Society/Culture Gaming culture and the future

[Jobe Watson]

I've acknowledged that it may just be the usual fear of change between generations, but my concern is that an emphasis on people being sedentary and leaving their bedrooms less often is a step too far away from natural human behaviour.

You have to remember that for some kids, online video games are an escape from their shitty lives. It's easy to say "go and play with your friends outside", but a lot of kids don't have real life friends... a lot of kids get bullied and ostracised by their classmates. If kids like this can jump on Fortnite and interact with new people and make some "e-friends", isn't that ultimately a good thing?

 

[Mofra]

The side issue may be it could actually lead to a decline in birthrates, which sounds far fetched but actually has precedent.
Japan has a huge issue where reports show teens value online relationships as much if not moreso than physical relationships and 1/3 of teens have no desire to find a partner. I suspect as gaming (and virtual-life online interaction) becomes more popular and becomes a much larger way for people to connect it can start to replace traditional friendships and relationships.

 

[FireKrakouer]

You have to remember that for some kids, online video games are an escape from their shitty lives. It's easy to say "go and play with your friends outside", but a lot of kids don't have real life friends... a lot of kids get bullied and ostracised by their classmates. If kids like this can jump on Fortnite and interact with new people and make some "e-friends", isn't that ultimately a good thing?

I'm not sure. Does it remove the incentive for these kids to learn real social skills and work on themselves? They have to face the real world eventually. An analogy could be that an abundance of online pr0n means a man can be satisfied by that as opposed to finding a meaningful relationship with a significant other. Which most of us would agree is not true.

The side issue may be it could actually lead to a decline in birthrates, which sounds far fetched but actually has precedent.
Japan has a huge issue where reports show teens value online relationships as much if not moreso than physical relationships and 1/3 of teens have no desire to find a partner. I suspect as gaming (and virtual-life online interaction) becomes more popular and becomes a much larger way for people to connect it can start to replace traditional friendships and relationships.

A good point. People have every right to choose not to breed, but I would question the mental health consequences of these attitudes towards avoiding real-life relationships.

 

[Ry009]

Are the issues entirely within gaming though? Like to think it applies to most forms of online social interaction. Don't think the human race has been prepared for the digital age.

Good thread though and some interesting points raised.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

Those people aren't ******* gamers. Fortnite, LoL and those bullshit are e-sports. Honestly shouldn't be lumped in the same category as Resident Evil/God of War etc.

I think this is a good distinction. I play games every day. Maybe 2-3 hours a night. ANy more is just too hard. Red Dead/Bioshock/Borderlands type games, like you mentioned. The characters are good, stories are great. They're well made interactive entertainment.

None of these game demand your attention all night, or have those addictive hooks, that compel you to stop being a human. The streaming culture that's grown around fortnite is something I won't undertsand. Maybe it's an age thing. But some of these kids play these games a lot, and when they're not playing, they watch streams. It's their life, and not a fun end of day part of life that most of us see gaming as.

 

[biggiemediums]

I think this is a good distinction. I play games every day. Maybe 2-3 hours a night. ANy more is just too hard. Red Dead/Bioshock/Borderlands type games, like you mentioned. The characters are good, stories are great. They're well made interactive entertainment.

None of these game demand your attention all night, or have those addictive hooks, that compel you to stop being a human. The streaming culture that's grown around fortnite is something I won't undertsand. Maybe it's an age thing. But some of these kids play these games a lot, and when they're not playing, they watch streams. It's their life, and not a fun end of day part of life that most of us see gaming as.

Absolutely! That's the big difference between Gaming and eSports. One is an interactive medium and one takes hours of dedication in order to basically succeed and out-grow your piers in 'skillz'. I thing age is a big part. I grew up with Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, Fallout, Elder Scrolls. Baldurs Gate, Torment etc. My cousins grew up with LoL, Call Of Duty, Fortnite etc. Difference is night/day.

Ours is a little relaxing escape into a world of fantasy at the end of the day; the other is a job.

 

[FireKrakouer]

I think this is a good distinction. I play games every day. Maybe 2-3 hours a night. ANy more is just too hard. Red Dead/Bioshock/Borderlands type games, like you mentioned. The characters are good, stories are great. They're well made interactive entertainment.

None of these game demand your attention all night, or have those addictive hooks, that compel you to stop being a human. The streaming culture that's grown around fortnite is something I won't undertsand. Maybe it's an age thing. But some of these kids play these games a lot, and when they're not playing, they watch streams. It's their life, and not a fun end of day part of life that most of us see gaming as.

Are these all single player games that you've mentioned?

Perhaps ironically, I find single player to be a healthier option. You can work and socialise during the day, then switch off for a couple of hours with a beautiful storyline to follow at night, similar to reading a book or watching a movie.

Online multiplayer gaming requires intense skill levels, dealing with stress and toxic behaviour, and provides little in the way of storyline etc.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

Are these all single player games that you've mentioned?

