#noweed

Why Video Games matter

... why am I doing this? ...


I mean - I'm getting into this from a very weird angle. Lets put it that way: Whether you consider yourself a 'gamer' or not ... is actually going to matter here. To me its weird - as - I guess when I'm writing I'm kindof writing to myself. To keep it neutral, ... as sortof a diary ... so, who cares ... right?


So I have my world view and ideas and oppinion; And when it gets to games I would usually presume that there is some interest in various things I end up writing about. I mean, since this is 'written' - I tend to iterate on certain topics more than I would - 'actually'. But so over the course of time, ... there is some 'dark corner' to this topic; Which goes a bit like: "All that gamers do is whine about what they Love" and stuff like that. Its ... kindof bad ... if you think about it. So - if I were to just go on and have a reflection on videogames - it ... all seems kindof nonsensical.


So I'd be hating on games a fair amount of people probably loves - expose my fandom for games a fair amount of people probably dislikes - and would I not have scrapped what I was previously writing there would be some more context to it, but ... so ... whatever.


Why Video Games matter

Or ... to get back to that weird angle: "What'd you expect?!?!?!?!" - and in this regard I possibly happen to be the person most qualified to - "dig this". "This" thing ... well, how to ... explain it?


Lets start this way: "Why are Video Games bad?" - or 'what does make them that?'. [Damn is this hard without weed!].
To answer this, ... as to accept what I have on mind to say ..., we have to be very judgemental - and totally ignore that 'tolerance' is an actual thing. Then we can put it really simple: There are great games, like: The Witness. In my oppinion its a game that everyone should play who 'wants' to play 'a' Video Game - where, if you have a day to spend, 12 hours, just ... zooming away ... that game should be fun! As, once you're beating yourself to it - to sit through it for like ... 6-10 hours ... - ... ahw, don't mind that. Its a good game because ... its different. Its so different, I think, that many would be turned off by it. And ... thats a problem! The problem is that the Witness is actually a smart game. And "your average gamer" wouldn't make it any far (we'll just say that) - because your average gamer does sooner or later get stuck in games that are rather silly, braindead, ... games wherein the difference between 'smart' and 'stupid' is measured by obviousity. If something is obvious; And you do accordingly, thats smart then. For instance, ... to go for 'strength' if you're a warrior (in an RPG). Next you're just 'mashing' the attack button; Keeping your eye on the health bar and sipping a potion every once in a while. And that gets these gamers to sustain a very narrow mindset.
This is kindof the "do what you want" 'trap' (as opposed to the 'do what you want' -solution-). And so it happens that this narrowing mindset demands a certain flow, or "tech lullaby" of some description, ... which (demand) evolves from and aligns to their narrowing mindset - and developers that don't want their game to be stupid have a hard time to make it actually appeal to an audience.
(As of that there are even some developers who 'gave up' making "real games" and focussed on producing a hamster wheel they can update every once in a while - because its more sustainable! Which is actually a critique on "graphics whoring". I mean - I don't mind having a ... "beautiful" game (in the sense where 'the Witness' isn't that kind of beauty) every once in a while, but ... ... thats another topic)

But that problem goes beyond gaming. It extends into social life - where gamers that are dragged down that vacuum socialize with others that are dragged down that vacuum - and so, "what'd you expect?".


A few years ago I would've mostly argued that Video Games are good, ... and science actually supports that! But certainly it depends on the games you're playing! Some are better than others; As else all were equally good and I don't think anyone would really wanna defend that point!
I however came from an 'adventure games' perspective - where the player has to pay attention to the story, kindof, to know what to do next - as to actually have a decent amount of fun with those 'story centric' games - where the trend towards fast paced, grind heavy action games ... filled with side quests, fetch quests, ... - that kindof kills the point of making a game like that! "Mash X to skip through the dialogue". And because I loved those games I tend to look down upon people that I don't think can really enjoy that part of a game! Its like ... sacrilege! Almost like saying: "You have no right to play/enjoy that game!" - period! (Because you're oppinion is gonna suck!).
Ratings for Graphics and Gameplay don't even belong in that genre - per se! As a footnote maybe. But rather not!
I at least get the feeling that once I wanna share my oppinion about a game; I want to tell to some neutral (braindead) "core audience" that this "apparently rather niche game" 'is actually "good"' (in their sense) - and voices like that should keep all the negativity at bay that the 'braindead horde' would otherwise let everyone know about!
That even so to the point that I don't find myself 'capable' of 'just saying' that I liked a game because I liked it - since if I say I liked a game ... there is that 'braindead horde' that would have to now assess whether I'm 'right' or 'wrong' - like ... "whaat?"

