Why do you play games?

[BrotherSurplice]

I play for the escapism. How else would I be able to storm the beaches of Normandy, or save the galaxy from the Reapers?

And the masses of fun and the few great stories are just a bonus. Not to mention the fun to be had from playing games with friends.

 

[Yopaz]

Games are fun. I like having fun. As long as I play them I am having fun so I keep playing them.

Games offer a way you can take an active part of a story. You get to feel like you're a part of it rather than getting the passive experience of watching a movie or reading a book. You get to train your skills and test yourself against friends. You get a satisfaction from getting by a hard obstacle such as the final boss fight.

 

[rje5]

This post is going to be drawn out, but since it's for your thesis, I don't think you'll care.

The main reason for playing games is for entertainment. It's why we do most anything in life. It's either necessary, which gaming isn't, or it's entertaining. The beauty of games, and movies and books to a lesser extent (in my opinion anyway), is that they can be entertaining for a very large and diverse group of people.

I play games so I can be part of a world that isn't possible for me in my everyday life. I don't play the Sims, because why play someone doing everyday stuff? I want to be part of a fantasy, something I literally cannot do in real life. What separates games from movies and books is the interactivity. No matter how many times you read a book or watch a movie, the same thing happens every time. In a game, that's not the case. Some games have the overall story play out the same way (Call of Duty), but each fight can turn out differently because of the input of the gamer. Other games (Mass Effect) let you actually change the fate of characters in the story.

The main argument I hear about games is that they are mindless and immature. My fiance says this to me all the time. But these are the people who don't take the time to sit down and experience any of them. Gamers are stereotyped just like anyone else. Most people think gamers are nerds or angry. Some people are, but not all. Some people just take it more seriously than others, which is true with everything. I'll be the first to admit, the vast majority of games aren't very good either in story, or controls, or graphics or any combination of the 3. But the same can be said about movies and books. Not every movie is a blockbuster, and not every book in a best seller.

So, why do I play games? Because I get enjoyment out of an interactive experience. I enjoy feeling like I'm making a difference. I enjoy being part of a world I that I wouldn't be able to be part of otherwise. I've played football in the NFL, baseball in the MLB, I was a cowboy in the old west, a human fighting for the universe, a test subject in a lab, an agent fighting off a zombie infestation, a war hero in 3 different decades, an assassin, and a hero fighting dragons, just in the last year. I was able to do this all from my couch, and my experience isn't the same as everyone else who played the same games. That's why gaming is special to me.

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

Well if I cannot have any other adventures in real life, I can at least have some on my PC at home, I don't game a lot normally, but right now I'm stuck with a fractured elbow, so I can't do much of anything, other than gaming, since my sling positions my hand right there on WASD perfectly...

But mainly because ADVENTURE! Always fun to explore worlds and or build things, minecraft is awesome for that.

Also the whole experimentation without reprecussion in worlds of the purely hypothetical, and the fact that exploring realms much different from the one I inhabit is always cool.

I think that all just points back to ADVENTURE as the reason, after all ADVENTURE, is the reason the action and the goal... so yeah...

 

[Goremocker]

This is an all too simple question.

There's no other medium like it. What other form of entertainment puts you straight into a story? What other medium lets you experience everything that the protagonist does?

Contrary to what people think, it isn't about the killing. It's about experiencing the intencity that it brings. It's not just about exploring, it's about the freedom of going where you want to in a new world.

Gaming is fun because it's the best way to tell a story, the best way to live another life, and the best way to forget about your own troubles.

I see no reason to go play sports, or wander around a mall. I can sit in the comfort of my couch (or more likely infront of my PC) and pretend the world actually sits on my shoulders. I get a sense of fulfilment that I could never get from regular life.

In short. Life is boring as all hell, and games just help me project my emotions in a way that movies and books don't.

 

[RustlessPotato]

Because i can't respawn "outside".

Because the stories basically: Games are a whole different medium. You read a book and see a movie, but you don't really have any control. In an RPG it is my character and i'm playing my story (not really, but you get my point).

Other times when I play Team Fortress 2 or L4D2 it's just relaxing. I HATE watching tv and i'm not always in the mood to go to the pub or whatever.

And sometimes, i play co-op with my brother because killing stuff is more fun that way.

I had a discussion one time about why i play games. She asked me why I wasted so much time on videogames and then I asked her what she did when she wasn't going out. Turns out most of the time people watch tv or go on facebook :/.

 

[Swyftstar]

I play for escapism. When I want to get away for a bit and get lost in another world. Also, as I've gotten older I don't get the time to hang out with friends in person as much as I used to. Gaming online gives us the ability to hang out virtually almost every day.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

What are the reasons you play games? And why do you keep playing a game?

The main reason I play games is because they are fun and a relaxing way to shave off a few free hours. I also play to lay off some steam when I get angry and I prefer to take my anger out on some digital NPC than an actual person.

What would get me to continue playing a game/series/genre is that they present a fun, engaging, and at times challenging gameplay. To this day, I would go looking for my older games, restart them or create a new file, and proceed to play and complete the game.

Essentially, I am motivated by engaging in an interactive world rather than simply sightseeing it from a safe distance (as with movies), listening to whats going on (as with music), or simply learning about it through text (as with books or written media). To know that I am immersed in this fictional world and my actions generate various result and often time reflect who I am as an individual and not just a digital avatar.

For me, a fun game consists of setting out goals and objectives for you to achieve while the difficulty curve ascends at a reasonable rate. Also, being able to get through a perilous level by using your own wit and knowledge of the game makes it worthwhile.

 

[backinthepresentfuture]

to escape the constant annoyance of humanity.

 

[Tanis]

Depends on the game.

Sometimes it's for fun (Kingdoms of Alamur), or a challenge (Dark Souls), or thinking (Galactic Civilization 2), or because I frelling HATE the Catholic Church (FFX).

Ya know, it's just a mood thang...

 

[The_Lost_King]

I play to get immersed into the game. I want to become the hero and forget all the problems that i have at the time and just play. I play because it is fun to be able to do stuff you would not be able to do in the real world. Sometimes I play for the satisfaction of beating my siblings ass in ssbb or pokemon colliseum.

 

[Battleaxx90]

I love playing video games because, quite simply, I loves me a good story. I've played quite a few games with lackluster gameplay simply because I like the story the game tells.

This isn't just restricted to video games, btw. If it has a good story, I'll want to experience it, whether its a game, a book, a movie, even a cartoon for young girls about ponies and frendship! If the story's good, I'll read it.

This is probaly (read: definately) the reason I like the RPG genre of games the best; the quailty of the story tends to be better than in other genres. I'm not saying the story in non-RPGs are bad; I'm just saying that the bar is set higher in RPGs.

 

[applesandoranges]

edit

 

[Cranky]

I love good stories and being involved in one. I also have a lack of hobbies.