why do you play video games?

Because I enjoy it? Isn't that pretty much the purpose of entertainment?

I do it for the love.

Just for fun and masturbating Anime games with lovely Anime girls.

I love a good wank :)

@sukraj: LOL Yep :P

Fun

Cuz I enjoy it and have fun I guess . Why else would anyone play games ?

It's either gaming, fapping, reading, documentaries, or studying. Not much of a choice, is it?

Because I refuse to pay someone to play them for me. :P

1. They're fun to collect

2. They're a fun hobby

3. They're a good escape/relax

I have a very low tolerance for boredom.

Primarily, for fun, but it's more than that for me, I love learning more and more about them, pretty much what Champ said here:

Because nothing else in life is fun.

I love how games inspire me to learn about history, eventhough they are highly fictional.

Age of Empires sparked my love for the classical ages.

Company of Heroes thought me a lot about tanks in WW2. And I mean a lot. I can explain you the difference between an assault gun, light tank, medium tank or heavy tank, all because of playing COH xD

Battlefield 1 sparked my interest for WW1 more and I now understand the situation a lot better. By looking up stuff myself and yeah I love reading those codexes with tidbits of information in Battlefield 1.

Yeah and watching other people play games on Youtube or Twitch isn't that much fun either ^^

@cainetao11:

It's just entertainment.

For me it's no different than any other thing I do to relax or get out of my head.

Ine thing of difference is I don't really play games to be challenged. Maybe when I was a kid but as an older gamer I play to be entertained or forget about other things.

My daily activities are all the challenge I need.

@lrdfancypants: understood

Because i like them? I watch movies and read books for the same reason.....

Gaming is escapism, different immersive world with different stories and epic challenging goals.

I feel like it's an evolution of literature and film. Not in the sense that it's better, but we go from the basic world/character/story building through written words, to then being able to visualize all of these ideas and components through film (many classic movies are based off books), to then the ultimate way of consumption: interaction. No longer do I simply watch what others decide to do, now I can take action and lead these characters in their actions. I "decide" their destiny. It's like reading or watching Lord of the Rings then placing yourself in that world, as if you lived there. Obviously gaming lacks the nuance and great storytelling abilities that other mediums have because of this sense of free will. Yet, it's a testament that games are still growing. Mainstream games are what, 40 years old now, maybe less?

We're still in the stages where film was at when it was lambasted as escapism and not art. Video games have a lot of growing to do before they become widely accepted outside of mere entertainment. Perhaps a criteria of analysis that some desire will arise and journalists will have to follow those standards. Perhaps not.

Video games are mind blowing when you think about it. While it's easy to criticize developers, the amount of work and thought that goes in must be unimaginable. I can barely grasp computer science and simple coding, let alone thinking of all the possible angles a gamer might tackle a situation that you have to either allow or limit them from doing.

Because I'm bored of life

I'm 46 (47 next month) and have been playing games since I was 5 or 6. Gaming has been a life long addiction/obsession/hobby (depending on other people's point of view). I've grown up with it. Digital aside, I'm an avid fan of any kind of game (as long as me suffering pain is not involved), board games (monopoly to space hulk), role playing games (the real pen and paper kind), Table top war games even card games, they're all good,

As to why I play games, that would probably require someone with a doctorate in psychology to work out. Or for a simpler answer, it's because I enjoy them.

Of all the responses i've read, this one most echoes my thoughts. Or at least we should say it canbe. Not that it is in most cases. A lot of games can really only be categorized in the shallow, time wasting, entertainment section but yes, there are really amazing works of art out there.

That said and i believe someone else had the same opinion but i tend to value mechanics in games more than storytelling or visual style, particularly combat. Obviously i would prefer every aspect be good but if the combat(or other primary activity) is fun, a bad story is forgivable. It doesn't work the other way around. If i remember my early childhood, i suppose it makes sense why i think like that. The game i can remember having the greatest attachment/obsession to was Street Fighter 2. It wasn't my first game, just the one i remember enjoying the most.

I play and have played games all my life partly because i enjoy them but also because i grew up in a somewhat isolated environment without a lot of alternative options to spend my time.

I indulge in different forms of entertainment. I would say video games come in third place on my preferences, right behind film and music.

I have high admiration for all different kinds of art forms and the ability to create and analyze them, yet at the same time I can be massively picky on my enjoyment. Just because I tell you movies might be one of my favorite things, I can also tell you I don't love the majority of the ones I see. I like these particular mediums the way I enjoy fine wine. Perhaps the best wine doesn't come around all the time, but when it does it's so worth it. Video games have had that kind of effect on me. For the record I have found video games at many points to be massively repetitive and cookie-cutter because developers just love to copy one another rather than making things actually unique...But every full moon or so there's that video game that's completely unlike others and I get lost in them, and that's when it's totally worth it.

Because every once in a while games like TW3 and Zelda:BotW come out.

Great way to chat with friends, and have a laugh. I've never been big on movies or tv shows, plus books I rarely read. I also stream quite a bit in recent times, and I really enjoy sharing my moments to the 1 random dude that decided to stop by!

I grew up on games and ill never leave them. They're too important to me!

Fun pastime. I also find it relaxing. And as silly as it is, a little sense of accomplishment when I beat a game.

because between the various form of media entairtainment imo games are by far the most fun medium due to interactivity and more original ideas and content compared to the s***t that is television nowdays and the same old same old movies. The only other medium i like as much as games is music but even that imo has stragnated the last 10-15years

Entertainment and to pass some time.

I only play on the PC. But might get a PS4 at some point in the future for the exclusives.

i play em cause they're fun

To socialize with friends when I'm home alone and think I have nothing else to do when in reality I could be doing much more productive things ¯\_(ツ)_/¯