How video games helped me.

[Erana]

OK, so its not that life-changing, but before I began playing First-Person Shooters, my right hand was completely uncoordinated. Just this Summer, I literally -had- to spend nearly $100 in a used-game store, and now use my left hand for gestural painting and my right for straight lines and fine details. It was kinda alarming to realise that I had been painting with the wrong hand, at first. Now its a useful tool for my Art major!

 

[Jumplion]

Well, when i was younger (like say, 5 years old) i was a pretty angry child. I would always cry for no aparant reason, get angry at something i hope never to remember, and a few other things i'd rather repress.

Jump up to 8 years old (i think?) when i get my first playstation (i had a gameboy but didn't play it too often, only on long car rides) and the games helped me concentrate my anger on the game when i got frustrated. Still does today.

I guess that's how videogames helped me, made me concentrate more to.

Also made me get more buisiness sense and save up money and plan out how I would use my money to get a game i wanted through those years. Oh memories.

 

[mshcherbatskaya]

Or maybe this is the story about how games ruined me. That's right, fellas, games and gamers made me the monster I am today. BWAHAHAHAHAHH! ;D

And I still want you to be my wife.

Aww, that's sweet! And even after I my best Godzilla imitation all over the forum? You are either very forgiving or a glutton for punishment. Seriously though, sorry for going overboard back there. I gave myself a very stern talking to and sent myself to bed early, which didn't do a damn bit of good cuz I just laid awake until 5 a.m. like usual, but anyway. I would ground myself but the bike is in the shop still, so that's kind of moot.

 

[runtheplacered]

If I had to shoot someone in the face in real life.. I think I would naturally aim for the skull now, rather then the chest.

Kidding aside.. they've helped me in two major ways. In both reasoning skills and hand-to-eye coordination. Or maybe I just had good reasoning skills and hand-to-eye coordination in the first place and that's why I like video games? Or did the chicken come after the egg? I can't remember anymore. I'm old.

 

[MattyDienhoff]

In typing tests I average at about 90 words-per-minute with 99% accuracy, and I owe Operation Flashpoint a nod of thanks for my typing skills. In the game's mission editor you do a hell of a lot of typing. Lines of code in the init fields of units, briefings, scripts...

 

[Duck Sandwich]

- I've improved my reaction time a hell of a lot, as well as hand-eye coordination (Mega Man, Halo, Smash Bros.)

- Improved multitasking (Starcraft)

- I've also broadened my vocabulary most of the "big words" I know, I learned from games (Exile 3: Ruined World, 7th Legion, X-Men Legends, Starcraft)

While I was taking driving classes, I was given this computer program designed to test and improve driving-related skills, such as reaction time, risk avoidance, depth perception, and width of field of vision. The interesting thing is, the program pretty much IS a game. I believe I can attribute my high mark on reaction time to my numerous sessions of playing the likes of Mega Man, Halo, and Smash Bros.

One time in business class, we were playing a game in which we had to run a business. It's likely that I owe the fact that I did the best in the class to Roller Coaster Tycoon, or possibly Sim City.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Guitar Hero helped me improve my hand-eye coordination and reflexes. Plus, video games helped me get away from it all when my life was, quite frankly, hell.

I play bass and strangely enough sitting down with Guitar Hero an hour before I have to play is the most fun way I've found to warm up. It's effective and not half as boring as my old finger exercises.

Also, finishing Day Of The Tentacle without a walkthrough made me realise that there are people out there whose thought processes are as backward as mine ;-)

 

[stompy]

I suppose RPGs made me the reading fiend I am today, as well FPSs causing my extremely fast reaction time and above average hand-eye co-ordination. Mainly, my love of modern history was realised after playing Brothers in Arms. 'Cos of that, I ended up coming first history for that year. I owe a lot to this passion, I really do.

 

[monodiabloloco]

SEE! Anyone who says that vidjamagames (Yeah, I stole that, but it made me laugh!) are evil needs to read this thread. So many people are bettered by their electronic addiction.

@-Darth mobius, HA! Grand Turismo made me a more agressive driver AND made me look for hte best driving line. I find myself always wanting to pass people though...

@- Mattydienhoff, Oh man, I didn't even include that! I was typing my own hunt and peck style for so long I was up to about 30 wpm, but had to keep one eye on the keyboard. When Gametap got typing of the dead, I tried it, found it cheesy, but really fun, and next thing I know, I can type the correct way and am up to about 50-60 wpm. Take that Mavis Beacon!

