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[GDJustin]

A few games I contemplated screenshotting in the OP, but ultimately decided didn't make the cut:

 

[blitz64]

Video Games have the ability to surprise, engage, absorb, and challenge individuals in a way that nothing else in the world can. Time spent with games is not time wasted.

People who quit WoW always say this "I wasted years playing WoW". To me, I never felt the years I played WoW was wasted at all. It gave me a fun gaming experience with my real life friends.

Reading a book can also give you the same experience with a videogame. Going into another world and exploring in a book.

I always get ask that question as well "Why are you playing videogames? you are 30+". I usually think everyone has a hobby: fishing, golfing, gambling, drinking, etc. My hobby is videogames and I can't describe why I like it to someone. Just like someone who loves fishing won't be able to get me into fishing. I can fish once a year, but not every weekend like the hardcore fishers.

Some people can spend every weekend watching their favorite sport. I see nothing wrong with that and I respect them. So I hope others would respect us who play videogame often and not just some basement otaku who hasn't grown up.

 

[TheFightingFish]

Great OP and shame on me for ignoring this thread for so long.

The thing that really interest me about my own gaming habits is how the demands of social life / wife + kid / job / other hobbies have reduced the amount of time I have for gaming, but at the same time have actually helped me to enjoy the time I do get for games even more.

Before when I was a single lad I would feel guilty if I blew a whole night just putzing around in some video game, it was just too easy to sink too much time into them. But now, an occasional night free for games is just a really enjoyable chance to either kick back with a little single player fun or to connect with some buddies for some co-op action online. And since I don't get the chance that often it feels like a fun break as opposed to a waste of time. Kinda makes me feel that the guys and gals who will still be enjoying gaming as they get older are the ones who can make it a balanced part of their lives, let it consume too much time and it's a burden, but give it the right amount and it's just an enjoyable hobby.

Still, no matter how busy my life might be getting (baby #2 due in December) I can't see myself ever not having at least a little time for gaming. I just love lots of the things you mentioned in the OP, like the sense of exploration or the thrill of a team pulling together to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in an online shooter. Just in the past year or two I've loved things like BTB Halo 3 with a bunch of co-workers, TF2 with some online friends, solving the puzzles in Braid with my wife helping me and pushing the Germans out of Seelow Heights in Men of War far more than any other "entertainment" hobbies of mine like books or movies. Great fun.

 

[TeardropConnors]

Excellent post. Really got me thinking.

 

[Nizz]

Awesome OP. <3 video games and the people who create them.

My feelings also. Nice post OP. I just turned 38 last month but damn do I still get that little thrill tearing the shrink wrap off a brand new game I just bought.

I feel as long as I'm able to, I'll be playing games till I die. Game devs will always be appreciated for creating/contributing to my favorite hobby.

 

[baultista]

High School was the pinnacle of my gaming life. The only thing that keeps me going these days are the NHL games and the Half Life series.

Unfortunately, gaming as I remember it is dying. The PC platform is constantly being snubbed, or is otherwise presented with crap. I'm also a little disgruntled over the negative effects of how mainstream gaming "culture" has become.


I'm still very much interested in the world of game design and development... even moreso than the medium itself these days.

 

[Siegfried]

Great post.

Thank you Mr Miyamoto for making me wanting to play a game for the first time with Mario 64. Thank you John Carmack and John Romero for Doom 2. Thank you Will Wright for Sim City 2000. Without those 3 games I wouldn't be posting here today.

 

[Night_Trekker]

Absolutely wonderful thread.

Indeed.

 

[Swisslink]

People who quit WoW always say this "I wasted years playing WoW". To me, I never felt the years I played WoW was wasted at all. It gave me a fun gaming experience with my real life friends.

Why should it be a waste of time?
Someone who feels about WoW this way, could feel the same way about every game, even if there were (perhaps) 10 games instead of WoW which took the same amount of time. And someone who thinks about gaming as a waste of time... well... Why does he even play those?
For me WoW is a great game at all. I really enjoy playing with all the friends, exploring the huge world and fighting together with my friends against some big monsters.

There are other games, I enjoy playing, which I played a lot in the past. So hy should I accuse WoW to be some kind of "Addictint Game, compared to some kind of drug" or "Waste of time"?

And @ topic. There was again an article I'd like to post here.

http://flyingfisch.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/a-look-back/

 

[DY_nasty]

Damn, I'll never forget this map. At the time, I was so scared of the AI in that game that I'd make a small map like this last for hours because I'd be paralyzed by the fear of the ever imminent smack down from the comp. I wouldn't launch even the smallest attack on an enemy base until I had used up every supply point possible. :lol

I love SC so much.

