Discussion: Why We Play Games (Addiction)

Jarrastafari

Jarrastafari

Jarrastafari

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JARRA!
Hi guys; I'm posting this thread as part of my dissertation research on the topic of addiction, as I want to find out people's individual opinions on why they play games. So I would like each of your opinions on:
  • Why you play games?
  • Do you get addicted to certain games?
  • If so, do you know why (what hooks you)?
Since it's part of my research I will be using your responses as part of dissertation, which may include using some posts as quotes. I remember reading a thread similar to this before but I wanted to report this so I could get answers relevant to my research specifically. I hope you guys can contribute, thank you.
 
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I play games mainly because I enjoy the aspect of being someone else for what time I am gaming for.

I can escape the reality of my life being an Arsenal Player in FIFA 15, a mass murderer and criminal in GTA and a Goat in Goat Simulator.

All things that in the reality of my life I would never be able to do, esp the Goat bit!

Do I become addicted, no not really. I can turn off the PC and live a normal, healthy lifestyle without it. But it is my hobby so I chose to spend time doing it and can stop myself at any stage.

Please use the Goat bit Jarra lol!
 
I enjoy playing games as it takes me into an alternate world where I can lose my self in a living, breathing and immersion story. Thus I prefer single player games. I see games like films. I want to be involved in it.

Addiction, sure. I was addicted to L2, WoW, CSS. All of which bore one similarity that stood out. Competitiveness. When I play a multiple game, I want to win.

Now I've grown up and have responsibilities living alone and bills to pay. Games are a treat for me, if I have time. I'll invest my free time into them. But I no longer get addicted but more enjoy a short blast as I don't have time for addictive games anymore.

Overall, some people like football, some like horses, climbing, gym, knitting... I like games, it will always be a part of me. This year I took a huge step back from gaming. But next year I intend to catch up.

Hope that helps.
 
I think addiction has extremely negative connotations, especially when linked with games as a part of society still sees them as an immature pass time. Granted, those same people usually veg out in front of the TV for hours a night watching utter nonsense.

That said, I do find some games extremely engrossing. The recent game that I got lost in was Dishonoured. For me, there's just no other way of experiencing what something like Dishonoured has to offer without it being a video game.

Some people use it as a means to escape reality, I see it as a means to experience something beyond reality, things that will never be possible. The next step in being engrossed is VR, however I don't know what that would mean for people who use games to escape reality. Would that develop an addiction to the escape with how your body starts responding to what you're seeing as if you're more there than just in a 2D screen?

Sorry if my response isn't what you were looking for though!
 
I play games because it's one of the easiest & simplest ways to satiate my desire for mastery.

I take great pleasure in improving my skills at a given task, I have quite a number of hobbies but many either make a large amount of noise (guitar, music) or require planning (outdoor activities).

Gaming gives me an easily accessible method of improving my skills, coupled with inbuilt mechanics to monitor & track my progression (another important part of mastery for me). I've got a similar approach to modding, in that I track my 'mastery' on the overall reception of the mod - not actually caring if other people like it or not, but using public opinion as a gage for my own skill at a given subject.

I'm not addicted to games, but I've always been addicted to mastering whatever it is I end up obsessing about. When I draw, I spend at least 4 hours a night, when I play guitar it's the same, the gym for a period identical (spending loads of time focusing on it, but obviously can't do quite that much a night) & games is a good 'filler' between the other activities.
 
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Jarrastafari said:
[*]Why you play games?
[*]Do you get addicted to certain games?
[*]If so, do you know why (what hooks you)?
Click to expand...
I like the mental stimulation.
Yes I do.
Progression, want to kill other people by leveling up/gearing up, I rarely play single player games.
 
spoffle said:
... a part of society still sees them as an immature pass time. Granted, those same people usually veg out in front of the TV for hours a night watching utter nonsense.
Click to expand...

I agree with this entirely. I'm on my lunch break at work right now and am slightly fearful that some people will judge me as somebody that 'ought to grow up' (I'm 30) if I'm seen browsing gaming related websites.

But, yes, those same people will bang on about Celebrity this and that and X Factor blah blah...

It's ok, we're the clever ones ;)
 
In which case, completely and utterly disregard what they might think of you. If they genuinely look down on you for your hobbies and interests (that don't involve eating new borns) then they are people that aren't worth bothering with.

The same sort of people usually give someone who doesn't drink alcohol grief for not drinking alcohol, and genuinely have issues understanding or processing why, and wonder what you must do for fun if you don't drink.
 
As I've grown up I've tried to play less and have those days where I think what am I doing wasting hours at a time doing nothing productive, then I realise even if I did quit I don't have the attention span to fill in that missing time with other activities.

