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I pity people who don't play video games

teezzy

Banned
Like most people, I've come to terms with the fact that my life will never be grand or adventurous. My job is boring and my lifestyle is simple. To be perfectly honest, I sorta like it that way. I'm not one to go base jumping or sailing or whatever it is fun people do.

As a proud representative of common folk, media and entertainment have always driven me to feeling a sense of life larger than my own. Whether that be through movies, music, books, or video games. I cherish it.

While movies and music are things which most people are accustomed to enjoying, both books and videos games are more niche, and both surely have the capabilities of captivating the imagination in a sense which movies and music can not.

So many people just zone out watching Netflix or Hulu when they could be exploring the old west in Red Dead Redemption 2, experiencing what it's really like to be a Jedi in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, or living out their medieval Slavic fantasies in Witcher 3.

Exploring these environments, interacting with those who populate them, and fighting baddies of all sorts along the way, has brought me hours of joy between these three games alone.

On top of that there's the NHL franchise, Tekken, Monster Hunter, Forza, Lumines, etc. All sorts of games for one to enjoy and just have all different types of experiences first hand. There's something for everyone!

Meanwhile some people just sit there and watch TV instead, or do like crossword puzzles or something. Maybe zone out on Instagram - I don't know.

Mostly boomers, and a lot of women, I've met who have no idea just what gaming has become in recent years. In a sense, I genuinely pity them. They have no idea. Especially during quarantine like this, I'd be going mad if it weren't for gaming.
 

zcaa0g

Banned
Playing games at a very young age was an immense help to my career in I.T. It has helped a lot in terms of efficient problem solving skills and coming up with "thinking outside the box" solutions for automation or many other endeavors.

I got a lot of entertainment value out of games but I also got a lot of educational value out of them as well and to that, I'm very thankful.
 

Soltype

Member
I've seen a lot of older people picking up games again, games are now more distractions vs an investment.Gone are the days of most games being daunting, unforgiving and for the lack of a better word alien.Games have never been more palatable than they are today.
 

poodaddy

Gold Member
I don't play as much as I should, but it has always been and will always be such a huge part of my life. I genuinely love the medium, and I think it is largely responsible for the formation of my somewhat odd world views. I adore games as a medium for how inspirational it is, and how it serves as a lovely gateway to other mediums as well. I can tell you for certain that I would have never gotten into comics without getting into games first, and that love of comics as a young un led me to having a love of reading in general, and that love of reading eventually led to reading about fitness and health, as I was tired of being obese and feeling disgusting and I wanted to make a change, which in turn led to me getting a degree in it, which in turn led to me getting a degree in business eventually as I was becoming more and more certain that I wanted to run a business focused on weightlifting, general health, and nutrition someday. I still haven't figured out how to get that business off the ground or what that business will be exactly, but games, in a sense, kind of set me on a path towards things that I never would have discovered otherwise; for this reason alone, I have so much reason to adore games, but also, they're just a lot of goddamn fun and I'll never give up on the medium, no matter how much I grow to despise the business side of the game industry as I age.
 
Like most people, I've come to terms with the fact that my life will never be grand or adventurous. My job is boring and my lifestyle is simple. To be perfectly honest, I sorta like it that way. I'm not one to go base jumping or sailing or whatever it is fun people do.

As a proud representative of common folk, media and entertainment have always driven me to feeling a sense of life larger than my own. Whether that be through movies, music, books, or video games. I cherish it.

While movies and music are things which most people are accustomed to enjoying, both books and videos games are more niche, and both surely have the capabilities of captivating the imagination in a sense which movies and music can not.

So many people just zone out watching Netflix or Hulu when they could be exploring the old west in Red Dead Redemption 2, experiencing what it's really like to be a Jedi in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, or living out their medieval Slavic fantasies in Witcher 3.

Exploring these environments, interacting with those who populate them, and fighting baddies of all sorts along the way, has brought me hours of joy between these three games alone.

On top of that there's the NHL franchise, Tekken, Monster Hunter, Forza, Lumines, etc. All sorts of games for one to enjoy and just have all different types of experiences first hand. There's something for everyone!

