How many of you play video games?

[Metz]

If so, what games have you been playing lately?

ALSO, I'm acutely aware a lot of people here get weirdly vocal about games and how tHeY jUsT wAsTe tImE and aNy gOoD eNtRePrEnEuR sHoUlD oNlY fOcUs oN wOrK. This thread ain't for you. Please spare me the sigma nonsense.

I only ask because a good friend-turned-client of mine who I met through playing video games together mentioned how great it is to find someone of similar age and interests who also owns their own business so.. we can't be the only two people. And now I'm curious.

 

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[Mathuin]

Think you'd ever return to gaming if you found the time again?

Can't say, anytime I did play the odd game since I stopped I got bored pretty quickly.

Post-Unscription, I'd rather be on a booze cruise in Mexico than curled up in front of my monitor.

 

[srodrigo]

I also have a big network of people expert in just about anything because we bonded over the games, which helps me as a writer. Whenever I need expert information, I can turn to my gaming friends and ask a couple of questions.

Some people here might not believe it, but networking with fellow gamers can lead to all sorts of opportunities. More often than not, it doesn't because you can obviously get too much into the gaming thing. But I've met a couple of entrepreneurs (even ex-pro gamers reconverted into other things) and I was about to speak to one of them to suggest a business partnership to make use of his domain expertise and my software development skills.

 

[Hadrian9]

This will trigger the nerds with skinny wrists, but I find that video games provide a fake sense of achievement, brotherhood, status, and competition without the hardship, confidence, social skills, and respect from women you get from real life sports hobbies and activities.

Maybe I’m biased because I was an addict for so long, but everyone has an innate drive for progress. If you just ‘chill out man and play some call of duty bro’ you’re using up your desire for progress on a fake reality instead of your business.

Why explore the world in a video game when you could work more to earn more money to take a trip to Norway and hike huge snowy mountains and look at a 900 ft waterfall? Why race cars online when you can race cars in real life? Why drive a Ferrari in a game when it’s in real life? Why fly airplanes on a game when you can do it irl? Why improve your fighting skills in a game when you could learn to box? Sure doing adventurous things irl will have a sense of discomfort and bring a chance of dying. But if you’re constantly avoiding the danger that comes with real life, what’s the point of living?

Think of the guy who always had a hobby of video games vs the guy who always had a hobby of outdoor physical and competitive activities. I guarantee you the second guy is better with girls, has better social skills, is more comfortable in his own body, and is better dealing with pain and discipline and rejection. He gets his sense of achievement alongside physical exhaustion and bloody noses, and he’s going to beat the hell out of the video gamer in business.

Another argument is that it’s rest enjoyment and recovery. Garbage. Video games are incredibly stimulating. True rest and recovery comes from being in nature, social connection, and sleep.

If I’m being too serious, why are you not? For every hour you spend gaming away, one of your competitors is doing something to improve themselves and their going to get the client you wanted, the girl you wanted, and the social status you wanted. Literally. They’ll have more energy and time to make more calls, they’ll be outside more and talk to more girls, and will make more friends and have more of an impact on the world.

Sorry for the rant, just despise how much video games castrate people of their manliness and aggression, and you only realize this once you quit. Hope this helps someone.

 

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[Oso]

This will trigger the nerds with skinny wrists, but I find that video games provide a fake sense of achievement, brotherhood, status, and competition without the hardship, confidence, social skills, and respect from women you get from real life sports hobbies and activities.

There's nothing "fake" about the amount of work, communication, practice, etc. that goes into performing at the top level. Most people that have an "online persona" are closer to their online friends than they are their own families.

And while the communication may (mostly) be online, despite whatever preconceived notions you probably have, nerds still have to have social skills to adequately communicate effectively with other nerds (AKA: they're still adults and adults generally expect you to act like an adult, not a hermit), especially if they want to accomplish anything in the game.

"Respect from women." Lmfao. All I can say here is no one should be relating their self-esteem/self-worth to the opinion(s) of others. Lastly, in many aspects, competitive gaming is more difficult than most sports (similarly, most sports are more difficult than video games, for different reasons).