In the past few years I've focused more on my health by cutting down the alcohol a lot, eating better and weight training which has lowered my gaming time.

I made a big mistake getting into WoW with this new expansion, I find myself losing hours to it and I'm actually pleased I didn't play this 10 years ago when doing my exams or I would have failed miserably. I'm a sucker for games that offer long progression.

I'm of the opinion you should do whatever makes you happy without sacrificing other things, at the moment I can afford to do that with gaming, in a few years who knows.
 
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Getting older, games have lost the addiction for me as they once were.

I play because I enjoy the experience the game offers both from a gameplay standpoint and an "artistry" standpoint.
 
Sometimes I just enjoy exploring beautiful new worlds that can only exist in fantasy. It's like virtual sight-seeing in a sense, but also coupled with the pleasure of overcoming challenges and a clear set of goals.

Gaming is also social for me, in that very often I'll be chatting with others over teamspeak even if we aren't playing a multiplayer game.

As someone who has been addicted to drugs and alcohol in the past, I can safely say that I am not addicted to gaming. I just really like it. I'm able to stop gaming if something important comes up, for instance, whereas that was usually the opposite of what happened with my drinking.
 
Im a big fan of sciency technical games, the number of hours I have logged on ksp is testament to this. As well as my penchant for ridiculously complicated machine setups in minecraft, ironically both are somewhat engineering related and three guesses why that is...

I think mostly its just an escape, able to do things that I cant normally do, I suppose thats the same as most folk.

Most of the multiplayer games I play are either cooperative or strategic fighting, certainly none of the usual cod "skills" but I regard the likes of civilisation as basically bigger more complicated chess.

Tl;Dr I like building complicated shizzle
 
Glad to offer some feedback for ya and good luck with the dissertation

Why you play games?

It varies really depending on the genre of game but more often than not its because i love being engrossed in a game in just the same way as i would reading a great book, listening to some awesome music or watching a great movie.

Gaming for me is every bit as valuable in my life as each of those other entertainment mediums.

Do you get addicted to certain games?

Addiction is subjective for me, what determines a game being addictive? One where you forget you had to goto work today, you sacrifice other activities to get your gaming fix etc?

Ive certainly had games where i can dream about the days gaming session, can think about tactics or puzzles while im doing something else etc. Im not sure if that is addiction but its certainly healthy obsession :p

If so, do you know why (what hooks you)?

The world, the story, the people im playing with. If its a single player game it has to be a complete package. I rarely get engrossed into a story if i cant get past the visual style or characters, so every aspect has to tick the right boxes for me to become totally engrossed.

In a multiplayer game having the right group of people to play with is 100% the reason i play more often. It lifts the bad moments and makes the awesome moments all that much better.
 
I have discovered recently that the less I play games (due to doing other things and longer work hours) the more o tend yo think about/research them.

Recently I got into KSP after about 6 months away, and being an alpha, it has changed quite a lot. I managed to getting going pretty well but as soon as I hit a stumbling block, that was it. Every free minute/work break I had was spent test/researching a solution.

While I wouldnt class myself an 'addict' I see the ressmblence. For me its something else rather than an addiction, it focuses on completion. The best example I have of this is playing FIFA. Every time I stop play FIFA (for more than a week) I'd have just completed a career mode season or an FUT season/cup. I can walk away without thinking about it. Though if I'm still in a season or transfer window I have to come back.

Its the sense of completion and achievement that drives me, the escapism is only a sideline. I'm pretty sire I'd play a game of my life (no escapism) if I had goals/achievements to aim for.

Taking KSP alone, the fact of space exploration is also a big draw, someone I could never do, explore/ know about in reality. Its new, its interesting and its educational/not 'violence for violence sake' but in depth physics yo allow exploration.
 
spoffle said:
In which case, completely and utterly disregard what they might think of you. If they genuinely look down on you for your hobbies and interests (that don't involve eating new borns) then they are people that aren't worth bothering with.

The same sort of people usually give someone who doesn't drink alcohol grief for not drinking alcohol, and genuinely have issues understanding or processing why, and wonder what you must do for fun if you don't drink.
Click to expand...

Bullseye.
 
I usually played games in order to keep in touch with friends and it did become a bit addicting when we played MMO's, I think its the progression and the sense of mastering certain aspects was what kept me coming back. Games which reward skill over gear is have proven to be very addictive.

Since I've moved in with friends I've cut back on my gaming time a lot but still find a few hours a day in the week to play single player games and then on the weekends catch up with old friends online.
 
I game because I prefer it to TV, as far as I'm personally concerned, its a more engaging use of my time as I prefer games with steep difficulty curves.

I also get a bigger adrenaline rush from an exciting / scary segment of a game (amnesia) where I can control the outcome than watching any action or horror film.
 
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