Meanwhile some people just sit there and watch TV instead, or do like crossword puzzles or something. Maybe zone out on Instagram - I don't know.

Mostly boomers, and a lot of women, I've met who have no idea just what gaming has become in recent years. In a sense, I genuinely pity them. They have no idea. Especially during quarantine like this, I'd be going mad if it weren't for gaming.
There will always be people having fun playing games. Sadly there will always be people jaded because their not having fun in their lives. And they don't know why.

Haves and the have nots.

As Mr. T would say

Fvd2yX6.jpg
 
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Elcid

Banned
I actually agree with you. People that don’t game really don’t know what they’re missing. Books let you imagine universes. Movies let you watch universes. Games allow you to experience them. Some people just don’t want to try them or understand them and it’s sad how they’re missing out.
 

teezzy

Banned
I actually agree with you. People that don’t game really don’t know what they’re missing. Books let you imagine universes. Movies let you watch universes. Games allow you to experience them. Some people just don’t want to try them or understand them and it’s sad how they’re missing out.

It's weird too, because as a hobby, there is a certain amount of shame that carries along with it. I'm not one to post on GAF and pretend as though I'm above loving the medium - that'd be a silly ruse, but you wouldn't catch me dead wearing some video game related T-shirt or with like framed video game posters and statues in my house. Still, it may the be the medium I'm most passionate about overall. The picture Punished Miku Punished Miku is fun to giggle at, and I recognize how cornball that sentiment expressed within it is, but I can't help but agree somewhat. It's nice to live vicariously via video games sometimes. I'm not above it, they're very immersive!

lol, this is me:

 
I agree.

So much of life has become about appearances. Appearances on Social Media/LinkedIn or whathaveyou. Appearances to friends, family and to people you don't even know.
We see a veneer of what people want us to believe about their lives.

Games are fun. People all too often forget that life is to be enjoyed as much as it is to be productive. Games are an avenue for having fun. One that is looked down upon compared to sports, or music, or literature, or film.
Why?
 
I’ll say this, gaming probably screwed me over when it comes to my academics and career. I was a straight A student until I got addicted to competitive Halo. Started pouring HOURS (like 7-8) hours a day playing the game and going to my local tournaments and what not. My parents weren’t really one of those people that would monitor my every movement (heck they never even asked me for my report cards in highschool). I like the job I have now and honestly like OP I am happy with where I am in my life. With that being said I know it certainly stunted my trajectory.

Then again there are people here that say video games helped them get to where they are now. So in the end what I take from that is that it’s less about gaming and more about our family dynamics, economic situation, even things like geography that matter most when it comes to achieving a fulfilling life.
 
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jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
It's weird too, because as a hobby, there is a certain amount of shame that carries along with it. I'm not one to post on GAF and pretend as though I'm above loving the medium - that'd be a silly ruse, but you wouldn't catch me dead wearing some video game related T-shirt or with like framed video game posters and statues in my house. Still, it may the be the medium I'm most passionate about overall. The picture Punished Miku Punished Miku is fun to giggle at, and I recognize how cornball that sentiment expressed within it is, but I can't help but agree somewhat. It's nice to live vicariously via video games sometimes. I'm not above it, they're very immersive!

lol, this is me:


I agree with you completely man, and it's weird that people try to shame others for playing video games. I'm old, I've learned to embrace it. Fuck it, sometimes I wear a Pac-Man t-shirt under my button up shirts at work. I regularly hang out on the weekends wearing NeoGAF t-shirts from the merch store. I've got a Fallout thumbs up guy in my regular rotation. Someone doesn't like it or wants to try and shame me, I guess I don't really care - whoever knows me well and would still do that, I don't need people like that in my life. Some old Karen at a grocery store wants to say something? Be my guest but it's not going to change how I look at things.

