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Minecraft is a pretty terrible game so I don't know what to say to the example that you picked at the start. But I do agree with your points with regards to hypocrisy. It's mostly just people's ignorance really. I see two possibilities, I'm not saying it's a dichotomy but at the momeny of writing this I can't imagine any others: either they were raised with rather strict parents who convinced them that video games are a waste of time and they never tried to discover that for themselves or they are simply too stupid to ever possibly enjoy such a thing (thinking in particular about guys/girls raised to become jock/cheerleader bimbo stereotypes, thanks to the TV). Really that's all there is to it, people who bash video games almost exclusively have no idea what they're talking about. Either that or the few games they did try were pretty poor ones (sup new call of duty titles)
On September 02 2012 22:06 mmMacks wrote:
Video games are created for the player by a well-funded group of professionals with the end goal of the player having fun, learning something, improving at something--often times all while having the user be social.
What is not to like, or respect about playing video games? I understand where the stigma comes from, but people need to know when they have a misconception.
I guess when it comes to people who are newer to the video game market, they go for the mainstream titles, many of which are actually not created with the end goal of the player having fun and learning, but with the goal of making a lot of money. (you all know what games I'm talking about). Then again they're probably the same kind of people who would dismiss a game simply because "eww it's old and it doesn't look as good as [random mainstream 2012 title here]".
On September 02 2012 23:28 russian wrote:
Don't rationalize your addiction. I'm calling it one as otherwise your oppinions shouldn't be that polarized.
There are infinite better alternatives for spending free time instead of games and you shouldn't intentinally pick bad exaples to remove some from the list. TV? While i agree 95% of what's on is garbage, you can still watch extremely high quality series (Mad Men), movies (TCM, MGM), documentaries (Through the Wormhole) and list goes on. Sports? No reason not to like it, you're probably lazy or weren't introduced to phisycal exercise by your parents. But that's no excuse. Music? Your rant didn't even make sense on this one so i won't bother. Games for storyline? No comment. How about a book?
More than 1-2 hours/day or 10-15/week playing games is bad. And with today's games you won't get the experience they're supposed to provide unless you waste a buckload of time. There's few exceptions, games that you can start, play, quit, but in most cases you don't have that luxury.
I find it incredibly ironic that your post is telling us we waste our lives while you do the absolute same thing trying to troll random people on the internet. Your attempt at trolling is bad and you should feel bad.
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On September 02 2012 23:28 russian wrote:
Don't rationalize your addiction. I'm calling it one as otherwise your oppinions shouldn't be that polarized.
There are infinite better alternatives for spending free time instead of games and you shouldn't intentinally pick bad exaples to remove some from the list. TV? While i agree 95% of what's on is garbage, you can still watch extremely high quality series (Mad Men), movies (TCM, MGM), documentaries (Through the Wormhole) and list goes on. Sports? No reason not to like it, you're probably lazy or weren't introduced to phisycal exercise by your parents. But that's no excuse. Music? Your rant didn't even make sense on this one so i won't bother. Games for storyline? No comment. How about a book?
More than 1-2 hours/day or 10-15/week playing games is bad. And with today's games you won't get the experience they're supposed to provide unless you waste a buckload of time. There's few exceptions, games that you can start, play, quit, but in most cases you don't have that luxury.
I think you misunderstood me. I didn't say games were better than television, music, or sports. I wouldn't imply that there is any more "right" way to spend ones time at all. Your view of games, the world, and your values works for you, and I hope makes you happy and keeps you satisfied. Please don't be so arrogant as to think your view of games and the world works for me though. It is my opinion that if you are happy, and attend to your responsibilities in life, whatever you do after that (so long as it doesn't hurt anybody) is great. Live life to be happy. Also, do try to be a decent person and don't shit on other people's happiness because you don't understand it.
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On September 03 2012 02:09 mothergoose729 wrote:Show nested quote +On September 02 2012 23:28 russian wrote:
Don't rationalize your addiction. I'm calling it one as otherwise your oppinions shouldn't be that polarized.
