Why Do You Play Games?

p1 ama on 20/01/2020 - 20:37

Just curious as to why people play games - is it just a form of entertainment, is it to de-stress and escape from the real world, is it to be competitive and win, or is it for some other reason?

I've been playing games since the NES days when I was just a little kid. I usually play for fun and as a sport (i.e. to compete, get better, and win). I'm a competitive-ish fighting game player, and have only really recently started playing online (after having played in local meets, regional tournaments and arcades for years).

I've just found the online culture to be so toxic sometimes that I've questioned why people play games. Just idiots who "rage quit" (i.e. reset their console when they're about to lose), those who yell and scream on voice chat, those who resort to sh!t-talking when they lose, or even those who just try to cheat. This is such a far cry from the local meets that I've been to in the past where you play competitively, but when it's all done, you shake your opponent's hand, show good sportsmanship and (most importantly) you show your opponent and those around you the respect they deserve.

I'm just curious why all these online players behave this way and why they are playing games. Or perhaps the anonymity allows people to show their "true colours" and the sportsmanship I've seen in real life is all just an act?

Gaming Video Game

Comments

  • Hardlyworkin on 20/01/2020 - 20:41
    +9

    With that title you remind me of my ex!

  • Godric on 20/01/2020 - 20:41

    Because it's fun.

    When you play a game/s long enough you (assuming you aren't horrible) gather new online friends, pair up and play other games then come back to the main and chill with the others who've you been playing with for years.

  • Halsmich on 20/01/2020 - 21:28

    Nah, the sportsmanship you see at your locals is likely pretty genuine for the most part, especially since you mention you play fighting games. A lot of what makes fighting games daunting/difficult is the notion of understanding that you're going to be losing a lot in order to get better. Going to locals is already a big step in that direction, so you don't need to worry about I dunno, "fakeness". The online rage-quitters are just playing the wrong game, perhaps thinking they can get cool points from their friends or others for playing a hard game, despite not understanding even the fundamentals of it. You can forget about those guys, probably still out there mashing buttons in their basement.

    As for why I play (fighting games in particular), simply because it feels good, and it's a good exercise in some form of execution (which sadly more modern fighting games are shifting away from), just pressing buttons, microdashing etc feels great. I suppose on a more OzBargain note, another reason I play is from how much value you can get out of them just from the sheer amount you can learn, like character matchups, combos, frame data etc in a single game, as opposed to like a typical RPG that just ends with its story.

    • p1 ama on 20/01/2020 - 22:19
      +1

      That's good to hear - one of the things I've always loved about fighting games is the people. I watch the big tourneys like EVO and Combobreaker every year and the skills and sportsmanship I see from the players (plus the real hype from the audience) just make me want to go there in real life some day.

      A lot of what makes fighting games daunting/difficult is the notion of understanding that you're going to be losing a lot in order to get better.

      I agree with this - you learn how to lose gracefully before you start winning. It's a humbling experience. You also need to put in the hours in training mode, learn new combo routes, watch good players…etc. When you have that sort of investment in a game, you respect others who've put in the same time and effort as you (IMO).

      As for why I play (fighting games in particular), simply because it feels good, and it's a good exercise in some form of execution (which sadly more modern fighting games are shifting away from), just pressing buttons, microdashing etc feels great.

      Yeah, same with me. I get what you mean though - I think part of it is making fighting games more accessible. I've been playing DBFZ heaps since it came out (one of my favourite anime as a kid), and even though I do agree that it's probably too beginner friendly, I've come to appreciate that it's a good way of getting new players (who may just love DB, for instance) to get into the game. Players can just learn how to use their auto-combos, extend into sliding knockdown, and go into L3 super for the mix-up and they can already have fun without needing to learn pretty complex combo routes.

      Anyway, I think there's a lot of such players in the lower ranks and they buy + support the game, so I'm all for it. Some of them might even later spend the time to get better. But the issue is when players start to get greedy and want to cheat their way up the ranks by rage-quitting or just targeting lower ranked players rather than spending the time improving their own skills.

  • Skramit on 20/01/2020 - 21:29
    +3

    To pwn noobs

  • Diji1 on 20/01/2020 - 21:41
    +1

    I've just found the online culture to be so toxic

    Find the AU (or closest English or whatever you speak) region Discord for whatever the game is and add people from there. So much better than randoms.

  • crentist on 20/01/2020 - 21:50

    Makes me feel like a big man

  • Ugly on 20/01/2020 - 21:58

    Like OP says, I choose to play for fun and relax, so I just don’t bother playing online games.
    With all of the free games I have on Steam / Uplay / Epic (thanks mostly to this site), why bother with the grief?

