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What gaming & attitudes about gaming reveal about ourselves...?


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I've never played a RPG before so I hope I won't get frustrated trying to succeed. I'll buy games I think I'd like especially during a great sale but delay playing them because I'm afraid of how time-consuming they are. I know I should enjoy the journey but I am so fixed on just completing the ordeal usually with no desire to play a game again especially if it's tough, whether RPGs and/or real life challenges.

 

I do want to learn new games without falling into the obsessive realm I tend to be drawn when gaming. I'm sure the trophies influence my thinking as I feel compelled to earn every one and get my money's worth out of the experience. The more costly the game, the more driven I become or perhaps I feel compelled I must become.

 

Do others share this sentiment?

 

On a personal note, the fear of gaming again demonstrates how bad a commitment-phobe I am in real life. The worse my skills become as I age, the greater the commitment required to succeed. It's my attitude toward gaming which made me realize what my attitude toward life was and is.

 

An odd metaphor pertaining to dating relationships some women voice is, "...not into playing games..." but for me playing games (video) revealed a characteristic I suppose I wasn't willing to acknowledge in all other aspects of my life, i.e. the fear of identifying something I cannot do well and the commitment necessary to devote to improving that something in order to succeed.

 

So many scoff at the usefulness of gaming but I believe gaming can teach us more about ourselves than we ever thought possible. Unconscious reality through conscious virtuality becomes conscious reality was my eureka moment.

 

I like the idea of being able to test consequences in the virtual world where no harm can result. Unfortunately the algorithms of life are not so finite and the consequences are potentially life-altering.

 

How has gaming influenced others' lives? Bringing gamers closer together, developing friendships perhaps leading to marriages, or straining relationships detrimentally, etc.? Do gamers who exercise using the "move" controllers have better health as a result of competing in multiplayer vs. single player modes or have any injuries been sustained accidentally or damages to equipment? Are driving skills improved because of techniques learned using a simulator? (I was actually ticketed and fined in real life for applying racing techniques to public roads)

 

Please share your stories, funny or not but always educational.

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Hey GT

 

Interesting thoughts. I don't know if I can add much personally as I've found that as gaming has gotten larger it has also expanded into many genres. This is actually a good thing.

 

If there's a type of game you can't commit to I think that's fine. I've accepted that I'll never be able to spend enough time to get FPS, Driving Sims, or Fighting games, but instead continue to enjoy games that are more my play style (like indie creative games like Journey, or sprawling story based games like the Witcher). I think of it like the food industry. If you don't like steak, you don't have to eat steak. Everyone could be raving about it, but you can still have Sushi instead. Just because we all like to eat, it doesn't mean we have to like everything that is edible.

 

One more thing I wanted to touch on is your comment of exploring the self through gaming. I think that's a good point and you should continue exploring your commitment phobias and get to know your self (or id). There was a really interesting article posted on Kotaku about someone confronting his fear of driving while playing GTA V in first person. I have a similar phobia from being in a car crash when I was younger too. It's an interesting read:

 

kotaku.com/gta-v-s-car-crashes-are-almost-too-realistic-1685167073

Edited by dancingmind
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