It goes even deeper! I mean - ... weirder. I like my lonely, isolated little existence - existing in my 'niche' with my 'niche' taste - which becomes something like a shield. And if now someone else were to enjoy what I enjoy - I start thinking; Wondering; Whether I want to allow that! Thinking that if I allowed it; I would no longer be unique! And - yea - 'being unique' - its something we are all driven by; And while its rather difficult to be unique in a video game - people love customization; As to show themselves off through that. Which is pretty much where we're back in 'real life' - and Video Games so just happen to be the 'more fun' plattform ... for that. Kindof.


Based on these thoughts the reasoning to 'why Video Games matter' takes us 'beyond gaming' - actually. Aaand - I kindof don't really wanna dive into that right now!


Another bad thing about Video Games is the time they consume. But so again: "What'd you expect?". I mean - its not so easy to, well, "go and find myself a girlfriend". I mean - I don't think I have enough money to buy me a hooker to be my GF! Quality Partners don't grow on trees - and you certainly can't buy them in the grocery store!
(Not in the ones I know at least!)

In which sense I'm actually supposed to say that games are good! Because of the time they consume!

I mean, wasting time on Video Games is I guess sortof looked down upon - ... as is the entire 'actual nerd cultre' (not the 'pop nerd' culture) - which basically means that all the apparent progress "we" made - is actually ... not real!

And so we're now moving into 'the toxic area'. Like, "how dare I defend NERDism?!". And so - whats bad about it? Now? Actually? I mean - you might think of some unemployed young person that wastes its life on Games ... projecting the good of your own life as 'the gold standard' - so, of course you believe that he/she has a choice! Well yea - 'we' have one! Either we're boring ourselves to death, trying to be something we're not to run after girls we can't hope to ever conquer, ending up entire unhappy as unsatisfied; Or we're playing games and be happy that way!
And clearly you'd blame 'Video Games' in case you found anything negative about someones life - if he so also happens to be a gamer! Totally ignoring that 'non gamers' would show the very same shortcomings! I mean - how many 'honest workers' have a shitty life - and wouldn't touch games because they don't wanna "end that way"? Where's the point? Where's ... reason?

So do gamers have an advantage above non-gamers! Their Hamster Wheel is ... well ... actually bigger! 'Virtually extended!'.

And ... thinking about it ... the word 'discrimination' gets a whole new meaning! I mean ... "why?".


I guess ... I mean ... I don't have to guess ... the one part at least. Its a fact that a whole lot of gamers, actually - every gamer who doesn't play Call of Duty it seems ... well, looks down upon Call of Duty. And that because it is "that silly game" - or the definition of everything stupid! My guess is that every "real gamer" has it in itself - that - thirst for intellectual stimulation. But - eventually they'll find it to be more exhausting than they anticipated. Which is why the Witness is kindof great. The chill-factor is built in! No action that biases the challenge!
But I'm kindof talking out of my arse here!


But yea - the real reason why games matter is because there are gamers! And what are gamers? Gamers are people who, once they are at home and have time to spend, enjoy playing a game. And what is that about? Think about it that way: Once upon a time there was a game called 'Kings Quest'. Just one of many games that was new, once upon a time, ... and lateron had sequels. It is so just one next to a great many of dots on a timeline - where each dot is a game that got published. So, person X comes home - and now one of three scenarios is the case: Either X is invested into a game and so X will continue to play that. Or X is looking foward to play a new game that just came out. Or X has actually no clue what game to play. The point is: Each new game that X will start paying is almost like a whole new window into a whole new world. Entirely new things to learn about ... new challenges to overcome ... which can be written more bloomy and more poetically to really squeeze each drop of positivity out of that - but it isn't my intent here to become or be sentimental!
Its just the thing.
Where the next bad thing about Games is that they are 'man made'.
(Whoop dee fucking doo!)
It can seem quite pathetic that people spend so much time on something that "some guy(s)" just farted out in their spare-time while bathing in all the money they got from them saled - though, its I guess worth noting that game programmers are possibly those that work the most crunch-time!
Not like an author who will have his thoughts anyway whatever he's doing - and then just has to write them down. Or a director who has a project every once in a while and then stands behind the camera giving orders. There is much more involved in making a video game! (And if you'd take it "as easy" - ... - well, there have been cases ... - didn't work out so well! Just think about the disparity between Movies and Games. Games based on movies sucked, and Movies based on games sucked!)

But any book you'd read is man-made too! What is not man-made, ... actually? I mean - in a time where 'nature' is trending to become a more and more obsolete word ... ... tss ... fucked up!

