How have video games made your life better?

Faith · 02-22-2007, 05:09 PM

I was think of doing a post about how video game can make people's lives better and how they helped my life.

So I wanna know - how have video games made your life better?

scrape · 02-22-2007, 05:32 PM

They kept me off the streets selling smack to 12 year olds, everyone is a winner!

Lethal Dosage · 02-22-2007, 05:38 PM

Outside of the realm of being great entertainment, I think video games have helped a lot with my problem solving skills. I'm a very analytical person, so stepping into a game that requires a great deal of planning to pass a stage or song or what have you is really handy. I can keep my brain fresh and alert, and constantly come up with new ways or possibilities for passing said stages or songs. Then, I take those experiences back into real life, in the hopes of maintaining that level of imagination, analysis, and problem solving (whichever you prefer).

Basically, the creative and thought provoking aspects of video games (Crackdown's non-linear style of attacking the leaders being a prime example) are traits of gaming that I truly find helpful.

Ph1dra · 02-22-2007, 05:47 PM

Stupid Jock #1: Hey jake!

Me: ...what do you want Assy McMeathead?

Stupid Jock #1: Cut your hair.

Me: your an idiot...

*later at home jake reicives an IM from someone he dosen't know.

?: hey.

Me: hello... who are you?

?: im stupid jock #1

Me: ...wtf do you want?

Stupid Jock #1: i just got a video game and you know alot about that stuff. wanna play?

Me: ... fine noob

Stupid Jock #1: whats a noob?

Me: ... lets play.

*1 minute later.

Me: ...well i guess i win...

Stupid Jock #1: you just won cause you have no life and play video games all the time!

Me: I've accomplished more by now then you ever will after you drop out of college in the hopes of being a sports star and fail miserably.

Stupid Jock #1: pfft... noob

Me: -.-

Sangha · 02-22-2007, 05:50 PM

One game in particular changed my life for the better. Halo 2 introduced me to my wonderful amazing husband and I have never been happier

elbartoqwertyuiop · 02-22-2007, 05:53 PM

Video games have gave me the gift of sanity.

Petrie · 02-22-2007, 05:55 PM

*debates whether Faith will even take his opinion seriously* :P

Video games have helped me in a number of ways, and if you'd like to discuss beyond what I say here, I'd be happy to provide anything beyond towards an article:

-Video games have been a wonderful escape for me. whenever there have been problems at home, with the woman in my life, etc., games always provided an escape for me. Especially the arcade, it was like my own personal haven all through my pre-college school days, where everyone was friends, and we all were there for the games, but the social atmosphere of it all as well.

-A deterrent. For all the bad the media has to say about games, they truly can be a great tool for deterring "undesirable" behaviors. When other kids were scraping together money to pick up some beer of get a bag of weed, I was taking that same cash and sacking it away for a new games, or blowing it at the arcade on a Friday night. Lame, yes, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Rather than be out at a club trying to meet some "easy" girl, I was at home working on that latest RPG, or playing some Smash Brothers or Goldeneye with a group of friends.

-Personal happiness. Most people tend to not consider this with regard to a pastime. They claim that playing games is simply a waste of time, because you aren't accomplishing anything "real". What I fail to comprehend is how a persons enjoyment and personal satisfaction does not qualify as "real" or as something worthy of pursuit. So I don't care if I'm able to conquer the world in my spare time and instead I'm content to be happy, chill out, and play a game. That is just as worthy a pursuit in my eyes.

There are many more valuable ways games have influenced me, among them an uncanny ability at time-management, and a sometimes unhealthy knowledge of underground culture. All in all, games have always been a universal positive in my life.