Maybe I’m biased because I was an addict for so long, but everyone has an innate drive for progress. If you just ‘chill out man and play some call of duty bro’ you’re using up your desire for progress on a fake reality instead of your business.

Yes, you are. And while I'm sorry you were an addict, shitting on entire communities of people that are just trying to live their lives is pretty f*cked up, but you do you.

Why explore the world in a video game when you could work more to earn more money to take a trip to Norway and hike huge snowy mountains and look at a 900 ft waterfall? Why race cars online when you can race cars in real life? Why drive a Ferrari in a game when it’s in real life? Why fly airplanes on a game when you can do it irl? Why improve your fighting skills in a game when you could learn to box? Sure doing adventurous things irl will have a sense of discomfort and bring a chance of dying. But if you’re constantly avoiding the danger that comes with real life, what’s the point of living?

Because not everyone cares about the same shit as you do. Not everyone prioritizes what you prioritize.

Because most people are content with their own little slice of life. Should they want more? Maybe, but that's up to them and them alone to decide and pursue.

Think of the guy who always had a hobby of video games vs the guy who always had a hobby of outdoor physical and competitive activities. I guarantee you the second guy is better with girls, has better social skills, is more comfortable in his own body, and is better dealing with pain and discipline and rejection. He gets his sense of achievement alongside physical exhaustion and bloody noses, and he’s going to beat the hell out of the video gamer in business.

Sure, if this were 1985 and stereotypes still somewhat accurately determined behavior and outcomes. Henry Cavill (or whatever his name is) was named "King of the Nerds" for a reason. Trust me when I say he's far from being the only one. The stereotype of "fat, lazy, socially awkward nerd" is continuing to die as years pass.

Another argument is that it’s rest enjoyment and recovery. Garbage. Video games are incredibly stimulating. True rest and recovery comes from being in nature, social connection, and sleep.

Weird, because nature and social interactions/connections are stimulants to me that I can only handle in small bursts (outside of business).

But on the rare occasion I play a game nowadays, I have no problem focusing on the game itself. The games I still play come second nature. It is genuinely calming, though the additional screen time has negative effects.

If I’m being too serious, why are you not? For every hour you spend gaming away, one of your competitors is doing something to improve themselves and their going to get the client you wanted, the girl you wanted, and the social status you wanted. Literally. They’ll have more energy and time to make more calls, they’ll be outside more and talk to more girls, and will make more friends and have more of an impact on the world.

These simply aren't factors to people who, once again, don't value the lifestyle you do.

You: "Your competitors are taking your clients!!"
Them: "I'm literally gonna be at this shit job until the day I die or retire. Wtf are you talking about? I don't have clients."

Ultimately you are correct though: if people spent more time completing goals, being productive, etc. they could have whatever life they want, sure. The thing to remember is those people have to make those decisions for themselves, and you shitting on them because they aren't doing what you want is completely counterproductive to your actual goal of getting people to see video games are unhealthy.

Sorry for the rant, just despise how much video games castrate people of their manliness and aggression, and you only realize this once you quit. Hope this helps someone.

Have you done the research on this and have evidence? Because I can personally tell you none of my aggression was "castrated" during my World of Warcraft addiction. In fact, quite often, I'd go slang something, participate in drive-bys, etc. just to get back to the crib and boot up World of Warcraft.

I'd legit be playing WoW while doing lines of coke off of my desk, ready to raid in WoW, or shoot someone the moment I needed to. While I'm happy you're no longer addicted, your entire post feels like projection, tbh. Furthermore, while I fully acknowledge addiction of any/all sort is destructive/unhealthy, video games are one of the few things that are always directly blamed for the user's unhealthy habit, which I've always found fascinating.

Crack? "He has a disease."
Alcoholism? "He has a disease."
Meth? "He has a disease."
Plays video games for more than 30min/day? "I KNEW THOSE VIDEO GAMES WERE MELTING HIS BRAIN, WE NEED TO BAN THEM! OH AND THEY'RE TO BLAME FOR MASS SHOOTINGS AND VIOLENCE, TOO!"

