It’s more the peer pressure aspect of people trying to get me to play the game than the game itself. However, on reflection I think this is just me being closed minded about new experiences and unhealthily isolating myself.
The more I think about video games, the more I think the only games that have a right to exist are ones that someone could be one and done with in 2-4 hours. Like a fun friendcore game you play with friends a few times a year when you’re not able to meet physically, or a singleplayer game that explores a concept with gameplay but can be finished in one fairly short sitting. Medium to long games, be they AAA action-adventure slop, CRPGs, simulations, or online multiplayer games, are basically a bunch of hedonic treadmills that provide the illusion of getting better at something meaningful to pacify one’s unmet need to play or achieve something in a physical, real, and socially mediated way. I say this as someone who jumps from long single player game to long single player game.
Video games are the modern day opiate of the masses, even when they succeed at being art. Ironically, it was the recently released longform single player game Clair Obscur that really nailed this thought into my mind.
In my mind, I compare it to the local cost of a beer. If I spend $10 for one beer with friends that lasts around 20 minutes, I shouldn’t really feel guilty about spending $10 for a small game that I play with friends for several hours. It’s just part of the “socialising costs”, like going to the theater or paying for go-karting.
It’s more the peer pressure aspect of people trying to get me to play the game than the game itself. However, on reflection I think this is just me being closed minded about new experiences and unhealthily isolating myself.
The more I think about video games, the more I think the only games that have a right to exist are ones that someone could be one and done with in 2-4 hours. Like a fun friendcore game you play with friends a few times a year when you’re not able to meet physically, or a singleplayer game that explores a concept with gameplay but can be finished in one fairly short sitting. Medium to long games, be they AAA action-adventure slop, CRPGs, simulations, or online multiplayer games, are basically a bunch of hedonic treadmills that provide the illusion of getting better at something meaningful to pacify one’s unmet need to play or achieve something in a physical, real, and socially mediated way. I say this as someone who jumps from long single player game to long single player game.
Video games are the modern day opiate of the masses, even when they succeed at being art. Ironically, it was the recently released longform single player game Clair Obscur that really nailed this thought into my mind.
In my mind, I compare it to the local cost of a beer. If I spend $10 for one beer with friends that lasts around 20 minutes, I shouldn’t really feel guilty about spending $10 for a small game that I play with friends for several hours. It’s just part of the “socialising costs”, like going to the theater or paying for go-karting.