What I find great about gaming is that it's probably the cheapest hobby I know of, outside of maybe reading. A $500 investment (or perhaps a $300 one if you really want to stretch things with a Series S) is enough to keep you playing the latest games for a good 5-6 years at least. Older games regularly go on sale - and some people do the whole "buy the game, play it and beat it, then trade it in" thing to save a bunch of money. Got a PC? Throw in a graphics card - even if it's a few years outdated from someone upgrading to a 3080 - and you've got a wealth of games at your disposal for little to nothing. If you're extremely patient and not very picky, you could play nothing but the games given out for free on the Epic Games Store and still come away with some amazing experiences. Or check out Humble Monthly. Or try and get lucky on our very own NeoGAF Giveaways. That $300 Series S can play tons of great games for just $10 a month with Game Pass. Long story short, our hobby is one that typically requires little investment for (hundreds, thousands,...) of hours of entertainment. And I think that's pretty damn cool.
 

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
There's no need to judge people by their hobby. Some people prefer to travel around seeing the real world and learning productive things over living in fictional worlds. Other prefers exercising because they think health is a better investment of time and they love doing that over playing games. Other simply loves playing musical instrument and singing because their creativity excel in that area, and maybe that align with their career anyway. Not everyone is so great at using a game controllers, and they can be easily overwhelmed by 4 shoulder buttons, 4 face buttons, 2 analog sticks, a d-pad etc, just like you will easily freeze up if a DJ ask you to operate a DJ turntable.
 
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Belmonte

Member
I'm not sure if pity is what I feel. There are a lot of greatness in other media, specially books. But I confess I don't understand how someone don't have even a slight interest in videogames. The only reasons I can understand is when the person don't have the patience or time to learn how to play or is afraid to be addicted. Besides these two reasons, I'm lost.

There are so many different games and different genres...there is something for everyone.
 
S

SLoWMoTIoN

Unconfirmed Member
Like most people, I've come to terms with the fact that my life will never be grand or adventurous. My job is boring and my lifestyle is simple. To be perfectly honest, I sorta like it that way. I'm not one to go base jumping or sailing or whatever it is fun people do.

As a proud representative of common folk, media and entertainment have always driven me to feeling a sense of life larger than my own. Whether that be through movies, music, books, or video games. I cherish it.

While movies and music are things which most people are accustomed to enjoying, both books and videos games are more niche, and both surely have the capabilities of captivating the imagination in a sense which movies and music can not.

So many people just zone out watching Netflix or Hulu when they could be exploring the old west in Red Dead Redemption 2, experiencing what it's really like to be a Jedi in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, or living out their medieval Slavic fantasies in Witcher 3.

Exploring these environments, interacting with those who populate them, and fighting baddies of all sorts along the way, has brought me hours of joy between these three games alone.

On top of that there's the NHL franchise, Tekken, Monster Hunter, Forza, Lumines, etc. All sorts of games for one to enjoy and just have all different types of experiences first hand. There's something for everyone!

Meanwhile some people just sit there and watch TV instead, or do like crossword puzzles or something. Maybe zone out on Instagram - I don't know.

Mostly boomers, and a lot of women, I've met who have no idea just what gaming has become in recent years. In a sense, I genuinely pity them. They have no idea. Especially during quarantine like this, I'd be going mad if it weren't for gaming.
Read a manga and take up hunting fam.
 

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
There's also cost to be considered. A netflix subscription with a chromecast or some books is significantly cheaper than a hundred dollars console + controllers + games etc
 

Daniel Thomas MacInnes

GAF's Resident Saturn Omnibus
Everybody is headed towards the yawning grave, so you should feel free to bring happiness into your life and the lives around you. I'm reminded of that C.S. Lewis quote: "When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."

If something brings joy and sparks imagination and brings friends and families together, then it's a good thing. You're not harming anybody. You're not shooting heroin or sitting on the couch or punching out strangers or shoving grandmothers into traffic. You're sharing lucid dreams with others and celebrating the imagination.

A fulfilling life is something that every person must define for themselves. If that includes playing videogames, great. If that includes not playing videogames, great.

Personally, these days I lean towards playing videogames. I don't look back at the end of the day and wish I had spent more time working. Playing sounds like a much better idea, and I suspect my five-year-old self had the right idea all along.
 

Tschumi

Member
The ability to enjoy games is definitely an important skill, you're really missing out if you don't have it... But the ability to have a sustainable relationship with games is something I'm always proud to develop - when i manage to.. and miss when i aughta be putting my main efforts into other pursuits during down times.
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
It’s difficult for me to feel like this when so many blockbuster games (so the ones front and center, that matter) simply feel interchangeable. Alter the setting, the character, some of the story details — the gameplay is always the same mediocre tripe, safe and repetitive.

