I just wanted to comment on games (and game development to some extent).
Its been five weeks since I even touched a controller or had a game installed on any machine. I’ve played games since 11 years of age. This is the longest stint gone without gaming.
The problem that drove me from gaming is thus: they’re not fun anymore. The people who do play are toxic. The concept of good sportsmanship has gone out the window and rolled down a hill and into the ocean! It was something of an addiction too.
Whats brought this post to be was overhearing a person in another room in my building yelling at a digital game at 10 pm. It made me realize that its not fun anymore, and also how much better my life has become since stopping. I’ve got a cooler attitude, fewer blow-ups if any at all, and my grades are better!
I want to extrapolate my experience to many others, if I could. I think that depression has hit many people in some form or another. I cannot say that’s the absolute truth yet I know the symptoms and one of them is aggression and “the loss of playfulness” in life. So many gamers play with the aim of ‘winning’. One can’t have it their way all the time and no one seems to realize that (I judge this using behavior observations).
As someone whose gone through depression I can tell you that playfulness is an important symptom of happiness. Yesterday I asked Google about an issue with my vehicle, and when I got my answer I told the assistant “That’s good to know, thank you”. Google’s reply? “Don’t worry about it.” in the most adorable tone I’d heard (from anyone) in a while. Reminded me of the playful cheeriness of a child and it still brings a smile to my face!
Last week I iterated a line from a Movie, google replied with the exact response from said movie and I was delighted! @ if you’re reading this you did a bang up job on the Voice Assistant. I love it!
TL;DR: I cut out the toxic parts of my life and found life get much better!
Finally: I may have rambled here and missed the point… Also I’ve tended to play only multiplayer games, so that explains the toxicity.
This is just your experience though. People digest games very differently at different paces, hence why many different types of games (including extremely peaceful ones or strategy games) exist.
Part of occasional few modern games I play from time to time, or just to give a try, I rather play older games.
Not because my PC is weak, or are too expensive.
I just don’t find most new game special, or attractive for me. Nothing to do with graphics.
My recommendation for multiplayer games is to either build or find a community with likeminded individuals. While we don’t play them as often as we used to I have a community of players that I helped form back in 2006. What little drama that crops up ends up being eliminated very quickly with no lasting negativity between our members.
I used to play a fair bit of multiplayer when I was younger (mainly counterstrike and bf1942) and I remember when I went pretty hard one time in cs for 8 hours straight. I felt good at the end, it was like I’d gone into some kind of rehab for monkey-mind-itis. Since then I learned that games are great for me when I really dive in, get my fill and then get out. Last part is important, though not hard for me because I get pretty bored with games pretty quick.
I know that for me games are a sort of action-based meditation, to clear out and focus my mind. Over the years there’s been times when I’ve consciously planned a long gaming session (usually singleplayer since I like atmosphere) when I feel a bit messed up. I did most of Crysis for example in one go, and a ton of Skyrim at one point. But I’m always listening to myself, feeling for that moment when I know I’ve had enough and any more will just waste my time (or create a habit for no reason). Then I go and sort out whatever problem I had to begin with, and move on.
I’ve played games since I was around 4 or 5 (maybe even sooner), and I’ve never gotten angry at anyone or neglected my studies when I was still in education. Then again, I rarely play multiplayer games these days, if ever, so you could be onto something with that.
Competitive hyper-violence + kids “raised” by negligent parent/guardians + extra monetary investment through micro transactions = toxic environment.
I like atmosphere-heavy stuff and stories, which are usually less repetitive, more varied, feel like they value the player’s time more and rely less on addictive feedback loops and twitch reflexes. They also end, which then allows you to go ahead and get on with a nice, balanced life.
Obviously I don’t know your background, or any of your games.
But creation for sake of creation would leave us in stone age. Of course is good for learning principles. But does not leads to novelty.
There is a reason in research, that you enforce you novelty, against what exists already. Otherwise will reinvent the wheel over and repeat same mistakes as others already did.
Playing games of the type you are making, gives the experience, which unveil what is good and what is bad.
No videos, or wall of text will be able to express exact feeling of playing.
Is like, ok we got wheel already, so let try make a cart then, if you know what I mean.
I spent years and years of my life playing.
Always thinking about what I’d change, how I’d do it different, how much more fun they could be. I would often justify all that time spent playing as “inspiration” for the game I would one day have to make.
That day has arrived. Time for inspiration is over. Time for work has begun.
