I have 'video gamed' since the mid 70's and loved it.
But I really didn't see anything in there as being a 'hobby', meaning one game. Video gaming itself is a hobby, but I didn't find one particular game that I saw as 'long term', very long term.
I started to see that possiblilty with OFP, but couldn't get others to change over from the wargaming we were playing, so I didn't pursue it. Just dabbled in there on my own. It was because of the 'Editor', I have never played a campaign from the series. It was that editor that held the key, for me at least. I could see those possibilities.
Everything changed for me and those around me, with Arma (1). I and my friends worked hard in the Arma editor, being very used to it by then via OFP. I brought others around me to see, that what we had been playing for more than a decade, which 'vision wise', was in a great part, just in our heads (SL & ASL 'vasl'). That we could bring all that and transfer it to the screen 'fully', in all it's splendour.
We played the hell out of Arma, now as a hobby, rather than just another video game. Building a wargaming world within it.
Having the 'Editor' was the catalyst for our wargaming moving from board/pc to pc only. Within that editor you could build a whole wargaming environment and when using mods, that meant a huge gaming environment. Taking parts of the much earlier SL & ASL (plus vasl) into consideration. But it was all there before you, on the screen, unlike anything we had done earlier mil-sim wise. From the smallest unit part, to a whole army, airforce, armour, etc. You could play either and every part within that world, whichever you wanted at the time.
With Arma 2 OA + all the dlc's we moved our gaming world from Arma to Arma 2, then A2OA. This is by far, my overall all time 'video' game within that or any other series. I'll never stop playing A2OA + dlc's. I really have too much invested in it. It's simply a joy that no other game will come close too really. Although I play others and love them and will play some games for many years (which I do and have done). But the Arma series stands alone for me, it's truly my hobby. But that is because my first love in games, is military stuff, I guess.
We could possibly have moved from A2 to A3, but certain mods, that we saw as 'must have' didn't follow through to A3. A3 seemed and was, aimed more at mainstream, and away from the war sim it was prior.
So was stuck with A2 and haven't looked back at all. It was the best decision we made, to stay with A2.[yesnod]
Just thought I'd say.