Grim · 02-22-2007, 07:17 PM

They help me with boredom and keep me away from drugs.

cjpkiller · 02-22-2007, 09:14 PM

gaming has taught me how to save money
gaming has kept me from getting into horrible influences, I grew up in probably the worst part of saint paul, which isn't too bad, but I still could've ended up in a gang or addicted to some substance.
its taught me patience... years of getting owned taught me to keep my cool, and you'll come out on top.
analytical problem solving skills
hand eye coordination, example, someone knocking a can of pop over and grabbing it before it spills on the ground, or preventing it from tipping.
it has taught me how to type at 60 wpm+ (I haven't taken any typing tests since sixth grade.)
keeps crazy hobos from talking to me on the bus... thank god for handhelds and headphones.
let me and my brother grow up together, my brother is eight years older than I am and being able to do things with him when I was a kid was important to me back then.
an outlet for my imagination, video games can inspire me, they've inspired many of my English and world history essay topics.
an outlet for my stress. I can just come home and unwind with some head shots, or hang out in an mmo with some buddies and kill stuff. awesome stress reliever if you are playing the right games (flOw is awesome at this...)
good conversation starters with casual gamers, which are increasingly common these days.

probably more, but I just haven't realized it yet.

video games are great.

Futuris7 · 02-22-2007, 09:32 PM

Gaming has made me pretty anti-social, single minded, egotistical, defiant, pessimistic, misanthropic and very irritable.

Thank god I have looks or I'd never get a date on my own accord....

I guess on the plus side, I have a pretty hardcore work-a-holic attitude towards things thanks to games requiring me to put diligent practice into them. I'd also rather go to work to make money for games etc, then go have a night out with my friends.

So games have made my life worse then it probably could have been if I listened to my mom, went to church :x , and hanged out with friends more then play games all my childhood.

Yet I still haven't murdered a hobo to this day.

Shatterpulse · 02-22-2007, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Futuris7

Gaming has made me pretty anti-social, single minded, egotistical, defiant, pessimistic, misanthropic and very irritable.

What about live?

Oni · 02-23-2007, 12:04 AM

Gaming has done lots for me. It has allowed me to hone my problem solving skills, and helped me to develop strategic thinking. It has aided my motor control and heightened my reflexes (I'm very alert while in a vehicle or on a job site. That's a good thing

). Video games have helped me take out my aggression in constructive ways rather than in ways that will get me in trouble.

Gaming has helped me become more social (I throw a LAN party or two a year, plus I have little gatherings of people over for console gaming on occasion), and helped me meet new friends and see old friends again. Gaming has even got my ass up off of the couch (DDR and more recently, various Wii games) and try to stay active.

Gaming has done lots for me. I'm a better person for it

orcist · 02-23-2007, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grim

They help me with boredom and keep me away from drugs.

No, dumbass, the idea is to mix the two. And why hasn't anyone said that games brought you here? I'd say that's a big improvement.

Futuris7 · 02-23-2007, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shatterpulse

Quote:

Originally Posted by Futuris7

Gaming has made me pretty anti-social, single minded, egotistical, defiant, pessimistic, misanthropic and very irritable.

What about live?

Oh when I'm gaming I'm a social butterfly. I just

teamwork.

When I'm not gaming I put on my headphones and tell everyone to fuck off.

Unless you're a cute member of the opposite sex. :wink:

Brandon2520 · 02-23-2007, 12:47 AM

What the fuck is all this talk around here about the ladies meeting their men in a game of Halo 2 or whatnot on live! I have NEVER even seen a girl in any of the live games I have played for any games!

Serpentish · 02-23-2007, 12:59 AM

They've given me a resume item.

"List relevant skillz: pwning"

Tactix · 02-23-2007, 01:01 AM

Hmmm.. I cant really think how videogames made my life better..They sort of just define who I am..

So I guess you can say that videogames made me who I am, and thats pretty good!

twesterm · 02-23-2007, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ph1dra

Me: your an idiot...

-.-

3r0t1c n3rd · 02-23-2007, 06:46 AM

Mega Man has taught me one thing, it's never give up!

Mrs_Violence · 02-23-2007, 06:59 AM

yes..totally! i wouldnt have met my hubby without gaming!..soo fuck yeah! oh and britini, prosu, jango, havok...and all my other live buddies i would like to meet!!!!!!!!!

