I think the only reason that would stop me from playing video games, would be if there was some sort of social pressure to stop. Since I didn't really have any friends in high school and my mom was fine with video games at that point, I didn't really get that pressure. I did get a bit of pressure from other family members to stop playing video games, but I don't particularly like them that much, so I didn't care.
Currently, I hardly talk with people who don't play video games, so I'm not really getting any pressure to stop. I don't like to talk about video games with people I don't know though, since I can sometimes be a bit too blabby when it comes to my interests Plus I've learned that if I do talk about video games with someone who doesn't like them, then I get a bored "I see..." or they'll roll their eyes.
MrPopo wrote:I think a lot of people fall away from it because they feel like they shouldn't be doing it anymore.
But why do you think they feel that way?
Because there are still so many people who think games are just for kids. Because those people look down on gamers as immature or unprofessional. Because there is social pressure to conform to these norms.
MrPopo wrote:I think a lot of people fall away from it because they feel like they shouldn't be doing it anymore.
But why do you think they feel that way?
It's the Illuminati. Gaming makes us more perceptive to abstract ideas and underlying plots, thereby weakening our susceptibility to the Illuminati's mind control techniques.
Also when aliens invade earth, gamers will be the only ones with any practice fighting them, so the aliens doing recon on earth right now don't want anyone to play video games.
I'm still trying to understand why people think gaming "is for kids". Perhaps if they only know of simple colorful games, then it would make sense they'd think those are for kids. But are kids the target demographic for The Last of Us, The Witcher 3, or Europa Universalis? I mean really? So I have to assume adults who think games are just for kids, stopped caring about games shortly after they were no longer a "kid". Hence they didn't bother keeping up with the medium beyond the initial simple games they were exposed to.
I enjoy other things besides games, like movies, books, billiards, anime, hiking, and music. But I don't get the same level of satisfaction from interacting with those things that I do from gaming. (With the exception of hiking, but I don't get to do that all the time.) And so I typically choose gaming as my primary means of entertainment. I think it's the interactive element of the medium that draws me to it. When I play a game, I feel like I'm actually doing something. Granted what I'm doing is illusory and serves no tangible purpose in real life, aside from working my reflexes and the problem solving portions of my brain. But I guess most folks are more into passive entertainment, and video games by definition are not passive.
For me, watching TV feels like the biggest waste of time. Unless it's some sort of educational show, or a documentary, that sort of thing. But approx 95% of TV that I hear about people watching just doesn't do it for me. To me, sitting around watching brain dead TV is actually more childish than challenging yourself with a video game. But watching TV is by far the most common pastime for adults. And if the teens I know in real life are any measure, watching videos on their phones is the most common pastime for that group.
I do enjoy reading, and read a lot of fiction these days. But even then, the books I normally read are game books, like Fighting Fantasy or Lone Wolf, that sort of thing. Because again, those are actually interactive, and give me some actual agency over what's going on. I feel more involved when I'm legitimately a part of the plot, and not just passively reading the linear narrative of someone else's imagination.
I think at this point I'm rambling, so I'll stop here for now. I'll be back to chime in more later though.
I tend to agree with TV for the most part, but like with books, I think fictional television can be a worthwhile pastime if it's intellectually stimulating. Just like 50 Shades of Grey isn't exactly an intellectual book, Jerry Springer is worthless television. By the same token, though, just as books like Animal Far and To Kill a Mockingbird are extremely worthwhile reads, I think fictional shows that make you think - like Star Trek or Doctor Who - can be worthwhile as well.
Those are the exception for me, though, not the rule. Most TV is a complete waste of time IMO.
Yeah I'm not saying all fiction TV is junk, not by a mile. I've seen plenty of amazing TV shows. But if you take a look at the most popular programming today, a dragnet approach, the collective bar isn't very high.
MrPopo wrote:I think a lot of people fall away from it because they feel like they shouldn't be doing it anymore.
But why do you think they feel that way?
It's the Illuminati. Gaming makes us more perceptive to abstract ideas and underlying plots, thereby weakening our susceptibility to the Illuminati's mind control techniques.
Since I turned 18 recently I am just barely qualified to weigh in here.
The answer is simply that I don't really grow out of anything. Odds are if I liked something as a kid, I still like it now. I've never been one to bow to peer pressure and my family has never really hassled me about watching cartoons as a teenager or asking for Lego Dimensions figures for my 18th birthday, so I've never really had a reason to abandon the things I love just because I'm too old. For me, fun has no age limit.
Same reason WDW is my favorite place on Earth. I don't particularly care what people think and I never particular outgrew the things I enjoyed as a kid; comics, video games, wrestling, and Disney. Though some of them I don't like as much as before.
Game Systems Owned:
NES, NES 2 (AV mod), SNES, SNES 2, N64 (Pikachu), N64 original (boxed), Gamecube (Orange, Silver, Purple), Wii, Wii U (Zelda), GB Pocket, GBA (2x-Arctic & Indigo), GBA SP (3x), DS Lite (Crimson/Black), 3DS (Aqua Blue), Sega Genesis and 32X, Game Gear, Lynx, PSP (2x), Vita, and Gold PS4.
I like fishing, football, barbecues, and games. These aren't exclusive. I know lots of people my age 30+ who game. Many of these being my college buddies. I have one that still likes games, but never plays anymore since being married and having a kid. They do things like gardening and photography together.
Plus I've learned that if I do talk about video games with someone who doesn't like them, then I get a bored "I see..." or they'll roll their eyes.
