Do you ever feel like playing video games is a waste of time?

johnny_ultimate · 25-10-2019 11:43am

Might I suggest it's not that video games are innately a waste of time, rather it's that many video games actively waste our time?

Many design trends are focused on extracting maximum engagement from the player, regardless of the quality. MMOs have always done this, and you've seen it seeping into other types of titles (your Destinys or Divisions). It crosses over to single player games too - series like Assassins' Creed are increasingly focused on big, expansive experiences that nigh on demand dozens of hours of your time, even if there are few meaningful new experiences over the course of that time. It's a time consuming medium in its most common form - the longest films (experimental oddities aside) would take a day of your time to watch, whereas that would be considered extremely short by video game standards.

But no more so than films or books, I think great video games can still be thrilling, beautiful, challenging - they are extremely rewarding in terms of being a complex, creative expression. I don't feel the joys of Outer Wilds are any lesser than those of The Irishman - they're different, but they're both exciting.

I just feel in the past few years I've naturally shifted my expectations a little bit. I now don't really put much value in big, timesink games unless they truly offer enough ideas to justify that sort of time commitment (the likes of Breath of the Wild). I've doubled down on committing gaming time (which has grown ever more limited) to games with a clear, manageable vision that I know won't demand many hours over many weeks or months. Sometimes you just have to dump a game that isn't doing much of note. And sure sometimes you just want to have a quick deathmatch (even if dipping in and out of multiplayer games is a shortcut to an ass kicking

) or some big blockbuster thrills. Honestly, though, any time I feel a general antipathy to video games, I go out of my way to try a new and interesting one - there is no shortage of them

25-10-2019 12:25pm

^^^^Following on from johnnie's post, in the very unlikely event someone who actually works for likes of EA or Blizzard (don't know if they're still have Irish operation) SEES THIS THRRAD will agree perfectly.

Retr0gamer · 25-10-2019 12:58pm

Even when I was playing videogames the most I'd never blow off a social event. I'd be a bit miffed I'd not be playing a game but I'd just be happy I'd have a hang over Saturday/Sunday to enjoy it.

Even when the Wii came out I left after setting it up for my PhD xmas party.

I'd always choose a social event over games.

murphyebass · 25-10-2019 8:21pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Even when I was playing videogames the most I'd never blow off a social event. I'd be a bit miffed I'd not be playing a game but I'd just be happy I'd have a hang over Saturday/Sunday to enjoy it.

Even when the Wii came out I left after setting it up for my PhD xmas party.

I'd always choose a social event over games.

Oooooh la de da, look at you with your PhD.

Think you’re better than us don’t you!!! DON’T YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back on topic op, I only ever feel games are a waste of time when I’m doing the same task over and over and stop enjoying it but find I’m still playing it.

Thankfully as I’ve gotten older I’ve spotted myself falling into that trap and give up on the game and move on.

I think it’s the addiction of all the hours I put in that keeps me playing but wanting to stop.

Recent example is Division 2, played 80 odd hours, enjoyed it and then found I was still playing a week later, not getting anything interesting loot wise and finally dropped the game. The last 10 hours or so I played I’d say was a waste of time.

dreamers75 · 25-10-2019 8:49pm

Wife watches tv shows (all of them like seriously all of them) I have no interest in a Dr or Copper solving a diagnosis/crime the same way every week. Its Scooby Doo tv everything ends exactly how it was at the start, then new tv came out with running plotlines and backstories (that are never really closed off or fleshed out) yet she loves it and so does the world apparently (GOT has fast travel????) Seemingly she is not wasting her time.

Me i just play whatever game is out, dont think its a waste of time. It can be a waste of time if the game wants me to do **** that is boring.

ShadowHearth · 26-10-2019 10:49pm

one armed dwarf wrote: »

It depends on your relationship with gaming I suppose, if it is a replacement for something which could be more meaningful.

Tbh, I play a huge amount of games (mainly FFXIV and DMC). Enough that would qualify as too much for most people. But I'm also a sufferer of chronic pain and I do find I need that escape when my outlets are so limited. So your situation also matters. For me it's purely about stress mitigation.