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02-22-2007, 05:09 PM	#1
Faith is Offline [Level 5: Mech] Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 266	How have video games made your life better? I was think of doing a post about how video game can make people's lives better and how they helped my life. So I wanna know - how have video games made your life better?

02-22-2007, 05:32 PM	#2
scrape is Offline [Level 5: Mech] Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: SCOTLAND Posts: 682	They kept me off the streets selling smack to 12 year olds, everyone is a winner!

02-22-2007, 05:38 PM	#3
Lethal Dosage is Offline [Level 5: Mech] Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Awesometown, MN Posts: 454	Outside of the realm of being great entertainment, I think video games have helped a lot with my problem solving skills. I'm a very analytical person, so stepping into a game that requires a great deal of planning to pass a stage or song or what have you is really handy. I can keep my brain fresh and alert, and constantly come up with new ways or possibilities for passing said stages or songs. Then, I take those experiences back into real life, in the hopes of maintaining that level of imagination, analysis, and problem solving (whichever you prefer). Basically, the creative and thought provoking aspects of video games (Crackdown's non-linear style of attacking the leaders being a prime example) are traits of gaming that I truly find helpful.

02-22-2007, 05:47 PM	#4
Ph1dra is Offline [Level 5: Mech] Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: IN MY OWN SKULL! Posts: 562	Stupid Jock #1: Hey jake! Me: ...what do you want Assy McMeathead? Stupid Jock #1: Cut your hair. Me: your an idiot... later at home jake reicives an IM from someone he dosen't know. ?: hey. Me: hello... who are you? ?: im stupid jock #1 Me: ...wtf do you want? Stupid Jock #1: i just got a video game and you know alot about that stuff. wanna play? Me: ... fine noob Stupid Jock #1: whats a noob? Me: ... lets play. 1 minute later. Me: ...well i guess i win... Stupid Jock #1: you just won cause you have no life and play video games all the time! Me: I've accomplished more by now then you ever will after you drop out of college in the hopes of being a sports star and fail miserably. Stupid Jock #1: pfft... noob Me: -.-

02-22-2007, 05:50 PM	#5
Sangha is Offline [Level 3: Humanoid] Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 55	One game in particular changed my life for the better. Halo 2 introduced me to my wonderful amazing husband and I have never been happier

02-22-2007, 05:53 PM	#6
elbartoqwertyuiop is Offline [Level 8: Skynet] Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: here Posts: 3,340	Video games have gave me the gift of sanity.

02-22-2007, 05:55 PM	#7
Petrie is Offline [Level 5: Mech] Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 644	debates whether Faith will even take his opinion seriously :P Video games have helped me in a number of ways, and if you'd like to discuss beyond what I say here, I'd be happy to provide anything beyond towards an article: -Video games have been a wonderful escape for me. whenever there have been problems at home, with the woman in my life, etc., games always provided an escape for me. Especially the arcade, it was like my own personal haven all through my pre-college school days, where everyone was friends, and we all were there for the games, but the social atmosphere of it all as well. -A deterrent. For all the bad the media has to say about games, they truly can be a great tool for deterring "undesirable" behaviors. When other kids were scraping together money to pick up some beer of get a bag of weed, I was taking that same cash and sacking it away for a new games, or blowing it at the arcade on a Friday night. Lame, yes, but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Rather than be out at a club trying to meet some "easy" girl, I was at home working on that latest RPG, or playing some Smash Brothers or Goldeneye with a group of friends. -Personal happiness. Most people tend to not consider this with regard to a pastime. They claim that playing games is simply a waste of time, because you aren't accomplishing anything "real". What I fail to comprehend is how a persons enjoyment and personal satisfaction does not qualify as "real" or as something worthy of pursuit. So I don't care if I'm able to conquer the world in my spare time and instead I'm content to be happy, chill out, and play a game. That is just as worthy a pursuit in my eyes. There are many more valuable ways games have influenced me, among them an uncanny ability at time-management, and a sometimes unhealthy knowledge of underground culture. All in all, games have always been a universal positive in my life.

02-22-2007, 07:17 PM	#8
Grim is Offline [Level 7: Sentinel] Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Happy Valley, OR Posts: 1,876	They help me with boredom and keep me away from drugs.

