LISTEN &/OR BELIEVE Why do Americans make an identity out of gaming? -

[Chinaman]

So I made a thread on retro gaming subreddit about why I choose to stick with older video games. I figured as a retro gaming subforum, they could appreciate the reasoning. I brought up how modern gaming is entirely too competitive both market wise and in the meta of player interaction. I brought up how there's really no freedom in-game, no cheat codes, no Game Genie, hacks are sometimes encouraged and other times outright punished... but a game is no longer seen as an avenue to fuck around, a pass-time, but as a sport. Something that needs a constantly vigilant referee to throwout "trolls' and keep everyone from "cheating" which is the anti-thesis to the word GAME.

So without any way to relate too a modern gamer, and no real incentive to play them, I'd much rather stick with old games that have near unlimited replay value via Game Genie or some hack thereof of said game like a Pokémon Creepy-pasta some programmer developed. This is not nostalgia, so much as a rejection of the toxic "culture" nerds have created for themselves.

This topic was met with nothing but grief and suspicion by the subforum. Why? They're a RETRO gaming group... they should get exactly where I'm coming from. My only guess is they feel when I attack gaming, even gaming "now" not "back then", it's still an attack on them because their identity rests so heavily on the concept of video games themselves.

Games they have to pay for.
Games they don't know for certain how good or bad will be until purchase.
Games they are expected to "get good" at rather than expecting developers to improve their product or you know... fucking beta-test.

An enterprise that is supposed to appeal to everyone and be a family friendly image, is in fact a very niche and narrow market more concerned about imaginary boogie men feminists and Christians coming to take it all away than the reality of you're just going to get treated like shit by other people and even the developers themselves sometimes when you're putting money in their pocket.

It's crazy. Absolutely crazy... you know, we Chinese can enjoy leisure time too. Smoking is very common here and vaping is getting more popular to combine smoking with technology. But why would we identify ourselves with the vape, only to turn around and have people in "the vape community" treat us terribly, especially vape store owners or whatever? We like products we can control, not have them control us.

Short version: Why are Americans such what's the word... "cucks"? Especially in their gaming circles?

 

[OtterParty]

>Chinese can enjoy leisure time

LOL

 

[ToroidalBoat]

Because FREEDOM. [bald eagle screech]

 

[ZeCommissar]

So without any way to relate too a modern gamer, and no real incentive to play them, I'd much rather stick with old games that have near unlimited replay value via Game Genie or some hack thereof of said game like a Pokémon Creepy-pasta some programmer developed. This is not nostalgia, so much as a rejection of the toxic "culture" nerds have created for themselves.

CUCK JUS MAD HE CANT BUY A $1500 PC AND PLAY MODERN GAMES LOL

 

[MongyPleb]

But why would we identify ourselves with the vape

Cuck can't handle his fuckin' gas

 

[Vah]

Because it's a hobby, people tend to like their hobbies.

You don't seem to know much about modern games or communities. I have no fuckin' clue what you'r even trying to say.

 

[Owen Grady]

Because it's a hobby, people tend to like their hobbies.

You don't seem to know much about modern games or communities. I have no fuckin' clue what you'r even trying to say.

See, but what he's saying is that for too many people, it's not a hobby. Not anymore. It used to be, once upon a time. But now people can't enjoy a game for being a game. There's no fun involved anymore. Now everyone has to be overly competitive and treat it like a sport, as he put it. And it's all stats and mechanics and 360 noscopes and people can no longer have a good time because playing video games has become some kind of lame, glorified "nerd subculture".

And to an extent, I think, I agree with what he's saying. I'll refer to myself as a gamer only rarely and in the case that I'm making the point that I enjoy playing video games as a hobby or pastime.

But really, anybody who calls themselves a "gamer" as an identity to try and sell themselves out for the sake of recognition within some pompous, quirky nerd subculture is a huge faggot.

 

[Vah]

See, but what he's saying is that for too many people, it's not a hobby. Not anymore. It used to be, once upon a time. But now people can't enjoy a game for being a game. There's no fun involved anymore. Now everyone has to be overly competitive and treat it like a sport, as he put it. And it's all stats and mechanics and 360 noscopes and people can no longer have a good time because playing video games has become some kind of lame, glorified "nerd subculture".

And to an extent, I think, I agree with what he's saying. I'll refer to myself as a gamer only rarely and in the case that I'm making the point that I enjoy playing video games as a hobby or pastime.

But really, anybody who calls themselves a "gamer" as an identity to try and sell themselves out for the sake of recognition within some pompous, quirky nerd subculture is a huge faggot.

You can't say there is no fun in getting serious about games, many people take great enjoyment from dissecting games and mastering them, that's why speedruns have been around for so long and why some people have even made Esports into their careers. and to say this applies exclusively to modern games is just naive. Tournaments for Street Fighter 2 and the original Quake have existed as long as those two games have been around. there is absolutely no shock value in realizing a popular passtime for millions has developed a culture of devoted fans, and if you really can't stand people wanting to talk about their games a little more in depth than what you're comfortable with, maybe you just don't belong in the gaming crowd.

also, OP says there's no replay value in modern games, no cheats or agency. I really don't think he knows much about modern gaming. Mod support for games is better than it's ever been. Some of the most popular games ever made were mods of existing titles, and the only reason to play Skyrim is because of the mods! maybe the redditors are getting a bit buttblasted because OP doesn't know what he's talking about

 

[Kartoffel]

Yeah, many people tend to have fun by analysing stuff, you seem more the type to tinker around; but on a really superficial level that needs not much skill (like using cheats or a gameshark). Doing things you are good at and worked hard in order to master is great and on of the most rewarding experiences there is; and there's nothing wrong with it, I'd even say that this is healthy psychologically spoken.
And what's wrong about calling yourself a gamer? I'm one, but would be going under in any type of competetive play; and don't even play that much; but I love games as an story telling medium and hope to making them on day into my career. There are many types of gamers, because there are many types of games and many types of people playing them.
If you really love games then you'll play them; if you want to play them just for fun, then just do it! Why waste precious playtime with complaining about gamers today and their damm dirty modern games, etc.?
Please don't blame people just because they don't prefer the style you want, that's the opposite of fun.