  • Hybroid on 20/01/2020 - 22:01

    I don't play competitive MP games so not an issue with the toxicity. WoW being an exception but that has a generally pretty good community feel. Majority for me are single-player games for the story telling/immersive experience. Instead of watching a movie or TV series, play an interactive game with a story. Hence big fan of Witcher 3/RDR2/HZD/TLOU etc.

  • garetz on 20/01/2020 - 22:05
    +2

    Why does anyone do anything ?

    • outlander on 21/01/2020 - 00:43
      +1

      because of reasons

  • RandomFox on 20/01/2020 - 22:56
    -1

    A bit of everything. Entertainment, a means to escape to another world and immerse yourself into it, play online games for fun, competitively and socially and not being as out going I meet people who have the same interests as me. With any group of people your going to find toxic people even more so online because there in front of a screen and not face to face in person but unlike irl there's also a block button.

  • outlander on 21/01/2020 - 00:43

    Mostly as a way to disengage my brain. I have a tendency to get stuck on one train of thought, usually negative, and entering a self-contained world having an order with clearly defined rules helps to reset some of those values.

    It also gives a quick sense of accomplishment that is otherwise much harder to achieve. This ones probably at the heart of your query.
    When you play single player, you can win and feel like your the greatest. But when you go online, that illusion quickly gets destroyed, and you're reminded how much you suck. It hurts all the more because it's not like you're trying at something real and failing, like the olympics or chess. No, you're playing some game that's one of 10,000 out there, and you can't even be great at that. It's why I mostly stick to single player (although I did love playing Mario Kart on the wii - no smacktalking, and the games where randomly assigned to your skill level)

    Good sportsmanship is only really possible when you're playing for the experience, and not as a way to seek validation.

    • p1 ama on 21/01/2020 - 01:18
      +1

      It also gives a quick sense of accomplishment that is otherwise much harder to achieve.

      This intrigues me because accomplishment is relative.

      But when you go online, that illusion quickly gets destroyed, and you're reminded how much you suck. It hurts all the more because it's not like you're trying at something real and failing, like the olympics or chess.

      This is the truth, but I think it's something that game developers don't want to people to hear.

      When you play some sport like athletics or chess, nobody really gets anything out of you playing. Therefore, nobody gives a flying crap whether you think you're good or not - you can talk smack all you want, but your achievements will speak for themselves.

      When you play a game, developers have an incentive to keep you inside the game, whether that's to boost player numbers or sell you loot boxes. The best way to do this is to make you feel like you're good. So we end up with this sort of culture where everyone thinks they're a god when they have no real point of comparison to other people. When that is shattered, people become salty.

      Ultimately, I think what it comes down to is that (in some sense) games are designed to be "easy" or perhaps accessible. Terribly difficult games that are frustrating and require patience and skill have never sold well or reviewed well. It's because the majority of people treat gaming as entertainment, not sport, and those who do game competitively usually do so because it's easy and most other people are casuals.

      If we look at the gaming communities which are actually very good (e.g. speed running), we tend to see really supportive people, a great sense of respect and friendship, and just overall much more positive vibes. It's like being good at a sport or a musical instrument. When there's some investment into becoming good, you respect other people who've made the same investment.

  • AbsX on 21/01/2020 - 08:21

    To be who I want to be but cant in real life

  • Room Temperature on 21/01/2020 - 08:22
    +1

    Single Player Games- Experience stories, new game mechanics and subjects I find appealing, mindless fun and occasionally play them with my girlfriend and go on the experience together.

    Multiplayer Games - Talk to friends online, the game usually just becomes background noise. If I do play with randoms, I tend not to play heavily competitive games and mute the voice chat. If I'm playing something casual I'll usually listen to a podcast while I do so.

    There are toxic people in every community, but video games are notoriously bad.

  • Bid Sniper on 21/01/2020 - 08:48

    Only play single player games now, need a pause button.

    Heaps of toxic communities, few toxic people here on OzB even. Found console player far more toxic than PC, kiddies with anger issues, I just disable mic and chat.

  • redpump on 21/01/2020 - 10:44

    Back when I use to play multiplayer, it was the challenge and using your efforts and team work with friends to win. The feeling of effort + accomplishments was a really great feeling (which is why I don't understand why people cheat).

    Now I mainly play offline games, I like the story and puzzles involved. Like reading a good book or doing a jigsaw puzzle, just another form of entertainment to consume.

  • HardlyCharly on 21/01/2020 - 10:47

    I want to preface by saying I don't play online games, it feels like a waste of time, and requires a lot of it. I play because it is art, and I love art in all forms. Gamers are all forms of art combined into one, film, music, writing, painting/illustration etc. With an extra layer of interactivity and immersion which binds them all together and creates an entirely new kind of experience. It may just be the ultimate form of art one day.

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