Perhaps ironically, I find single player to be a healthier option. You can work and socialise during the day, then switch off for a couple of hours with a beautiful storyline to follow at night, similar to reading a book or watching a movie.

Online multiplayer gaming requires intense skill levels, dealing with stress and toxic behaviour, and provides little in the way of storyline etc.

Yep I agree with you 100%.

Im a mental wreck after AFL games, and I struggle to understand how kids can put themselves through that same ultra competitiveness 10 hours a day.

Plus every time I play a shooter online, I always come across 12 year olds who've had relations with my Mother. Very awkward.

 

[Richard Pryor]

Are these all single player games that you've mentioned?

Perhaps ironically, I find single player to be a healthier option. You can work and socialise during the day, then switch off for a couple of hours with a beautiful storyline to follow at night, similar to reading a book or watching a movie.

Online multiplayer gaming requires intense skill levels, dealing with stress and toxic behaviour, and provides little in the way of storyline etc.

Yeah it's an interesting one. Single player is more similar to reading a book, which is something society has had for centuries.

The issue with multiplayer is that it's a constant permanent social interaction you can get sucked into. Back in the 50's if you wanted to kick the footy around until 2 am you're not going to be able too, so your sleeping patterns and the like are kept pretty in sync with society regardless, but now you can be permanently interacting in a multiplayer game with people from whatever time zone, cutting you off from societies normal scheduling.

 

[ShanDog]

I think this is a good distinction. I play games every day. Maybe 2-3 hours a night. ANy more is just too hard. Red Dead/Bioshock/Borderlands type games, like you mentioned. The characters are good, stories are great. They're well made interactive entertainment.

None of these game demand your attention all night, or have those addictive hooks, that compel you to stop being a human. The streaming culture that's grown around fortnite is something I won't undertsand. Maybe it's an age thing. But some of these kids play these games a lot, and when they're not playing, they watch streams. It's their life, and not a fun end of day part of life that most of us see gaming as.

PM ya Steam name. CSGO 5-man parties FTW

 

[ShanDog]

Are these all single player games that you've mentioned?

Perhaps ironically, I find single player to be a healthier option. You can work and socialise during the day, then switch off for a couple of hours with a beautiful storyline to follow at night, similar to reading a book or watching a movie.

Online multiplayer gaming requires intense skill levels, dealing with stress and toxic behaviour, and provides little in the way of storyline etc.

It's only anecdotal but I think the older a gamer is, the more likely they are to be more interested in single-player or cooperative games rather than outright competitive ones. There's probably a whole heap of developmental and/or evolutionary psychology that would help explain why that is, but without diving into all that stuff, I reckon younger players (males in particular) are driven by competitive instincts and older players are more interested in the experiential side of games.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

PM ya Steam name. CSGO 5-man parties FTW

Console warrior over here.

 

[dumb]

Do we need to be concerned by the popularity of these role models amongst the new generation, or is it just a typical case of the older generations being fearful of change?

I acknowledge that many athletes in the AFL and other sports are not particularly great as role models, and get up to all kinds of trouble. But I would argue that at least when kids try to become like their favorite footy player, they are getting outside and joining footy teams, exercising, and socialising with other people face to face.

I was recently linked to the subreddit "neckbeardnests" when discussing Jordan Peterson's simple "clean up your room" message. This community revolves around pictures of the trashed bedrooms of people suffering from depression or similar.

One thing that stood out to me was that the majority of these bedrooms seemed to feature a PC gaming setup.

people will probably remember gaming disorders gaining some news traction through its adopting by the WHO, though it had been acknowledged earlier in the dsm. there's physical health implications as well, there is no way these people (when 'training') take the typical recommended breaks which are 15 minutes in every hour. DVT through to taking in the amount of energy drinks needed to keep you at your peak for a whole sesh, their circadian rhythms, fitting in with a 9-5 society. in time you'd think they'd realise physical training will help reflexes and lead to longer gaming careers.
like any disorders they can only be diagnosed once the person's life is affected enough to send them to a psychologist but sitting in the basement all night has become somewhat normalised, and who exactly do some of these people have to point them in a healthy direction - only their other gaming addicted mates.

it would be good to see gamers welfare considered in their league setups or however they conduct these things (don't have much of an interest outside of watching dota when it rolls around)

 

[Dixie Normous]

Anyone over 16 years of age that is into teenybopper video game crap needs to get out more. The 'fat nerd that lives with his mother and watches Simpsons/Star Wars all day' is all over these type of dorks

 