@naturalhazard, look forward to your 1st game!

@mshcherbatskaya/Crap_Hat, Aww... romance on teh intarweb. lol. Sounds like you were made into a stronger woman cause of gaming. Well, at least one unafraid to put we weaker sex types in our place. That's pretty awesome. I have never found timid women attractive. If a woman isn't willing to get in my face no matter how pissed off I am, I don't want 'em around. Friends or lovers. Hell, I'm nearly afraid of my fiance. In a I-don't-want-her-pissed-cause-she-owns-guns sort of way.
Now that I think on it, gaming helped several of my socially backward friends become better with people. Just playing together with dorm-mates or even working with others online...
Damnit! Went all rambly again. I do that.... My bad.

 

[Anarchemitis]

Playing KoTOR put my mindset into more of like a jedi; unbiased, level-headed and fair. Abeit the fact that jedis seem to refelct upon Buddhism.... (I'll leave you to assumtions of what I'm talking about. Speculation is fun.)

And I think about the concept of learning games like Will Wright does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_Rt_grfUUo

 

[Sib]

Well i suppose this isnt really helping me, but ive met lots of good friends on MMOs, hell ive known one for almost 5years now even after we both stopped playing the MMO we met on, matter of fact i was playing some CoD4 with him earlier today. So i suppose the games have helped me make some good friends?

 

[defcon 1]

Ever since my first game, Super Mario Bros, I always wanted to become a game developer. I picked up Warcraft III when I was very young. It's not so much the game itself, but the World Editor that taught me how a game was structured. I learned about scripting, attribute structure, and gaming vocab such as: entity's, splash damage and so forth. I made several small games with it (none of which were very good) simply to teach myself to the programs fullest extent. It even taught me how to play Warcraft properly, because originally, I didn't completely understand it.

The games that taught me the most were web based, hands-on information security training. such as...

http://www.hackthissite.org
http://www.overthewire.org
http://www.rootthisbox.org

 

[Baba booey]

some helped on reflexes, some helped with vocab and some helped with just thinking more and thinking outside the box.

 

[mshcherbatskaya]

@mshcherbatskaya/Crap_Hat, Aww... romance on teh intarweb. lol. Sounds like you were made into a stronger woman cause of gaming. Well, at least one unafraid to put we weaker sex types in our place. That's pretty awesome. I have never found timid women attractive. If a woman isn't willing to get in my face no matter how pissed off I am, I don't want 'em around.

Given our age difference, it would be a very Harold and Maude [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067185/] affair.

I don't really believe that either sex is inherently weaker (you'd have to settle on a definition of "weaker" first), but given that ]scientific data is is gathered and interpreted in a cultural context [http://www.humanists.net/pdhutcheon/Review%20Essays/Review%20of%20Mismeasure%20of%20a%20Woman.htm], I don't believe it is possible to say authoritatively, "Women are like this and Men are like that" or conversely that there is no gender difference and that it's ALL culture.

And there I go again. Oh, well. Anyways.

It's kind of weird, because I'm a very tightly wound person in general (no! really?) so I can come across as very fearful, and yet I just do not back down. I don't know why. The closest I get to backing down is getting bored and walking away.

I think being a woman in the tech industry in general has toughened me up quite a bit, along with hanging out with the dudes, but it's also relaxed me quite a bit. (Can you imagine me before?) I spend my days surrounded by 70-90% guys, they are my collegues and my friends, and generally I have more in common with them than I do with most of the women I know. I don't know any women, for instance, who get overtly excited by blade form factor computing and IT virtualization. Which is really sad to me. Among other things, it means that I don't have anyone to flirt with at work.

 

[AvalonSkies]

Hey, I've got a good one. From what I've witnessed all by my own isolated self, a good chunk of teenagers grow up and blow their cash because Mommy and Daddy never trusted them to manage much in the way of finances. I started playing Guild Wars around Junior year in high school or something like that, and guess what? Saving up gold for that ultra-awesome high-double-o-rollover armor I wanted taught me how to use money properly.

I'm in college now, and people ask me for money advice. My replies usually begin with, in the words of the immortal Yahtzee, "It's just like an MMO but". I figure mentioning that is worth finally making an account at this awesome little site. (cough, first-post, cough.) ^_^