I don't buy into what others say about reading being an equally big waste of time. Reading can be good for developing empathy/emotional intelligence. Or just intelligence in general. Gaming I think doesn't really impart anything like this, more often than not it's escapism/distractions.

Although maybe team based multiplayer stuff/MMO can be good for teamwork and leaderships skills, who knows. I'd like to see a study on that tbh.

(I'm 30, if that matters)

Some games can really push you towards skills in real life.
Just on Reddit the other day, they had a thread about what weird stuff was put on CV and if those people got the jobs. One that stuck with me was about the dude who played EVE online and was CEO of some alliance. They hired him and he was brilliant worker who got up career ladder very fast. If you know EVE, then it won't be a surprise to you, that you need some brain to lead corporation, command fleets and dealing with other people.
My personal one is games like Factorio and Satisfactory. I play those and love them. After playing Factorio for a good bit I noticed how it effected me in life. My planning skills and problem solution got waaay better. Even if my work has nothing to do with Factories :pac: it still really helped me.

um7y1h83ge06nx · 27-10-2019 10:16am

I'm 36 with a 2 year and 2 month old, would love to have the ability to waste time playing games! :-) At the moment I probably play 1-3 hours of games max. Once the newborn settles down I'd hope to play about 5 to 10 hours a week.

I feel more guilty about the amount of time we watch TV. Once the newborn settles down at night I must focus on fitness.

Been playing games since I was maybe 4 or 5, only time I forced myself to stop was after I broke up with a long term girlfriend. That was during the 360 period and I played a decent amount then. The breakup was tough and left a vacuum of time, and I didn't want to fall into a trap of fillling it with playing lots of games. Instead I wanted to get out and be social.

NIMAN · 27-10-2019 10:22am

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Some games can really push you towards skills in real life.

I'm not buying this I'm afraid.

You would have these skills without the gaming.

ancapailldorcha · 27-10-2019 10:58am

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Even when I was playing videogames the most I'd never blow off a social event. I'd be a bit miffed I'd not be playing a game but I'd just be happy I'd have a hang over Saturday/Sunday to enjoy it.

Even when the Wii came out I left after setting it up for my PhD xmas party.

I'd always choose a social event over games.

I've blown off social events before but that's a good while back and I think those were just events I didn't want to go to anyway.

NIMAN wrote: »

I'm not buying this I'm afraid.

You would have these skills without the gaming.

I'd never mention games in an interview.

ShadowHearth · 27-10-2019 11:07am

NIMAN wrote: »

I'm not buying this I'm afraid.

You would have these skills without the gaming.

Nobody is asking you to. There are alternative ways of learning skills or gaming can be a catalyst to want to learn something. Then again, I presume we are smart enough to realise that it's not applied to all skills.
English is not my first language ( obviously ), it's not the best, but I started learning it thanks to games when I was a kid. Me and my buddies would play games without knowing what words mean, just learn their function in games, in time we figured out what it meaned or looked it up to learn it. I learned to speak English not in school, but playing games as a kid, then playing online games where I needed to communicate and in the end I had a bunch of English speaking friends over Vent.
Another one: my first pc was Pentium I 200mhz 8mb ram 2gb HDD and 2mb gpu. It was already old when I got it as it's all my parents could afford. When it went tits up, I learned how to fix it, reinstall Windows, upgrade it. Because I wanted to play games on it I became my own tech support. I build my own PC's and fix issues myself. Another skill that learned thanks to gaming.

z0oT · 27-10-2019 4:12pm

I'm in 30's and I've been a gamer probably 20 or so years now. Starting on the PSX, PS2 and then going to the PC.

What I like the most about games is when I find a good game or series than I can lose myself in. That way I get totally sucked into a world, and I can forget about pressure at work, finances or any of the other walks of life. Sadly though, games that you can lose yourself in aren't that common.

I've been gaming quite a bit less since I got married mind you.

Wetbench4 · 28-10-2019 10:18am

I'm 37 with two young enough kids. Started playing games when i was 6 or 7 i think when i got an atari 7800. Had everything from comodores to consoles but mainly just PC now, and I still have the urge to play games.

What I find lately is that I'll go a few months not playing much and then i'll find something I like and play it at night if the kids are gone to bed.
I find that games are the only entertainment form that I can 100% lose myself in and that fully take all my attention. I don't watch tv at all and i'd only watch some programs but I'd be watching them through netflix or whatever.