02-22-2007, 09:14 PM	#9
cjpkiller is Offline [Level 6: Robot] Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: minnesota, USA Posts: 887	gaming has taught me how to save money gaming has kept me from getting into horrible influences, I grew up in probably the worst part of saint paul, which isn't too bad, but I still could've ended up in a gang or addicted to some substance. its taught me patience... years of getting owned taught me to keep my cool, and you'll come out on top. analytical problem solving skills hand eye coordination, example, someone knocking a can of pop over and grabbing it before it spills on the ground, or preventing it from tipping. it has taught me how to type at 60 wpm+ (I haven't taken any typing tests since sixth grade.) keeps crazy hobos from talking to me on the bus... thank god for handhelds and headphones. let me and my brother grow up together, my brother is eight years older than I am and being able to do things with him when I was a kid was important to me back then. an outlet for my imagination, video games can inspire me, they've inspired many of my English and world history essay topics. an outlet for my stress. I can just come home and unwind with some head shots, or hang out in an mmo with some buddies and kill stuff. awesome stress reliever if you are playing the right games (flOw is awesome at this...) good conversation starters with casual gamers, which are increasingly common these days. probably more, but I just haven't realized it yet. video games are great.

02-22-2007, 09:32 PM	#10
Futuris7 is Offline [Level 5: Mech] Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: (shrug) Posts: 452	Gaming has made me pretty anti-social, single minded, egotistical, defiant, pessimistic, misanthropic and very irritable. Thank god I have looks or I'd never get a date on my own accord.... I guess on the plus side, I have a pretty hardcore work-a-holic attitude towards things thanks to games requiring me to put diligent practice into them. I'd also rather go to work to make money for games etc, then go have a night out with my friends. So games have made my life worse then it probably could have been if I listened to my mom, went to church :x , and hanged out with friends more then play games all my childhood. Yet I still haven't murdered a hobo to this day.

02-23-2007, 12:04 AM	#12
Oni is Offline [Level 6: Robot] Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Posts: 1,000	Gaming has done lots for me. It has allowed me to hone my problem solving skills, and helped me to develop strategic thinking. It has aided my motor control and heightened my reflexes (I'm very alert while in a vehicle or on a job site. That's a good thing ). Video games have helped me take out my aggression in constructive ways rather than in ways that will get me in trouble. Gaming has helped me become more social (I throw a LAN party or two a year, plus I have little gatherings of people over for console gaming on occasion), and helped me meet new friends and see old friends again. Gaming has even got my ass up off of the couch (DDR and more recently, various Wii games) and try to stay active. Gaming has done lots for me. I'm a better person for it

02-23-2007, 12:47 AM	#15
Brandon2520 is Offline [Level 7: Sentinel] Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Warshington Posts: 1,711	What the fuck is all this talk around here about the ladies meeting their men in a game of Halo 2 or whatnot on live! I have NEVER even seen a girl in any of the live games I have played for any games!

02-23-2007, 12:59 AM	#16
Serpentish is Online [Level 10: Lobster Milkshake] Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: your mom's cooter Posts: 7,047	They've given me a resume item. "List relevant skillz: pwning"

02-23-2007, 01:01 AM	#17
Tactix is Offline Can combine with Chad to form "SEXIEST MAN ALIVE" Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Berkeley.CA Posts: 125	Hmmm.. I cant really think how videogames made my life better..They sort of just define who I am.. So I guess you can say that videogames made me who I am, and thats pretty good!

02-23-2007, 06:46 AM	#19
3r0t1c n3rd is Offline [Level 6: Robot] Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: teh Germaniz Posts: 770	Mega Man has taught me one thing, it's never give up!

02-23-2007, 06:59 AM	#20
Mrs_Violence is Offline [Level 5: Mech] Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Up yo Butt! Posts: 338	yes..totally! i wouldnt have met my hubby without gaming!..soo fuck yeah! oh and britini, prosu, jango, havok...and all my other live buddies i would like to meet!!!!!!!!!