There are infinite better alternatives for spending free time instead of games and you shouldn't intentinally pick bad exaples to remove some from the list. TV? While i agree 95% of what's on is garbage, you can still watch extremely high quality series (Mad Men), movies (TCM, MGM), documentaries (Through the Wormhole) and list goes on. Sports? No reason not to like it, you're probably lazy or weren't introduced to phisycal exercise by your parents. But that's no excuse. Music? Your rant didn't even make sense on this one so i won't bother. Games for storyline? No comment. How about a book?
More than 1-2 hours/day or 10-15/week playing games is bad. And with today's games you won't get the experience they're supposed to provide unless you waste a buckload of time. There's few exceptions, games that you can start, play, quit, but in most cases you don't have that luxury. I think you misunderstood me. I didn't say games were better than television, music, or sports. I wouldn't imply that there is any more "right" way to spend ones time at all. Your view of games, the world, and your values works for you, and I hope makes you happy and keeps you satisfied. Please don't be so arrogant as to think your view of games and the world works for me though. It is my opinion that if you are happy, and attend to your responsibilities in life, whatever you do after that (so long as it doesn't hurt anybody) is great. Live life to be happy. Also, do try to be a decent person and don't shit on other people's happiness because you don't understand it.
Don't bother, he's just trying to troll people. ._.
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You're absolutely right OP. I find it annoying as hell as well. People constantly say "no time for anything". It's like this cliche thing to say to feel better about yourself I guess.
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I always want to say too, that I'm busy. Only then I think about it and realise I'm busy playing games, so actually never say it. Good blog, I always feel the same if I see my parents watching tv and shit and they're like go out and have fun.
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Solid text and arguments. You game me a different view on video games. It's true that so many people tend to think that video games are a waste of time simply because they've never really played a video game for real and they try desperately to sound smart. You're really right.
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If people don't want to play video games leave them alone... fewer "newcomers" means less shitty games usually.
Its actually horrible that games like minecraft attract so many people to "PC gaming", just when those tablet thingies became the standard "gaming medium" for kids and old people ( the kind that doesn't know to operate a computer ).
Why have 100 PC titles out of which 10 are designed to actually be good games and 5 of which are killed by the producer to "appeal to a larger audience" when you can have 10 new PC titles out of which 10 are designed to be good games and 9 of which actually are above decent ?
The more the people that think video games are retarded the less retards get into video gaming, isn't that a good thing !?
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How about we all stop seeing video games as "interaction with something on a sceen" , and start thinking about them as games ?
Good blog
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Video games are a waste of time. Unless you're one of those few people who actually make money from video games, they are a waste of time. I love video games. I play video games every day. But just because you enjoy something, just because you're doing something with your friends, doesn't mean that it isn't a waste of time. It just means that you're wasting your time together. And it's fun, it's a blast, and you can make some great memories. But it is absolutely 100% a waste of time. Unless you profit from it financially. That's not the ultimate rule in life, but it sure is with video games.
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On September 04 2012 11:54 Fumanchu wrote:
Video games are a waste of time. Unless you're one of those few people who actually make money from video games, they are a waste of time. I love video games. I play video games every day. But just because you enjoy something, just because you're doing something with your friends, doesn't mean that it isn't a waste of time. It just means that you're wasting your time together. And it's fun, it's a blast, and you can make some great memories. But it is absolutely 100% a waste of time. Unless you profit from it financially. That's not the ultimate rule in life, but it sure is with video games.
Pretty unfortunate worldview you have if time has value to you only if you are producing monetary value. Truthfully, values exist in a tremendously far broader spectrum than cash, and "waste" is an insignificant term when considering all different types of value.
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On September 04 2012 12:14 LlamaNamedOsama wrote:Show nested quote +On September 04 2012 11:54 Fumanchu wrote:
Video games are a waste of time. Unless you're one of those few people who actually make money from video games, they are a waste of time. I love video games. I play video games every day. But just because you enjoy something, just because you're doing something with your friends, doesn't mean that it isn't a waste of time. It just means that you're wasting your time together. And it's fun, it's a blast, and you can make some great memories. But it is absolutely 100% a waste of time. Unless you profit from it financially. That's not the ultimate rule in life, but it sure is with video games. Pretty unfortunate worldview you have if time has value to you only if you are producing monetary value. Truthfully, values exist in a tremendously far broader spectrum than cash, and "waste" is an insignificant term when considering all different types of value.