Lately my kids are always hounding me to play three player minecraft with them over the LAN and its actually a fun way to play with the kids, they love it. I can def see myself playing a bit more when they get older and i have more time..

Also, I bet the responses here would be different if say a big game like a GTA had just been released. I remember the gaming buzz when GTA 4 and 5 came out, seemed like everyone was playing, I love that.

:D

Taylor365 · 28-10-2019 8:57pm

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Some games can really push you towards skills in real life.

:pac:

The amount on people who took up truck driving thanks to ETS2

Pac1Man · 29-10-2019 10:01am

Taylor365 wrote: »

:pac:

The amount on people who took up truck driving thanks to ETS2

I take life advice from my coffee after playing Deadly Premonition.

JimBurnley · 29-10-2019 2:46pm

The Phantom Pain wrote: »

That's pretty cool. Games can definitely be educational. Assassin's Creed, for instance, actually has real landmarks and historical events and now with the Discovery Mode it's turned into a literal virtual museum that can be used in schools.

This is definitely true - watched last series of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and I'm sure there were 2 questions that I could now answer because I'd played AC Odyssey - can't remember exact how much they were worth but definitely would have made my playing that game not a waste of time!

Pac1Man · 01-11-2019 10:05pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Recently, I went on a 2-week holiday to the Middle East. I made sure I had a few days off work for when I came back. I thought I'd do something constructive with this time. Instead, I just sat at my PC playing a game (Crusader Kings II if you're wondering).

I'm in my thirties and I'm still playing games. Very different ones from when I was a young lad, mind but games nonetheless. I could be learning to code, reading more, getting more exercise, etc... I have a job, friends and other interest of course but do you ever feel that it's just a waste of time?

As a direct response, you're playing CK2; It's hardly the 'OK Magazine' of the gaming world if we want to throw reading in there as a more acceptable comparable pastime.

Someone can publicly say without recourse that they enjoy reading as a pastime. What do they read? Who do they read? A 'journalist' from the Daily Mail or the works of Shakespeare? Stating that you enjoy gaming will initially conjure up the images of a CoD or WoW fanatic (to each, their own), but you might be balls deep in some uber strategic RPG or strategy game which requires a lot of forethought and reactional decision making. Hardly a waste of time.

You can't really waste time anyway, can you? You just use it in a way that seems fit. You mention coding. Unless you are planninng a career shift, isn't it just within the similar spectrum as gaming, i.e. an enjoyable pastime? Everyone should try and get a bit of exercise in though!

Personally my taste in games has definately changed as I got older. I have definately become more selective in what I play. A lot of genres I used to enjoy just don't make me fizz as much as they used to. I just move on to something else regardless of what the reviews say or how cheap it is on Steam!

I don't feel guilty about anything that engages my brain. On the flipside, there is always room for the 'switch off' type of games too. The recent Humble Bundle reintroduced me to Spyro for the first time in 20 years along with CoD WW2 which transported me into a Michael Bay movie for 30-40 minutes per playtime. Certainly a nice escape for the short bursts I play them in.

Potential-Monke · 02-11-2019 2:13am

I'm 36 now, gaming since I was 4 or 5 on a Pong machine, then the Atari 2600. Unlike quite a lot of people here, I've actively avoided the wife/kids scenario, as while I wouldn't mind a wife, I definitely do not want kids (personally, I think it's throwing your life away, but opinions and all that). Anyway, due to this, and in the last 10 years due to everyone I was friends with in my own age group suddenly getting married or having kids, I had to find new friends to spend my spare time with. I found friends 10 years younger than me, as there are not many in my age group who are gamers (anywhere near me at least).

Anyway, as you can imagine, I have quite a bit of spare time. I even recently started a night shift job, 12 hour shifts but random days of the week. At one point, I'm off Mon-Fri inclusive, so loads of free time, just like I planned. And I spend the vast majority of that playing games, or watching anime. Why? Because I've made my life this way so I can do this, I don't consider it wasted time, in fact I consider it the best way to spend my time. But again, it's because I set it up this way.

