Why's Gaming So SERIOUS?

[Exius Xavarus]

BECAUSE GAMING IS SRS BIZNIZ!

The games that are taken most seriously are the competitive FPS games, such as Halo and Call of Duty. People don't like to lose, so they rage and make the game serious. Personally, I play to have fun, not to be the best. Which, more often than not, gets me flamed in Call of Duty because I'm a terabad FPS player. :D

 

[Radeonx]

Really? I don't get that at all... but then again, the group I game with is pretty laid back, so hey

Essentially this.
I don't play many multiplayer games, but the ones I do, I always play with friends. We don't particularly care who wins, as long as we has fun, which is a great way to approach gaming, in my opinion.

 

[strum4h]

That is not what I meant. What I was saying that the escapist with no mods bans etc.. would be final destination. making a joke off what OP said.

 

[octafish]

Yeah, I only play multiplayer with friends over a LAN. Hard to find time to do it these days, but recently we had a "Netbook Lan" where we all turned up with our Laptops/Netbooks and hooked up for a few hours of Freespace 2, Unreal, and Blood. All three good old games. Another friend and I setup a round robin comp of Fallout Tactics in a pub on laptops, that was a lot of fun too.

 

[Enemy Of The State]

KD Ratios have killed shooters, that's for sure. Half the people are bragging about having a "1337 6:1 KDR" while the other half, people like me, are constantly trying to keep it above, say, 1:00... no fun.

 

[JWW]

...I'm Batman....

OT: I don't really take it seriously. I may get frustrated, but then I bring up the developer console.

 

[Haagrum]

Some people play multiplayer games to relax. Some people play multiplayer games to have fun. Some of these people are actually very good at what they do and take it seriously, but aren't rude or abusive. From my (admittedly limited) experience, these people are in the majority, but they're often not the ones you remember because they're not annoying jerks.

Some people are obsessives about multiplayer gaming to the point that it becomes the centre of their self-esteem. Getting that drop/that KD ratio/that achievement becomes their raison d'etre. I don't think that's healthy, but these people are not necessarily annoying. We'll get along fine as long as they don't constantly talk about their epeen...

Some people play multiplayer games to be griefers and tools because they can't deal with people in real life, can vent their frustration with their own ineptness at anyone with the sound turned on, and can't get punched in the face through a screen. There is a special Hell for these people.

The latter two groups are why I stick strictly to drunken multiplayer.

 

[poiuppx]

I don't mind if people take their gaming seriously. Most of these posts seem to express that serious is synonymous with being a douche bag. But, I don't think that's necessarily the case in all instances.

Sometimes I like when people take the game seriously enough that they actually use the mic for its intended purpose- teamwork and strategy instead of trash talking and anger. It can make the game more engaging and satisfying. I'd like to hear more "There's a guy up on the roof." or "come on were only down by 3 points!" and less "fuck you ******" and "your a noob go kill yourself".

The issue being, that last quote is the kind of 'serious business' the OP is talking about; folks who insist on the game being for masters, by masters, who refuse to accept the idea of experimentation or the growth of skills in THEIR game, who hate the concept of randomness and expect everyone to follow their own blessed path for fun and profit.

What you described is less the old phrase 'serious business' and more so being able to enjoy a game maturely. Using tactics and strategic logic and the like. Which, if the 'HARDCORE' gamers used, they wouldn't need to always play in the same way, on the same maps, with the same restrictions, and decry those who dared do otherwise.

 

[Flames66]

This does somewhat annoy me as well. I have found that if I either completely annoy the ragers or say some thing like "pfffft rager" they tend to rage quit. I thinks it's because they can't deal with someone who doesn't cower in the face of their huge egos.

 

[JopperJopJop]

It's taken so seriouly because there are a lot of less than intelligent people in the world.

Or I prefer to call them stupid.

 

[Direwolf750]

Serious is different than being a douche. You can be serious about playing a game and still be perfectly civil. The reason that many people are not civil on such games is that in general, although fun, fps's are pretty simple games overall, and are thereby more likely to contain idiots and douchebags who are compensating for something, and shouting "LOL U R TEH NOOBZOR" gives them a great big egotistical stiffy...

 

[Shynobee]

You give something to a wide enough audience, and there will be people who make it worse for every one else.

I just make it a point to only play only games with my buds.

 

[sneakypenguin]

Because of the age of avg partaker of the hobby. Its young unlike something like a motorsports site where its not overrun with the 13-22 age group.

 

[Blueruler182]

Why so serious?

Because people have very little else and decide to cause shit. It's the same thing with crime and politics. I just ignore them or, if I'm really bored, out-talk them.

 

[motyr]

you'd probably find that generally competitive people take gaming more, well, competitively, than others. they probably take other things more "seriously" as well (ie. sports, etc.).

 

[oOPandemoniumOo]

Some people believe they are better than everyone else at gaming, whether they have only played with friends previously and won against them or they were just getting lucky. Meaning they think if they get beaten the killer is using a cheap tactic, cheating or being unfair.

I hate when others yell at each other over completely irrelevant points of a game, I turned my game on to play, not listen to two people whine at each other.

 

[RJ Dalton]

I rather enjoy people who take games to seriously, usually because I'm better than many of them and and kick their asses with one hand tied behind my back, using my tongue to control the analogue stick. Okay, the ones who take it really fucking seriously still kick my ass, but then I get to have fun because I can laugh at them for being someone so pathetic that they have less of a social life than me. On the whole, I find it to be a win-win situation.

 

[dbungus2000]

Video games are serious business. I'm sick of everyone just playing around when I'm gaming.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

???

Gaming is serious? This is the first I've heard of this.

While a few of my friends get a bit excessively competative, we all know we are playing in the name of fun.

[small] Some people play for the sake of winning? Idiots... [/small]