This just in: video games are all about INSTANT GRATIFICATION.

I was arguing with some guy in another topic about how PC gamers boast about how their games aren't all about instant gratification, when the hobby itself contradicts said statement. He went on to say that Dark Souls wasn't at all about instant gratification. I wrote:

I don't get why gamers here have a constant need to defend their hobby. Like when the gamers made some discovery about AIDs, they all took so much pride in actually having something to boast about for once... even though it wasn't actually them doing anything, but I disgress.

I have said many times before that Demon's Souls is my favorite game of all time (I have to wait till Christmas this year to get Dark Souls), but even I can admit that your statement is just silly. Something that goes outside of instant gratification would be like becoming a doctor. You have to put up with losing thousands of dollars and putting a great deal of hours into it and even after you become one for it to pay off.

But I want to really know if other people believe that video games are as deep as this person claims, or if you guys can actually admit that your hobby isn't as deep as as delusional gamers would have you believe.

Personally, i think gaming can be as deep as you want, are you looking for a quick and fun time with friends, you could pick Super Street Fighter 4 and have a blast, you want to learn to properly play the game and being competitive, then you could pick Super Street Fighter 4 too and actually learn to play it.

You sure love talking about us PC gamers :oops:

There are people in our world that play video games professionally for millions a year, and game's with incredible complex control schemes and well constructed storylines and lengthy campaigns through sprawling levels and locations with hidden gems just waiting to be found.

So no, games aren't all about "instant gratification." There is a large audience that craves complex and intensive experiences, and a large market full of such games. Gaming would only be like you said if every game played just like CoD.

So what would you call MMOs?

No they are not and that's a matter of fact, simply because games, aswell as gamers are incredibly varied.

well ace combat assault horizon has essentially proven how to make a moderately skilled game into a no skill qte fest with massive amounts of spam b button for missiles while the plane flys a little mosey down a nicely scripted event.

i hate this gen more and more and why do people want games like films ;(

Games are about having fun, not instant gratification.

I enjoy any game that's made well.

A game like Fallout 3 is not about instant gratification, but a game like Katamari Damacy is. Depends on the type of game.

So what would you call MMOs?

GD1551

Congrats TC you managed to makee people across all gaming platforms facepalm in unity at that statement.

The reason to play games are as diverse as there are people, competition and escapism are just as valid as instant gratification. The narrowmindedness and lack of human understanding in the notion that all games are about instant gratification is astounding.

Just noting that the 10+ years of video games study would contradict you TC, I can almost hear all the devs in the world choking on thier coffee right now.

We've had games that help cancer patients, teach emergency personnel (i.e. police officers, firefighters, F.B.I. agents, paramedics, etc.) to do their jobs well, teach about history or current events in society, etc., so DON'T tell me that games are only about fun.

http://gamesforchange.com/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_game

Games are about having fun, not instant gratification.

mmmwksil

Congrats TC you managed to make people across all gaming platforms facepalm in unity at that statement.

The reason to play games are as diverse as there are people, competition and escapism are just as valid as instant gratification. The narrow mindedness and lack of human understanding in the notion that all games are about instant gratification is astounding.

Just noting that the 10+ years of video games study would contradict you TC, I can almost hear all the devs in the world choking on thier coffee right now.

Maddie_Larkin

Exactly , well said.

That's what i was thinking, but i couldn't put it in words.

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

Games are about having fun, not instant gratification.

i5750at4Ghz

Gratification is fulfillment of a goal, and thus resulting happiness. Fun is pleasure and enjoyment. While the two may overlap at times, they are not the same thing.

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

So what would you call MMOs?

LoG-Sacrament

The thing is though to get that new gear you need to invest hours as you said. It's not really instant gratification...

It depends on the type of game. In an RPG I invest time in it, uts characters and its world. In BF3 I just want to go in and play. Simple as that. You can't just label everything under the same heading. For anything not just games

games that are instant gratification usually involve no brain activity and therefore bore me to death....so for me, not it isnt about that, it's about a challenge

[QUOTE="LoG-Sacrament"][QUOTE="GD1551"]

So what would you call MMOs?

GD1551

The thing is though to get that new gear you need to invest hours as you said. It's not really instant gratification...

[QUOTE="GD1551"]

[QUOTE="LoG-Sacrament"] i think the MMO genre has one of the higher concentrations of instant gratification designs. so many are built to keep dangling meaningless carrots (level up, new gear +1, and that sort of thing) for hundreds and hundreds of hours. im not condemning the whole genre or its potential, but there are a lot of designs built around instant gratification. LoG-Sacrament

The thing is though to get that new gear you need to invest hours as you said. It's not really instant gratification...

As with anything, it comes down to the game involved. Casual themeparks like WoW are built very much along the lines of instant gratification. More hardcore themeparks or sandbox mmos are in no shape or form built around instant gratification. To earn the rewards you want, you may sometimes have to prepare hours for the event beforehand.

