Anyone want to try Rift?

Tell that to the LoL streamers including me who actually manage to make money off of playing games. And exploring the wonderful land of Skyrim is NOT a waste of time.

 

Well, money is money, but it's hardly comparable to how much money you could potentially make in the same time ;D.

And yes, exploring Skyrim is a waste of time...as is every video game there is, unless it's somehow educational or movie-like (Heavy Rain, Uncharted, etc).

 

Then according to your argument movies, TV shows, live entertainment, and any other form of entertainment is a waste of time and except that video games are a lot cheaper on an hourly basis. Most new games cost $50 to $60 bucks and the single player campaigns can last anywhere from 5 to 50 hours depending on the game type and if you're a completionists who likes to explore everything and do all the sidequests or just jump through the campaign. And that doesn't even include multiplayer.

I bought the $100 Collector's Edition of Skyrim and have well over 300 hours in it. And I haven't even touched Dawnguard yet. On an hourly basis I paid about 33 cents per hour for my entertainment. Now compare that to a movie where most theaters charge $10+ per ticket and that's just for the standard theater. Many of the special "HD" theaters and Imax costs even more and then if you want to buy food or drinks they also charge an arm and a leg. Now most movies last from an hour and a half to 2 hours, the longer ones top out at about 3. Now honestly which gives the better entertainment value?

Also if you play multiplayer games you get to meet and have fun discussions with lots of interesting people. So if I hadn't decided to "waste my time" then I never would have come to Gamez and I never would have met the crazy and dysfunctional group of trolls that I enjoy trololing around with, such as you cakie.

 

All games could be considered a waste of time in general, but as far as fantasy fulfillment goes, sports games are typically not the way to go. If you're looking for pure, mindless fun, then I'm sure they have their merits, and I'm not saying they're a bad game in any way.

However, I have to agree with Beastie. If you wanted to play sports, you could actually go play sports and the feeling of excitement and challenge and potentially the thrill of winning would be far more authentic and enjoyable than having done so through a video game.

On the other hand, fantasy games not only put you in another world to let your imagination be used to its fullest, and experience things that you would have no possible way of experiencing otherwise (aside from movies, or sometimes TV), but can even be used to see things you wish you could see, but can't.

For example, its becoming a growing trend for the elderly to actually play video games. Why? Well for one, it simply helps Alzheimers, and I'm sure thats one thing that a lot of people want to prevent. Aside from that though, once you're around 80 years old or so, its not so easy for you to take a trip around the world. What if you want to see new things though? Voila, video games. Skyrim is very popular in this sense as it features an absolutely beautiful world which (aside from monsters, races, etc.) can actually be very realistically compared to ours. The sense of adventure and exploring all the beautiful areas that Skyrim has to offer is something that can emulate the sense of going on a hiking trip, or in general being out in the wilderness, when you may not be physically capable of doing so.

EDIT: Also yes, I realize the irony in the fact that sports are likely even more physically challenging in most cases (not always, hiking can be pretty rough) but what I'm referring to is traveling around the world which can be physically taxing no matter what your body condition is, and that I've honestly never heard of any elderly folk being really interested in sports that didn't just go to sports games to watch them.

 

Sigh, guys, I never said it was a BAD thing that video games were a waste of time. My point was simple, video games are purely time wasters (the majority, at least). Sure, you can see cool locations, but are you seriously going to compare them to movies or books or TV? First off, the amount you spend is irrelevant. Second, unless a game gives you a shared narrative focus with thematic value and strong characterization (like the games I mentioned, i.e. "story heavy" games), there really is no benefit to you for playing them OTHER than the visuals. It's the same reason Hollywood is criticized nowadays, because crappy movies with plenty of flashing lights (Avengers, Transformers, Avatar) can do well despite being completely hollow. MOST video games are like this also. However, movies and a few video games can rival literature in the amount of emotional resonance, power, and depth they can have. Most of the video games named in this thread, however, fail to meet that INCLUDING NBA 2k12. I admit it's a fun way to waste time, why is it so hard for you to admit that?

Beastie, I understand the value in meeting new people, but I hope you read how damaging such contact through media is compared to actual face-to-face conversations. I would say this is a negative of video games, because it pushes people away from face-to-face talking, which is much more rewarding (again) then that through video games or electronics or your IPhone.

Now, both of you seem to claim knowledge about NBA 2k12 without having played it. I've played Skyrim and 2k12, so understand my 2 cents. 2k12 is not Madden. Most people can't even fathom doing half the stuff you can do in 2k12. The visuals and polish in this game is comparable to Skyrim, if not better. Sure, it's not a carbon copy of New Zealand or anything, but the beautiful animations are still fun to see and experience, and you can't get that from watching real life sports because players never are that flashy in real life. I play basketball competitively and 2k12. I get very distinct feelings from both of them.