I mean, the only people who could really come up with that criticism are 'real scientists' - so you, who's not a 'real scientist' - you have absolutely 'zip' (nada) ... to say in that regard! (Even you 'religious'/God-Loving person! Quote the Old Tesatment all the way you want ... I'm Christian ... Jesus died on the Cross to bring us the New Testament ... and we are not Jews! Neither did I, by converting to Christendom, intend to become one! Neither is that the point of Christ! So, unless you got your wisdom from the real God, its also just 'man made'! (And Christ did Criticize that! (Man Made Laws in regards of the Holy Scriptures!)))

Yea right ... there's also that bit in the New Testament; Saying "in the end people will discard the truth for illusions/believe in lies rather than truth" ... OK! Yea, ... sorry! Nothing wrong with that! I mean - thats how it is! Isn't it? Like ... people believe that Games turn innocent Children into Mass Murderers! "LOL!" (although there isn't really anything funny about that!)
But ... where is that part that says that its actually bad! I mean - yea - "duh!" - its logical, ... that its bad to ignore the Truth! But so ... whats the conclusion? Entertainment is all illusion! The entertaining bit ... is that ... its not dry serious every day life that ... we'd seek to spice up one way or another anyhow. We can enjoy illusions 'and' value the Truth! ... So, sorry, nothing to be gained against gaming there!


So, gaming matters because there are gamers! And gamers ... they exist because games exist! Right? But why do games exist? Maybe because 'a gamer' had the desire to play a game - after he had an idea for such! And well, once a game was invented; People eventually enjoyed playing them ... and why should we draw a line ... excluding Video Games?
I mean ... horses don't move in squares! Thats unrealistic! Chess is an illusion! The rules create it! I can move the figures however I want, actually, ... but then I wouldn't play the game! (And I'd probably piss of ("anger") my opponent!)

This 'game creation' mindset/spirit thing ... thats the same thing that brings us technology! Just that the person isn't thinking of a game, but a way to apply what is 'known' to work IRL (in real life) to some higher purpose! Like, using the wind to grind wheat (a.k.a. Wind Mills) ... rather than doing it by hand!


Gaming matters even more as there is an agenda against it! The point being: Why? Why? Why? - Why do we always tend to set 'censorship' equal to 'good'? Well - because thats 'control'! If we don't, so it seems, we feel powerless! We see something negative, want to counter-react, and so ... we 'censor' things! But ... yea, so a bad thing about games is ... well ... that the negativity within gaming would support that attitude!
Well, lets take 'Space Invaders' or 'Pacman' ... two things that are ... kindof as silly as games can be! Whats the good of moving a controller to change the numbers in a system so that it looks as though a white blot of something moves left or right ... shooting at other white blots of something that are drawn as coming from above? Its utterly pointless! Isn't it?
But still - if you're just randomly moving the blot left and right while shooting - you might get some score - but its most likely not going to be higher than that of someone who actually watches out for whats happening on the screen. And so the 'score' isn't just an arbitrary number - its a measurement of your attention in some sense! And more! Depending on the game.
Being good in a Multiplayer 'ego shooter' is at some point more than just pointing the gun at someone! Matter of fact, if thats all you think it is ... thats gonna get you killed real quick! Well, "having aim" is certainly something - but if you put two players with equal aim up against each other - yea, we'd expect some 50:50 result for once, but both would really soon come to think: "Hmm ... this is kindof stupid!" - and they'd start to look for ways to shift the ratio in their favour! Like ... by taking cover for instance! Or then, by anticipating the opponent to take cover and to be ready to shoot at the right moment, from the right spot. Which the other will anticipate probably too - so he won't take that cover and come from somewhere else; And so on and so forth. Which might take us back to 50:50 - but only if we give both an equal tactical skill/awareness!

Eventually you should watch a Starcraft 2 Pro-Match; And then try playing it yourself! I mean, "200+ APM" is a thing!


So ... now we're getting somewhere! I mean - of course its stupid to beat yourself to it - to be remotely good even at the lowest ranks of Starcraft - if you really have no motivation to be any good at it! Thats like trying to convince a gamer to stop playing games!


Now, with tolerance turned back on - I don't wanna say which games are good and which ones are bad! If you wanna have some intellectual stimulus or challenge from the games you play you'll look for them! If you don't like a game you won't play it! Unless you have some weird motivation to do so! Finally we can even argue what we can count as 'intellectual stimulus'. Thats ... I mean ... well, there are two genres that I would really say are the most detremental ones that there are: "Runners" and "Cow Clickers". There is, kindof, nothing more stupid than Farmville and co.. Unless you think about it - and realize that your farm is virtual property that you tend to. You know how much of what you got and how much you need of what to make how much of what you want next ... and that is already some intellectual stimulus. So, 'runners' then. Some sprite moves automatically and all you got to do is jump and duck at the right time. So - there is 'Temple Run' on the one end, saying that the Levels are randomized, and 'Bit Trip Runner' on the other end, saying that the Levels are not randomized. In the latter case you eventually memorize the Level; But you still got to watch out! Eventually you'll be able to do some things blindly - but then even more so; There is some intellectual challenge to it!

