Admittedly, I am not a games enthusiast, whether video or board, but I have played both at times. In particular, I played a lot of – OK, this is totally gonna reveal that I’m an old ;P – THPS, and I’m 100℅ sure I played both RPG-type computer games as well as like Mario Bros stuff. However, I just have never really grasped what makes video games so enticing.
I suspect this is an annoying and well-trodden path, but I would sincerely appreciate it if you could find it in your heart to help me understand.
For me personally, I tend to look at things in terms of costs and benefits. Through that lens, most games seem like a bad deal. In principle, I like some of the more quirky or esoteric ones, but it quickly seems like a lot to learn relative the payout.
When I was in HS, I had a band. Has that type of interaction simply been replaced by video games?
I swear I’m not trying to troll – I really want to understand the interplay between video games and psychology. Cuz it seems like FPSes are dominant whereas not too long ago they were a single niche among many niches.
I appreciate your taking the time to read/reply.
Thank you for taking the time to respond thoroughly. So – if I’m understanding – video games are an alternative to video media like TV shows? I can see vgs offering waayyy better interactivity (et al) than TV shows.
I guess I wasn’t even thinking about TV, in part cuz I don’t watch TV. I have seen many, many movies. Recently I read “Story* by Robert McKee (the guy doing writing workshops in the movie " Adaptation”), and it was really fascinating. He essentially says story is an essential element of human existence, and your comment – well, the way I read your comment – reiterates that point. It’s not pure entertainment so much as a lens for seeing the world.