That said, all of this goes back to "what are your intentions?" I can`t help but ask: when you were addicted, did you accomplish anything while playing? Most people that go from having a video game addiction to more or less being "anti-gaming" tend to go that way because they fell short of being competitive.

When I was a semi-pro Street Fighter player, I was addicted. But I was making 4 figures/mo. from tournaments.
When I was a hardcore WoW player, I was addicted. But I was playing with some of the best in the world, and was making some money doing it. The sheer amount of money I made via World of Warcraft account and gold flipping is also disgusting.

I guess my point is, if all someone is doing is playing video games for 10+ hours a day on their days off and their "career" is some dead-end job, then sure, they're probably a "loser." But if someone is playing a video game for 10+ hours a day and making money off of it, and/or have the goal of eventually making money off of it... I mean, at that point, it's a skill/business pursuit like anything else.

Cheers.

 

[Spenny]

Cool to see everyone's views on this, I gave up on this hobby about six months ago because it didn't add much, and it ranked F tier for me.

- I was never proud to say I play video games.
- I became a more irritable person
- it didn't translate to anything real (maybe communication and leadership at best)
- I missed meals, sleep and struggled to move forward.
- I regretted the thousands of hours I put into this. I have nothing to show for all the summer holidays. I used to play games. Nothing.
- I had a bunch of knowledge about stuff that just wasn't useful in life.
- I wasn't progressing much in life. I would blink, and eight hours would pass. The whole day was gone.

It was only when I replaced it with chess that I had a bunch of time to free up & began developing fast.

Please do what you will with your life; we're made up of choices. I just saw that the choice of video games wasn't wise for where I am in life.

 

[Simon Angel]

Bit of a weird question but, what was it like? I've always wondered what it must be like to be male and so attractive you have women throwing themselves at you. Are you in a long-term relationship at the moment?

There are studies out there that a man's self-worth and self-esteem go almost completely hand in hand with how desired they are (or rather, feel they are) by women. Having been on both ends, I'd say that sounds about right.

To answer your question:

I'm in a long-term relationship with what was the most attractive girl at my high school. She's also one of the most sensible ones I've met, too. That's not to say my relationship is perfect by any means, lol.

In high school, it was cool. A lot of girls liked and flirted with me, and a lot didn't because they were intimidated by me (but not necessarily because of my looks).

My "good" features, and this I assume also goes for 90% of people, come at a specific weight, body fat %, hairstyle, etc. It's not like I just hit puberty one day and became an object of desire. I can EASILY look like trash.

In fact, I entered high school as a malnourished late bloomer due to a severe chronic disorder. I really didn't look my age and was skinnier and shorter than 9/10 guys. It took a few years before I started working out, eating more, and reading up on how to regain my confidence after my health misadventures (which involved a lot of gross, traumatic, and emasculating procedures in hospital settings when I was a pre-teen).

I also read books from most of the major pick-up artists at the time, a lot of which was complete BS. Still, I learned that it's important to always be confident, assertive, and direct—especially when communicating with women. I never got "friend zoned" apart from once... and it was from my current girlfriend when I invited her on a date in high school before I learned all of this.

What also helped was that in my social circles, most of the guys were still awkward as hell. Most didn't work out, their clothing style sucked, and they would shit bricks whenever they had to talk to girls they liked.

Or they'd openly talk about what porn video they watched and compare porn stars with each other while our girl friends were standing next to them, lmao.

On the other hand, I treated everyone the same and just went out to have fun and flirt nonchalantly while knowing that girls would always pick me compared to my other friends. And they did.

Funnily enough, most girls who ended up liking me initially thought I was a "dick", "kind of a douche", "arrogant prick", "too self-loving", and "not my type". I.e. their perception of me was that I was a "bad boy" when I'm actually, for the most part, a decent guy.

It was one of the best times of my life so far which I nearly missed out on. Had I just gone about my high school years like everyone else, I would've probably been known as a gamer nerd rather than a hot chad. Behind my "effortless" attractiveness was actually a lot of reading, trying, failing, and, eventually, winning.

