How to start thinking that the purpose of video games is fun and not skill?Help!

I don't know why, but I keep thinking that I should be good at every game I play. Before, I didn't think like this, only recently. This is preventing me from enjoying many games. I'm either not interested to show off my skills or to be extremely good at any of my games, I just care to enjoy them, but I don't know why I'm thinking like this...

I also keep wondering that if playing multiplayer mode makes you better at singleplayer mode. Does it? And if yes, then how would one be better at a game that has no multiplayer mode?

Another thing that puzzles me is: If most singeplayer games are only around 8-10 hours long, then you don't have the time to get good at them, and also even to learn everything about them. Do you agree with this?

Thanks in advance.

i believe you need to go play some dumb games.. the titles that people buy just for the heck of it.

a reckless disregard for gravity, carmaggeddon, etc. etc...

the titles with low standards and high mileage. games you play for the purpose of dicking around with not playing for rep.

other titles are ones which make you enjoy the journey more than the result.. personnaly id recommend the path.. its a super little budget title on steam for all fo 10 bucks.

personnaly i enjoy just messing around in alien shooter games or painkiller.. and finding new and interesting ways of murdering the legions of the damned... for example i once finish the mility base level of painkiller using only my shotgun :P

having mad skills is great and all but sometimes its worth your time to just mess with the system and see what happens :P

I thought like you. I played for fun and when a game started to get boring I stopped. So I didnt finish any game :)

I thought like you. I played for fun and when a game started to get boring I stopped. So I didnt finish any game :)

Zenadixo

Anyone has more ideas?Ameer27

Buy Angry Birds for iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad.

[QUOTE="Ameer27"]Anyone has more ideas?Buttons1990

Buy Angry Birds for iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad.

Make sure you focus not only on the gameplay, but also the textual part of the 'game' -story, setting, themes, characters etc. Some games distinctly seperate the story from the gameplay: DOOM for instance. Others, such as System Shock, incorporate the story directly into the game with in-game books, emails, transmissions and NPCs. It's games like that which can simultaneously satisfy the want for a challenging game and also an intriguing story/setting.

Make sure you focus not only on the gameplay, but also the textual part of the 'game' -story, setting, themes, characters etc. Some games distinctly seperate the story with the gameplay: DOOM for instance. Others, such as System Shock, incorporate the story directly into the game with in-game books, emails, transmissions and NPCs. It's games like that which can simultaneously satisfy the want for a challenging game and also an intriguing story/setting.kdawg88

myself for example, when I got TF2, I couldn't play any game but TF2, and when I suddenly got bored of it and tried to play COD4, I sucked at it, different gameplay styles can screw you up.rmfd341

It seems to me like the competitiveness of multiplayer has gotten to your head. Frist you started the thread about MP needing more skill than SP, and now this topic. I'm not so sure any of us can help you with an obsession for skill. It's kind of sad how focused multiplayer games have become on skill and who is "best."

Multiplayer should be more about enjoying a game while playing with other human beings and reveling in the unpredictability of playing against real opponents. When a game stops being fun and you get mad because you lose...then perhaps you need a break from gaming. It has happened to me before. I used to get extremely upset when I'd lose at Halo. I'd create new accounts just to try and have better kill/death ratios, etc. At some point during all this I believe the game stopped being fun. I quit playing it for a while and now have fallen in love with Halo all over again!

That being said, there is nothing inherently wrong with being competitive. But then it becomes more like a sport rather than simply pure recreation. So maybe have a mix of the two? Have some games that you play just to relax and have one or two MP games that you play competitively.

I'm enjoying games because of the storyline for examples game like Mass Effect series and Mafia 2, both have good storyline. So i played games mostly because i want to see the story itself

It seems to me like the competitiveness of multiplayer has gotten to your head. Frist you started the thread about MP needing more skill than SP, and now this topic. I'm not so sure any of us can help you with an obsession for skill. It's kind of sad how focused multiplayer games have become on skill and who is "best."

Multiplayer should be more about enjoying a game while playing with other human beings and reveling in the unpredictability of playing against real opponents. When a game stops being fun and you get mad because you lose...then perhaps you need a break from gaming. It has happened to me before. I used to get extremely upset when I'd lose at Halo. I'd create new accounts just to try and have better kill/death ratios, etc. At some point during all this I believe the game stopped being fun. I quit playing it for a while and now have fallen in love with Halo all over again!

That being said, there is nothing inherently wrong with being competitive. But then it becomes more like a sport rather than simply pure recreation. So maybe have a mix of the two? Have some games that you play just to relax and have one or two MP games that you play competitively.

Sheplerizer

You've been playing competitive games too much. Play more casual games and single player games. Or, more RPG and less RTS and FPS.

Yeah it's the competative nature of MP games that's got your head in shambles. In SP all you have to do is adapt to the AI's programmed tactics which is usually spot-attack-advance-attack-take cover-attack, very predictable, very easy to adapt to. In MP games it's far more complicated, you have multiple enemies all controlled by individuals who have a far greater computing power than a simple cpu can compete with. Unpredictable and also actively adapting. You rarely see someone jump out from behind a crate completely unprotected and unload an entire clip at you, while your behind cover. Basically your mind is saying I have to get better because it's a natural need to be the best, because if your not better...you die, and if you keep losing your brain doesn't get the old "ada boy!" it needs from all that work it's put into it. Whereas if you play single player games you quickly adapt to the AI tactics and kick some butt on an unlimited basis your brain says "Yay me, I'm the best!!", till it gets bored and doesn't care anymore. Especially if you emerse yourself in gameplay constantly, you mind will try to adapt to this "new hostile environment" of your game and you will begin to become detatched from the outside world. Your brain will begin to replace your real world aquired survival techniques with gameplay survival tactics. Because while you may be entirely aware that your playing a game, if you play very eccessively, your brain will begin to believe that this is a new hostile environment that it needs to protect it's self from. Now I'm not saying that is what your problem is, but it could happen. It COULD happen.

