Matteeboy

I used to play computer games when I was a kid and into my early teens.
Like "most" people I then stopped apart from the odd game with my kids on my phone (ahem, Angry Birds!).

I can't understand why so many grown adults now play them almost non stop? It just seems to be such a waste of time. I know it's a huge industry but why? Have people really got nothing better to do?

"Spare" time consisting of watching some goons kicking a football then pretending to be a soldier on a console makes me wonder what's going on?

The Wii was interesting because it had some movement but it seems to have died off to be replaced by countless shoot em ups.

None of my mates play them. None of my family does. And have no desire to.

So there.

banny sti

iTrader: (68)

I think things like fishing, golf and so on as boring as F but I dont judge people if they enjoy doing them, each to their own

Matteeboy

I also think fishing and golf are boring too but at least they get you outdoors with mates (well Golf does) and you might get a free supper.

I'm not judging, just questioning. Very different things.

fat-thomas

iTrader: (4)

+1

Everyone's different.
I don't play for hours on end but enjoy the odd game now and then.
Much better than watching coronation farm or any of that sh1te.

banny sti

iTrader: (68)

I will play every night or every other night for a couple of hours online with friends, we all have headsets and the banter is great so its as much gaming as it is a social event

Matteeboy

taylor85

iTrader: (5)

i used to play alot, now i just seem to play GTA 5 for forza for a couple hours a week

L.J.F

iTrader: (31)

What hobbies do you enjoy Matteeboy?

Matteeboy

Surfing (often), running, cycling, swimming, a bit of weight lifting, going out with mates, parties (a bit more grown up ones these days), anything car related but mostly driving it, staying in the camper, eating out (a bit too often) and probably other bits I've forgotten. Not once have I thought "right now I wish I was playing a video game."

I can't think of any mates who are much different or that own a PS-whatever or an x-box.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

With you all the way on this one Mattee.

Although I can see the attraction when you've all got headsets and giving each other some stick, especially now most of my mates are spread all over the world.

fat-thomas

iTrader: (4)

surely they are like anything else, not a problem if you dont obsess over them.

casual gaming is not a lot different from watching tv or films and most people cant do more than the odd hour here or there when kids are in bed.

L.J.F

iTrader: (31)

Matteeboy I think it's more to do with the age gap than anything else tbh, our generation grew up with Nintendo etc and I am guessing by then you would have been driving already.

the shreksta

iTrader: (20)

i dont think the problem with gaming is with adults i think its with kids today,when i was a wee-lad i was always out getting into mischief,biking everywhere,climbing things and generally being a lad,most of todays youths are hooked on the xbox/gay-station and play it for god knows how many hours locked in there room.

my mates ex bird has a son who comes home from school and sits in his room playing xbox all night stopping only to eat,he is such a fat slop and he will amount to nothing,he literally cannot live without his xbox.he doesnt go out,he's to fat to ride a bike and he looks like a vast mountain of vaseline with a heart condition

agree with banny,online gaming is great for a couple of hours with ya pals giving and getting stick and annoying the fat yanks aswell

adults seem to spend more time on face-fail or twatter these days,uodating their status or taking ****ing selfies....................Kunts

fat-thomas

iTrader: (4)

+1
adults usually have other things to do, like work,kids,partners etc.

unless of course youre one of those 40 year olds that still lives with your parents and if thats the case youre fcuked anyway

the shreksta

iTrader: (20)

im in my mid 30's and i do like a bit of call of duty/gears of war but other than that i work 65+ hours a week so dont really have time for anything else really.

i dont have kids and i dont want them either so ive not got to worry about them taking up my online time

i gave up drinking after spending 14 years on the doors and seeing the not so nice side of the human race so i choose to stay away from boozers now so a few good movies or a few hours online with my pals is all i need

Beef

Playing games can get you outside too: http://imgur.com/a/fic3u

I realise you are fishing for a reaction, but I'm going to answer your question in a (largely) serious way.

Different people prefer different hobbies. There are a lot of social elements, and e-sports are getting a level of viewship and popularity equivalent to more 'traditional' sports.

