How do you play videogames?

Mole HD

Mole HD
PiLhEaD said:
...and on a more serious note. I have a non-terminal but life-limiting disability, and am effectively retired. When I'm enduring a sticky patch a favourite computer game is a nice 'safe place' for me to go and get out of myself.

In these moments, with horrible associated 'brain fog', I revert to open-world FPS games that I have played a myriad times - particularly STALKER series and various Far Crys. They provide me with 'somewhere to go' and to an extent 'someone else to be'. I have a good friend suffering severe PTSD and he uses games in the same way - given his background realistic modern-day FPS are a complete no-no, but he loves Skyrim, Civilisation and Total War.

On better days I'd rather be out getting fresh air, but will often find myself on the PC, and for an evening will often prefer this to watching the TV - although mnetion a Harry Potter film is on, and I'm there.

And sometimes it's just fun to hang out on the forums nattering away about this and that.

Games currently on my very new PC are:
  • NMS (a really great game, very chilled, and to my surprise I really enjoy the base-building)
  • DCS (very enjoyable but I'm rubbish!)
  • IL2 Cliffs of Dover (very enjoyable and I'm not completely rubbish... just... don't watch me land...)
  • Cities Skylines (great when I'm in the mood - which you can say about any game I guess - but it really needs mods to be fun)
  • Elite Dangerous (haven't played it in ages, but then I was in at the original beta, so I have had my many hours-worth of fun - pertty much just waiting for New Era)
  • Far Cry 5 (loads of hours in this game - it's just a very pretty place to go and shoot bad-guys)
  • Kingdoms and Castles (nice simple, light, fun, easy, relaxing - after you've got some walls up)
  • Metro Exodus (very enjoyable, but I've played it through and have little inclination to play it again)
  • Arma 3 (try as I might I can't get in to it, even second time around - due for an uninstall, again)
  • Project Cars 2 (cannot get to grips with the gamepad interface, nor could I get EdTracker working, pity, I wanted the Gran Turismo experience for my PC)
  • Civilsation VI (picked this up for free from Epic Games - perhaps it's not quite my cup of tea but it's fun now and again)
Italics indicates likely/upcomming deletion.

As Noddle said "I want entertainment from games, not a second flipping job" - fun is something that some game developers seem to take a masochistic view on, whereas others (HG) seem to understand what's enjoyable and accessible and how to deliver it.

I'm really looking forward to Microsoft's new Flight Sim, but I'm not going anywhere near the alpha and beta - I did that with Planet Coaster and have barely touched it since release.

e. I've re-read that at it sounds a bit grim. It's not meant to, I'm pretty happy overall and fully know how lucky I am.
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On a related note, being a veteran I can easily play FPS shooters and milsims fine. When in military hospital a few of us broken combat veterans all played Battlefield on the Xbox in the TV room every day for relaxation...there's a kind of dissociated disconnection thing with games, even ones that portray exactly what got most of us in there on drips with missing limbs. I explained it best to my son when he asked about me playing ARMA and Battlefield...he's also a combat veteran.

It's not real, my feet don't hurt, my back doesn't hurt and I can't smell cordite burning...amongst other things. I still can't stand the smell of cooking bacon...as much as I love the taste as much as I always did. It brings up a flashback from the Balkans. I have to let my wife do the bacon grilling...I normally go sit in the workshed until it's ready :D

The only game that got my heart racing in flashback mode was the recent Call of Duty, the house clearing mission....so much so that I had to stop playing for a bit and have a cuppa. Not many things you would commonly think bring on flashbacks...they're completely random. Even the incident that lost me my legs I have absolutely none about...more that I have absolutely no recollection of it except for 3rd party descriptions from my mates. Over all, I'm quite glad I don't have that particular one to add to the nightly multicoloured excursions...

At odd occasions and for no apparent reason I can find myself crouched in a corner of the kitchen with my heart racing and have no recollection of why or how I got there...the penance for having an exciting job I guess :)

 
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Mole HD

Mole HD
PiLhEaD said:
Similar for my mate, that and fireworks, he flinches at every bang. Horrible to see.
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Yup...I hide on Guy Fawkes night in the Mole cave with my headphones on...not that there's any big fireworks display up here in the frozen north. A few of the fishing boats launch flares in the harbour is all...suits me just fine :)

Saying that, random bangs don't usually set me off...since most farmers up here shoot it's a common occurence. I don't these days since I've developed an aversion to picking up a firearm in any capacity...be it shooting rabbits with a shotgun or not. I signed all my firearms over to my son a long time ago, he keeps them in his gun cabinet. I also haven't renewed my firearms certificate for almost 20 years. I simply have no interest any longer. When you've carried a firearm for most of your adult life and viewed the results doing so first hand, the fascination with guns kinda vanishes :)
 
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PiLhEaD

PiLhEaD
Pixelated Sparkster said:
...City skylines has been on my mind alot. I feel like I should sit down and play as it felt a bit complex to start off, but I want to get to a modern city builder similar to that of simcity 4....
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Have a look at Sam Bur's top 10 mods. I'd say 'Automatic Bulldoze', 'Move It' and 'Traffic Manager President Edition' are pretty much essential. I'd also suggest 'Ultimate Eye Candy', 'Network Extensions 2' and 'Citizen Lifecycle Rebalance'.

They're not whizz bang up to date, but pretty helpful.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsTd3fq6O6E


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fkr2j4ZUkQ
 

Juniper

Juniper
I play games to relax, and for escapism. Platform isn't important - PC or PS4, whichever is to hand at the time.

I also get an itch to play a certain game (could be Civ, NMS, even Elite), and I have to scratch that itch no matter what. I'll spend every spare minute when I'm not working or sleeping playing it, until the itch goes away. I think that's an asperger's thing though.

But I'm 48, and I've been playing computer games since I was 9 years old. I'm a programmer, so I've even written a few. I couldn't really imagine life without computer games tbh.
 
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