 

[Rctdaemon]

For me, it is the seemingly limitless creativity within the industry. The people that don't just create games; they create experiences. A sensual, mindblowing computer hack, a boy with horns who has to escape from a tower prison with a blind girl, a romp through giant bug-infested gardens with groups of little carrot-like creatures, watching a giant intergalactic conspiracy unravel from the position of a pawn, fighting like a dairy farmer, running along the tops of buildings away from helicopters, lurking in the shadows waiting for guards to pass by, and so many others. These are not just games; they are imagination and creativity at work.

To UGA, Team ICO, Nintendo EAD, Valve, LucasArts, id, Q?, Looking Glass, Irrational, Interplay, Blizzard, Clover, Infinity Ward, DICE, and all of the other studios who have put out at least one game that I have fallen in love with: Thank you for everything. I only wish that one day I could return the favor.

I've spent fourteen years gaming already; here's to even more.

 

[Azure J]

What the fuck is up with GAF and really good threads lately? First Amirox's topic and now this! :lol

Seriously though, that OP was really well done. The piece about the Great Lakes made me think about not only the possibilities that these designers have to create for us as the gaming audience, but how much effort has to go into making it a really compelling place to screw around in more than "it's just the next level".

As someone who wants to get into design, stuff like that really is the most interesting part of it all to me.

 

[Scuba Steve]

Incredible, I read it all, great thread

 

[Tain]

I probably come off as a negative chode on these boards an awful lot, but I like games a bunch, I promise.

I was physically rattled and shaking after 1ccing arcade Gradius for the first time just earlier tonight! It was great! And now I'm gonna play Policenauts to calm down!

 

[GDJustin]

Thank you for all the kind words, everyone. I guess I can't blame GAF for there not being more replies. I didn't actually give people something to discuss.

So, how about this - what is your happiest, most-fond gaming memory or memories? We've had lots of "favorite game" topics, so I decided I would put a twist on it. What do you look back on as being the most fun you've ever had with a game, or what memories stand out the most?

I have a handful. All but one from the N64 era, oddly. Here's one:

- Super Metroid came out when I was 10, but the game didn't come on my radar until I was 12 or so. I remember for WEEKS I was stuck in the same area, in Miridia. It was a large room, where you can punt those one little enemies around the room, just before the worm miniboss. The solution is actually pretty easy, but for whatever reason I didn't figure it out.

...I FINALLY figured out how to progress, when I was supposed to be in my room getting dressed for a band concert. :lol :lol I had my mom yelling at me to hurry up or I was going to be late, while I was furiously trying to find a new save point, to save the progress I had finally made. :lol :lol

 

[dark10x]

Great first post (finally read it).

I completely agree. That resonates very well with me as I am also very interested in exploration (urban in particular). The sight of an abandoned mall is like a siren call for me while many others will find it to be an eyesore or pay not attention to it whatsoever. From exploring a massive metropolis to climbing a tall mountain I find that I really appreciate the sense of finding and experiencing something new.

Video games provide that same sort of sensation on a smaller and easier to access scale. It isn't just the games themselves either. The constant evolution of art and technology within the world of gaming is just as fascinating to me. Things have evolved at a faster pace than most any other similar entertainment industry.

That said, I do believe video games are becoming more accepted simply because those of us who grew up with them are becoming the adults of this world. Playing video games is a PART of my "real life". I'm getting married next year, have a solid job, and a great social life...but I'm never giving up video games. Games can co-exist just like any other hobby.

Asking someone why they enjoy video games specifically is a bit odd, however, as one could pose this question in regards to just about any hobby or interest.

 

[ScOULaris]

Didn't expect to see a picture of Within a Deep Forest hidden in there. Now there's a game I appreciate. Great thread, btw.

 

[Vinci]

Great OP.

I'd like to thank Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman for designing Rogue, the first video game I ever saw. Special thanks to the arcade designers, all those folks that made big boxes that filled my early life with challenge and enjoyment and a perpetual search for quarters. And thanks go out to Miyamoto, Naka, and especially Pajitnov and Gunpei Yokoi.

Thank you for helping to fulfill my love for gaming and helping me to pass that love on to future generations.

 

[GDJustin]

Didn't expect to see a picture of Within a Deep Forest hidden in there. Now there's a game I appreciate. Great thread, btw.

My gaming tastes roll deep

 

[thestopsign]

I'm bumping this for more of GAF to see.

 

[Xal-Shoota]

Great thread, OP!

Thank you, in short, for crafting the journeys that have marked my life forever, and here's to many, many more in the upcoming years.

