Why Do You Play Video Games?

[heliacalRebirth]

Perhaps a better way to phrase this question would be, "What seals the deal in games for you?"

Or maybe "Whats your favorite part about video games."

I don't know, I just wanted to choose the shortest title TT.TT but you guys get the gist of it.

 

[York]

Idk, what first drew me into video-games was their story... It all started from the halo series (admittedly it didn't age well for me, but it sparked that interest) as I delved deeper and deeper I found the ones I liked the most were ones that seemed like a sort of fantasy book that you play a role in. Moving on a few years from that point I discovered a wider range of games, notable ones not just for their story or graphics but for their game-play, mechanics that make the game ever more immersive, almost like you yourself are the character (mirrors edge is just one example) All in all, what seals the deal for me can be more than one thing...

 

[Kylulu]

A great story, with a good aesthetic. Not graphics, AESTHETIC. The atmosphere and overall look needs to match what the story is trying to convey. Graphics help Aesthetic, and aesthetic is infinitely more important.

However, even if the game is butt-ugly to look at, I'll still enjoy it if the story is captivating.

 

[Zen]

What seals the deal for games for me? It's either the storyline or the multi-player feature. If it's got a good thing from both - like Borderlands - Oh god, I could play that game for months without getting bored. I love games because of the friendships I've developed through them and they're a relatively new addition in the art of storytelling. I absolutely love them.

 

[MattyIce]

I love stories. Even if it's a game that doesn't have a story, in my mind I'll make up stories to fit stuff that's going on.

 

[MyImmortalWolf]

I'm totally hooked on CoD: Black Ops and Black Ops II, and Halo, and Mount and Blade. I love the strategy aspect of games (Mostly M&B in this case), but I also really like just running around and destroying things. XD Or blowing myself up (coughcoughHALOREACHcoughcough. I can't tell you how many times my friends and I have had all-nighter run around and blow shit up in Halo/CoD sleepovers. :P)

 

[Luna Gillian]

For me my first serious video game was Bioshock 1. I'd played plenty of video games before that, but Bioshock's storyline and characters really stuck with me. I love video games that can tell a story well along with good graphics, at the time, good action sequences, and make you feel something for the characters as well. I loved that game haha.

Now that said, I also enjoy the game CoD: Blops 2. That is my favorite CoD because sometimes I just want to mindlessly shoot people or robots and have a good time. Maybe I want to just fire bullets Not realistically into people's feet and watch them die and just get out some anger or enjoy a fun game with some friends. Sometimes I want to just let loose and space out for hours watching my score go up and let the world around me melt. Might not be major story driven but when you have friends over or wirelessly chatting you'll get more stories out of them than any story mode in a CoD game haha.

And with that said my major favorite game ever is Animal Crossing. All of them. I remember first playing Animal Crossing on my GameCube when I was just Luna Jr. falling asleep while playing the game when trying to fish. Games like that I like to make my own story, because Animal Crossing itself doesn't give you a huge storyline and character development and an ending. It allows you to develop friendships, make your own gossip about characters, make your own goals and it's a relaxing experience. Sometimes I want to just go fishing, pull some weeds, pay off my debt, maybe just hit my villagers with a bug net.

 

[MurderDeathKill]

Mechanics; being able to do cool shit with maximum control over what I can do. Story can go eat it.

 

[Lonewolf888978]

By far, the best thing that makes up games are broken up into 3 things

1. Choices and Customization
   1. I love being able to choice and customize my character how I see fit, bit it either choosing a certain side or making my character a mage or warrior!
2. Challenge
   1. What is a good game without a challenge? Sure there are a few fun games that aren't challenging, but how long can you stay interested in that game without any drive to do better?
   2. The few exceptions are sandbox games, and games made to have no challenge, just chaos.
3. The by far biggest one on this list: Story and Lore
   1. How is this not on ever persons number one reason to play video games?
   2. How can you stay interested in a game if there are no interesting characters to study on, or a question that causes you to think deeper about what you know already?
4. Characters
   1. We all have that favorite character in a video game. Be it Chief from Halo, Ghost from Modern Warfare 2, or Scorpion from MK.
   2. Video Games cause us to love these characters, make us want to be these guys and girls, and often take them away from us. Why? So we can try and figure out why, or what new cool character they can bring in.

