Dean's Video game comments/perspective

[Nick Koan]

Originally Posted by 100_Percent_Juice

I thought this was a video game thread. Now its a be sad for music thread?

We could rename it "Dean and Nicks Opinionation Extravaganza"?

[Dean]

Let's not debate what is and isn't arguing, let's just agree to disagree.

And I am not debating the relative merits of one artist or genre vs. another, just thinking of ways to quantify the number of musicians. OK, I also had the idea to determine relative merit of music over time by some means, but that would probably just prove baby boomers buy or vote for a lot of music.

No argument from me over that title.

Video games are evil.

[Kevin M]

Originally Posted by Nick Koan

either way its still arguing.

No it isn't.

[Nick Koan]

Originally Posted by BAN SUVS

No it isn't.

Wait, is this room 12?

[Double Phister]

Playing the original SSX inspired me to go buy a snowboard and gear THEN learn how to use it. It's a two way street.

I remember the sound of the snow crushing below the board and thinking wow, that's just like the game.

[Bob Danger]

Hooray!

[M3n2c3]

Originally Posted by Dean

I skateboarded for an average of an hour a day for years in college and never did get very good other than at getting from point A to B (I never could ollie more than a curb and suck at fakie)

My perception of Dean has just been radically altered.

I was a skater punk in grade school. . . over the last several years at gamestop I'd always gotten a kick out of the kids that go nuts over the Tony Hawk games, because I remember reading about his noob days in Thrasher mag.

Anyway, I don't know that I have anything worthwhile to add to the video game discussion. I can see both sides on this one, simply because there is no real evidence one way or the other. It's certainly possible that some kids who might play sports are instead playing video games, but there is nothing really to show that the games are not simply replacing other less physical activities, such as watching TV or reading books.

That's the case with me, at least; video games have always only been competition for other indoor hobbies such as reading or writing (and they've entirely replaced the total waste of time that is broadcast television). When it comes to getting outdoors, I'd rather take my RS to Stead than sit at home and play Forza 2.

I should note that I do not play sports video games such as Madden or Tony Hawk. I take my video games as escapist entertainment - my time is spent with more other-worldly or fantastical stuff like Elder Scrolls, Half-Life, Metroid, Zelda, Metal Gear, etc., and I tend to shy away from realistic, modern warfare shooters simply because after a length of military service, they feel like work. And the Tony Hawk games seem silly to me because skateboarding is an activity that I subconsciously equate with elementary school.

I can say, though, in my experience selling games, that a lot of kids tend to pick up games that coincide with their preferred sports or hobbies. I've seen plenty of kids enter the store with a skateboard in one hand and leave with a copy of Tony Hawk in the other. The same goes for other sports, be they baseball, basketball, football. . . since most sports are seasonal, many kids buy the video games simply to supplement their existing interest, and still participate in the real activity when able.

[Dean]

So, are video game buyers any fatter than our average fat society in your opinion?

[NevadaSTi]

Originally Posted by Dean

So, are video game buyers any fatter than our average fat society in your opinion?

Dean, I would say the fat society has more to do with the kids eating fast food instead of healthy alternatives. Just look at the lunch menus at the higher grade levels. For example, at my High School, the menu consisted of Pizza and French Fries. These were available on a daily basis. There was other things available, but the majority of the students who didn't leave campus to get Taco Bell, McD's or Burger King stayed and ate Pizza. I ate a PowerBar and an Apple for lunch almost on a daily basis. But then again, I only weighted in at 134lbs my Senior year, wrestled 119lb weight class my Freshman year.

As for me and video games, I used them to escape reality. I hated the way things were in my life, my wife was a bitch, I was always stressed out. So at lunch time I would play Call of Duty. That eventaully tranfered over to what little spare time I had at home. Of course that didn't make things better for me with the wife. So, eventually we split up and got divorced. How do you think I got that STI and met up with this club? At that point the car became an escape from reality. Did I have to sell it to Pete, no. I knew perfectly well that I could buckle up and keep it. But I made a decision, that I had to stop escaping from my reality and start fixing it.

Having said that, I haven't watched any TV except for maybe 10 minutes one morning while eating my bowl of cereal. I watched the news. Other than that, I have been stuck behind a computer playing World of Warcraft with 3 other friends. Been having a great time doing it too. Am I using it to escape reality, no. Am I a couch potatoe, probably. But I have been doing some running when I get home from work. I have also been eating more healthy too, I can't remember but I think the last time I went to BK or McD has been months ago. Basically, I have lost 20 or so pounds from this summer. All while playing longer hours of video games. LOL

[100_Percent_Juice]

99% of the gamers I know are skinny as hell. Your fat made by gaming theory is out the window. When you figure that over 60% of the people in America are fat, there is probably a decent number of fat gamers.

[Bob Danger]

I totally have a solution to answer this question.

What we need to do is build a time machine, then take your average video game playing, fast food eating american, and force him into a battle to the death, against his 1955 counterpart.

I volunteer to go back. You guys work out the rest and get back to me.

[wrxkidid]

Finally a way to get rid of him

[Dean]

Originally Posted by Bob Danger

I totally have a solution to answer this question.

What we need to do is build a time machine, then take your average video game playing, fast food eating american, and force him into a battle to the death, against his 1955 counterpart.

I volunteer to go back. You guys work out the rest and get back to me.

You have a choice of arriving in 1955 naked, in a Delorean, or both, you choose, I'm just glad I won't be there to see either.

[wrxkidid]

Why not Dean? You could revisit your 30s?

[Dean]

Originally Posted by wrxkidid

Why not Dean? You could revisit your 30s?

