Just a game?

[Jade]

I am purely a forum newb. Sorry if I screw something up in here, but this is something I've been interested in. You hear it time and time again in response to others' frustrations a lot and when things tend to get heated. That is..."It's just a game.".

Is it really?

People have been trampled to death in football riots in other countries. Locally there have been a number of different riots when Michigan State University, I believe, lost a game or two against their long time rivals the University of Michigan in an american college football game. In the online scene, people can come into a server cheery and genuinely fun, but suddenly turn into monstrously vindictive players. I think there's no denying that people get emotionally charged when they play a game, regardless of the type. Yeah, it's a game. But when all of this stuff happens, can you really call it just a game?

Disclaimer: This isn't a shot at anyone. I'm really interested in what people have to say about this.

[Purplecat]

I like playing game seriously, but not serious seriously.

In other words, I'm not usually fond of screwing around within a game universe unless there's a major reason (some weird glitch or whatever).

Trying my serious best to win a game is what I consider the most fun. But I don't get angry over losing or anything.

[Ayeaka]

I like both.

Sometimes just screwing around is fun. Like earlier, when we were basically playing pyro tennis with an engie.

But serious games are wonderful, as well. The former, to me, is best in moderation; screwing around's fun, but if you're doing so for six solid maps..

..thennnnn I'm about ready to start blowing brains out, amirite?

Beyond that.. eh. I don't get angry at things like that. If we're losing over and over, then, our strategy is lacking. What is the other team doing? Perhaps we should pay attention and apply it.
Or counter.

But what DOES anger me, is when everyone starts bitching and pointing fingers. x_X I can only handle so much griping.

[Purplecat]

*shrug* I like to point out what did go wrong, but I rarely point fingers at a spefic person even if it might be obvious at times.

And in games like TF2, most of the time the team doing really badly is usually becuse of the team itself having awful organization.

[Ayeaka]

[Marshtomp]

HAHAHA I Live in Ann Arbor Michigan. XD XD I hate the rivalry


Its friendly competition i think... I never get mad playing games... Its fun to win and to lose if you try or not..
My Opinion is that the people who like to play games for fun..... Have a Wii.
I hate those Serious Halo Players which is why i debated if i should buy Halo 3 or not... I wanna have a fun time
not be judged at how well i can handle my mouse...

So yeah.> Completely agree.
If your gonna be serious about something, be serious about something that will help your life..
Unless of course your a football player or a game developer

[Angry_Squirrel]

I dont' remember the exact quote, but I was told to play at the top of your game and not care about the points. In reaching the peak of your skill, you have fun.

What gets me is when hax stacks itself up. Getting backstabbed several times in a row by a spy when I'm facing them, or crit death after crit death after crit death. The second worse time is when my team just won't listen to me, like the game I just came out of - we would have won, if anyone else besides me and my medic went down to help us out and push the cart to the finish in badwater. But still, it was all totally worth it for the several ninja heavy mass-muderings, ahh~

[NikkyVix]

Getting worked up and angsty over losing and/or being dominated? "Are you insane? It's just a game!"

http://teaser-trailer.com/2008/07/tr2n- ... rsion.html

"Not anymore."

Thread hijacking aside, really...it's just a case of people investing themselves waaaay too seriously in a game, those who rage and scream and curse. And I can understand, because I've done it in certain situations. But at that point you've got to step back and say 'Is it really worth being worked up over? Why do you turn the game on in the first place: To WIN and constantly feel a winner, or to have fun, in whatever form it takes?'

In the end..no matter what...it's just a game. You can take it seriously because it is a competitive game, but to do so at the expense of your fun--or anyone else's fun--is likely investing too much. My momma used to tell my older brother and I that it's time to turn the game off when it turns to rage (since he used to squeeze controllers hard enough to make them creak when I'd whup his ass in Street Fighter II).

[Jade]

Apparently a ridiculous number of furries live in Ann Arbor. And they're making a second Tron movie? But anyways...I like hearing everyone's take on this. I like playing the game with some level of seriousness. That is, completing the objectives laid out before you to win playing to the best of your abilities. I do like to have my fun while playing too. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine to come up to someone completely unaware and beat the crap out of them with my melee weapon...Mostly with the pyro's fire axe. And you can't really play seriously when you're using that as opposed to your main weapon.

I think it's some people's competitive nature that compels them to continue playing, though, despite that frustration we've all experienced. I know sometimes I'm hesitant to leave when I've got friends on a team that I've grown very frustrated with, so it could also be a certain loyalty. Be it from a team that just doesn't listen, medics who never seem to heal you, and teammates who seem to take their frustrations out on their own team there are a lot of things that can just plain irk you. When this happens over and over you have to ask yourself...Is it really worth continuing to play the game and furthering your frustrations? There are definitely times that it's not. The game simply ceases to become fun. It's times like that when I just quit and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Just sit back, read some funny webcomics, look at some porn, whatever to calm yourself down then come back later when you're refreshed and ready to have some more fun, so I certainly agree with what your mother told you and your brother, Nikky.

[Angry_Squirrel]