 

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[WJK]

I play 0 video games. I do play Monopoly with real money -- my money -- every day in the RE game. I don't gamble in casinos because the odds are with the house and against me. I spend my time upping my odds with my RE deals and I almost never play unless the odds are in my favor.

In the last few years, I have started doing "pie-in-the-sky" investments. That's where I take a small percentage of my assets to invest in a project where I either lose my whole nut, or it has an upside that is many times my investment. The upside must be worth the risk.

For example, I bought an oil lease a few years ago. My lease was against a working gas field. It turned out that the lease was outside of the production area and my investment was a total loss. If it had worked, it would have been worth millions. We didn't have any way of knowing until I had the lease in place and we did the ground studies. Do I feel bad about making that investment? No. It had good odds of working. And I learned a lot about that business. It should have worked. Oh well. Next!

FYI -- You cannot do those investments with borrowed money or funds you need to use to pay the rent. It must be money set aside for that type of investment.

 

[Mathuin]

Not anymore. Don't have enough time as still working a 9-5 and trying to unscript.

Used to play a lot of Call of Duty & World of Warcraft.

 

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[Metz]

I play less and less these days (apart from when I get hooked into RTSs...). Not only I get bored quicker as I age, but some video games take too much mental space. We are here because we want an above-average life, and attention thieves can certainly get in the way. Not to mention some stressful games that don't do good when you are over 35-40.

Having said that, some games have great, even memorable, stories and music (for example, old Final Fantasy games), so they are a good experience in the same way a good film can be. Not every game is about spending dozens of hours shooting marines.

Yeah, while I still play video games, I find myself playing them less and less. Like right now, I find that I'm having more fun working on my business than my usual games.. like on my downtime, I'll sit and look at my library and then give up and start working on my next article.

But I will caution against the use of the term "attention thieves" since a lot of people will apply that to games yet spend their entire days action-faking on here. Isn't to say the forum's bad, just that there's a pattern of a lot of big talk but very few back it with action. There's importance to spending time to unwind and decompress for the sake of one's health to greet the next workday with renewed vigor. At least for me, gaming's my choice -- though I also work out regularly, hike, enjoy nature photography now that I got a new phone for the first time in seven years, stuff like that.

But you're right too with the quality of games. Like one game I'm really enjoying lately is City of Gangsters which is a surprisingly in-depth business simulator that, illegal 1920s era bootlegging aside, really hammers home a lot of core business strategy concepts like the importance of networking, supply and demand, diversification, logistics, stuff like that. Is one of the reasons I gave up on games like COD that don't really do much but give you a spike in dopamine.. but even then, if that's the way a person wants to relax after a long day.. well.. it's all about balance, right?

Sorry for the mini-rant. Just like I said, I find a lot of people shitting on games because the issue lies less in enjoying gaming and more in their issue with time and energy management as they snort Adderall while working on their 78th get-rich-quick scheme business plan that week. So admittedly, just trying to challenge the status quo that's honestly unhelpful, especially with the whole "you're only allowed to struggle until you're rich" mindset.

You're allowed to enjoy life AND build an empire simultaneously. But I digress.

 

[Simon Angel]

I've played a shit ton of games. There is absolutely no way to fit them all in a single post.

However, by far the most memorable ones are:

Fallout 3, New Vegas (the latter being a masterpiece in my eyes)
Skyrim
Assassin's creed 1, 2, Brotherhood, Revelations, Black Flag
Mass Effect 1,2, and 3
GTA: Vice City, San Andreas, IV
Commander Keen 1
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
RuneScape (2007~2010)

Misc:

DX-Ball
Superstar Chefs
Soldat
Revolt
Club Penguin
Metal Slug
Doom
Worms: Armageddon
Need For Speed

Competitive games:

League of Legends (was a Challenger player)
CS:GO (was a Supreme player)
War Thunder (about 10 years ago when there were just planes)

Currently sim racing on the rFactor 2, Asseto Corsa simulators and setting world record hot laps here and there. They've helped me to transition rapidly into real life racing.