Sure, you'll have some people saying if they had the same amount of free time as me they'd do x, y or z, but realistically most on here would probably spend it gaming. Because if you've nothing else to do, how can it be wasted time? And I don't play the MMORPG's, simple because I would probably end up like yer one denartha had. I play a wide variety of games, but like others lately I'm more conscious of the time I spend playing certain games. I'm quick to give up on something I don't enjoy recently, and very few games have grasped me since HZD and GOW have, so I'm even more picky these days!

At the end of the day, as long as it doesn't affect any other part of your life, it's not intrusive and not a waste, unlike (as many have pointed out) crap tv such as soaps, real-life bollocks (Love ****ing Island) or anything that tries to tell you how to live your life (anything fashion tbh).

ancapailldorcha · 02-11-2019 7:07pm

Pac1Man wrote: »

As a direct response, you're playing CK2; It's hardly the 'OK Magazine' of the gaming world if we want to throw reading in there as a more acceptable comparable pastime.

Someone can publicly say without recourse that they enjoy reading as a pastime. What do they read? Who do they read? A 'journalist' from the Daily Mail or the works of Shakespeare? Stating that you enjoy gaming will initially conjure up the images of a CoD or WoW fanatic (to each, their own), but you might be balls deep in some uber strategic RPG or strategy game which requires a lot of forethought and reactional decision making. Hardly a waste of time.

Well, I read an admixture of History, Politics, Fantasy and Science Fiction. I do play Crusader Kings II but it took me a lot of Youtube videos to even grasp the basics of that game, time which could have been spent on completing multiple single player campaigns in other games.

Pac1Man wrote: »

You can't really waste time anyway, can you? You just use it in a way that seems fit. You mention coding. Unless you are planninng a career shift, isn't it just within the similar spectrum as gaming, i.e. an enjoyable pastime? Everyone should try and get a bit of exercise in though!

Personally my taste in games has definately changed as I got older. I have definately become more selective in what I play. A lot of genres I used to enjoy just don't make me fizz as much as they used to. I just move on to something else regardless of what the reviews say or how cheap it is on Steam!

I don't feel guilty about anything that engages my brain. On the flipside, there is always room for the 'switch off' type of games too. The recent Humble Bundle reintroduced me to Spyro for the first time in 20 years along with CoD WW2 which transported me into a Michael Bay movie for 30-40 minutes per playtime. Certainly a nice escape for the short bursts I play them in.

My tastes have certainly shifted as well. No question. When I was young, it was platformers and shooters but once I started playing Rome: Total War that was me done with those. I grabbed the Spyro remakes for my birthday but once the initial nostalgia dissipates, it's a bit "meh". I booted up the Resident Evil remake on my PC. Same thing. Still fun, mind but not engaging in anywhere the same way as a Paradox, Creative Assembly or Firaxis title would be.

I mentioned coding but only really as an example. Insert the gym if that'd be more appropriate. I am considering a career shift but doubt I can learn to code sitting by myself in front of my PC. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about nuking my own evenings if that's what it would take.

I certainly do not feel guilty. I am living up to my obligations and responsibilities. Just.... I don't really know... I think I could do something better but I've no idea what. I work a full time job, I go for walks, travel alone, have a meetup group for socialising and might even get back to the gym at some point.

05-11-2019 11:44am

I tried WoW classic. That game does not respect your time at all. It could be good if I committed half my life to it, but I made the decision that it wasn't something I wanted to do. The return you get for the time spent is way out of balance. Funny that the game is a subscription model too. Almost as if they want you be addicted to it.

super_furry · 05-11-2019 11:48am

I played WoW 'casually' back around 2006 for a couple of years, even if you're not not in a hardcore raising guild it's an all consuming hobby. I enjoyed my time with it and have fond memories but I'd never be able to, or want to go back to it.

Now I'm almost exclusively gaming on my Switch. It's the perfect machine for me now and is great for still being present in the room with my wife and not isolating myself away when the kids are in bed. She watches bad American TV, I play Dragon Quest and we hang out.

H3llR4iser · 05-11-2019 12:38pm

Nope, it's a silly argument - going by the same logic, anything people do for no other reason that they enjoy it is a "waste of time". Even reading a book (not all written material is up there with Aristoteles or Kant, you know...) or "going to the gym" (unless you're a pro athlete, you won't really benefit from the "gains"!).

