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Why Gaming Is A Waste Of My Time.


The Guy Who Came Back

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Playing video games has always been a waste of my life, the closest thing I've gotten to it was playing game apps.

 

I just don't see the creativity people say comes from playing game. Where is it?

 

If anyone would like to tell me why video games are creative, please post.

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the closest thing I've gotten to it was playing game apps.

 

The closest you've gotten to playing games, or seeing creativity? If the former, then that's the whole problem right there. =P

 

Games are as creative as movies, sometimes even more. Look at Zelda, look at stuff like Monster Hunter and God of War. Those are only some examples, and stuff from off the top of my head, and I know that others could explain better.

 

But in the end, creativity is shown by many different things. Like the total difference of the setting of something, to something having totally unthought of powers, to many other things, like even the art style of a game at times. or even something as simple as a character wearing green clothes and becoming an icon in the process(*coughlinkcough*). There are many different reasons people say video games are creative. But... App store stuff? Not as likely to showcase the creativeness. =P ure, there might be some awesome games there, but there's also the tons of pure time wasters that you'd formerly see on the consoles, before there became an essential dedicated 'platform' for it. =P

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the closest thing I've gotten to it was playing game apps.
The closest you've gotten to playing games, or seeing creativity? If the former, then that's the whole problem right there. =PGames are as creative as movies, sometimes even more. Look at Zelda, look at stuff like Monster Hunter and God of War. Those are only some examples, and stuff from off the top of my head, and I know that others could explain better.But in the end, creativity is shown by many different things. Like the total difference of the setting of something, to something having totally unthought of powers, to many other things, like even the art style of a game at times. or even something as simple as a character wearing green clothes and becoming an icon in the process(*coughlinkcough*). There are many different reasons people say video games are creative. But... App store stuff? Not as likely to showcase the creativeness. =P ure, there might be some awesome games there, but there's also the tons of pure time wasters that you'd formerly see on the consoles, before there became an essential dedicated 'platform' for it. =P

 

I should rephrase this, I mean the person playing the game, is that really creative.

 

Playing is different from making.

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think what Celu is saying is not that games are un-creative, but that creativity does not stem from gaming. I agree, to some extent. The same argument can be made for watching television. Generally, I think most would agree that your creative imagination is stimulated a bit more by, say, reading a book, then by watching visual media. When all the imagining has been done for you, what more is there for you to do but sit and watch?

 

Doesn't mean I'm against gaming at all. Much to the contrary--I've enjoyed every Zelda title I've played immensely. There's some really creative artistry involved there, and they're very fun to boot. But I draw the line when playing the game becomes more frequent than reading the book or writing the story. Or going outside and seeing what real trees and grass look like. Sort of common sense, I suppose.

 

Edit: Ninja'd, and I guess my basic assumption was correct.

 

JRRT

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I'm not going to write a speech. All I've got to say about it is, whether or not something is a waste of time is almost always completely up to the individual.

 

What I WILL say though, is that people who think games are a waste of time, but not movies, have got some problems. At least when you're playing video games you're actually doing something (like problem-solving, tactical thinking, creativity, etc. depending on the game). Movies you just sit there and stare at the screen.

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Well, Celu, I see where you're coming from, and to be honest, I do find games where you can run out and mash the right trigger, X button, whatever to shoot everyone and win are a bit of a waste.

 

But, there are games where you have to strategize. Even in Republic Commando, not only do you have to find cover and use your weapons wisely, you have squad members to command. If they go down, that means fewer people are shooting the enemies for you. That's a bit of strategy there, and formulating strategies does increase your creativity.

 

Two really good examples are Portal and Portal 2. Not only can you not run out and shoot enemies willy-nilly (for the simple reason that you have no weapon), you really have to strategize to get through each testing chamber. There can even be multiple ways to get through a chamber -- another outlet for your creativity.

 

Now take Xbox 360's Kinect feature. You may not have a ton of strategy in games on the Kinect, but you get to exercise while playing a video game. I played baseball on Kinect Sports: Season 2 yesterday, and my arms feel sore as if I actually pitched a real game (and I know what my arms feel like the day after I've pitched a real game).

 

Really, the amount of creativity you can draw from a video game depends on your playing style. Really good video games draw you in like a great movie, and when you add interactivity, it's really fun.

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Ah, my bad, I was considering that possibility when reading through the entry again after, but I wasn't certain. =P

 

Well, then, my argument is that it all depends on who it is that's playing it. I myself get different ideas from the games I play. Maybe not all of them will give me ideas, but a good majority of them will. Like, for instance, I might not get creative inspiration from, say, Mario Kart, but playing a Zelda game almost instantly gives me multiple ideas for stuff to write or so. And one thing I'm planning probably wouldn't have been thought up, if it wasn't for playing a Zelda game.

 

 

So yeah, it pretty much all depends on the player, in that case.

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It isn't creative to play some games, while others require a creative strategist to win (say, games like Starcraft) while others take one who is creative enough to create an entire backstory, and entire story for that matter, for a character being used (Skyrim is a really good example of this), while others used to work solely on the functionality of the human mind (MUD's and TBRPG's). Plus, it's also appreciating the art of the game while playing it -- Disgaea, for instance, inspired me to try working harder on my artistic skills while games like Skyrim, Mass Effect and the like, inspired me to work harder at my writing ability.

 

Maybe I'm odd for writing stories of my Dragon Age character, or fanfiction of some other lines (That I don't share, because I treat it more like exercising), or stories of my Skyrim character, or even try drawing some of it on paper, but that's how I get creativity from playing video games every now and again. Aion, a MMORPG, has even given me new ideas for scenes in future writing, primarily because some of the aerial fights can get pretty fun to look at.

 

You won't get anything out of a game if you don't think, that's why I don't play Angry Birds.

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Yes, I do have to agree some games help people think; i.e. Portal.

 

But games like Grand Theft Auto, Modern Warfare, and others are just the mindless let's kill what ever we see kind of games. These are what I completely find uncreative and a waste of time and money.

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Yes, I do have to agree some games help people think; i.e. Portal.But games like Grand Theft Auto, Modern Warfare, and others are just the mindless let's kill what ever we see kind of games. These are what I completely find uncreative and a waste of time and money.

 

I completely agree with you on those games. The way I choose games is the same way I choose anything, how good is the story. Which I'm really annoyed at all those people pushing for multiplayer in all games. Quite frankly, I want my games to have great story, good character development, and meaningful themes. Multiplayer is only an extra, and only should be implemented if the above criteria is met first.

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Yeah, but even then, they're fun. Just like a movie, where you might mindlessly just watch. Fun is all it really needs to be. I tend to think it's the gamer that matters more than the game.

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