[QUOTE="LoG-Sacrament"][QUOTE="GD1551"]

The thing is though to get that new gear you need to invest hours as you said. It's not really instant gratification...

Maroxad

As with anything, it comes down to the game involved. Casual themeparks like WoW are built very much along the lines of instant gratification. More hardcore themeparks or sandbox mmos are in no shape or form built around instant gratification. To earn the rewards you want, you may sometimes have to prepare hours for the event beforehand.

Im pretty competitive person ( in good way always ) in real life so i like being competitive in games also ( the ones have this attribute )

I wanted to be very good on WoW PVP

I wanted to have perfect items and pown on PVP in Diablo 2

Im playing League of Legends in a competitive way not just fun

I was playing Counter Striker 1.5 in many national tours and many other examples i can think ..

The thing is that all these games i see as competitive someone can see them as plain fun. Just do some bosses run in Diablo 2 , do some pvp and no raids in WoW and have fun , play counter strike in random servers to have some headshots and have fun , play League of legends with friends etc etc...

So yeah , many PC games offers this "PROFESSIONAL " or " COMPETITIVE" option for you that really making them very deep in order to master them and many need great cooperation also.So all in all its up to you and what you want.

Its not just luck the fact that the biggest and most well known E-sports ( video gaming tournaments) are around PC gaming mostly with MILLIONS $$ to the winners per year ( 90% ).

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"][QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

Games are about having fun, not instant gratification.

mmmwksil

Gratification is fulfillment of a goal, and thus resulting happiness. Fun is pleasure and enjoyment. While the two may overlap at times, they are not the same thing.

If a game isn't doing this instantly for you, why even play it?

A game doesn't have to be difficult to give a gamer instant gratification, just has to be fun.

Today they seem to be, just look at what sells--COD, the epitome of instant gratification.

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"] How exactly are they not the same thing? If you are having fun with a game you are being instantly gratified.i5750at4Ghz

Gratification is fulfillment of a goal, and thus resulting happiness. Fun is pleasure and enjoyment. While the two may overlap at times, they are not the same thing.

If a game isn't doing this instantly for you, why even play it?

A game doesn't have to be difficult to give a gamer instant gratification, just has to be fun.

My point exactly. Fun is what's important; that in turn may or may not lead to gratification, instant or no.

There are people in our world that play video games professionally for millions a year, and game's with incredible complex control schemes and well constructed storylines and lengthy campaigns through sprawling levels and locations with hidden gems just waiting to be found.

So no, games aren't all about "instant gratification." There is a large audience that craves complex and intensive experiences, and a large market full of such games. Gaming would only be like you said if every game played just like CoD.

Today they seem to be, just look at what sells--COD, the epitome of instant gratification.

Heirren

I was going ot say this as well. It depends on what kind of games people play. If they want a mindless run around and shoot at everything I see and be rewarded for every isngle thing they do like in CoD, I could see that as being about instant gratification.

Dark Souls, however, does not provide gratification instantly, it makes you work for it, and when it get it, it is AMAZING

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"] How exactly are they not the same thing? If you are having fun with a game you are being instantly gratified.i5750at4Ghz

Gratification is fulfillment of a goal, and thus resulting happiness. Fun is pleasure and enjoyment. While the two may overlap at times, they are not the same thing.

If a game isn't doing this instantly for you, why even play it?

A game doesn't have to be difficult to give a gamer instant gratification, just has to be fun.

If reading a book isn't instantly fun why read it?

If watching a movie isn't instantly fun why watch it?

I would say a solid portion of the fun you derive from any game comes from the overall experience beginning to end, not just it's immediate fun factor. For example I wouldn't nearly have enjoyed a game like Bastion as much as I did if I hadn't played through the whole game, seen all of it's varied levels and encounters, and fully appreciated it's soundtrack and story.

[QUOTE="i5750at4Ghz"]

[QUOTE="mmmwksil"]

Gratification is fulfillment of a goal, and thus resulting happiness. Fun is pleasure and enjoyment. While the two may overlap at times, they are not the same thing.

Vaasman

If a game isn't doing this instantly for you, why even play it?

A game doesn't have to be difficult to give a gamer instant gratification, just has to be fun.

If reading a book isn't instantly fun why read it?

If watching a movie isn't instantly fun why watch it?

I would say a solid portion of the fun you derive from any game comes from the overall experience beginning to end, not just it's immediate fun factor. For example I wouldn't nearly have enjoyed a game like Bastion as much as I did if I hadn't played through the whole game, seen all of it's varied levels and encounters, and fully appreciated it's soundtrack and story.

Games are about Instant Gratification?

Gratification: Yes.

Always instant: No.