The last two panels always ring true for me when thinking of video games.

I second this. Calvin and Hobbes is such a great comic, surprisingly simple, yet deep so often. Loved it since I was a kid, just like how I love games!

All I can say is that since the moment I played my first game, I loved, lived and will continue to play video games.
And I really, REALLY hope I am going to help make them within a year or so.

Thanks to all you guys, lets hope I'll be one of you too, soon!

 

[Lyude77]

I like video games for a completely different reason. I'm not much of an exploration type, I mainly like games for their mechanics (Fire Emblem) and the emotional impact or questions raised by the game. Majora's Mask was one of the greatest examples of both to me, and that's why it's one of my favorite games. I enjoyed meeting all of the people and helping them, whether in large, dramatic fashion or by singing them a song. I also enjoyed Persona 3 because , although the choices you make don't really change the story, they change the dialogue and still make me feel connected to the main character. I think the dialogue choices were originally what drew me to Golden Sun, as well as the different puzzle mechanics (I've always loved puzzles). Of course, I also love games that relieve my stress rather than add to it, like Wii Sports Resort and Super Mario Galaxy. I truly believe that my enormous amount of time spent playing Persona 3 affected my thinking and helped me to be a better person, as strange as that sounds.

That's probably why I have kept myself from playing Persona 4 until I know I have enough time to play it and have avoided any and all media to prevent myself from knowing what happens. I want to play it as I would read a book to enhance its effect.

I pretty much enjoy every game for one of those three reasons, I mainly like Nintendo for the first and third, and Atlus for the second. Valve and others obviously occupy the first though.

 

[ILOVEASIANS]

I still play games as much as did when I was a kid. They are still an excellent escape and a great way to kill some time.

 

[bernardobri]

I truly believe that my enormous amount of time spent playing Persona 3 affected my thinking and helped me to be a better person, as strange as that sounds.

It doesn't sound strange to me, actually. MGS2 made a similar impact on me, so I think I understand that feeling

 

[GDJustin]

I'm bumping this for more of GAF to see.

Thanks, man. I posted earlier that people should feel free to post their happiest / most memorable gaming memories, so I have another one:

During the PS1/N64 era I was in middle school, and although I had been a gamer since I was 5, that was the generation that REALLY hooked me. My friends and I spent SO MUCH TIME with Goldeneye. So. Much. Now that I've grown up and moved away, I never get to play "local" multiplayer with anyone, anymore. It's sorta strange... I didn't even realize how awesomely fun those days of my life were until after they were over. The few times I do get together and game in person it's usually pretty casual and laid back... Mario Kart Wii, or whatever.

Anyway, onto the story. We played Goldeneye, 1080 Snowboarding, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy that we had to start making up our own challenges to keep things interesting. I have vivid memories of us playing Mortal Kombat blindfolded, to see who would win based on sound. :lol I also remember playing MK while looking in a mirror rather than directly at a console. And racing my bud in 1080 snowboarding looking at the screenupside down, with my head dangling off the end of the bed :lol

Good times.

 

[GDJustin]

I'm bumping this topic because A) I selfishly want some more people to see it. but mostly because B) I've thinking about a related discussion for a while, and I don't think quite deserves it's own topic.

Games, including single-player, foster a sense of global community in a way that no other entertainment medium can do.

This is a little difficult for me to articulate, but bare with me, because it's something I've been turning over in my mind for a while now, and I'm going to try.

Single-player videogames produce a sense of "shared experience" that movies, books, TV, and music have a difficult time replicating.

When I mention to someone that I LOVE Super Metroid, and then they say that they do too, it might be natural to then discuss what your favorite parts are. But the truth is that much of that conversation is redundant. As soon as you meet another SM fan, you don't NEED to tell them that Crocmire made you jump the first time, when you didn't know he was dead. You don't NEED to explain how pumped you were to find the energy capsule in the ceiling in the starting area. Or how excited you were to work out that ice beam + enemies = impromptu platforms.

Because when you meet another big fan, there is a flash of instant understanding. A flash of recognition and realization that they, too went through the same experiences that you went through.

This is not a sensation that is *wholly* lost in other mediums. Big Lord of the Rings fans all intuitively understand that they were each completely wrapped up by Frodo's journey to Mt. Doom and shared the experience with him (and with each other) when he finally (partially) succeeded. Likewise when two people attend a concert or festival that features their favorite band(s).

But with games, it's different. Because it's active. The player is actually the one solving the puzzles, overcoming the obstacles. When you're playing a great game, it's as if you're engaging in a dialogue with the designer, and that this dialogue was written just for you. When you solve a tough puzzle or overcome a tough obstacle, through your sheer wit or skill alone, you feel... amazing. Maybe that's a little hyperbolic, but I think everyone on this forum would be lying if they claimed they never savored a sense of superiority and victory when overcoming a single-player challenge.