[ShanDog]

people will probably remember gaming disorders gaining some news traction through its adopting by the WHO, though it had been acknowledged earlier in the dsm. there's physical health implications as well, there is no way these people (when 'training') take the typical recommended breaks which are 15 minutes in every hour. DVT through to taking in the amount of energy drinks needed to keep you at your peak for a whole sesh, their circadian rhythms, fitting in with a 9-5 society. in time you'd think they'd realise physical training will help reflexes and lead to longer gaming careers.
like any disorders they can only be diagnosed once the person's life is affected enough to send them to a psychologist but sitting in the basement all night has become somewhat normalised, and who exactly do some of these people have to point them in a healthy direction - only their other gaming addicted mates.

it would be good to see gamers welfare considered in their league setups or however they conduct these things (don't have much of an interest outside of watching dota when it rolls around)

At the professional level they are pretty aware of the health and safety requirements. Many, if not most pro gamers will have an exercise regime they stick to. The guys who aren't pro but stream full-time for entertainment aren't necessarily the same.

 

[Ry009]

Can we all agree though that Fortnite is a POS?

 

[ShanDog]

Can we all agree though that Fortnite is a POS?

I visited some family in Melbourne over Christmas and my teenage cousin was playing it for hours on Christmas day... Really didn't seem that interesting to me. Prefer PUBG because it isn't quite so cartoonish.

 

[Scotland]

Fortnite is popular because it's popular. That's how things go these days. Hype builds hype and if 10m people are playing one game you don't want to be one of the 7 playing another game that is way better.

 

[FireKrakouer]

Fortnite is popular because it's popular. That's how things go these days. Hype builds hype and if 10m people are playing one game you don't want to be one of the 7 playing another game that is way better.

Similar to pop music. It's far from being the "best" music out, it's just the most heavily promoted. The sheep have their tastes dictated to them.

 

[Scotland]

Similar to pop music. It's far from being the "best" music out, it's just the most heavily promoted. The sheep have their tastes dictated to them.

Music has always been like that. Record labels and commercial stations have been pushing product longer than I've been around.

Back in 1993 the radio played Ace of Base over and over and told you it was great and hoped you would buy the album from the local Brashs and thus get it into the charts. And if you didn't buy it they'd just play it more until you did.

Now Taylor Swift releases a song and within an hour it's got 10m Youtube views and Spotify plays, and makes its way into charts/rankings somewhat organically. And then people listen and watch because it's at the top of the list and it grows and grows and they make money from streams and advertising revenues.

I'm not into online gaming and multiplayer stuff like Fortnite or Warcraft or whatever but as good as any game is you don't develop it, ship it then put your feet up and count how many copies you sell any more. When I blow the dust out of Goldeneye 007 it's the same game it was 20+ years ago. Now games evolve and expand and having a large number of people playing is vital. It's an arms race really. Instead of having 10m people playing 100 games you have the same number of people whittling down into a smaller and smaller number of games that get bigger.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

The shame of this fortnite stuff is that the economics probably won't support many of the Red Dead Redemption/Bioshock type masterpiece games for much longer.

 

[FireKrakouer]

The shame of this fortnite stuff is that the economics probably won't support many of the Red Dead Redemption/Bioshock type masterpiece games for much longer.

This. Strangely, Fortnite is free to download and play. They made their mega millions because teenagers bought optional add ons like skins for their character. A gambling technique that worked ridiculously well for the producers.

I'd rather fork out upfront for a work of art like RDR2, Far Cry 5 or The Last of Us.

 

[Scallop Industry Thug]

This. Strangely, Fortnite is free to download and play. They made their mega millions because teenagers bought optional add ons like skins for their character. A gambling technique that worked ridiculously well for the producers.

I'd rather fork out upfront for a work of art like RDR2, Far Cry 5 or The Last of Us.

You and I would, but so much money is going to games as services. Rockstar have basically acknowledged they won't do single player DLC anymore because the online components are money spinners.

Will we ever seen another RDR? It's probably 8+ years away, and the industry might be completely swallowed up with the Fortnite model by then.

 

[its free real estate]

Not a regular gamer but that recent Spider-Man game on consoles was pretty sweet. No idea about it's culture, never been particularly interested in multiplayer games.

 

[Jobe Watson]

The shame of this fortnite stuff is that the economics probably won't support many of the Red Dead Redemption/Bioshock type masterpiece games for much longer.

Fortnite is a once in a generation phenomenon. We won't see anything like it for quite a while.

When I was a kid it was Pokemon... if you weren't trading cards at lunch and playing Silver on your Gameboy at home then you were a loser. Nowadays, if you aren't putting up 10 kill games in Fortnite every night and posting your clips to YouTube then you're considered a loser. It's the perfect combination of being a game that is marketed towards kids but still enjoyable for adults, being free to download, having purchasable in-game items that users just can't get enough of, and piggybacking off of the rise in popularity of streaming and e-sports competitions to boost its brand awareness.

The gaming industry is only getting bigger. There's still room for immersive single player experiences - Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most hyped games at the moment. We just need all the old codgers who thinking gaming is just for kids to die off, and then gamers can truly rise up.