Isn't this site called 'The Escapist'?

[Barbas]

A little bit of 1 and 4, but mostly 5; the years have been unbound by doldrums and routine of late, so it's primarily for entertainment, inspiration and adventure supplement.

 

[wooty]

1, 2, 3 & 5 for me. I'm so bored with everything lately that this is giving me the feeling that I'm doing something. My shit jobs really pissing me off at the moment, so pointblanking things with a shotgun helps in that aspect.

Its also ironically the only place I talk to my "mates" who are moaning that they're bored while they sit around playing games all day and doing nothing. Maybe they're all afraid of fresh air or something.

 

[Racecarlock]

To blow shit up without attracting any real cops and/or exploring a whole new world. But mostly murder and mayhem. Although I do fancy a space flight now and again.

 

[Tarfeather]

Oddly enough, I don't use games for escapism very much. With games, it's more like an accident when I end up enjoying the game more than real life, and thus overdo it. For me, programming projects are a much more dangerous means of escapism, because they provide a sense of achievement that I can't really get in real life. Games never did that for me, at best they make me feel I've learned/experienced something, but never that I've somehow asserted my existence.

 

[verdant monkai]

No one loves me.

I am addicted to fedoras and Reddit, and therefore I have poor hygiene.

I spit when I talk and one of my eyes looks the wrong way.

My mum is the only person who says I am special.


So basically 2. God I love video games.

 

[Barbas]

1, 2, 3 & 5 for me. I'm so bored with everything lately that this is giving me the feeling that I'm doing something. My shit jobs really pissing me off at the moment, so pointblanking things with a shotgun helps in that aspect.

Its also ironically the only place I talk to my "mates" who are moaning that they're bored while they sit around playing games all day and doing nothing. Maybe they're all afraid of fresh air or something.

I heartily recommend the grisly sword-and-gun-porn simulator that is Shadow Warrior for all your workplace stress-related needs.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Definitely option 1. I'm pretty sure I would be a more proactive guy if I never had gaming in my life (which will be both good and bad).

 

[Foolery]

1,2, and 5. Unfortunately, my body's coping mechanism for stress seems to be falling asleep. I get a huge urge to nap and basically shut down when things get too rough.

 

[babinro]

I simply have more fun playing games than I would doing something else. It's what I want to do with my free time rather than an activity that I fall back on to escape reality. I don't view it as an escape as much as I do an activity. It's no more of an escape for me than say going for a walk, hanging out with friends, or any other non-work activity.

I'm not entirely clear what number that puts me into on the categories listed. The fact is I love my life. I'm exceptionally poor but I intentionally choose to live this way in order to maximize my free time. I then use most of my free time playing video games. I don't feel like I'm escaping from the horrors of reality but rather I feel like I'm living my life to the fullest.

 

[jamail77]

Wow, what a downer post this turned out to be. Sorry.

Hey, no worries. Nobody said this thread has to be full of positive posts. Though, I will say, perhaps, use this discussion as a springboard to make your real life into a better experience?

Nah all water under the bridge mate.
For me if the opportunity arises to procrastinate I take it. If I know I have to do it or I'm in an environment where work is the only thing I can do (eg at work) then I just get it done.

Oh yeah, of course. No hard feelings and all that. I just thought it was really neat how someone from one of my other thread topics is the first to comment on another thread topic. That is why I bothered mentioning it. I'd say small world, but that's a bit too cliche for me. I do feel kind of bad that I wasn't clear from the beginning and made a lot of rational, respectful people think I was dismissing their viewpoint rather than just a certain subgroup of that viewpoint, but I'll try not to harp on anymore about that since that's not what this discussion is about. I guess you could say this thread is an escape from the bad experience of that thread

I know exactly what you mean. I try to be productive and want to do a lot with my life, but if I'm not in the right environment then it's easy to just game. It helps if I started the productive activity at all as just starting something keeps me doing it.

The thrill of overcoming adversity is unfortunately absent and looked down upon in the life of customer service.

Yeah, I have a fast food job at the moment. I know how you feel.

however I will say that in the past year and a half this website has become such a chore to visit and really doesn't feel like Escapism anymore.

Mind going more in depth on what you mean? I'm curious. Got any examples maybe?

OT:
It used to be everything. Now-a-days, it's just a past time which I seem to appreciate less and less for some reason. I kind of like the idea of not playing as much, though, as it may lead to doing something productive. That's the hope anyway.

I understand this a bit. I wouldn't say my stance on gaming is necessarily of less appreciation, but it often seems I don't get the thrill I used to. I definitely hope to do something productive when I don't game though when I do game I often try to rationalize it as being very beneficial in some way, so that I wouldn't have to admit it'd be just a waste of my time if not for entertainment value.

5 and 2. I have a high stress life, due to insomnia and family issues (not drama just medical stuff) that drain the energy out of me. I've no choice but to buck up and go at them head on, so when I've downtime I play games to relieve the stress, regenerate some energy and most of all have some adventure. If a game can entertain me, no matter how it is I'll play it. Thats my escapism. I face the real world with courage because its a scary place, video games are a safe escape to enjoy other things when real life isn't full of drama, stress, worry, work or whatever. Everyone needs time off from their reality in some way, games are one of those for me, thats the core of what escapism means to me.
Sometimes it could be my semi-addiction to roller coasters too.