I love games. I love how they've allowed me to experience being someone else, somewhere else.

And finally, I love winning in games.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

You seriously created an account here a year ago just so you can backlink in the most retarded way possible?

He's gone as is all his posts. He went back and added backlinks in all his posts, and to avoid detection, put them in people's quotes.

Thanks for reporting.

 

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[Aidan04]

Haven't touched a video game in about a year.

Amazing how much progress you can get done when you throw things like gaming and social media out the window.

In my free time, I spend time with friends/family, read books on all manner of topics, hit the gym, and level up my cooking skills.

 

[K1 Lambo]

If so, what games have you been playing lately?

ALSO, I'm acutely aware a lot of people here get weirdly vocal about games and how tHeY jUsT wAsTe tImE and aNy gOoD eNtRePrEnEuR sHoUlD oNlY fOcUs oN wOrK. This thread ain't for you. Please spare me the sigma nonsense.

I only ask because a good friend-turned-client of mine who I met through playing video games together mentioned how great it is to find someone of similar age and interests who also owns their own business so.. we can't be the only two people. And now I'm curious.

People who say they work all the time are full of shit. The guys who do work hard don't have to brag about it on Instagram.

Personally, I don't play any games for now. I've only played a little bit of Monopoly last year(like 2x-3x probably).

I'm not a native english speaker but I've learned a lot of english from playing video games when I was younger; particularly from games like the Need For Speed franchise, ROBLOX, LEGO games and GTA V. They're very helpful when it comes to learning a new language! It's a lot of fun too.

ROBLOX used to be a lot of fun. Learned a good amount of Lua and I'm sure it increased my creativity too from building and sculpting models on Roblox Studio. Minecraft can be good too. Especially if you're a builder type of entrepreneur; guys who love the process of building stuff from ground one.

But again, video games have to be treated diligently. You have to control THEM, and not let video games control you. Things can get out of wack if you let them take over your priorities. Playing a video game every once in a while is not gonna hurt you if you got priorities and work on your life.

It's just like the same thing with how porn/sex works with your dopamine in a way. Too much of it is not good at all.

 

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[WestCoast]

I was into games as a kid. Haven't played any in... ~15 years.

That said, I do add some random game to my phone every 6 months or so, when I get burned out.
I've been working 12 hours a day/7days a week since September.

I didn't work yesterday. Just, brain fried. Need a few days.
So, I downloaded some train game for my phone.

And, it's great.
I imagine I'll do it for 15-20 hours, and then go back to real life.
But, for now, I get it....

 

[Fox]

I’m tempted to rebuy an N64 just to play Goldeneye.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I play a zombie shooting game on my iPhone a few times per week to unwind.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Were you a gamer in the past?

Not really, maybe when I was 13 years old and had 30lbs to lose.

 

[Ing]

The last but one was Duke Nukem 3D. Played it through once till the end. Never touched again.
And when A customer of a friend started world of tanks, I tried it once.

 

[hexelbyte]

Hi,

If I never played video games, I would've never met my friend turned business partner.
We met 11 years ago so the trust is definitely there and we are currently working on a SaaS.

The last 3 games that I played were Battlefield 1, Killing Floor 2 and Rimworld.

Even though people here would shame on gaming, opportunity is truly everywhere.

 

[mdot]

Call of Duty multiplayer, Minecraft, Skyrim and the Myst games probably make up probably 75% of my lifetime gaming hours. Crysis 2 was the game I look back on as blowing me away the most from a technical and 'fun factor' perspective.

In the last 3 years though I've almost completely lost interest in gaming. I only play Minecraft now, on weekends with my dad because we live far apart and it's a fun way to catch up. #metaverse? lol

 

[Madame Peccato]

I've been playing Elden Ring recently. I put ~16 hours in it so far. I also play Apex Legends with my friends. I started playing the latest Serious Sam's game (Syberian Mayhem) about a month and a half ago, but I've only managed to complete 2 levels before losing interest. This is the case with most games for me today, I get bored after 3 - 4 hours total playtime. Guess I'm getting old.

