learned to deeply dislike wow.
I play all kinds of games..... even the silly ones like hello kitty games. I love cute little games like harvest moon.

I suppose my favorite silly game ever was chibi robo. Love it.