What did the last line in my post say?
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CA10831 Posts
i would have agreed with you just a couple years ago, but not at the present time. then again, i am definitely in a different stage of life now.
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On September 04 2012 12:18 Fumanchu wrote:Show nested quote +On September 04 2012 12:14 LlamaNamedOsama wrote:On September 04 2012 11:54 Fumanchu wrote:
Video games are a waste of time. Unless you're one of those few people who actually make money from video games, they are a waste of time. I love video games. I play video games every day. But just because you enjoy something, just because you're doing something with your friends, doesn't mean that it isn't a waste of time. It just means that you're wasting your time together. And it's fun, it's a blast, and you can make some great memories. But it is absolutely 100% a waste of time. Unless you profit from it financially. That's not the ultimate rule in life, but it sure is with video games. Pretty unfortunate worldview you have if time has value to you only if you are producing monetary value. Truthfully, values exist in a tremendously far broader spectrum than cash, and "waste" is an insignificant term when considering all different types of value. What did the last line in my post say?
Whether it's applied to videogames or not, you're simply applying a misguided socially constructed idea of "waste." If it's hanging out, socializing and drinking with friends, what makes that any different because video games aren't involved? The mere "just because it's video games" exceptionalism doesn't hold up to any logical consistency.
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On September 03 2012 00:25 StarStruck wrote:Show nested quote +On September 02 2012 12:32 Chocolate wrote:
To be honest I used to have almost exactly the same stance as you on this: videogames aren't any worse than television or sports. But for the past couple of months, as I become more and more disenchanted with every game I own, every game I watch, I've felt like I'm outgrowing games. I made a bad habit of sitting down at my computer every day when I get home, now I have production and motivation problems. I have almost no social life because I would rather stay in my basement than go out with friends. I have little in common with everyone else because only 1/10 of the people I know play computer games a lot, only a few (who I don't like) really play anything more complex than minecraft.
Everything is healthy in moderation: I would probably be fine if I could just play for like an hour or two per day, but I just can't. Although news outlets like to sensationalize "videogame addiction," I can vouch that it isn't hard to be addicted, to lose your priorities. I want to go to a top university, and although I have the grades and scores, it's hard to get the connections, internships, and other accolades you need if you're always hunched over your computer. I have also become less regular in my exercising and less healthy in my eating habits and thus gained weight/loss muscle. I'm not saying you can't play a lot of games without doing this, but after a certain point you have to possess a ton of self-control.
I'm not saying videogames are worse than TV because they aren't, but both have their advantages. I find myself a lot less engaged when I watch television and a lot easier to stop myself and get to work. Sports are amazing because you can make better friendships than online, get exercise, and "be cool," or at least do something that's socially acceptable.
For all you teens and young adults, if you are having problems with productivity, relationships, or what have you, seriously consider unplugging. Work out and socialize in your free time, I guarantee you will be happier and improve your life. Games are good in moderation, but if you're like me, it's very hard to keep them under control. If there is an educational purpose to the game/television show then I would agree with you when you put them on the same plane as sports but if are no longer gaining anything constructive anymore from the game then you're actively playing like a zombie and there is nothing to gain anymore.
Agreed with Chocolate 110%. The way in which I measure whether video games cause more harm than good is the situation you have been given by birthright and your work ethic. If you are in the position as you suggest you are, and anyone like you with a future ahead of them and plenty to be had out of life- I have to admit (although I love games ) that they are absolutely more destructive than productive. Their addictive nature reduces attention spans, forces you out of your social and real world responsibilities, and the lack of exercise really does have an impact. So unplugging is absolutely the best thing to do -
having said that, my final high school exams start in 10 days and I am still procrastinating like all fuck, unable to remove myself from the vicious grasp of the internet.
That is one side of the story.
The other is for those less fortunate than us- that really don't have much to their name and have been placed in a rough position in life. Instead of diminishing as a human, they flourish at the opportunity of a second life in the online world. Games for these people are completely justified, as playing them IS INDEED better than their real life.
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EPT