And last but not least: It's silly to say there are no more games like in older times; many Indy-Developers make kinda "retro" feeling games; you maybe just didn't search very well. Also there was never a time were it was easier to make your own game than nowadays. So if you don't like current games, why not make your own?

 

[Meat_Puppet]

I blame those Achievement Hunters...

 

[JU 199]

Muh vidya...

 

[Feline Darkmage]

:autism:

 

[DonaldChump]

>Chinese can enjoy leisure time

LOL

What are you talking about I was told Chinese men love factory work and little old ladies love to hand paint over the defects in the shitty cheap plastic knock-off crap that is going to end up not-decaying on the shelves of the Dollar Trees until the end of time?

 

[StraightShooter]

So I made a thread on retro gaming subreddit about why I choose to stick with older video games. I figured as a retro gaming subforum, they could appreciate the reasoning. I brought up how modern gaming is entirely too competitive both market wise and in the meta of player interaction. I brought up how there's really no freedom in-game, no cheat codes, no Game Genie, hacks are sometimes encouraged and other times outright punished... but a game is no longer seen as an avenue to fuck around, a pass-time, but as a sport. Something that needs a constantly vigilant referee to throwout "trolls' and keep everyone from "cheating" which is the anti-thesis to the word GAME.

So without any way to relate too a modern gamer, and no real incentive to play them, I'd much rather stick with old games that have near unlimited replay value via Game Genie or some hack thereof of said game like a Pokémon Creepy-pasta some programmer developed. This is not nostalgia, so much as a rejection of the toxic "culture" nerds have created for themselves.

This topic was met with nothing but grief and suspicion by the subforum. Why? They're a RETRO gaming group... they should get exactly where I'm coming from. My only guess is they feel when I attack gaming, even gaming "now" not "back then", it's still an attack on them because their identity rests so heavily on the concept of video games themselves.

Games they have to pay for.
Games they don't know for certain how good or bad will be until purchase.
Games they are expected to "get good" at rather than expecting developers to improve their product or you know... fucking beta-test.

An enterprise that is supposed to appeal to everyone and be a family friendly image, is in fact a very niche and narrow market more concerned about imaginary boogie men feminists and Christians coming to take it all away than the reality of you're just going to get treated like shit by other people and even the developers themselves sometimes when you're putting money in their pocket.

It's crazy. Absolutely crazy... you know, we Chinese can enjoy leisure time too. Smoking is very common here and vaping is getting more popular to combine smoking with technology. But why would we identify ourselves with the vape, only to turn around and have people in "the vape community" treat us terribly, especially vape store owners or whatever? We like products we can control, not have them control us.

Short version: Why are Americans such what's the word... "cucks"? Especially in their gaming circles?

Well it's not just a "gaming" thing, it's more of a psychology thing that's true about people in general, especially people who lack a strong sense of self-identity and end up just identifying with whatever their hobby is, whether it's video games, watching football, TV politics, etc. People are tribalistic by nature.

Why do British soccer fans kill each other for being fans of the wrong team?

I agree though that stuff like video gaming, anime, comic cons, etc as a "subculture" tend to likely have much higher ratio of spergs than... eh motorcycle racing, for pretty obvious reasons - since it's something which requires minimal social interaction, physical fitness, or even leaving the house.

I play video games but don't identify myself as a "gamer", mainly solo rather than online; I also have to disagree with your point about "modern games" as a whole, or completely rejecting modern games just because some retarded spergs treat them as a lifestyle instead of just a hobby.

 

[cypocraphy]

It's because we are the country that gave birth to neckbeards and have the most of them.

 

[StraightShooter]

It's because we are the country that gave birth to neckbeards and have the most of them.

Could also be that because since the 1980s and 1990s (when cable TV and home video game consoles went mainstream) Americans have become lazy and overweight, with the average American allegedly watching 34 hours of television a week.

Therefore video games have taken the place of a lot of hobbies that actually require people to lift a buttcheek off of the couch.

 

[Fulda's Gap]

Gamers are retarded.

 

[melty]

America has only been around for like 200 years so we don't have much to go by. Thats why we go on about guns and free speech, we pretty much just have the constitution and a history of slavery/genocide but the latter isn't as nice

 

[Rio]

Some people get their enjoyment in life from video games. Video games aren't just toys, they're experiences. They're adventures, challenges. They give you something to do, something to achieve.

Spoiler

For the most part, my life would be dull and hollow without video games. And before you say "lol go make friends and get a life," this IS my life. A strong part of it that is

A necessary part. I can't form relationships due to severe social anxiety, very few interests, and beliefs that make me incompatible with the vast majority of the population.

Spoiler

So don't say "It's just gaymz," because for some people they fill a void in their lives nothing else can.

 

[timecop]

why are americans better at video games?