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| Thread: Is gaming a waste of time? |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 3 · «PREV |
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1910
Known Hero
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posted November 24, 2010 07:35 AM |
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Edited by 1910 at 07:36, 24 Nov 2010.
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It doesn't cost anything to just step off the computer and go outside. Even if it's for only 5 minutes, that 5 minutes is better spent outside which is healthier for you than 5 minutes, 10 minutes or even hours on the computer.
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Binabik
Responsible
Legendary Hero
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posted November 24, 2010 08:19 AM |
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Quote:
Bicycle across Europe eating what?
Stay at home and not bicycle across Europe eating what? You have to eat anyway. Bicycling uses a lot of energy so you would probably eat more, but you mostly need more carbs & starch which is cheap food like pasta, grains, rice, potatoes.
Hitch-hike instead. I hitch-hiked over 10,000 miles before I was 18. I went for over 5 weeks and only spent $35 - ok, adjusted for inflation it was around $130-140. Hitch-hiking is cheap.
That was before computers were invented when people actually went out and did things.
The point is that there's a whole world out there away from the computer. There's nothing really wrong with the computer, but is playing games something to collect memories? Will you sit your grand children down and tell them stories about playing computer games? Reading books is good, and even watching TV is OK, but you need some bigger things mixed in with the average every day stuff. It doesn't have to be expensive. Use your imagination and be spontaneous.
Just do it.
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JollyJoker
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
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posted November 24, 2010 08:50 AM |
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I hitch-hiked a lot, too, when I was young; I started with 14, slept in barns and youth hostels - but that was a completely different time, and you would see hitch-hikers all over the place.
Today that has changed for a lot of reasons, and I wouldn't advise it anymore, not in Europe. Even then it wasn't without risks.
In Europe at least, a rail ticket has been a viable alternative. An Interrail ticket was ONCE quite affordable, allowing travel through most of Europe via train. I considered such a thing through Scandinavia some years ago - but prices have gone up so much it's not easily doable anymore for youths and students.
A friend of mine used to work half a year, then journey through Asia the other half. Of course he made some money on the side with not strictly legal activities in his half year at home, and since things in Asia used to be rather cheap compared with German prices, after buying the plane tickets he wouldn't need that much money.
However, the thing is, we had no PC then. To do something like that... I mean, if you have the world - no, a lot of worlds, actually - in your silver screen, and if you are used to virtual adventure, real life adventuring looks quite small from one end and quite big from the other, so, well...
The times, they are a-changing, aren't they?
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Doomforge
Admirable
Undefeatable Hero
Retired Hero
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posted November 24, 2010 11:44 AM |
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Yeah.
Having a job... you know, your average from-9-to-5... Means you don't have time for adventure. And tell me work doesn't kill initiative  Getting a job that's more "free" ie. doesn't require you to sit at the same bureau every day doing the same stuff over and over again, hence allowing some sort of activity (well, more than the sitting job does) is hard to get, rare and "most wanted". Everybody wants to work like that! Maybe that's the reason nearly nobody does 
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Shares
Supreme Hero
I am. Thusly I am.
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posted November 24, 2010 12:57 PM |
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All games develop a certain way of thinking, wether it's an endless loop or not doesn't really matter. For example Starcraft will not just improve your Starcraft skill. It will make you better at multitasking, keeping a lot of different facts in your head at the same times (he got those units, those bases and I've seen that he has those building) and then drawing conclusions with those facts (then I should get some of those units and go to that base so that I can then attack there) and so on. Playing an RTS will pretty much develop the same things playing chess will, though not as much, as well as improving multitasking and taking quick decisions.
Playing CIV is more like chess and will improve the same skills(tactics, making decisions, priorities etc).
Games will also improve your ability to handle a mouse and keyboard better and thus might improve your work effort if these things are important for your job. I for example do a lot of 3d modeling and wouldn't have the same precision that I do if I'd never played any games.
And there's TONS of things that I didn't mention here!
So in short; most computer games develop a LOT of skills, though there's plenty of hobbies that can develop certain skills faster there's not that many hobbies that can develop as many.
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JoonasTo
Responsible
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What if Elvin was female?
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posted November 24, 2010 01:38 PM |
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That all depends on how you take gaming. If you're serious then sure.