Gaming can be what is described in the OP. It was in the PS2 era and earlier. Maybe early 360/PS3 era?

But I don’t really feel like I’m going on these grand journeys, and experiencing brand new things anymore. I feel like I’m playing variations on a theme, and something that special is truly rare. For example, this month, I can be a Viking, a supercharged hacker, or an 80’s spy operative taking orders from Reagan, which should be amazing, but it’s still the same shitty copy and pasted, minimum risk, decade-old formulas as always.

Of course, the same goes for other mainstream art. Movies, TV, music, it seems everything is undergoing a creative downturn.

I agree that when it does feel like that, it’s wonderful. I have some videogame memories that have a surprising level of emotion attached (I feel similarly about books). While I wouldn’t compare them to real experiences, I’m glad I had them, and I’m glad they were a part of my life.
 

ViolentP

Member
Just feels like they're missing out
I feel the same way about my weird friend who doesnt listen to music, or all the ones who dont read at all.

Similar to how you are missing out on the thousands of things you could be experiencing if you weren't gaming. What you are missing however is the understanding that you shouldn't be pitied for choosing gaming above those other things. It is your preference and people should respect that and in turn, you should return that respect.
 
Right, so you feel like you’re elevated compared to people who just watch TV or do paintball or something? Very arrogant and out of touch reasoning. At the end of the day, you’re just living in virtual reality, not doing some charity work or saving the world. Yours is no better than any other hobby.

And seems to me gaming is becoming larger by the day and it’s not stigmatized like in the 90s. Don’t be arrogant in life, show respect to other people’s personal traits and interests and hopefully they’ll show respect to yours.
 
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teezzy

Banned
Similar to how you are missing out on the thousands of things you could be experiencing if you weren't gaming. What you are missing however is the understanding that you shouldn't be pitied for choosing gaming above those other things. It is your preference and people should respect that and in turn, you should return that respect.

Fair enough. I'd say though, that if someone really loved skydiving and stated, "I pity people who don't skydive," I'd be all ears in hearing their reasoning why.

It goes without saying, but leading a happy well rounded life is all about balance. I have hobbies outside of gaming as well, ones which I find just as fulfilling.

A lot of my friends dont read and I pity them. One of my friends doesn't listen to music... I just think he's a weird ass.
 
What a great thread OP. That's the spirit of someone whose truly passionate about gaming! My life is comfortable and simple too, and I look at myself as a boring person. So I definitely get it that gaming can spice things up. Between playing the games themselves, getting immersed in them for hours, chillin on GAF with great posters discussing them, looking for new news on them, listening to their often great music OSTs on Youtube, looking up beta content for your favorite games, etc. My life and many others simply wouldn't be the same without gaming. I'm proud to be a gamer and probably will be for the rest of my life. Thanks for helping rekindle that gaming fire OP.
 

teezzy

Banned
Right, so you feel like you’re elevated compared to people who just watch TV or do paintball or something? Very arrogant and out of touch reasoning. At the end of the day, you’re just living in virtual reality, not doing some charity work or saving the world. Yours is no better than any other hobby.

And seems to me gaming is becoming larger by the day and it’s not stigmatized like in the 90s. Don’t be arrogant in life, show respect to other people’s personal traits and interests and hopefully they’ll show respect to yours.

I think you're misconstruing my intent here, dude. Nowhere did I assert that people who dont play games are somehow inferior in any way.
 

ViolentP

Member
Fair enough. I'd say though, that if someone really loved skydiving and stated, "I pity people who don't skydive," I'd be all ears in hearing their reasoning why.

It goes without saying, but leading a happy well rounded life is all about balance. I have hobbies outside of gaming as well, ones which I find just as fulfilling.

A lot of my friends dont read and I pity them. One of my friends doesn't listen to music... I just think he's a weird ass.

I get it. I'm also the kind of man that believes if you can't make a point without knocking something else down, it probably isn't a good point. But I do get where you're coming from.
 