These pictures for example show some of the in-stadium attendances of some recent championships:

https://i.imgur.com/Dk6oohf.jpg

This year's DOTA 2 championship had a prize pool greater than the PGA Masters ($11m vs $8.6m), with the first place team taking home three times that of the 2014 Masters winner ($5m vs $1.6m)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Int...rnational_2014
http://www.augusta.com/masters/story...rs-prize-money

What you may view as a "waste of time" can be a highly social activity with strong communities - communities that can easily, and often do, contribute back into real-world society, such as the $27m of donations raised by the Child's Play charity:

http://www.childsplaycharity.org/

What you need to remember is that there will be gamers who would themselves view every single one of your activities as a "waste of time" - after all, where's the intellectual challenge in simply pushing bits of metal around in a gym, or standing on a board that will float on it's own quite happily without your interference? Where's the mental appeal in getting hot and sweaty on a bike? Obviously there is more to all of those hobbies than those broad simplifications, but in the same way as it's incorrect and shallow to dismiss cycling as a "waste of time", so is it incorrect and shallow to dismiss gaming in that way.

You personally clearly have a preference towards physical hobbies, and that's fine, but for those who may prefer (and have the capability for) something a little more intellectually engaging, especially if they are also physically less capable, games can offer incredible depth.

Depth of narrative, artistry, or emotion - any and all of those can be witnessed and experienced in games, and with the interaction between the gameplayer and the game, the impact on the player can be greater than a purely passive medium such as film or television. There is also a sense of achievement available to a player - be that through shaping the story around your own decision, or defeating a challenging opponent (and that includes real-world opponents) - and that sense of achievement can be equally as satisfying as you may find in any other activity.

Gaming is as a valid a pastime as any other, and one popular enough (and big enough business) to stand on it's own two feet unassisted; there are enough people who do see gaming for the rich, engaging tapestry of community and storytelling that it can be[1] that gamers are slowly starting to realise something quite important:

Your approval is unnecessary.

[1] Or as the source of simple, straightforward 'blow stuff up'

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I find its an alternative to vegetating infront of the TV epscially as there seemingly is les and less stuff worth watching. Although got bored with games and randomly trawl forums and until til I find something interesting, which is increasingly difficult these days as the interweb is now full of sheep posting the same old drivvel.

Matteeboy

Beef - I love that answer; made me smile! Not so sure about the intellectual bit though - while many are "saving planet Earth" or "being a Navy SEAL" I'm reading a decent novel or maybe the Spectator. Being active doesn't mean you're thick!

At 39, I "grew up" with an Amiga 500 (early teenage years) then had an N64 while the missus was doing her finals (basically so I didn't distract her) in my very early 20s then that was it - end of interest.

I am aware of the enormous market for games but that doesn't make it "right" - okay TV and films might not be great but at least they can form a social talking point (that does NOT include soaps or bloody reality TV!!).

***attractive girl approaches man in a bar***

"Hey honey, you look lonely, what are you up to tonight?"

***startled but excited man***

"Well I did have plans to complete level 8 on "I'm in the SAS, honest" but maybe I'll put that on hold"

***attractive girl***

"Okaaaaaay.... I might just check out that other bar down the road then."

Games are clearly very realistic and maybe occasionally sociable but what kind of skill is being able to hammer a few buttons? I've been there, yep I did play a lot for a while but I just feel that just like wearing a hoody is now a "no no" (despite being a lifelong surfer!), so is playing video games.

hodgy0_2

Eye eye, now your talking, I always wondered what you country folk did on those long winter nights

Agree though, I gave up when Doom was dropped for Heretic (and **** vector graphics)

My log burner, glass of wine and the papers or a book

Norman Dog

iTrader: (1)

I can play xbox games for about half an hour with my 15 year old son, get bored after that.

Don't really get how grown men can spend hours on the things.

L.J.F

iTrader: (31)

Only 39 Matteeboy? I assumed you was in the twilight years when you said you go out in the camper van, had visions of you and a old dear named Flo swanning off for long weekends listening to Radio 4 and playing scrabble....

Matteeboy

Whereas we actually spend five weeks a year touring Europe with our young kids, stopping at surf spots and mountains.

