Wired Article - Get into games too much?

[Khirmint]

http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,66225,00.html

Thought this was an interesting article as I can definetly relate. Though I've never acted on an impulse that I've gotten from playing a game (ever go driving after playing GTA?)

I get the same sensation from watching movies sometimes as well.

And for the record, Katamari Damacy is a very very strange yet interesting game.

-K

[Talsek]

I can definitely relate also, but that degree of immersion is the kind of thing I actively seek out. Not just in games, but in movies/books/etc. If a form of entertainment can fuck with my head long after I 'unplug,' great! I think as an author, filmmaker or movie designer, it's part of your -job- to get into your audience's heads like that. Of course it's not cool if they get so into shit that they totally lose their grip on reality, but it's not a developer's fault that certain members of their audience need to find a (another?) hobby .

The article mentioned Burnout 2. I've played a bit of Burnout 3 recently, and my perception of the roads is definitely affected if I drive right after playing. I don't feel motivated to drive off a ramp into a tanker or anything, but I do want to import all of New Jersey into the game and create wreckage all over the state . (I guess wreckage all over NJ roads isn't really out of the ordinary)

Talsek

[aelyn]

I try to undo in my life ALL THE DAMN TIME.

Or restart. Rofl.

[Yanda]

So THAT'S how my SO sees my computer use... I never realized it. I usually am not on that long, or that horribly involved. And I certaily wouldn't try to pull a car into a solid object to 'pick it up' (but the article did make me want to find out more about that game).

I have been immersed, but once I unplug, I'm unplugged. I dream about computers and games, but usually not while I'm awake unless it is a purposeful daydream.

Yanda

[Khirmint]

A couple of examples for me came to mind.

Recently watched The Day After Tommorrow and after leaving my folks place (where I watched it) I had the sensation of having to hurry so that I could beat out the super freeze. And when I thought about it I had to laugh.

Horror movies always make me watch the next corner or peek under the bed. (<-- wuss!)

Can't think of too many games that have done this. Tribes Vengeance and skiing and driving after GTA is probably not the best of ideas for me. Nothing really specific comes to mind, but I know there are times.

-K

[aelyn]

Originally posted by Khirmint

Can't think of too many games that have done this. Tribes Vengeance and skiing and driving after GTA is probably not the best of ideas for me.

-K

This is true for me.

After a hefty day of GTA, just driving to go to the gas station, I start getting urges to whip around cars, or drive down the of the road between cars when there's a light.

I have lots of video game dreams.

I play games like tetris, neopets games, and even the original zelda in my sleep if i've been playing them during the day.

Imagine trying to sleep with that neopets meepit game going through your head. Over. And OVER. AND OVER.

[Aristotle]

I remember that after playing the original Crazy Taxi for the Dreamcast that I had to really focus on my driving to resist the temptation to just smash into stuff.

[Lebeau]

That's about the closest I've ever come to this. Crazy Taxi and GTA both make me want to drive faster than normal... doesn't mean I do it. My favorite thing to do in GTA is run people over. Vehicular homicide is so much fun in that game. Never had the urge to hit a person for real though. As far as the example with Quake? I've played numerous FPS games like Quake, Doom, Wolfenstein, Goldeneye, Halo, etc... If playing those games were to make me see people as targets, we'd all be in trouble, seeing how easy it is for me to get a weapon.

I've been known to binge play. Last one was Mortal Kombat: Deception... no take that back. It was FFI&II Dawn of Souls. Still, no tendencies and I play for days on end. I guess it's just easy for me. I unplug and that's it. I HAVE had over 15 years of binge playing experience.