I still play, nowadays with these (obviously not every day though):
Divinity Original Sin II (with three friends online, they’re in Ireland and Hungary, I’m in the US, it’s “fun” to wake up at 7am on Sundays to catch them for a session… )
I sometimes still load up Skyrim SE with a ton of mods
0[quote=“Antypodish, post:7, topic: 759030, username:Antypodish”]
There is a reason in research, that you enforce you novelty, against what exists already. Otherwise will reinvent the wheel over and repeat same mistakes as others already did.
[/quote]
I found this out of curiosity one day recently. Who says wheels of a different shape can’t be useful? While I won’t argue differently about the wisdom you presented, I think its crucial to go outside the scope of your favorite game, and favorite genre for inspiration.
Many gamers don’t read books, at least that’s the wisdom I heard some time ago. It leads to a lack of creativity in game developers. I love reading, I’ve done it without thinking since I was a kid (who was almost illiterate). While I don’t often read a book for anything other than advancing my knowledge of computer science and math anymore (a bit busy) I do often seek out curiosities via the wonderful world of Google Search.
That is what lead me to this stair climbing robot concept and many other things. I can say the same goes for your favorite game genre. One can iterate on a genre but to get new ideas one must take a step outside and look at something there,as great minds think a like and anyone can look at say CoD with a critical eye and arrive at roughly the same iteration as anyone else. I know so because I have had that occur…
Just my 3/2 cents.
@ why not make new friends? You don’t need to abandon your old friends either…
Only thing, it most likely derived from stair lifting concept, which is not something new. But knowing that, we can now go with bear idea
Regarding going out of the box thinking, and way of “climbing”
Since I worked some time ago, on automating process of Brokk demolition robots, here is something interesting (Not actually related to my work, other than robot type).
Well, it’s not like I don’t make new friends here. It’s just I do not want to abandon my old friends. I love them, we know each other for ages. Playing together is just an excuse to talk over hangouts/steam/skype/discord for hours. Because of the 9 hours time zone difference we really don’t have too many opportunities to sit down to talk more than an hour and these weekend sessions are predictable and great so far.
The amount of games I play has waxed and waned over the years. The time I played least was not long after I joined the games industry. The reasons were twofold. 1. I was working very long hours for long periods, there wasn’t much time left to play. 2. I’d seen behind the curtain at the magic, nothing seemed so special. Of course I got over that, and started playing again, but it wasn’t quite the same, perhaps because there is now always a part of me analysing the game design, but it can still be great, and often is.
Having played games for decades, my tastes have evolved. Swapping genres and game scale is part of keeping it fresh. I can enjoy games across the spectrum from core to hypercasual. I play little multiplayer as I prefer to challenge myself rather than compete, plus to be competitive requires focusing on single games, whereas I prefer to play a lot of different types, always looking for something new.
The OP has seen that it is the multiplayer toxicity that is the issue. Perhaps it is time to explore single player, and find joy in good game mechanics.
I would love to play more games, but I only play VR these days (desktop does not get me off like it used to). But there is so little good games being released for the medium. And when it comes to VR games with shooter mechanics I just compare it with our own VR shooter and gets turned off because of low effort
Toxicity appears to be a big part of gaming. I play multiplayer games and I feel the toxicity is lower now that it used to be. Instead, the toxicity is very bad in discord, even ones that are game developer led. Seems like many game developers just bring in the toxicity with them.
Toxicity had always been around since the arcade era, especially when games started to become competitive. When I was small, I used to see older people acting super toxic in the arcades, playing Street Fighter 2, during the Street Fighter 2 era. It’s also the reason why, alot of fighting games and multiplayer games, became ridiculously popular, in the 90’s and early 2000’s.
In my case, toxicity or not, I still play games online or offline. But these days, I play mostly offline, and I play mostly older games and older 3d fighting games. Because the gameplay in those games, especially in older fighting games like Virtua Fighter 4 Evo, are in alot of cases, more advanced and more fun, than modern day games like Tekken 7.
In the case of fun, that is something alot of games, for over a decade seem to lack. Which is why, I play old school platformers and adventure games more, than most modern day ones.
I have encountered tons of toxic players online for years. But they didn’t have the power, to stop me from playing games online. Bad lackluster gameplay and nerf patches, is what keeps me and others, away from games nowadays.
)
While I won’t argue differently about the wisdom you presented, I think its crucial to go outside the scope of your favorite game, and favorite genre for inspiration.
