You know you want to...

The other day I was sitting at my computer playing my favorite FPS and my wife came into the room and asked, “Why do you play that game?"

My response was prophetic, if not accurate.  “Because it is there”

After she left the room I began to give more thought to her query in more analytical terms. “Why do I game?”  Here are a few reasons that I came up with:

“Being Naughty” - The opportunity to perform anti-social acts, such as killing people or stealing things, within a socially acceptable framework.

Competition - Playing against others in a ranking system or online gives a feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction.

Social Activity – This is one of the reasons that I game, I really enjoy going online and interacting with others. Gaming allows us to do this.

Exercise - Although chess players may break out in a sweat on occasion, I believe that this relates more to sports games, rather than board or computer games. I have been known to get quite a work out when flying a simulated plane or running through a field. I have even checked my pulse after running in Battlefield 2 and it was about 20 beats per minute faster than resting.  Hmm...can you say gaming aerobics or Wii Fit?

Acknowledgment - This is the part that I like: other people acknowledge your accomplishments.  This can be especially true if you need your ego stroked occasionally.

Appreciation - A good game can be like a fine piece of art. I know that there are games that I've played just to learn why they are popular. I have played games just for the experience. There are games out there where the graphics have such depth that the immersion in the game is complete.

Creativity - Many games reward creativity. Whether a party game or a strategy game where you need to try something devious and unexpected, the opportunity to express yourself creatively is a pleasure that specifically drives people to play games.

Cooperation - Perhaps closely related to being a social activity, I still think that this reason deserves its own mention, because you can experience cooperation entirely non-verbally. Rather than being a social reward, you can think of this as a reaffirmation of humanity and kinship.

Education/Inspiration - These are related concepts, I think. Many games give as much or more than we put in. It may be a game that stimulates your creative juices, makes you think about a subject, or gives you ideas for your own game designs.

Gambling - This is surely the oldest and most prevalent reason that people play games. Every flip of a card or roll of a die is an act of gambling. The thrill and exhilaration and what seems to be the motive for most people, comes from awaiting the results of some sort of luck device. "I know if I roll the dice just one more time" or "My luck has just got to change". 

Humor - Some games are just plain funny.  I think that this is especially true for games designed for children, it helps keep them interested in what is going on the computer screen and it keeps them entertained.

Role-playing –The ability to become someone else, I think that this may be where the popularity of the MMORPG comes to bear. With games like WOW and Second Life people get to be who they want to be, not who they are.  I would call this Escapism’s cousin.

Escapism – I liken this to the reason we watch movies, suspension of disbelief. People want to distance themselves from their current reality, if only for the moment.

Feeling strong emotions - Like fright, speed, adrenalin, anger,  joy and risks... it's something similar with rollercoaster’s, horror movies, etc.

Mastery - For some games, analysis is a waste of time. For other games, even good analysis is not going to prevent the occasional mistake from happening.  This is not about proving yourself; it’s about enjoying the control. Control is a very powerful pleasure. Most of the games that I play do reward patient analysis and experience.

Senses – We have five senses and the more senses that we can stimulate while we are playing the “closer” we feel to the game, the more complete the immersion. Typically we only use two senses when we are gaming; the sense of sight and the sense of hearing. Recently with the advancements in technology, companies have developed mechanical feed back to stimulate the sense of touch.  I can’t wait for the "smell-o-vision" to become a reality for gaming!

Story - Most games have their own story, from the humble beginning to the victorious end. Good games go through many of the true elements of a story, including character development, setting establishment, problems introduction, various events, and problem resolution. This is one of the reasons people don't like games to be ended prematurely; they want to know how the story ends.

I am sure that there are dozens more reasons that people game. The more that I research this subject the more reasons I find that people game. I would like to thank the writers that have written the numerous articles on the subject for the inspiration for me to write this article and I would like to thank my wife, for simply asking the question in the first place.

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto: