Comments on: Video Games vs. Other Forms of Leisure

by: ninja.s

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:21:25 +0000

I totally agree with most of the post. But I don’t like multiplayer games as much as most. I don’t have a lot of friends.

by: Watch Free Anime Episodes

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 09:26:22 +0000

I don’t know if Guitar Hero and playing guitar are perfect substitutes. There’s so much more skill involved in playing a guitar AND practicing SUCKS. Playing a guitar is fun, but to be able to do it, you need to log hours and hours of time doing scales. And it hurts your hand more.

by: Gary

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:24:52 +0000

One from me and Tosh:

Tekken, Virtua Fighter etc compared to real life Martial Arts training.

I love MA training and nothing can replicate the buzz you get from pulling of a submission or doing a technique that you’ve struggled with for months, or the buzz from sparring.

Obviously playing Tekken or Virtua Fighter etc present less of a risk from injuries (apart from repetitive strain injuries), but despite my wrecked body, I wouldn’t give up my training for anything.

I don’t class Martial Arts training as a “leisure activity’ though.

by: SL33PY

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:44:58 +0000

As to the narative part, I think CoD4 fits in there perfectly. Instead of a good book I’ll take CoD4 (Single Player) any day. I don’t think that GTA really fits the category. Agreed there is a singular storyline, but there is so much other trivial stuff that interferes with the general storyline that some of the depth, the loosing yourself in the story, gets lost. Which is absolutely not the case with CoD4

by: Burten

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:56:04 +0000

Purist got a good point. Paintball is a a good parallell to games like COD4.
Just more fun

by: Darrin

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 04:39:22 +0000

Segitz, darts won’t completely disappear, but I think that video games compete for the same leisure hours. They definitely both have their pros and cons and they aren’t exclusive (many do both), but in general, games like Counterstrike fill the same need for social casual leisure that darts and shooting pool do.

Francois, board games have been replaced by video games a long time ago. There are still groups that play them, but they used to be far more popular.

I also agree regarding books: I have given up on enjoying novels as well. I like books and I like fiction in non-book form (movies, tv, games), and I’ve tried many times to get into novels, but I’ve given up.

by: François

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 04:01:01 +0000

I think video games offer an unfair competition to more traditional individual leisure because it immerses the player through the use of images sound and interactivity. Something that a book or a movie can`t completely do. I no longer read novel, I only read about essais about politics, wars, environment…something video games can`t do yet.

In term of social leisure, board games (from settlers of catan to taboo) are more accessible than video games and provide more fun, in my opinion. You also have to look at other player and chat instead staring at a screen.

by: Purist

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 03:38:17 +0000

You forgot paintball as it compares to COD4. Of course it’s more expensive and painful.

by: Segitz

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:33:54 +0000

Well, I used to play the piano (on a VERY VERY amature scale^^) and enjoyed GH1 on my PS2.

For me, gaming can never substitute “real life” activity. I mean, going out to play Darts or Snooker just can’t be exchanged with doing it online on a console. There’s much more to going out. You can meet people coincidentally, you order a beer or ten, you eat a burger… You sit down and talk, the game of Snooker itself is just secondary. The main theme in going out is meeting people (for me) and this cannot be substituted by a console.

And exercise^^ Come on^^ Ok, I do come from a different league (I used to do martial arts, till my doctor said I can’t anymore, then I switched to “small scale” body building and cycling). The stuff you do in Eye Toy Kinetic you do it for fun, not for exercise (well, to me exercise IS fun^^).