I'm trying to convince my main Apex Legends pal to buy Monster Hunter: Rise to vary our gaming experience a bit. We played World for ~150 hours (took us almost half a year), and Rise looks cool too.

When I was younger I used to fiend strategy games. I was in love with big RTS war games like Rise of Nation/Age of Empires 2, and also with building simulators like Simcity 3000, Zeus Master of Olympus, and Startopia. I don't like the new age ones though (i.e. Cities Skyline or the last Tropico), they feel too micromanage-y. Like I don't care about small tasks that might improve my traffic by 1%, just let me play with the sliders to manage the problem damn it!

I'm grateful for videogames because they taught me English and how to perform under pressure. I'm an ex-competitive gamer in a niche game. I had to play in front of 100+ people. It was gut-wrenching, but what an experience. The adrenaline was definitely real. I also have a big network of people expert in just about anything because we bonded over the games, which helps me as a writer. Whenever I need expert information, I can turn to my gaming friends and ask a couple of questions.

 

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[AmppaDamppa]

I don't play in the same way I did previously, but if I still have time, I like to play Battlefield to CoD that doesen't require commitment such as my long time favourite, World of Warcraft.

I have a full-time job as a digital marketer and my business is a website, so playing behind the screen is just too much screen...

I'm hoping that when I have my business rolling good and have quit my job, then I can play again a bit more!

PS. I'm not a native English speaker and without gaming, I never could have started my website targeting English speakers.

 

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[Simon Angel]

l can't find the tweet, but someone on twitter had a semi-viral saying that playing video games is an exact equivalent to having an "opium den" phase in your life. The time is spent, and you will never get anything back or damn little to show for it.

Hard disagree on that take from me. The biggest reason why I earn money and am good at what I do is because of a game.

 

[Tiago]

I used to play Ragnarok Online sometimes up to 18 hours/day. But I have to say, it was one of the best times of my life. So many friendships were formed, and it helped me grow as a person.

Now I play some Magic The Gathering: Arena a few times per week to decompress.

And once a week I meet up with a friend who lives in another country and we play Worms. Blasting little earthworms never gets old.

 

[MaxT]

This thread shows what a great business video games are... and video game peripheries, video game accessories, and things related to video games...

Every time you play a game think about this: am I consuming or producing? Does this give me some producing-related ideas?

It's okay to consume sometimes too though. And of course your business might have nothing to do with games, technology, hardware, etc. and that's fine

I don't see how you can produce by playing a game, unless you are the creator with the aim of improving it. Then I heard about video games that win NFTs but that's another topic haha.
Seeing yourself in the 3rd person is indeed very useful, it's what made me want to stop after more than 20 years of playing video games every night. It's a pleasure but it eats a lot of time there's no denying it, I prefer to do sports, arts, guitar etc.

 

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[Vinz]

I play cod mobile but recently deleted it because of exams I got going on. My problem is that I tend to fall into a black hole of endless gaming sessions and perpetual guilt whenever I hop on. I end up getting obsessed over the most minute details like whether the skins I use on my guns match up with the characters in my loadouts.

Getting out of that gaming black hole takes a lot of discipline or a FTM.

But I don’t see myself reinstalling the game just because it’s always the same thing: think I can control it, then black hole sucks me in. It’s probably because of some neural pathway that’s been formed by thousands of hours of gaming without consequence.

Same. But for me this mainly happens with online gaming, where I get quickly competitive and obsessed.
So If I really want to game I know I have to avoid online games, especially free to play ( or play to win), and play instead some story based games.
With them I can play in a regulated way and actually enjoy my time, enjoy the story, explore the game

 

[_firelxrd]

Same. But for me this mainly happens with online gaming, where I get quickly competitive and obsessed.
So If I really want to game I know I have to avoid online games, especially free to play ( or play to win), and play instead some story based games.
With them I can play in a regulated way and actually enjoy my time, enjoy the story, explore the game

Yeah online games don’t give you a clear sense of accomplishment, in turn leaving you craving for more of that accomplishment/ dopamine.

