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Why We Game: A Celebration of Our Favorite Hobby

Keep it positive, San Diego.

There's no logical explanation for my gaming.  I game for no single reason.  I simply game because I've always gamed, from fiddling around with the TI-99 to playing puzzle games on my iPad.  I game therefore I am. 

Some people wonder if games like Gone Home or Journey are art.  Personally, I find Yar's Revenge on Atari is art.  But what is art?  The German philosophers claimed it was "Beauty and Truth".  Well, I find both in games.  Others might not, but as Arthur C. Clarke basically said, beauty is subjective; and if it was universal, it would be meaningless.  The key is the personal relationship we have with art, or in this case, games. 

Sure, I enjoy novels and movies and music.  But games react to me, in real time, and this is the key to what I think games will ultimately become.  This is the dream and nightmare of artists everywhere: creating art that reacts and lives, that moves when you push it, and sometimes pushes back. 

To me, games are the most exciting art form of the present day, even if they are only in their infancy.  And for me, a self-declared high art snob who listens to opera and enjoys Kubrick more than Captain Crunch Berries, this is saying a lot. 

But that's not the only reason I play games.  Like I said, I play them because I've always played them. 

And I always will. 

--Matt Snee

Out of all the people here I'm the one who should have put videogames away years ago. In fact many people probably think that I should never have started at all. 

My first experience with games outside of arcade cabinets in bars was on the Commodore 64 playing such classics as The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy text adventure and Temple of Apshai. At the time I was in my late 20's. When I bought my NES I was in my 30's.

Growing up there weren't any videogames but like a good nerd I was into super heroes, sci-fi and fantasy. That's why I mainly play RPGs. I love the stories and the fantasy worlds. I also love the atmosphere of a good scary world like the one in Silent Hill 2 or 3.

Why does a 60 year old still play videogames? Why should I stop? I still read and watch sci-fi, fantasy and horror and nobody finds that weird. Games give me worlds I can participate in and puzzles to keep my mind sharp. I don't see myself stopping any time soon.

--mothman

There's just something satisfying about having a controller in my hands. More than any other medium, video games make me feel like I'm "doing something," probably because they provide a personal goal for me. 

--SuperStep

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Comments

Super Step Contributing Writer

02/15/2015 at 01:35 AM

Sense of adventure seems to be the common theme here and I would have to say that's a big part of the reason I game as well. That plus Casey's point about actually having hard work and determination pay off (having spent a year in the "real" world after college before coming back, I know exactly where he's coming from) is what I mean when I say games make me feel like I'm "doing something."

Now if only I'd put it as eloquently as other people. lol Great article!

Matt Snee Staff Writer

02/15/2015 at 05:23 AM

great job guys!

Michael117

02/15/2015 at 05:14 PM

Page 4 is the sexiest page. I'm on it with Julian and we totally own it.

I'm glad this feature finally came out, it turned out really great. There were more contributers than I thought, and a lot of interesting perspectives.

Julian Titus Senior Editor

02/16/2015 at 01:02 AM

I put you on the same page with me on purpose. It just felt right, since we go so far back with our blogging. Cool

The Last Ninja

02/15/2015 at 11:41 PM

Everybody makes very valid points. Awesome article! It's great to be able to include everyone. Pixlbit should do stuff like this more often.

Julian Titus Senior Editor

02/16/2015 at 01:02 AM

I would love for us to do more of this. Sorry it took so long to get it published!

Ranger1

02/16/2015 at 02:43 PM

Great job putting this together, Julian. I shared on FB, hoping some of my non-gaming older friends might read it and give them a better understanding of those of us who do game. No response from any of them, though.

Coolsetzer

02/17/2015 at 12:34 AM

Well this is certainly a pleasant surprise. I had forgotten about this. It's great to see my submission on here. Not to mention all the other great replies. Smile

SanAndreas

02/17/2015 at 08:51 PM

I forgot I contributed something to this.

mothman

02/18/2015 at 08:49 AM

Excellent Julian, Excellent.

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