I don't understand why people do things they don't enjoy. A book has a chapter if not I'm done with it. A movie has 10 minutes, and a game has a level. With as much content as there is in the world is would be foolish to waste time on something that isn't instantly gratifying, or at least very close to that.i5750at4Ghz

To put it simply there are many types of gratification that "Feel" better than instant gratification. The problem with instant gratification is that it looses it's "High" rather quickly as it's there with little to no work involved.

Why do rich people seem oblivious to the fact that they have life made? A poor person would kill for that kind of money, but as it's the rich persons way of life they derive little to no real enjoyment from "Being rich" It's just the way things are for most of them. If a Poor person became rich with no effort on their behalf the "Joy" would be short lived compared to if those riches had been earned through hard work.

The human mind thrives on "Fun" almost like a drug, and like any drug if induldged in far too often it will start to loose it's effects. With instant gratification you don't really have any way to "Up" your dosage of fun as it's all handed to you right away. Starting a new game with the best gun that can kill everything in the area with one shot would be fun...for the one time you use the weapon and then it would be meaningless. Earning a great weapon near the end of a hard game, now that has some lasting power including the enjoyment you garnered through working towards a acheivable goal.

Games like Dark Souls aren't just popular because they are "Hard" they are popular becuase the rewards feel that much better when you worked hard for them.

Instant gratification has it's uses, but it should be used extremly sparingly in video games to avoid your consumers from loosing interest, MMO's in particular need to avoid such sand-traps as giving into player demand to make things "Easier" just for the sake of being easier. The leveling up, perk systems, new weapons, harder stages, unlockable items all stem from the basic knowledge that we crave some sort of "Challenge" or goal when we choose our entertainment media. The rewards are not the only thing people enjoy, it's the journey as well.

You could always argue the journey is good because of the destination, and that would make everything in this world instant gratification. I.e. that would make your point pointless.
Sometimes time, effort, or even pain is necessary to feel gratification (like with some sports). Demon Souls is a pretty good example of such a game.

[QUOTE="Heirren"]

Today they seem to be, just look at what sells--COD, the epitome of instant gratification.

BPoole96

I was going ot say this as well. It depends on what kind of games people play. If they want a mindless run around and shoot at everything I see and be rewarded for every isngle thing they do like in CoD, I could see that as being about instant gratification.

Dark Souls, however, does not provide gratification instantly, it makes you work for it, and when it get it, it is AMAZING

I haven't bought DS just yet. I'm sure it is great, though underserving of its score. Yes, I'm saying that without even playing it, but imo the best games are the ones that are easy to pick up but hard to master. You can play Super Mario Bros, or you can PLAY SMB. How's the curve(learning/difficulty) of Dark Souls?

Clearly you haven't played a strategy game.

Clearly you haven't played a strategy game.

Wasdie

Something like Civilization is pretty monotonous in the beginning, it slowly builds towards those gratifying moments like finishing a wonder or conquering an enemy city. The same is true for many strategy games I think.

Not all entertainment has to be about instant gratification, for e.g. horror thrives on building up the suspense, even many songs start slow, paving the way for a catchy chorus. You need the contrast or it can become numbing.

[QUOTE="BPoole96"]

[QUOTE="Heirren"]

Today they seem to be, just look at what sells--COD, the epitome of instant gratification.

Heirren

I was going ot say this as well. It depends on what kind of games people play. If they want a mindless run around and shoot at everything I see and be rewarded for every isngle thing they do like in CoD, I could see that as being about instant gratification.

Dark Souls, however, does not provide gratification instantly, it makes you work for it, and when it get it, it is AMAZING

I haven't bought DS just yet. I'm sure it is great, though underserving of its score. Yes, I'm saying that without even playing it, but imo the best games are the ones that are easy to pick up but hard to master. You can play Super Mario Bros, or you can PLAY SMB. How's the curve(learning/difficulty) of Dark Souls?

Well if you have played Demon's Souls you will get the swing of things pretty quickly. I played a ton of Demon's Souls so although it was difficult, I learned quickly from my mistakes. FOr a new player I think they would definitely place it in one of the hardest games they have ever played

No I don't think they are. There are plenty of games that don't follow that mold at all...

I have a psychology background, and honestly, video games are just delivery systems for superordinate goals... little mini-goals that have little bearing on your life, but make you feel good about accomplishing. donalbane

That is a rather large assumption and in no way accurate. It could be under certain circumstances, but like I said it is a very large assumption.

[QUOTE="donalbane"]I have a psychology background, and honestly, video games are just delivery systems for superordinate goals... little mini-goals that have little bearing on your life, but make you feel good about accomplishing. Heirren

That is a rather large assumption and in no way accurate. It could be under certain circumstances, but like I said it is a very large assumption.

Clearly you haven't played a strategy game.

I been gaming over 25 years so let me get this straight. My 25 years was all an instant? I do not think so.