It’s how they keep players playing. While a story based game gives a clear sense of progression and you won’t usually find yourself gaming for 6 hours at least.

Story based games like the OG assassins creed games also leave a greater mark on me. It just feels like they were made from the heart.

 

[mentalic]

Last game that I played "professionally" was World of Warcraft. After about 50+ days played, I deleted my character, converted all my equipment to gold, donated the gold to the guild and never touched it again. Now I will only play games on my phone that take less than 5' to complete. If I sense that playing a game is becoming addictive, I'll delete the game and never touch it again (the last time this happened with Asphalt 7). When I have free time I now hit the gym and I find games a complete waste of time.

 

[Arithen]

This will trigger the nerds with skinny wrists, but I find that video games provide a fake sense of achievement, brotherhood, status, and competition without the hardship, confidence, social skills, and respect from women you get from real life sports hobbies and activities.

Maybe I’m biased because I was an addict for so long, but everyone has an innate drive for progress. If you just ‘chill out man and play some call of duty bro’ you’re using up your desire for progress on a fake reality instead of your business.

Why explore the world in a video game when you could work more to earn more money to take a trip to Norway and hike huge snowy mountains and look at a 900 ft waterfall? Why race cars online when you can race cars in real life? Why drive a Ferrari in a game when it’s in real life? Why fly airplanes on a game when you can do it irl? Why improve your fighting skills in a game when you could learn to box? Sure doing adventurous things irl will have a sense of discomfort and bring a chance of dying. But if you’re constantly avoiding the danger that comes with real life, what’s the point of living?

Think of the guy who always had a hobby of video games vs the guy who always had a hobby of outdoor physical and competitive activities. I guarantee you the second guy is better with girls, has better social skills, is more comfortable in his own body, and is better dealing with pain and discipline and rejection. He gets his sense of achievement alongside physical exhaustion and bloody noses, and he’s going to beat the hell out of the video gamer in business.

Another argument is that it’s rest enjoyment and recovery. Garbage. Video games are incredibly stimulating. True rest and recovery comes from being in nature, social connection, and sleep.

If I’m being too serious, why are you not? For every hour you spend gaming away, one of your competitors is doing something to improve themselves and their going to get the client you wanted, the girl you wanted, and the social status you wanted. Literally. They’ll have more energy and time to make more calls, they’ll be outside more and talk to more girls, and will make more friends and have more of an impact on the world.

Sorry for the rant, just despise how much video games castrate people of their manliness and aggression, and you only realize this once you quit. Hope this helps someone.

I think that’s a reasonable view, despite my long list of games a few posts prior.

The way I look at it, however, isn’t that the game experience is a “fake sense of ______”. Why do we experience those sensations in games anyways? It’s entirely neurological feedback. If I get the same, completely identical, feedback from a racing game as I do from a race car, there is no difference in the experience I get.

Personally, I agree with you, that I would rather be racing real cars. I already scuba dive, wreck dive, rock climb, ski, etc etc, and those are infinitely more exciting than the video game versions I’ve played. But I can’t walk around in Skyrim, fight marines as a xenomorph, be a space marine, and it’s unlikely that I can or would ever want to become a radicalized dictator who takes over the world (such as in Sid Meier’s Civilization strategy games).

So, what’s the difference between the things I can do in real life compared to the games if the feedback is the same but I still want the real life version?

I suppose it’s precisely because it’s real that makes it more invigorating. I like swimming with sharks in Costa Rica, but the magic isn’t there in the same experience I could find in a FarCry game. There’s a degree in which that feedback becomes something games can’t (currently) allow you to experience.

However, I recognize that most people have a strong, natural aversion to swimming with sharks, racing a car at high speeds, putting the actual work and desire into running a farm (simulation), or may otherwise be limited in some way (I was rejected from the military twice, despite my strong aptitude and physical test scores because I’m allergic to fish and nuts, but hey, there’s call of duty and modern warfare, and I probably won’t actually die in those).

For those types of people, limitations, or experiences, I 100% support someone’s desire to play games

Ps: I may be a nerd, and I may love video games and business, but my wrists are muscle bound, sir