But of course the truth is... that challenge was DESIGNED to be overcome. And although it might feel like you were the first person to pull it off, some part of us always remembers that thousands (millions!) have done it before.

It's this feeling of shared accomplishment that the very-best games are able to imbue in us hardcore gamers.

When I solved the Lost Woods maze in Link to the Past recently, it struck me that millions of little Japanese boys, all the way across the world, had solved that exact same puzzle. The enormity of it hit me all at once. Even in remote places, too. There must be at least a few game enthusiasts in Iran or Syria or Belarus who have PCs and emulators and have solved all those same puzzles, too.

All of us here and on our personal blogs and on Xbox Live - we're all tied together by this sense of shared experience/accomplishment.

We ALL pushed Crocmire into the lava.
We ALL discovered the inverted castle.
We ALL discovered the hidden passageway behind the king's throne.
We ALL remember our first over-the-top "curb stomp"
We all remember getting our first star.
We all stopped bald bull's charge.

Yes, not every single one of you reading this have memories of all of the above examples. But that's not the point. You have your OWN memories. And you know that for every single one you remember fondly, there's millions of other kids (or kids at heart) around the world who share that memory with you.

In that sense, when we play games, we become a part of something bigger - it becomes a shared experience. But the genius of it is that we still somehow manage to feel as if the experience was created just for us, individually.

 

[Thai]

we all pooped our first poop in the toilet without our parents having to help us!

 

[Opiate]

Honest question here: why are we limiting this to just video games? There are plenty of incredible games that aren't displayed using a video format. And, I'd add, many of today's biggest games are clearly predicated on the principles that such games laid out.

Many of these games spark the imagination even more powerfully than video games can. In many games, you create the whole world yourself, let alone simply playing in it once the world has been established.

 

[revolverjgw]

I'm so glad I still feel like a giddy schoolgirl when there's a new game to look forward to getting, like Uncharted 2 and Demon's Souls right now. If I ever stop feeling this way, then... I don't even want to think about that.

Honest question here: why are we limiting this to just video games?

Well it's a video game community and this is the main video game board, so...

 

[hyduK]

Awesome post. Made me want to bust out Ocarina of Time...

 

[Liam92]

That is all.

 

[VGChampion]

Listening to the MGS2 theme for the first time. Even if it's not one of your favorite video game tunes, there is no denying how awesome that song fits into that game. I never really thought about how we all experience the same things. I know millions play these games, but most, like me probably think of it as a solo experience when playing your SP game.

That brings up a certain idea I wish some developers would do. I would love it if you have either the Playstation or Xbox camera hooked up, it would secretly take a picture of you during the "epic" moments of a game and then give you the option to publish it if you would like to. Would go well for an E3 conference to post the pics showing how immersive games can be.

 

[ThanksVision]

I love games, it makes me feel good at something.

 

[AKingNamedPaul]

I always wish I could just talk to a dev team after I play a game that i love, just to tell them how much it means to me. I don't know how the pay is, being a dev, but I just feel like they should know how much they impact peoples lives. A great game is like a great musical album, or a great movie, and devs who love what they do are rock stars in my book.

I love gaming, and I appreciate the people who make the games I love very much so.

 

[GDJustin]

That brings up a certain idea I wish some developers would do. I would love it if you have either the Playstation or Xbox camera hooked up, it would secretly take a picture of you during the "epic" moments of a game and then give you the option to publish it if you would like to. Would go well for an E3 conference to post the pics showing how immersive games can be.

The idea of "massively single player" gaming is something I've been mulling over for a while now.

Burnout Paradise includes a feature similar to what you're describing. When you takedown someone online, if they have a camera hooked up, you get a snapshot to show you their reaction.

There are also some single-player Flash games that riff off this concept. In one, when you die you leave a corpse and blood on the walls, floor, etc. The hook is that these corpses and these blood spatters then show up in OTHER people's runthroughs. So even though it's a 1P game, you can see what the most dangerous/most challenging sections are thanks to the failure of others.

In another, it's a race to get to the end of the stage as fast as possible (it's a platformer). It's single-player only, but dozens and dozens of "ghosts" are saved, and run through the level alongside you. So you end up a-synchronously racing against other players, seeing where they get stopped, seeing how they passed you, etc.

Edit: And of course achievements and trophies are taking us in this direction as well. Everyone made fun of the Target ad where the nerdy kid had a caption that said something like "the best part about beating a game is showing all my friends that I did it."

