What appeals to you about gaming??

Biblioklept

Looks like there is a growing group of gamers on the forum (alliteration was unintentional I swear!! )

But why? What got you into gaming? Why do you play and what appeals about it? 

Do you remember the first game you played?

Do you play solo or online games? 

66Mustang

The thing that appeals to me is that you can be someone totally opposite to who you are in real life.

For example on World of Warcraft the closest character to my personality in real life would probably be the paladin because they go about enforcing law and order and dispensing justice. However in reality I am a rogue that goes about knocking people out and stealing from them, and randomly emerging, stabbing people in the back then disappearing back into the shadows.  

Albus_Scope

Hah, you beat me to it, I was going to start a gaming thread today.

As @66mustang said, I play as I can totally lose myself in another world and be someone I cant be in real life.  Maybe without the knocking people out bits. It's also been a great way of keeping in touch with friends as my health got worse.   I was a guild leader for a WoW guild for many years, but my main was a female blood elf warlock. Mostly because I thought that race/gender combo had the best looking outfits.

Being a Gen Xer, I remember the days of PCs in their early stages, I used to love the Sierra studios games, so Space quest etc, but the first game I tried was Leisure Suit Larry, we snuck into my friends' dads office to play it, as it wasn't exactly a childrens game! Though Dune 2 will always be a favorite. 

I'm a huge fan of single player RPGs, so I can really tailor my character to the playstyle I want. I ALWAYS end up playing a good, helpful character, even when I really try doing an evil playthrough. 

And yes, of course I love The Witcher 3.  

66Mustang

@Albus_Scope I also played a warlock, that was my second main character. I like being evil but in a helpful way, is the word for that an antihero? i.e. someone who does good but in less conventional ways?

Playing a female char brings up another point for me, I have male and female chars as I have gender issues (I don't feel like I identify as either gender) and enjoyed experimenting with both genders.

I think some armour looks cool on the females but my only issue with the female chars on WoW was most of the armour skins were, not sure how to explain, but didn't cover the body. I guess because most players were male and some wanted to drool over semi naked female chars. But I thought it was a bit sad. I can understand a bit of that but even armour pieces that covered up a male completely wouldn't do the same for a female char.

Albus_Scope

@66Mustang yup, antihero is correct!  I had a great time with Baldur's gate 3, playing a non-binary bard with...less than lawful good ways of doing things.  

I totally get what you mean regarding female armours in games, there's a great video about it on YouTube by Viva la Dirt League.  Well worth checking out if you want a giggle. 
 I like my armour coving all the areas, though I'm sure they'll say it's a magical aura protecting other bits. 

durhamjaide2001

I find playing games on my phone is fun and it passes time 

Albus_Scope

What're playing currently @durhamjaide2001?  I'm always looking for new recommendations.

durhamjaide2001

These games 

OverlyAnxious

Killing people is frowned upon in real life... 

Nowadays I just play one game, a very well known FPS.  It's the only game that I can still play without triggering vertigo or panic.  Can only play for max 30 mins in good daylight.  I also have gore and motion blur disabled, which I'm very appreciative of in recent games.

I play online multiplayer, but not with a mic or any 'friends'.  So it feels like a single player game, but has the interest of every game being different instead of an increasingly predictable computer.

It's not really about killing anything, I like the tactical aspect of knowing when to run and when to hide, finding good spots for protection and sight lines, etc. The completionist in me likes working up through the ranks to get all the weapons to their maximum level.  And this game also gives daily challenges, which are generally small and achievable which I don't necessarily have in real life now. 

Albus_Scope

I get what you mean with online gaming @OverlyAnxious I would often play online, but solo, just like you.  It's like playing a single player game, but with really good AI.   

 These days I may be really outrageous and join friends in text chat, but very rarely with VOIP, not unless I know them well and was feeling particularly brave that evening.  But before my mental health decline, I'd always be chatting, kinda my job as a guild leader haha. 

I do love a game with daily quests though, having that small achievement is great for a quick dopamine hit.  

THE_DUDE

First game was super Mario bros which was and still is great to play. Also gta vice City on ps2 brilliant music on that game.

I play ea fc 24( known once as fifa) online and manager mode offline. 

Got the ps plus extra pass and can download so many games. Downloaded spiderman miles Morales version. Can't wait for the new spiderman 2 coming out on 20 October. 

Jimm_Scope

I've played games since I was a kid. My technical head says it's a great way to get my dopamine starved brain some dopamine.

In truth I love video games for their immersion usually. Whether I'm playing a city builder like Pharaoh or City Skylines, a role-playing game like Fallout or Mass Effect, a shooter like Apex Legends or Counterstrike, a narrative game, a rogue-like, a platformer, I can go on and on about the different genres I play. It's about being able to immerse yourself in the game. While some do not have stories and some do, I love immersing myself in a video-game with a great story just as much as immersing myself in a book.

C_J

Just wanted to know what game consoles people use as I've been considering a playstation 4 (can't afford the playstation 5) but I'm unsure as when googling it Google mentions a subscription to PlayStation and that's put me off a little plus the playstation 4 has been out for some years now.

A website also mentioned the playstation 4 500gb is slow to load games making the playstation 4 pro a better option so I'm a little confused if it would be worth getting one at all. Could I ask for anyone's option.

Sorry not really up on game consoles but considered one just to pass the time.

Jimm_Scope

Oh, I am really not sure on consoles. I haven't owned one since the xbox 360, unless you count my N64 and sega mega driver. My partner bought us a switch too, guess that counts.

I don't really use consoles much at all, almost entirely PC.

C_J

Thanks @Jimm_Scope I use to play a lot of games on my pc but unfortunately it was an old system and had since stopped working.

Jimm_Scope

Yeah, PCs eventually give out. Or a single part of it does at least. My first PC the hard-drive gave in first, my second PC it was the PSU (Power Supply Unit), which also damaged the motherboard as it sent too much voltage through the CPU (Central Processing Unit) wire, burning it's connector port.

My current PC is kinda like Theseus' Ship, I've never replaced the whole thing but parts here and there as they age.

66Mustang

I always liked the simplicity of consoles as there was no installing a game from the CD, hoping it was compatible, then playing with the settings to suit your PC, then getting errors or lag and having to work through it

With a console it was just put the disc in and play the game

I don't know if it's the same now, I am guessing the concept of installing a game from a CD is long gone he he

THE_DUDE

I had the ps4 slim @C_J and it was very good. You can buy games from cex or cash converters. The ps subscription is only for playing online so you won't have to pay for that.

Albus_Scope

Personal opinion here @c_j, but I'd save for a while longer and get a PS5.  The PS4 will be phased out much sooner than the PS5. Plus you'll still be able to play PS4 games on the newer system. 

Biblioklept

THE_DUDE said:

First game was super Mario bros which was and still is great to play. Also gta vice City on ps2 brilliant music on that game.

I play ea fc 24( known once as fifa) online and manager mode offline. 

Got the ps plus extra pass and can download so many games. Downloaded spiderman miles Morales version. Can't wait for the new spiderman 2 coming out on 20 October. 

I love Super Mario Mario and an old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game were the first things I played, followed by Theme Hospital.

When I finally went online I played an old MMORPG by Richard Garriet and that got me hooked online  

Biblioklept

Obviously dopamine hits come into play but I think I'm like a lot of you and enjoy the escapism and just generally playing and experimenting and doing things I can't do in real life. 

I like winning too And loved building and creating guilds and watching stuff grow and develop. I really enjoyed very immersive roleplay for a time too.

I've always been PC rather than console but I do love Nintendo for more casual play and when I want to chill.