Now what caused me to rank these four things the highest on what makes a good game list? Dark Souls 1-2.

Those two games are the exact picture of a near perfect game. It Customization and Choices are great, making it were you can be a Swordsman at the beginning of the game, but due to your choices you become an archer half way though. The choice to kill one guy to get his sword, but make the game harder in the process.

The challenge is unbearable, making me and my friend quick several months before being drawn right back in again, but it pays off, making us better for the next monster or rival gamer trying to kill me.

Dark Souls has the best lore ever...Nuff Said

Characters: KNIGHT SOLAIRE and GAVLAN FTW

 

[Fijoli]

It is simply, in my very nature to play video games.

And what great productive escapes they can be for our imaginations. ​

 

[Hecatoncheires]

Cos shit's fun, yo.

 

[Lady Sabine]

I really wanted to say "story", but there are plenty of games with good stories that I hate. I really regretted purchasing Dishonored; the plot is cool as balls but it's just so clumsy to play. D: Even though the storyline might be what turns a game from a "like" into a "love", I chose what game to play based on mechanics... more specifically, on the controls. It has to be intuitive- if the controls are clumsy, it's difficult to access what I need, movements aren't what I'm expecting, or gameplay is too "choppy" because I always have to think about what I'm doing... I don't like the game. I realize that I can change it around, but often there just isn't a good setup or I don't like any of the preset options.
Earlier today I downloaded Dead Space for PC (note to everyone: EA released it for free, so get it while you can) and I freaking hate it. The controls are all sorts of weird, it's clearly not designed for touchpad, and I've had trouble finding a combination of keys to where I can reach everything comfortably. It SUCKS compared to the PS3 version, where the only thing I dislike is the default reload. I can immerse in the PS3 because I never have to think about what I'm doing; I find the PC frustrating because it's always a game of "oh crap I need to shoot, but the buttons I want to push are all wrong".
Skyrim is probably my favorite game because it combines intuitive, seamless gameplay with an epic story. But, even if the story was twice as good, I wouldn't play it if the mechanics weren't so cool. I love Sly Cooper's storyline, but let's face it, I'm playing because when I'm holding that controller, everything makes sense.

 

[ze_kraken]

Now story, mechanics, and all other facets of a video game (key word here) are important. But before I go further, I must say that the game part of video game is the most fundamental point. There are other forms of interactive media, but what sets apart a video game from all of these is gameplay. Their stories tend to be basic, any games can have great graphics, and lots can settle on gimmicky mechanics (notably the Wii, X-One, and PS4). What sets apart a good game from a bad one can be how much gameplay it offers. This isn't just how long it takes to get through it, because Final Fantasy takes forever to get through but isn't very good gameplay wise.

But then there's another term I need to give my definition on. Gameplay centers around what the game intended to do and how well the mechanics and the game flow together to create that end. For example, Call of Duty has decent (if stale by now) FPS gameplay. It was meant to be an FPS, it is an FPS. It's solid, it's fun. What Call of Duty is not is a stealth game. Nothing is as terrible as a game trying to pretend to be something it isn't. Expectations absolutely have to do with what gameplay offers; if a game says it's a strategy game then you had better hope that it plays as a strategy game. Endless Space is a prime example of what I consider good gameplay. I expected a game about space and turn based strategy, and the game was built around offering that gameplay through mechanics, feeling, and atmosphere.

In conclusion, to me, what makes video games appealing is an expectation on gameplay met and fun to go along with it. The most important thing a video game has to offer is the enjoyment that comes associated with "game." If the world, story, and graphics are all terrible but you, the player, thought the gameplay offered what you were looking for and didn't drag down the fun, then it's good. My over all impression on video games can be summed up best with Han Solo's quote in Star Wars (no suffix, because if you're a true Star Wars fan you'll get it) "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."

 

[Laggy Lagiacrus]

 

[Fluffy]

Because I like winning things.

 

[Lady Sabine]

Because I like winning things.

Look at miss honesty over here. XD

 

[Peter Feels]

To be better than other people at something that's arbitrary.

 

[Tad]

I'm a sucker for graphics, but it's 1) the story and 2) the mechanics that really seal the deal.

 

[Tensa Hiruma]

I'm a competition type. So, challenge and community is good for me, the rest, I disregard it.