Hey there @patriotwargamer. Thank you kindly both for your upvote as well as your feedback!
I am curious. :c) What is it that you are disagreeing with? /:c)
While I've been wanting to make digital games for as long as I can remember I also enjoy tabletop games. Besides having played within every edition of Dungeon & Dragons other than 1st, I've also enjoyed the brutal Warhammer RPG system, the Savage Worlds RPG system, and also a bit of Fate.
My 6th edition-compatible Hochland Empire army has remained within the dark for a fair number of years - a my luck is blighted and there is something annoying about taking less time to lose a battle than to unpack or repack one's miniatures. ;c) I wonder if the acrylics and putty have solidified...
I did find myself far more enjoying skirmish games like Mordheim - but also enjoy board games like Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, Posthuman (although I haven't found a player 2 for that in a long while), etc.
I'd say that my interests are more or less split 50-50 between tabletop and digital - but digital has a certain extra 'shine' for me. ^^ Keeping my eye on The Game Crafter though as my improving graphics abilities are opening new horizons in table-top game design. ^^
Do not fret. I think that I know where you are coming from. You feel that games can suck players in for hundreds of hours where they lose out on doing more human stuff.
The truth is that some games can - I still remember the hours I sank into my first RPG on the Apple ][+ thinking that the skritchy skratchy sound of the game booting up was the most melodious sound in the World.
Still - not all games are like that and some players wouldn't have it any other way. To each their own. :c)
Thank you again for the thought-provoking feedback! ^_^
Thanks for that great reply !
To each there own, I couldn't agree more with ! My worry, as you pointed out, is the handing over over your time, to an impersonal exchange. I think the longer term effects are HUGE - more than huge, to be honest. - from a societal perspective.
One of which is the stifling of creativity, and independent thought- it leads to much bigger issue later on in life.
If you get the chance, read Terence Makenna's chapter on electronic drugs - 'food of the gods'- written before the comp age. With all the fantastic technology we have to use and make better for everyone, if we don't have a sentient brain to enjoy the fruits of it, (due to years of dopamine hitting rewards on computer games- zombification), it all seems a little silly!
Using technology is fantastic- but i feel computer game participation is the technology using us !
The one fundamental thing is with any computer game , is that you are a sheep - you are following someone else's trip ( no matter the perception free will).
Creating your own trip is a much (psychologically) healthier path to take. - in the age of laziness - it's easier to take the easy option, rather than the effort involved in making real life games, if you see what I mean .
A great reply !
You are very welcome :c)
While I am sure that there are some gaming experiences out there that do hinder creativity - I would hesitate to generalize on this matter. Up until the sunset of the PlayStation 1 I personally found that games did little to stifle my creativity and independent thought. Just because games had rules didn't mean that I wouldn't test any 'give' existing. ^_~
More-so these games would distract me from 'acting' upon that creativity and free-thought.
Never heard of that title. I will look it up. :c)
I would agree that video games and television have taken on some of the role that beer and other alcohol used to up until this point - taking our minds off of the failings and miserable situation of our lives. Yes, one can get addicted to these mediums - but that doesn't mean that there is not also potential. Games 'can' be a force for good - even if most games designed are designed to capture our attention.
Having experienced both kinds of games, I genuinely value both. The non-digital kind haven't any coding to constrict play - like a chess program preventing moving pawns like knights. We can choose what rules to abide by and which ones to abandon or "house rule".
Thank you for the very intriguing angle. I'll be stepping away for a while now. ^_^