But if you're a casual gamer like me. Then you won't get any skills out of it. Except English of course, that's the only real benefit from games if you pay attention to the story and the like.
As to what comes to the traveling around bit, I'd like to see anyone in the modern world do that. You need way too much money. I know I've considered it and done some calculations. Say you work for a year then you can go on traveling for a month, two or three if you do it in asia or america.
But what about after you come home? You have no money, no home, no job and you won't get any unemployment benefits. In other words, you're snowed. Especially true for young people. If you're 40 and have had the same job for 20 years then I'm pretty sure your boss will let you take three months off but for someone around 20 there's no way that'd be possible.
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Doomforge
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posted November 24, 2010 01:55 PM |
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I'm great at RTSes and completely pathetic at "real life" multitasking so I don't agree with you, Shares.
Imho, SC and games alike give you "RTS multitasking" skill that's useless outside RTS games.
Most professional gamers go for a cookie cutter strategy with absolutely no thinking behind it, so I also disagree that it promotes creativity and logical countering. In fact, experimenting will only net you loses at high level of play. Want to win? Stick to what works. Sad truth.
Joonas, you don't have to have a boss. What's with all that submissive employee attitude
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JoonasTo
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Undefeatable Hero
What if Elvin was female?
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posted November 24, 2010 02:40 PM |
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I'd like to see you make your own company when you're 20. Oh wait, that's already past.
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Doomforge
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posted November 24, 2010 02:59 PM |
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Who said anything about a company either? There are other options.
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Shares
Supreme Hero
I am. Thusly I am.
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posted November 24, 2010 03:16 PM |
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Quote:
I'm great at RTSes and completely pathetic at "real life" multitasking so I don't agree with you, Shares.
Imho, SC and games alike give you "RTS multitasking" skill that's useless outside RTS games.
But surely you can multitask inside the computer? Like having several browser tabs?
But you're right about creativity on a professional level, like in most hobbies, since there's one, or a few, way that IS the best. I was mostly refering to games in general(though I play a lot of alternative genres, so I shouldn't be talking about "games in general").
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JoonasTo
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
What if Elvin was female?
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posted November 24, 2010 03:22 PM |
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Quote:
Who said anything about a company either? There are other options.
Like?
Freelancing is the only that comes to mind and that's very specific workareas and very snowty in terms of money/effort.
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Doomforge
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posted November 24, 2010 03:23 PM |
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Well yeah I but that really doesn't improve after I play an RTS
I still like loop games, actually. Because I love the idea of my char getting stronger. It's like an epic journey. Once it starts, you don't want it to stop.
But I have no illusion: it's a waste of time
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Shares
Supreme Hero
I am. Thusly I am.
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posted November 24, 2010 03:53 PM |
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Well, yeah. That's the point. Just saying that it does improve you, even though that is not the goal.
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xerox
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Undefeatable Hero
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posted November 24, 2010 04:44 PM |
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Quote:
Most professional gamers go for a cookie cutter strategy with absolutely no thinking behind it
Say that to the professional Starcraft Korean players 
but it also depends on the game, like Sc2 is based around countering different units so you constantly have to change tactic
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JoonasTo
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
What if Elvin was female?
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posted November 24, 2010 04:51 PM |
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No you don't.
RTSes aren't played by thinking:
"He's doing that, what could be a good counter?"
They're played by remembering thinds by rote:
"He's doing that. I do this."
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Doomforge
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posted November 24, 2010 07:38 PM |
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Quote:
No you don't.
RTSes aren't played by thinking:
"He's doing that, what could be a good counter?"
They're played by remembering thinds by rote:
"He's doing that. I do this."
What's more.
After a while, in every RTS faction X goes exactly for XYZ units and faction Y MUST counter by ZYX units or lose.
There's no room for innovation at all.
See warcraft III's orc vs night elf matchup.
NE goes for mass talons, DH Beastmaster and Tinker. Orc goes for Blade Master, TaurenChief, Grunts and raiders in mass.
Every game. Every time.
Why?
Because that's the most efficient way of playing this matchup.
There is absolutely no thinking behind that.
Quote:
Freelancing is the only that comes to mind and that's very specific workareas and very snowty in terms of money/effort.
I beg to differ.
It's a million times better option than full time job provided you are good at something.
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