Actually, most JOBS would fall in the category if one really stops to think about it: unless you work in emergency services, law enforcement, education or medical research, all you do day in day out is...making rich people richer still.

So no...it's not a waste of time if it's something you enjoy and that brings you pleasure.

pixelburp · 05-11-2019 12:48pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Well, I read an admixture of History, Politics, Fantasy and Science Fiction. I do play Crusader Kings II but it took me a lot of Youtube videos to even grasp the basics of that game, time which could have been spent on completing multiple single player campaigns in other games.

My tastes have certainly shifted as well. No question. When I was young, it was platformers and shooters but once I started playing Rome: Total War that was me done with those. I grabbed the Spyro remakes for my birthday but once the initial nostalgia dissipates, it's a bit "meh". I booted up the Resident Evil remake on my PC. Same thing. Still fun, mind but not engaging in anywhere the same way as a Paradox, Creative Assembly or Firaxis title would be.

I mentioned coding but only really as an example. Insert the gym if that'd be more appropriate. I am considering a career shift but doubt I can learn to code sitting by myself in front of my PC. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about nuking my own evenings if that's what it would take.

I certainly do not feel guilty. I am living up to my obligations and responsibilities. Just.... I don't really know... I think I could do something better but I've no idea what. I work a full time job, I go for walks, travel alone, have a meetup group for socialising and might even get back to the gym at some point.

That's a very common response to the idea of retraining; evening classes are really draining, especially the intensive ones (I have a friend of a friend who 100% retrained as a solicitor via a 2 year Intensive course, the capital I being intentional!). It can feel like a big investment of your time and mental energies, and nobody likes losing out on important downtime. Buuuuuut, if coding is something that genuinely intrigues you, you're already a good step above most in that it's something you want to do. Become a JS developer, it's the most fun and "portable" haha.

I'm the same though re. tastes changing. Like yourself, in my early 20s I was all about the FPS shooters, but aside from anything else the genre & landscape feels alien to me now. The micro-transactions, season passes, aggressive RPG'isation of the multiplayer games (first noticed in CoD4 fadó, which I never really latched onto), and just the resting hostility of players make it feel unappealing now. Could also be my late-30s wrists simply not up to the task of flailing about with a mouse

05-11-2019 1:53pm

For some like myself, it's the nearest I'll get to "flying" real aircraft like the B2 Spirit, Boeing 777 and A 10 Warthog. In different Flight Sims of course.

Every man to his own poison.

ancapailldorcha · 05-11-2019 2:38pm

pixelburp wrote: »

That's a very common response to the idea of retraining; evening classes are really draining, especially the intensive ones (I have a friend of a friend who 100% retrained as a solicitor via a 2 year Intensive course, the capital I being intentional!). It can feel like a big investment of your time and mental energies, and nobody likes losing out on important downtime. Buuuuuut, if coding is something that genuinely intrigues you, you're already a good step above most in that it's something you want to do. Become a JS developer, it's the most fun and "portable" haha.

I thought I was just a bit slow to be honest. I was struggling and pretty much everything was brand new information. I work in academic research but I've no interest in the ruthless, treacherous path that one must adhere to if one wants to become a Principal Investigator so I'm looking for something else. The coding classes were just me trying something different. I liked it when it made sense and I could follow it. That, however did not last all that long. I was the only biologist in a class of bankers, statisticians and general IT people.

pixelburp wrote: »

I'm the same though re. tastes changing. Like yourself, in my early 20s I was all about the FPS shooters, but aside from anything else the genre & landscape feels alien to me now. The micro-transactions, season passes, aggressive RPG'isation of the multiplayer games (first noticed in CoD4 fadó, which I never really latched onto), and just the resting hostility of players make it feel unappealing now. Could also be my late-30s wrists simply not up to the task of flailing about with a mouse

I... just... can't anymore. I occasionally check onto Jim Sterling's channel his latest video about automated bots in gaming was just enervating to watch (linky). I stuck on the remake of the original Resident Evil the other night. Fun, yes and the atmosphere was nice but it just felt a bit... "Dead", pardon the pun. I sank so much cash into CK2 and EU4 that I just want to spend some time on those now.