Don't make me go Buzz Aldrin on your ass! One old man already busted your arm up sonny boy...

[wrxkidid]

Well played old grasshoppah!

[Nick Koan]

Originally Posted by wrxkidid

Why not Dean? You could revisit your 30s?

:ba-dum-ching:

[knucklesplitter]

Originally Posted by R4ND0M_AX3

Playing the original SSX inspired me to go buy a snowboard and gear THEN learn how to use it. It's a two way street.

I remember the sound of the snow crushing below the board and thinking wow, that's just like the game.

Exactly... I remember the squeaky sound of the siringe and thinking wow, that's just like the game...



http://www.gamegum.com/game/1857/heroin-hero/

[Bob Danger]

Originally Posted by Dean

You have a choice of arriving in 1955 naked, in a Delorean, or both, you choose, I'm just glad I won't be there to see either.

psst I would've gone naked even if it wasn't necessary.

[M3n2c3]

Originally Posted by Dean

So, are video game buyers any fatter than our average fat society in your opinion?

Truly obese people were rare in my store. Perhaps they bought all their games online.
Although. . . the turnout for the WoW Burning Crusade xpack midnight launch was a bit on the chunky side, so I dunno.

Seriously, though. . . I will not try to deny that there are people who play games to an unhealthy degree, and should set the controller down to get some exercise and fresh air. I freely admit that games can be addictive and destructive if not used in moderation. But I would certainly not say that games are guilty of making people fat. Part of it is the old "guns don't kill people" argument, and in fact, I'd say that the perception may be backwards. . . perhaps gamers don't get fat; rather, fat people just end up playing games. Particularly in the case of MMOs, it gives them an opportunity to experience things and be social without their physical self "getting in the way." Ultimately, though, I'm with Brian on this one: we need to fix the country's diet before we look at games. The fat folk would get fat even without video games, because there's still fast food and other lazy entertainment such as TV.

The average gaming community is changing anyway: 20 years ago, the average gamer was a skinny grade-school kid with an NES that got picked on a lot at school. The Playstation changed all that; the rise of popular games like Madden NFL made it ok for the jocks and "cool kids" to play too. Now adults and seniors play. There really is no average or typical gamer anymore.

[Nick Koan]

MMO people are another story. Thems boys is crazy.

In fact, I take a complete 180, and agree with everything Dean says in regards to the MMO crowd.

[M3n2c3]

On Guitar Hero and Rock Band, this very topic came up on Friday's Penny Arcade text:

Invariably, when reasonable people are discussing Guitar Hero or Rock Band, that forum smart guy oozes in somewhere near the middle of the thread and tells people that they should be playing real instruments - presumably, like he does. Put aside that Mozart has missed the point completely (i.e., why don't you play for the real NFL, etc). The fact of the matter is that he is quite simply wrong. And not just wrong: it's that thick, unctuous kind of wrong that masquerades as erudition. He is, in fact, a yokel - and he's operating under some pretty romantic notions of what constitutes an "instrument."

I wrote about this a while ago when talking about the remix mode of Frequency, another Harmonix game, and how it made the PS2 controller a kind of instrument. That idea fascinated me. Actual instruments are not especially ergonomic, in general terms - they are not engineered for use. They need to account for crass physical laws to epitomize their function. Instruments are beautiful, let me be clear. But they are not, themselves, music.

The argument is a good one. Even if I enjoyed football, I would not likely go out to play it. I prefer my limbs and spine intact, thank you. An appropriate substitute would be a video game, especially since the alternative - merely watching football - leaves one essentially inactive, requiring little input.

The same could be said for instruments. Perhaps I like music but do not care to learn an instrument, or know how to play an instrument other than guitar. In either case, I will not be learning how to play guitar, but my love for music can be enough to prompt me to play Guitar Hero, and enjoy the excitement of interacting with the audio.

There is sometimes a financial aspect to consider as well. If one is interested in motorsports, but is too young to compete, or finds the cost of preparing a car and getting it out to RFR to be too restrictive, an XB360 and a copy of Forza 2 can provide a satisfactory surrogate.

[Dean]

Originally Posted by M3n2c3

On Guitar Hero and Rock Band, this very topic came up on Friday's Penny Arcade text:



The argument is a good one. Even if I enjoyed football, I would not likely go out to play it. I prefer my limbs and spine intact, thank you. An appropriate substitute would be a video game, especially since the alternative - merely watching football - leaves one essentially inactive, requiring little input.

The same could be said for instruments. Perhaps I like music but do not care to learn an instrument, or know how to play an instrument other than guitar. In either case, I will not be learning how to play guitar, but my love for music can be enough to prompt me to play Guitar Hero, and enjoy the excitement of interacting with the audio.

There is sometimes a financial aspect to consider as well. If one is interested in motorsports, but is too young to compete, or finds the cost of preparing a car and getting it out to RFR to be too restrictive, an XB360 and a copy of Forza 2 can provide a satisfactory surrogate.

If you are actually creating original music on a video game, or if it is even creating "covers", great, but mashing buttons in synch to 'nSync is not the same as creating or playing music in any way.

[Nick Koan]

Originally Posted by Dean

If you are actually creating original music on a video game, or if it is even creating "covers", great, but mashing buttons in synch to 'nSync is not the same as creating or playing music in any way.

Its not really supposed to be. And whether it is, or it isn't is incidental to the main point that it's supposed to be a game, which is supposed to be fun.

[tysonK]

Nah, GuitarHero is pretty much just like playing a real guitar, pfffft ask anybody.

I think a couple of popular bands are switching to GuitarHero guitars because they just a funner to play. Kind of makes you think.