You should try playing plants vs zombies.

You should try playing plants vs zombies.

face_ripper

I always focused in fun and a nice experiance than skill. Thats why i play games with a nice singleplayer compaign that is 5 hours long and easy. I dont care much about difficulity or competition also after playing so many games with repettive freeplay features....i realized there is nothing to learn 100% in the game that is actually worth it. Just have fun, if not then you shouldnt spend your time playing the specific game.dakan45

Stop playing online for a week or two and try Torchlight + Plants Vs. Zombies. Why those games out of all the others? If you try to be competitive with them it will ruin the games so you either have fun or quit. After finishing one or both of them get into Team Fortress 2, you can try it competitively (I did for a while) but you don't get nearly as much out of the game if you try that instead of just join a server and have fun like you did in Torchlight + Plants Vs. Zombies.

Play and learn to love Bioshock. On regular settings there is no penalty and actually sometimes reward (more health) in death. It's a great game, if you can have a fun over skill mindset

Stop playing online for a week or two and try Torchlight + Plants Vs. Zombies. Why those games out of all the others? If you try to be competitive with them it will ruin the games so you either have fun or quit. After finishing one or both of them get into Team Fortress 2, you can try it competitively (I did for a while) but you don't get nearly as much out of the game if you try that instead of just join a server and have fun like you did in Torchlight + Plants Vs. Zombies.

Whiteblade999

[QUOTE="dakan45"]I always focused in fun and a nice experiance than skill. Thats why i play games with a nice singleplayer compaign that is 5 hours long and easy. I dont care much about difficulity or competition also after playing so many games with repettive freeplay features....i realized there is nothing to learn 100% in the game that is actually worth it. Just have fun, if not then you shouldnt spend your time playing the specific game.Ameer27

Yeah it's the competative nature of MP games that's got your head in shambles. In SP all you have to do is adapt to the AI's programmed tactics which is usually spot-attack-advance-attack-take cover-attack, very predictable, very easy to adapt to. In MP games it's far more complicated, you have multiple enemies all controlled by individuals who have a far greater computing power than a simple cpu can compete with. Unpredictable and also actively adapting. You rarely see someone jump out from behind a crate completely unprotected and unload an entire clip at you, while your behind cover. Basically your mind is saying I have to get better because it's a natural need to be the best, because if your not better...you die, and if you keep losing your brain doesn't get the old "ada boy!" it needs from all that work it's put into it. Whereas if you play single player games you quickly adapt to the AI tactics and kick some butt on an unlimited basis your brain says "Yay me, I'm the best!!", till it gets bored and doesn't care anymore. Especially if you emerse yourself in gameplay constantly, you mind will try to adapt to this "new hostile environment" of your game and you will begin to become detatched from the outside world. Your brain will begin to replace your real world aquired survival techniques with gameplay survival tactics. Because while you may be entirely aware that your playing a game, if you play very eccessively, your brain will begin to believe that this is a new hostile environment that it needs to protect it's self from. Now I'm not saying that is what your problem is, but it could happen. It COULD happen.

cbillings

[QUOTE="cbillings"]

Yeah it's the competative nature of MP games that's got your head in shambles. In SP all you have to do is adapt to the AI's programmed tactics which is usually spot-attack-advance-attack-take cover-attack, very predictable, very easy to adapt to. In MP games it's far more complicated, you have multiple enemies all controlled by individuals who have a far greater computing power than a simple cpu can compete with. Unpredictable and also actively adapting. You rarely see someone jump out from behind a crate completely unprotected and unload an entire clip at you, while your behind cover. Basically your mind is saying I have to get better because it's a natural need to be the best, because if your not better...you die, and if you keep losing your brain doesn't get the old "ada boy!" it needs from all that work it's put into it. Whereas if you play single player games you quickly adapt to the AI tactics and kick some butt on an unlimited basis your brain says "Yay me, I'm the best!!", till it gets bored and doesn't care anymore. Especially if you emerse yourself in gameplay constantly, you mind will try to adapt to this "new hostile environment" of your game and you will begin to become detatched from the outside world. Your brain will begin to replace your real world aquired survival techniques with gameplay survival tactics. Because while you may be entirely aware that your playing a game, if you play very eccessively, your brain will begin to believe that this is a new hostile environment that it needs to protect it's self from. Now I'm not saying that is what your problem is, but it could happen. It COULD happen.

Ameer27

I believe it is entirely possible. The beauty of the brain is it is capable of adapting to a changing environment in order to survive. If the environment that it is exposed to is mostly a hostile MP video game it will begin to believe that is the normal environmental condition it exists in, and make changes accordingly.

I think some people in this thread are talking a bit out of their area of expertise. Personally I find games that require skill to be more fulfilling. I enjoy a good brainless game once in a while though.

Stop playing online for a week or two and try Torchlight + Plants Vs. Zombies. Why those games out of all the others? If you try to be competitive with them it will ruin the games so you either have fun or quit. After finishing one or both of them get into Team Fortress 2, you can try it competitively (I did for a while) but you don't get nearly as much out of the game if you try that instead of just join a server and have fun like you did in Torchlight + Plants Vs. Zombies.

Whiteblade999

Play co-op, and when you do play against real people, play with friends over Skype.

Unfortunately, you'd have to take a break from competitive-by-nature games. 'Cause if you take it easy there, the only thing you're going to do is feel terrible after all the losing.