Everyone here mocked that ad, but I thought it was pretty true. Yes people try to 1000/1000 games for their own fun factor, but I think people are lying through their teeth if they deny that their friends seeing their profile plays any part in it.

 

[NotWii]

I've been thinking about this very issue over the past few years as I watched people drop out of gaming (well they only played shitty games, so I'm not really surprised ) or people not understanding the appeal of videogames.

GDJustin, for a few months, I was thinking about making a single game that had online 'message boards' in the game, probably at save points, where people can share their experiences as they go.

 

[GDJustin]

I've been thinking about this very issue over the past few years as I watched people drop out of gaming (well they only played shitty games, so I'm not really surprised ) or people not understanding the appeal of videogames.

GDJustin, for a few months, I was thinking about making a single game that had online 'message boards' in the game, probably at save points, where people can share their experiences as they go.

Demon Souls does this. Sort of.

 

[VGChampion]

Burnout Paradise includes a feature similar to what you're describing. When you takedown someone online, if they have a camera hooked up, you get a snapshot to show you their reaction.

Yeah, that was where I first thought of the idea. The only problem is, since you know the picture is coming, people are ready for the picture and pose for the camera. I would like to see them in a key moment of the game. Of course, once word gets out people would pose again, but I think it would be interesting.

And, any links to those flash games? I'd like to see the racing ghosts and dead bodies one.

 

[Tashi]

Great thread!

Thanks to all the developers of my favorite games.

 

[Fersis]

As game programmer and gamer : I <3 video games.

 

[sca2511]

i agree, video games are not a waste of time. We could be doing something more productive, but its definitely isn't a waste.

 

[John]

Thank you for all the kind words, everyone. I guess I can't blame GAF for there not being more replies. I didn't actually give people something to discuss.

So, how about this - what is your happiest, most-fond gaming memory or memories? We've had lots of "favorite game" topics, so I decided I would put a twist on it. What do you look back on as being the most fun you've ever had with a game, or what memories stand out the most?

I have a handful. All but one from the N64 era, oddly. Here's one:

- Super Metroid came out when I was 10, but the game didn't come on my radar until I was 12 or so. I remember for WEEKS I was stuck in the same area, in Miridia. It was a large room, where you can punt those one little enemies around the room, just before the worm miniboss. The solution is actually pretty easy, but for whatever reason I didn't figure it out.

...I FINALLY figured out how to progress, when I was supposed to be in my room getting dressed for a band concert. :lol :lol I had my mom yelling at me to hurry up or I was going to be late, while I was furiously trying to find a new save point, to save the progress I had finally made. :lol :lol

Same thing when I first beat Ocarina of Time. This was one of my very first games, this being only after Pokemon and Super Smash Brothers, so this was a totally new experience for me. My mom's yelling at me to come to dinner, there's no games after dinner, I'm rushing out of the tower, and I had to return the game to my friend the next day, I'm beating Ganon, I'M BEATING GANON!, my mom gives up eventually, I watch the end credits and listen to the romantic end credits music... god damn. Games.

 

[entremet]

i agree, video games are not a waste of time. We could be doing something more productive, but its definitely isn't a waste.

I just don't understand why leisure should be productive. I never got that argument. Leisure is about escapism, whether that's reading a books, taking a vacation, watching a movie.

 

[GDJustin]

I was going to wait until a year on the nose had passed to bump this, but but I just couldn't wait another two weeks. I'm feeling warm and fuzzy this afternoon for some reason.

Coming back to a great game after a long absence is like coming home.

I just feel at peace playing things like Minecraft, these days. It's very zen-like.

<3

 

[nickrempe]

Thanks for the hug OP.

 

[Persona7]

 

[Rctdaemon]

This thread should turn into a time capsule or something.

This year, I returned to the galaxy for the rest of Mario's stars, flew to Paradiso to meet a witch who shook up action games, was reacquainted with a young "Perfect" agent from years past, destroyed a living planet bent on destroying the Earth, beat a clock that has taunted me ever since I first met him, and experienced a film noir love story.

Platinum, Treasure, and Remedy, in addition to the studios that I already mentioned in my last post, cheers.

 

[Salsa]

Never had a doubt myself. Love gaming to death, consider it a big part of my life, dont hide it from anyone as i am ashamed of nothing, and i really think they have enriched my life instead of wasting time from it.

lovelovelove and huge thanks to anyone who brought me these wonderful experiences.

 

[Razor210]

Bookmarked thread for amazingness.

Amazing, amazing thread.

 

[Shadow Red]

Great thread. It brings back the nostalgia.