We also use it to stay overnight at parties, for local surf trips, bike rides, even to serve drinks from for a staff party.

Sorry to shatter your illusion

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

But yet you regularly venture onto a motoring internet forum and have done for 8 years. Isn't that a little 'sad'?

It just doesn't fit in with your 'free spirit' life style does it? There a bit of nerd in all of us.

Sorry to shatter your illusion

Hart

Trouble is, gaming becomes addictive for some people. As a casual gamer myself there have been times in the past where I have spent hours on a game and neglected my friends and/or family for social occasions to play on my XBOX.

Now I only play an hour or two at a time as I have bigger commitments. I still enjoy playing, its down time for me, but nowhere near as much as I used to.

Ellie*

Escapism?
Same reason people watch a bit of tv, watch a film, read a book etc I guess.

Forced you to switch off from the days events and chill out for a bit.

I've had various consoles and sold them all because I get bored of everything after 10mins, so I don't know how people can spend so much time on them but good for them for having the attention span lol!!

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Good post Beef.

I can see certain aspects of what you and others see in gaming, I too was hooked on a few games as a lad down the Arcade and local chip shop of a winters evening, but found it to be a very solitary activity that does tend to de-sensitise people to reality. The modern gaming scene is somewhat different to what I grew up with though, I can't help but think for the vast majority of gamers million dollar prizes are un-atainable and they are just food for the machine and therefore victims of it.

A lot of this popularity is due to bad parenting, it would seem a very large proportion of the population are lazy and prefer to allow their kids to lock themselves in the bedroom with a computer as opposed to stimulating them and involving them in activities that take place face to face with other people in the outside world.

I fear we are creating a sub-culture of people that have no social skills and can only stirke up a conversation and value another persons worth based upon what level they are on at Halo or Guns of Death

As with anything prowess is gained over a period of time, we are not all born to be fabulous at one thing or another, it's a learned and practiced skill, whether that be gaming or riding a bike, the difference in that level of skill is usually commensurate with the time and effort put into it.

Hence my point about bad parenting, my son is 7yrs old and has always been stimulated mentally and physically from day one. In the first instance having bed time stories read to him and to this day reading along, he was out and about in a back pack in the countryside before he could walk, socialised with other children, went swimming @ water babies etc, as soon as he was able to stand on his own two feet and walk competently he started clubs, he currently has one for everyday of the week and 2 on a couple of days one at school and one after, ranging from Judo, Football, Beavers, BMX, Teakwondo and Swimming, the poor lad barely gets a moment to himself As each week goes by he gets a little better at all of the above and his school work and social skills improve along with that.

I remember as a child I lived in an area that had a lot of Indians, Pakistanis and Jamaicans, consequently we all played Cricket and had mini Test matches between the nations living in Nottingham with Trent Bridge down the road was also a big influence. when I went to secondary school I could barely kick a football in a straight line but I made the Cricket team and about 3yrs later after a lot of practice the football team too and the Basketball team, I was never the best at any of those things but I did take part and was without doubt helped by those early years.

I fear a large proportion of adult and child gamers were victims of bad parenting and never got out and about so ended up seeking stimulation via their computer games, some of them develop into super gamers but the vast majority develop into fat adults with no compassion, bad attitudes, over inflated sense of worth and poor communication skills.

This is of course only one of many possible futures, the destiny of Planet Earth depends upon YOU!

Matteeboy

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

For me, I had my first Nintendo when I was 7 or 8, then a SNES, then a PS1. Hours upon hour hours were spent on trying complete the likes of resident evil, to the point where sleep overs at friends houses usually didn't involve much sleep.

We still went out to under 18 clubs (when we were 15 by the way) had whatever booze we could get our hands on before hand and usually ended up pulling.

Gaming was just part of the culture that I grew up in. At 39 Matt, you probably just missed the boat.
And it is a habbit that has stuck with many people, me included.

I only really play racing games (simulation rather than arcade) and the occassional first person shooter such as call of duty. So really, my gaming habbits haven't changed in 10 years or so.

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

I didn't realise it was a competition.

banny sti

iTrader: (68)

Why would one need to justify something they enjoy doing? Same goes for modding and owning an Impreza really