Sunday Thoughts: Why Games?

Why do we play games? Honestly, what’s the point? Everyone has their own reason for playing games; whether it’s to pass the time, to socialise online with some friends, because they want a challenge, to take their mind off things or simply because they have nothing else to do. Me? I play games because I like a challenge, they are fun, I like passing time, I love living in a fantasy world where everything is wonderful and compelling and, of course, I play games so that I can write about them on the internet.

Take Fallout for example; why do I play Fallout? It’s because I could actually live in the Wasteland and I love trying to survive against all the odds. It also passes a lot of time, so I’m getting over a hundred hours of entertainment for what I’ve paid. The story is immersive and compelling enough to trick my mind into having a lot of fun. That’s what games do, they immerse us so we enjoy the adventure as if we are part of it. That’s why we play games, right?

I could literally just stop writing here and I’d have a good theory as to why we play games, but that’s not it all, is it? Everyone is different and every type of gamer plays their game of choice for a reason. How about Rock Band? I play that (sometimes for too long) because it’s a good challenge and I like the music included. It’s also a huge laugh for when you have a few friends round. Beer and Rock Band seem to mix very well and we have a lot of fun.

Well, there’s a few examples of games that I play and why I play them. But we still haven’t got to the reason for playing games in general. What’s so good about games in general that I can buy any game that appeals to me and just sit down and play it? What actually makes me want to play them other than the fact that I think “That looks awesome, I’ll have to buy it!”? Well, before we get there, here’s another few examples of games I play and why:

I play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time every year. Why? Because it was one of the main games I played as a child and the nostalgia hits me like a bucket of cold water every time I play it. I love that feeling, I love that game. It’s also just a great game that I never get bored of, every dungeon is always as fun as the first time that I played it. I could write about sixty articles on, but we’ll save that for another day.

That brings me to another reason. I write for TSA, which means I get games to review and sometimes have to push myself through a game just to write a thousand words on it. I’ll write about games that I like and haven’t been allocated a review copy for. Why? Because I like writing and because I like games, it’s nice to get some thoughts out and I doubt you’d be reading this right now if I didn’t enjoy it. It passes the time, it’s fun and it’s a good challenge.

Still no idea what I’m getting at? Games are fun. I’ve mentioned fun every time I’ve talked about playing games and why I do so. It’s the simplest reason ever, yet the one that makes the most sense. Everything about the games can link back to having fun. Even if we’re frustrated, losing or just not getting it, we’re still probably having fun. Even if I’m not having fun whilst playing a game, I can go and write an article about how bad it is, then I’ll get some fun out of writing it.

So, why do you play games? I bet it’s because they’re fun.