H3llR4iser · 05-11-2019 3:31pm

pixelburp wrote: »

...
I'm the same though re. tastes changing. Like yourself, in my early 20s I was all about the FPS shooters, but aside from anything else the genre & landscape feels alien to me now. The micro-transactions, season passes, aggressive RPG'isation of the multiplayer games (first noticed in CoD4 fadó, which I never really latched onto), and just the resting hostility of players make it feel unappealing now. Could also be my late-30s wrists simply not up to the task of flailing about with a mouse

Yeah multiplayer puts me off completely as well, as almost every single game has now some "grind mechanics" where you acquire stuff as you progress, even for MP, when it's not pay-to-win outright. I played Ace Combat 7 online for a week or so when it came out - with everyone using basic planes and weapons, it was very enjoyable and dare I say, I used to come out on top quite often.

Fast forward a few months - I tried again and it was an exercise in constant respawning, everyone flying DLC planes that jump around and turn on a dime, shooting missilies that literally miss you, stop, turn back and keep chasing you. No thanks.

Plus, too many parents don't understand young kids shouldn't be playing online games at all.

pixelburp · 05-11-2019 4:02pm

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I... just... can't anymore. I occasionally check onto Jim Sterling's channel his latest video about automated bots in gaming was just enervating to watch (linky). I stuck on the remake of the original Resident Evil the other night. Fun, yes and the atmosphere was nice but it just felt a bit... "Dead", pardon the pun. I sank so much cash into CK2 and EU4 that I just want to spend some time on those now.

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Yeah multiplayer puts me off completely as well, as almost every single game has now some "grind mechanics" where you acquire stuff as you progress, even for MP, when it's not pay-to-win outright. I played Ace Combat 7 online for a week or so when it came out - with everyone using basic planes and weapons, it was very enjoyable and dare I say, I used to come out on top quite often.

Fast forward a few months - I tried again and it was an exercise in constant respawning, everyone flying DLC planes that jump around and turn on a dime, shooting missilies that literally miss you, stop, turn back and keep chasing you. No thanks.

Plus, too many parents don't understand young kids shouldn't be playing online games at all.

Yeah, I saw Sterling's video and it made for depressing viewing; "content" is making the internet a very odd space to inhabit these days. It's hard to even keep up with passive pleasures like TV, because streaming service must forever have new content, all the time.

I used to play a LOT of StarCraft 2, and RTS games in general, and looking back I can see a distinct buzz-depression cycle from ladder based multiplayer: I'd win a few games, cos I'm pretty decent at RTS games if I do say so myself, and move up a few levels; but once I hit a certain level I started playing the hardcore, often unpleasant Ultras who'd kick my ass, throw some slurs my way (or rage quit on the off chance I fluked a victory), and send me back down a few levels; rinse, repeat. Now a lot of that comes down to personality, and taking part in games from a now dead genre, but I stepped back from what was - and remains - my favourite type of game because it was stressing me out.

PopePalpatine · 05-11-2019 7:50pm

Reminds me of the days I've sank into Gran Turismo Sport.

TinCool · 07-11-2019 2:02pm

I've played games since I was around 4-5, started off on a VIC-20 then on to the best days gaming still to be beaten with the C64. Progressed on to 16bit with the Atari ST, then PC gaming and online stuff, Quake2, Counterstrike etc. I don't play PC games anymore, haven't done for about 5 years. I mostly play Switch or xbox one stuff with my two boys may be an hour or two a week. The last game I really got in to was probably GTA5.

Most of my personal gaming is done on my phone now or a quick 30 minutes with retro arcade stuff on my Rasperry Pi. There's a cool retro arcade opened where I live, which is great craic, plus they have a license so can drink a beer whilst playing. That's it really. I've kind of fallen out of gaming naturally. I have little to no interest in playing PC stuff anymore. I'd prefer to sit and watch the latest box set on Netflix.

Skerries · 07-11-2019 4:57pm

TinCool wrote: »

then on to the best days gaming still to be beaten with the C64.

Speccy for Life!!!!

Do you ever feel like playing video games is a waste of time?

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