Are the goals in games bad for people?

[edepot]

Here is something I came across:

http://www.pixelpoppers.com/2009/11/awesome-by-proxy-addicted-to-fake.html

There are some conflicting things in the article, so I'll summarize it here:

Performance games = gaining skill rewards achievement
RPG games= putting in time rewards achievement

People who just like to perform will get bored of RPG games and generally will like quick games that they can show off their achievement. But if they don't master the game, they are usually failures in life because they never put in effort to master it (which requires real skill). RPG players usually puts in time to get to the rewarding stuff, but skill is rarely needed, just time.

People who play RPG's generally have no life outside of video games that is why they enjoy an immersion type of game so they can live another life that is constantly rewarding them (achievement in games vs achievement in life). Because it is easy, all they need to do is put in time.

Of course, there are some games that do reward mastery in skill, but you have to think: Ok, now that I can bop that question mark in time to eat the mushroom and grow big to reach the finish line in record time, how does mastering that skill really help in life? BUT some games are good in that they instill quick reflexes quick thinking which may be helpful in certain situations, and yes they are fun too at provide entertainment at times. Perhaps all games need to put in an educational segment in them so that in order to beat it, you actually have to have learned something that benefits you in real life.

Ok, with that out of the way, I think the consoles should open up to the general developer population (like the iPhone but that one App Store restriction and approval process is a kind of roadblock) and open up to general applications so that they can provide things other than games. With many people addicted to games (similar to being addicted to smoking or drugs), the quickie rewards are artificial and do not reflect real life needs or scenarios. Nor do they provide any real good to the world other than money to a handful of powerful game developers and their studios (and people are complaining about the economy?). In fact it has become a policy of some governments to manipulate location of game studios to direct money flow.

 

[Mize]

People who play RPG's generally have no life outside of video games that is why they enjoy an immersion type of game so they can live another life that is constantly rewarding them (achievement in games vs achievement in life). Because it is easy, all they need to do is put in time.

LMAO. Are you serious? Sure, there are some OCD RPGers, but I know RPG gamers (I'm not one) who have great social lives, go to wine tastings, movies, theatre, etc. with RPGs being simply one of many activities.

 

[Brodda Thep]

Is that what you got out of that article? Odd.

Say you take a person with a performance orientation ("Paul") and a person with a mastery orientation ("Matt"). Give them each an easy puzzle, and they will both do well. Paul will complete it quickly and smile proudly at how well he performed. Matt will complete it quickly and be satisfied that he has mastered the skill involved.

Now give them each a difficult puzzle. Paul will jump in gamely, but it will soon become clear he cannot overcome it as impressively as he did the last one. The opportunity to show off has disappeared, and Paul will lose interest and give up. Matt, on the other hand, when stymied, will push harder. His early failure means there's still something to be learned here, and he will persevere until he does so and solves the puzzle.

Take some of the achievements of Blue Dragon. Many are for reaching level 99. This takes no skill. Just time. (Why no low level achievements?) Many action games might have achievements for getting past a certain level very quickly. While this too is mostly just a matter of time, at least you can say you are a better player at this specific game after achieving it. The same cannot be said of the high level achievements.

Here's a good quote that explains it:

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated failures. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. --- Calvin Coolidge 1872

I imagine many on this board trend towards performance type, simply because everything was so easy for them early in life. (Ie they were really smart.)

 

[NRP]

The first thing that has to happen is to drop the simple-minded stereotypes often used to categorize people. Just because one enjoys games (any game) doesn't mean he/she is an ill-adjusted social pariah.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Here's a good quote that explains it:

I love that quote. I know a lot of very smart very talented people who have gotten nowhere in life and work at dead end jobs...

They also constantly complain about how such-and-such isn't fair and so-and-so job manager/place of business/government/society/etc has it out for them since this or that person with lesser IQ is somehow doing better than them/making more money than them/more successful than them.

Since they are smarter and more talented, it's obviously bias rather than their own lack of persistence/determination/work ethic that dooms them to their dead end jobs... I've gotten tired of trying to point out that one critical personality flaw to them and just humor them now.

Regards,
SB

 

[Shifty Geezer]

May as well ban all casual entertainments while you're at it. TV, movies, music etc. don't make the world a better place. At least with games one develops coordination and thinking skills, which is a hell of lot more than can be said about the other mass-media formats.

If you really feel no human should undertake something without it bettering them as a person, you're probably more in need of finding a monastery or such than trying to change a fun entertainment into some higher-consciousness challenge which no-one wants to do once they get home from work having contributed whatever they have to society (of which a good many occupations can also be said to be useless).