And you guys claim that you can't do lots of the things in video games, but I've played tons of amazing video games that were realistic. Most famous movies are realistic. Fantasy is great escapism, but realism is more rewarding; from books to movies this rings true.

You both are so close-minded without actually having played 2k12. Most people agree that, besides Arkham City, 2k12 was the best game released last year. I played Skyrim a bit, then got bored. To me, it's very repetitive and pointless. To each his own. I still feel the entertainment value of 2k12 far exceeds that of any game released last year, because even Arkham City's replay value dies down eventually. You can claim that you need fantasy fulfillment from your video games, but you're missing out on some amazing games then, from 2k12 to the Uncharted series.

Sorry, post was incoherent because I was replying to different ideas and couldn't organize everything.

 

Woah woah Ryan, you took that a bit too seriously. I'm not bashing 2k12 in ANY way, I haven't played it like you said so I can't judge it at its core on how fun it is or how visually appealing it is.

What I'm saying is I agree with Beastie's standpoint. Not that 2k12 isn't a good game, or that its just a waste of time. I'm merely stating that I think sports games in general are..lets say an odd genre, because the majority of people that play them, can and will play sports in real life, and I know for a fact that the physical and chemical reactions from playing sports in person are generally more rewarding than playing a game based off of sports. The visuals may be amazing, but I think if you're already the type that enjoys and plays sports regularly, the experience of doing that yourself sortof diminishes the need for a game based on sports.

On the other hand, there are a lot of fantasy games that give you situations where one could not feasibly do what is being done. I'm not saying they're better than realistic games, I'm not saying they're better than sports games, but as far as the immersion you can get that cannot be as easily replicated within your own life, they have a lot of merit in more than just simple gameplay.

Again, I never said sports games were bad, I'm not saying any games are bad, I just wanted to agree with Beastie's perspective on how he feels about wasting time on a fantasy themed game versus a sports game when hes perfectly capable of doing so in real life and receiving physical and social benefit from it.

 

I still don't consider video games a waste of time. In fact most of my gaming time I consider "well spent". I also never said that sports games are bad, just that I don't really get the point of playing them when you can just go out and do it in RL. I know that some games are really good and have a huge fanbase but they're just not for me and every single sports game I've ever played or watch being played by my friends was a huge snoozefest except for when money or stupid dares were on the line.

As for meeting new people, I agree that meeting people in RL is more important than meeting people in games or online as you do need some of that face to face contact. On the other hand most of the people I meet in RL I have little in common with and on the internet it's a lot easier to meet people with like minded interests and hobbies.

 

I'm not being overtly serious o.o.

I just think you guys think 2k12 is like backyard basketball. It's not. And lots of people who play 2k12 with me can't play real basketball or don't even bother. That's a generalization that is unfair. 2k12 lets you do stuff that you simply can't do in real life. First off, my player mode allows people to live their dreams of creating their own pro player and choosing what he's good at, getting drafted, and then going through the arduous journey of making a name for himself. This is complete with endorsements, money, all-star selection, playoffs, championships, etc. I don't see how Skyrim is "better" than this sort of fantasy. More kids dream about being able to do this than slaying dragons, and for most of them, the chance of doing either is pretty much nil.

In 2k12, you can also own your own association, play with legends from as far back as the 60s, do dunks and trick shots, etc. It's nothing like the basketball that most people play. For a point of emphasis, most NBA players enjoy playing 2k12. If what you said was true, they would get bored of it because they do the real deal. However, let's face it. Everyone wishes they were MJ and could fly in the air.

My point was that most people, including Beastie, can't actually do any of the stuff they can do in 2k12. They just assume it's basketball and decide not to try it out.

And despite it's few flaws on online, yes, this is arguably the best game to come out in a while. The controls are so organic, there is so much to do, you have so much control, and you could play this game for a year and still be learning how to do stuff. This constitutes escapism in my opinion, and since it's a lot more fun than Skyrim and all of the boring games they charge $60 for nowadays, you should give it a try. Granted, some people just might not like it, but it's worth a shot and is genre busting. It's like how people finally recognized LoTR and gave it Oscars despite it being fantasy. You can't live confined to genres and your preconceptions about them.

[video=youtubeZyLcg2tSzU]http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZyLcg2tSzU[/video]

 

Sorry dude, you're gonna have to speak up. It's hard to hear you when I'm fighting this dragon and am about to take it's soul use for more dragon shouts. Then after that I have to hunt down a bunch of vampires and a troll or two. Oh crap a giant is attacking me, hang on man I'm gonna have to transform into a werewolf for this fight.

RRRRRRAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!