I'm sorry to hear about that. However, your attitude on it all is really something admirable. Way to push forward!

I love roller coasters. We voted for Disneyland for my high school's grad night when I wanted to go to Six Flags. After I graduated I found out our school was temporarily banned from Disneyland because a later graduating class was caught bringing in drugs or something like that. I was pretty mad because that meant, until the ban was lifted, every graduating class would go to Six Flags from then on.

 

[Bug MuIdoon]

Mind going more in depth on what you mean? I'm curious. Got any examples maybe?

Not at all I've been a long, long time stalker on here (but rarely post), however over the last year and a bit it just seems that every thread seems to devolve in to a big argument about that certain subject. I have no qualms with that subject, and even think it's an important discussion to have - but I'm just sick of having it, it's not escapism.

Another reason, and I get that I'm being somewhat hypocritical here with a fairly negative post, but I just find that the majority of posts and threads are just massive amounts of negativity and hate, but its the internet so that is to be expected.

One final thing is that I don't particularly like Anime or comic books (super heros etc.) and a lot of topics tend to head in those directions, which is cool and all but just not my cup of tea

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I've used games for all of the above reasons.

However, these days I'm trying to use it more as pure recreation and not as a tool of procrastination or escape from things I have to deal with.

Speaking of which, I have some emails to send out.

 

[Auron225]

Usually for me it's just the craving adventure option, but I have used it as a means of escapism from real life issues. It works wonders for that.

 

[Guffe]

Everything?

Because in real life I can't be a pro fottballer... or a kart racer that throws missiles at people... or some awesome chosen hero to save the day...
Y'know?
I play games to escape reality I guess, and to spend some me-time, except when it's co-op of course, then I escape realtime with friends.

 

[BarkBarker]

A world bound by the sense of humanity yet indulgent of the imagination seems like a more fun world to play in then the reality of ours which is simply the leftovers of chaos with a little chaos still brewing.

 

[wooty]

1, 2, 3 & 5 for me. I'm so bored with everything lately that this is giving me the feeling that I'm doing something. My shit jobs really pissing me off at the moment, so pointblanking things with a shotgun helps in that aspect.

Its also ironically the only place I talk to my "mates" who are moaning that they're bored while they sit around playing games all day and doing nothing. Maybe they're all afraid of fresh air or something.

I heartily recommend the grisly sword-and-gun-porn simulator that is Shadow Warrior for all your workplace stress-related needs.

Now THAT is nostalgic. I think I remember playing that back in the dark days of MS Dos. I may just reacquire it next pay day

 

[Barbas]

1, 2, 3 & 5 for me. I'm so bored with everything lately that this is giving me the feeling that I'm doing something. My shit jobs really pissing me off at the moment, so pointblanking things with a shotgun helps in that aspect.

Its also ironically the only place I talk to my "mates" who are moaning that they're bored while they sit around playing games all day and doing nothing. Maybe they're all afraid of fresh air or something.

I heartily recommend the grisly sword-and-gun-porn simulator that is Shadow Warrior for all your workplace stress-related needs.

Now THAT is nostalgic. I think I remember playing that back in the dark days of MS Dos. I may just reacquire it next pay day

The original? A classic, no doubt, but I was referring to the remastered and astonishingly brutal, mildly psychotic love letter made by Devolver Digital.

Spoiler: (NSFW) Drink it in!

 

[FPLOON]

Oh shit! I'm usually all 5 cases mentioned in the OP and then some! I need to get out more!!
*plays [insert outdoor-esque simulator game here]*

But seriously, I escape into the video games mainly out of sheer boredom of real life at times... It's a break from the mundane into the escapism effect of the mundane to an unrealistic degree most of the time... Sometimes, I do it with friends or with family, like my own mother, and it's never a dull moment in comparison to real life...

Overall, I escape to a double life in the form of playing video games... If I'm with fellow game players, then bring on the co-op... (I always choose "Random" in the character selection screen, anyway...)

 

[Poetic Nova]

Mainly option 2 and 4 but I rather not talk about the reasons behind it for privacy's sake.

 

[jamail77]

snip

I've been a member for over three years now, which actually is longer than I thought. I would argue that was going on before, but it certainly is worse now. I am sick of how the discussion turns out rather than it happening all the time. Our medium is going through a painful growth spurt and fear and hatred resembling what happened to comic books decades ago. I don't know if this site was originally started with escapism at its center and it's not like it was always talked about even three years ago. The name of the site could mean quite a few things. Keeping the focus on some form of escapism, even if not mentioned directly, does still occur around here though the bad definitely overtakes the good much of the time on this site especially if you go looking for it whether you meant to or not.

I don't blame you on the comic book and anime focused parts of this site. I don't care for comic books, never read one myself, though I do love the DC Animated Universe, DC Universe Animated Original Movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ...some of DC's live action stuff. I do watch some anime, but I am far from fluent.

A world bound by the sense of humanity yet indulgent of the imagination seems like a more fun world to play in then the reality of ours which is simply the leftovers of chaos with a little chaos still brewing.

That statement is beautiful.