Dark Souls 3 is a good mix of the two - minus the 'rail'; As ... it happens ever so often that you think you got a segment "down" - and you so light heartedly run down that corridor, knowing where each enemy is ... but all of a sudden they'll behave differently and so ... you die! Unless you are prepared for that. Then 'maybe' (**) ... you'll Live.
(I believe the AI is programmed to fuck you over! (Of course it is! Its Dark Souls! Even once my Spider-Sense is warning me - ... or is that precognition? ... ... Hmmm ...))

Yea well, I Love Dark Souls! Though I started with 3 and might never wanna touch 1 and 2! Where there is another bad of Video Games! To time consumption add 'intellectual consumption'. You know it - possibly - that once you're hooked to a game you'll think about it non stop - and you're tense to play it again! So, 'now' we get to addiction.


Is addiction bad? Its a weird question or topic! Its like asking: Should I stop smoking weed because I like to smoke it and therefore 'might' be considered an addict? I wouldn't want to stop ... so, makes me even more of an addict - right?
I don't like this topic! To keep it straight though: We got to ask: "'when' is addiction bad?"! Here we'd think about some crack or heroine junkie that'd even go stealing to buy the next shot - to then just waste its time away sitting under a bridge; And the first thing he/she can think about once coming down is how to get the next one. I hope I can be open about myself - I mean ... thats one reason why I write about ... 'my' ... you know! The idea of being totally drugged while getting fucked is really appealing to me - and it wouldn't matter to me all that much just what you'd give me - kindof. Kindof, because ... well ... it depends! I mean ... if all you're doing is to let people hump you, ... you might as well be high while doing so! And the addiction would keep you into it. So - its a win win! Sounds ... bizarre ... or morbid ... but well; In real life - it are the "cheap drugs" where we get to the really bad side effects! Here addiction is certainly bad! And same would apply once being addicted in ... well ... free to play games? Unless you know how to handle it! But yea ... F2P games ... we can compare that to cheap drugs! But ... thats beside the point.
I mean, weed is technically the cheapest of them all - and not so bad at all!
So, we're rather speaking of 'designer drugs' - drugs designed to get people addicted. But ... if we wanna go down that road; Everything in this world can be/is a drug!
'Real' drugs are evidenty - keeping it real - something uniquely serious! I mean - in terms of how it 'depends' ... well, we can ... yea, we can generalize and say/argue that 'addictions define lifestyle'. So, calling myself a gamer and a pothead ... I would at first not associate that to addictions - but to things I like. So 'I' would argue that everything 'you' like is an addiction of yours - if you wanted to call mine ... that. But so ... they 'define' my lifestyle (and I have no problem with that)! Or ... well ... kindof! I mean - eventually my lifestyle is really that which determines the 'drugs' that I wanna take! So, obviously I'm into 'narcotics' and 'intellectual stimuli'. (And you people poking discriminating fun at potheads: Do you even listen to what they have to say? (I guess not!))
Yea yea ... "X gon give it to ya" doesn't sound like big poetry ... but DMX is, next to Tupac, one of the greatest Poets known to man! Yet!

So rather than seeing it as bad ... we come to see addiction as 'good' ... ... like fun is good, and addicting!
But - with weed - it isn't all about the fun! Or fun at all! Its one of the issues I take the biggest offense in - when weed is narrowed down to "just a drug" and put next to all the other drugs - as though potheads are potheads because they're in for the "kick". I mean - yea - of course there is a kick to it - sometimes. I mean, I'd be lieing if I said that I don't wanna just smoke for the high sometimes - the 'real' high, "giving it to me "nasty"" - which is however more like shouting "Warp 10" as opposed to the 'standard' Warp 8. I mean, you should be able to see the hypocricy of avoiding the fun of something you truely enjoy! But so - you don't necessarily buy a car to drive fast ... and if you're not a car enthusiast ... well, you're not really into it - though else; I'd bet you'd like to "push it" every once in a while!
So yea, addiction is good! The bad thing about it ... well, that would vastly be a social problem!

And so the "what'd you expect?" resolution: If there is now something we have to be really concerned/upset about in regards to gaming - next to in-depth internal "bollocks" (though ....) - its the social frame gamers exist within. You might not be able to understand off the bat what I'm getting at - as neither do I have a coherent way to formulate or present that to you just yet; ... I mean ... "trust in God" ... thats the gist of it. Of course not in a way that doesn't require anything of 'us' in turn ... but, once we learn to see what God wants from us we'll discover how our problems are being solved!


Flipping a coin

by: Christopher Nikolaus Sonnberger | 2017.01.15 - 10:18