What is the beauty of video games?

21 comments

1. It’s the excitement and the reward! Plus immersion into another world. It’s like watching a movie, but more interactive. I definitely see the appeal.

   I just can’t commit enough time to a game to get anywhere so I don’t play.

2. You get to engage actively with another world. You can achieve stuff and fulfill your instinct for progress, gathering and creating. You get to interact with fantastical scenarios. There are plenty of reasons for why ppl love to game.

3. Imagine a movie or book that you can interact with. Then imagine that you aren’t just interacting with it, you’re dictating the pacing, and sometimes even the story itself based on your actions. Imagine a historical simulation, and you can tweak the elements and situations to change the outcome in millions of ways.

   It’s entertainment that’s immersive on different levels than other media. It’s a lot of fun. And in some cases, games can even be surrogates emotionally, but that’s a person by person thing.

4. It really depends but personally I enjoy watching people play narrative games such as The Last of Us (1 and 2), Horizon Zero Dawn, and many more. They become a work of art in and of itself in storytelling that’s also Interactive.

   Other games are more competitive (First Person Shooters, Real Time Strategy games, etc.) and aren’t necessarily my cup of tea.

   Just ask him what he likes about them and if maybe there are some good coop games that you could play with him? (Stardew Valley is popular in this genre as a chill video game)

5. The same as the beauty in rock climbing, football, woodworking, and card collecting. It’s a hobby.

6. Video games allow us to feel a thrill, intensity toward something fun. Playing a game most likely is the only way to experience something imaginary. You’d never be able to be the god of war living in Midgard, throwing a leviathan axe at monsters and be a badass in real life, so the game lets us live that scenario. It’s like a movie but you get to control what happens and what you do. They’re fun when you find a game/genre you like! Give it a try some time, I’m sure your boyfriend would like playing a game with you 🙂

7. Depends what he plays
   Single player games are interective TV shows
   Multiplayer games are incredibly satisfying to win and a great, free way to chill with buds

8. Video games can serve many purposes:
   an escape from reality, a platform to be with friends, a creativity outlet, a challenge of problem solving or learning ability, a place to reinforce the ego by the use of skill (beating far less experienced opponents), a place to reinforce the ego by use of achievement (difficult tasks have bragging rights).

   Try asking him about it.

9. Imagine your favorite movie or series, now imagine you’re the main character in that movie or series and you get to experience it from that point of view and even influence some of the storyline.

10. Immersion in a world where completing tasks has guaranteed rewards, you have a feeling of progression, you get to engage in amazing scenarios and experience stories like you’re really there and your actions mean something; a general distraction from the cosmic disappointment that is living, yeah there’s a lot of reasons to enjoy video games.

11. The freedom to do things I normally can’t in real life.

12. Normal life is impossible to predict and often times kicks you square in the balls.

    When a video game does it, it might piss you off a bit but it might look like the most hilarious shit youve seen and make you die laughing at the lack of consequences.

    It helps us de stress. And if we do a competitive game where we can enter ‘flow state’ thats just sublime.

13. Depends on the game really. Some are like interactive stories that suck you in, some are simply designed to trigger your reward center of your brain with nice little dings and flourishes. Some are simulators of jobs and sports that the person can never hope to really do.. fighter sims being an example. Some are used for socializing. Many different kinds.

14. Its a way to wind down and take a break from the troubles of every day life.

15. Can’t remember the quote but it mirrors my life – Society tells men they are expendable, video games tell them they are needed and only they can save the world.

    That’s the beauty.

16. The appeal of the game depends on what game it is. To show the vast differences in games I’ll use two examples.
    One of my favorite games is chrono trigger where it is an adventure through various time periods to change the fate of the world.
    I’ve also been playing satisfactory, a game where you set up factories to make thing to unlock more things to make.

    Pretty different games and appeals differently to people.
    Depending on the game it could be anything from adventures, to the desire to fully shape and create a world(Minecraft, other builders), to a competitive desire to be better then your opponent(DoTA, competitive first person shooters)

17. “but just trying to take a look into his mind”

    *SIGH…Good Gravy!*

    So just asking “HIM” isn’t an option?

    We aren’t a hive mind. Everyone may have different ideas on it.

    If you want to know what he likes about it literally “ASK HIM”.

    Facepalm

18. What’s the beauty of make up? What’s the beauty of wasting money on clothes that you will wear once and let rot in your closet? What’s the beauty in watching garbage tv where assholes discuss other assholes for hours straight?

    I mean what is the point of asking this question? The guy has a hobby, what’s your problem with that?

19. I just get my ideas out of my head and clear my mind while gaming.

20. It depends on the genre and theme of the game, but some of the general things that make them enjoyable can be:

    Mastery of a system/skill. Learning what makes the game tick, how it’s parts interact, and how to utilize those interactions inside of the game’s rules and restrictions and engine can be very satisfying.

    Self-driven stories. Most games put you in the, sometimes literal, driver seat. You control the pace of the story, the flow, and the way that you interact with the world. The world may exist and simulate around your character, but often times you have to be the one that makes things happen, meaning that you are an active participant, which is fun.

    Role-playing. Many games let you step into the shoes of either an established character or a blank slate. In either instance, trying to empathize and get into the mind of the established character, or writing your own inner narrative about your blank slate can be very fulfilling and help you build empathy and understanding. If you’ve ever wondered about what it would be like to be someone else or live a different life, most role-playing games will let you actually do that.

    Puzzle solving. Many games include puzzles that you need to solve before you can progress, and it can be a lot of fun to figure out a complex puzzle on your own.

    “Friendly” competition. Entire genres of games exist around competing with others to win a match or tournament. These can range from sports games to competitive shooters. It can be a lot of fun to get into some light banter or trash talking with strangers while you play digital football or shoot each other in the face.

    Horror. While a movie can be scary, you are ultimately not driving the story and cannot affect the outcome. You are inherently passive, disconnected, just an observer. In horror video games, however, you are actively participating in your own fear and terror. It’s no longer you just watching the main character walk down the dark hallway, but you forcing that character to walk into the unknown, essentially choosing to actively risk scaring yourself or being subject to fear or shock.

21. It starts with an interest in the game itself. The characters, the story, graphics, etc. However, with time it degenerates into dopamine seeking behavior. If he’s playing too much, he’s hooked on the dopamine