It’s difficult for me to feel like this when so many blockbuster games (so the ones front and center, that matter) simply feel interchangeable. Alter the setting, the character, some of the story details — the gameplay is always the same mediocre tripe, safe and repetitive.

Gaming can be what is described in the OP. It was in the PS2 era and earlier. Maybe early 360/PS3 era?

But I don’t really feel like I’m going on these grand journeys, and experiencing brand new things anymore. I feel like I’m playing variations on a theme, and something that special is truly rare. For example, this month, I can be a Viking, a supercharged hacker, or an 80’s spy operative taking orders from Reagan, which should be amazing, but it’s still the same shitty copy and pasted, minimum risk, decade-old formulas as always.

Of course, the same goes for other mainstream art. Movies, TV, music, it seems everything is undergoing a creative downturn.

I agree that when it does feel like that, it’s wonderful. I have some videogame memories that have a surprising level of emotion attached (I feel similarly about books). While I wouldn’t compare them to real experiences, I’m glad I had them, and I’m glad they were a part of my life.

I think it comes and goes. Sometimes I feel jaded about gaming and such, but then the feeling comes back full force and I'm back in the zone playing new stuff and posting about it here etc. Perhaps you're just in a downturn with gaming rn...hopefully you'll feel the gaming passion again soon!
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
I think it comes and goes. Sometimes I feel jaded about gaming and such, but then the feeling comes back full force and I'm back in the zone playing new stuff and posting about it here etc. Perhaps you're just in a downturn with gaming rn...hopefully you'll feel the gaming passion again soon!

Been in a downturn for over a decade now. It’s the art (if it can be considered art anymore) form, not the gamer.

It’s the magical games inbetween that keep me going. I’ve never really seen the best blockbuster games as anything but fun, utterly forgettable popcorn movies, like a Marvel film, and the less I say about the worst, the better.
 
Sure, I can agree that if you read and listen to good music, you’re better than those who don’t. I’ll give you that OP. But I also see a little of my young self there when I thought I was smarter than most kids and had better interest, which was probably true but you need not to be full of yourself really. I hate that.

But there is one sin even now when I’m older that I can’t forgive and that’s not knowing or caring about what’s going on around you and in the world. Blissful ignorance.
 

teezzy

Banned
Sure, I can agree that if you read and listen to good music, you’re better than those who don’t. I’ll give you that OP. But I also see a little of my young self there when I thought I was smarter than most kids and had better interest, which was probably true but you need not to be full of yourself really. I hate that.

But there is one sin even now when I’m older that I can’t forgive and that’s not knowing or caring about what’s going on around you and in the world. Blissful ignorance.

Dude, maybe 'pity' was the wrong choice of verbiage. I in no way feel superior to others because I play video games. That'd be a very strange view point to hold.

This post sums up my sentiments:

I don't pity them, but I'd love for them to experience something I thought was great, like nier automata or bayonetta.
Kinda like how you want someone to experience a great movie, or tv show, or burger.
 
Been in a downturn for over a decade now. It’s the art (if it can be considered art anymore) form, not the gamer.

It’s the magical games inbetween that keep me going. I’ve never really seen the best blockbuster games as anything but fun, utterly forgettable popcorn movies, like a Marvel film, and the less I say about the worst, the better.

I think I get what you mean. I myself am not that invested in the big mainstream games like Ghost of Tsushima and Spiderman etc. But there still are worthy games out there if you know which dev. teams/creative people make said games. You just gotta know where to look and such to find them. Then savor them because when you do find such a match, it's not often you'll find more of them because of the current game climate which favors what you talked about, the formulaic rehashes and such.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Well I’m not in to sports but I’m sure they are people who pity me for not liking sports. We like what we like, I’m not gonna judge other people for not liking same hobby as me.
 
Dude, maybe 'pity' was the wrong choice of verbiage. I in no way feel superior to others because I play video games. That'd be a very strange view point to hold.

This post sums up my sentiments:
I get it. I also think many more people than current 32M should experience the magic of RDR 2 but I feel like if they were not into gaming by now, nothing will bring them in, no, not even Nier Automata 😁. You truly appreciate something like Nier when you’ve been wrestling with same old gaming concepts and stories for years and then something like that comes and your mind explodes. But to bring new ones in....nah.
 
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