Why do you play video games?

I have several reasons why I play video games. The series I play the most, Pokémon, acts mostly as an escape for me. I don't feel pressured by anything in life. The Pokémon world is (besides the various evil teams) very peaceful. Everyone is nice and doesn't do anything to wrong anyone. But this isn't the only reason. I also like the strategy involved in battling. Figuring out the type advantages and forming your ace team is just very appealing to me.

Most of the oher games I play kind of go off of this. I like having to think about what to do in a game. I am one of those people that really enjoys puzzles. But I also love being immersed in a story. Look, it's going to take a while for both of us if I try to go into detail about all my reasons for enjoying a game, so I'm just going to give you my personal list of what would make a perfect game. Keep in mind that it can still be a fantastic game if it doesn't hit all of these criteria, but for it to be a truely perfect game in my opinion, it must hit them all.

Story - A perfect game has to have a great, immersive story. This I'm sure is on anyone's list.
Gameplay - A game's gotta have good, solid gameplay that isn't hard to use, but is still enjoyable.
Character - A game's story can be pretty good, but it's ultimately useless without good, fleshed-out characters to star in it.
World and Atmosphere - Good graphics aren't needed for a good game. As long as it captures the desired atmosphere well and has great world building and scenary (you don't need great graphics to make great scenary), then how good or bad the graphics are don't matter.
Music - A game might have good story, characters, gameplay and atmosphere, but they all need good music to acompany them. And actual in-game soundtrack to look through and play songs from whenever is prefered, but not required.

And it is as I finish typing that list that I realize: I didn't actually give what you asked. At least, not completely. I play games either as an escape, to get enthralled by a great story, or simply to have some great times with my friends.

 

I think I play games for two main reasons, one is that games are just simply entertaining and if I am not having fun I won't play this game. Second is just a way of relaxing, I like to think of video games as a hobby of mine I like to do to relieve stress. Although college has me busy most of the time with studying and tests when I do take a break, I tend to find myself either playing video games or watching videos games on twitch or youtube.

 

I think the game you just described there is Xenoblade Chronicles... for me, at least.

I play video games because I'm hopelessly addicted to them help it's my favorite form of entertainment, and for quite a few other reasons. My mom introduced me to video games when I was 3, and since then I had been finding more and more reasons to play them, whether it be to relax (Super Mario Sunshine and Pokémon, for example), give myself a bit of a strategic challenge (Fire Emblem games are a good example), to have a good time with friends (like with Mario Party. Frustrating to play solo, but you don't care much when friends are around) or even for the music (various series has great music, too many to just pick out myself), because I end up listening to video game music more than 'real' music,

 

I play video games for a variety of reasons.

1. Escape - I love to escape this world which may, at times, seem harsh and feel absorb into another beautiful world such as The Legend of Zelda. I want to be immersed in the characters, the scenery and the story line. Whenever I play a game, I feel a bond between me and the characters. Thinking about video games at appropriate times allows me to overcome certain struggles throughout the day. Video games are more than games to me. They are stories.

2. They're fun! - Whenever I get a new video game or replay an old one, I feel a rush of excitement as I look forward to experiencing 'game time'. Strategy games like Pokémon, puzzle games like The Legend of Zelda; all of them are exciting for me!

3. To relax - This one doesn't apply for school days anymore as my schedule is busy busy busy. Weekends, though, are not better for me to unwind through than playing a video game in the morning.

4. Sibling time - Many games are multiplayer or allow multiplayer cooperation. I find games such as Super Smash Brothers, Pokémon etc. to be more enjoyable if you can challenge somebody locally. For single player games like the Legend of Zelda, me and Lugia are both able to help each other or give pointers if one of us clumsily misses a sometimes obvious treasure location.

Edit: A major detail was forgotten! I especially like to play video games to catch up with my favourite characters in their world. I like to become one with my characters, for instance, sometimes when I chose to play Kid Icarus: Uprising, I

Spoiler

specifically play chapter 22 and only that chapter because you play as Dark Pit. Or I play light versus dark with my sister to extend the interactions between Pit and Dark Pit.

. Sometimes, just seeing my favourite characters in action in their own universe is enough to make me smile!

 

Video Games have been a staple of my life for quite a while now. You see, I am a person that likes to be involved, and likes to feel like he has an impact on things. However, I have a lot of issues irl that always halt me early: I have very low stamina, tendinitis in the heels, weak and painful leg joints and a lot of social awkwardness and fears. Video Games are a solution to this problem for me.

For a start, in a Video Game I feel like I'm making an impact. It's all digital, and I certainly don't delude myself into thinking that it somehow will give me relevance in the real world, but they've always been a release for me in areas I otherwise fail in real life. And when I'm stressed or down, they always provide me a way out. It doesn't matter if it's high effort, fast paced, tactical or just simply gorgeous, near all games will appeal to me.

Another thing is I like exploring. I love exploring. Seeing new things is an exciting and thrilling experience, and when I can I like to explore our world, even if it's in a small area. In video games however, I get to see what other people's takes are on the real world, or if they were to craft their own what it'd be like, and this opens up a whole new experience and locale for exploring in. Not to mention it gives me the power of Video Game strength, speed and stamina, so even if I'm pretty weak irl I can have my moments of untold strength.

In their own way, games have been like a medicine to me. Sometimes I just need to break free from the world, and sometimes I need a lot of said breaking free. Games give me that opportunity. Even if the game itself makes me wanna tear my hair out because it's kick-your-knees difficult, they will always be an escape for me. Of course, they're not always just an escape. A lot of the time I just play simply because I enjoy! Even if the game is cheesy, old or ugly, I'll still enjoy it most times (aside from horror stuff, that's the one area I just can't stand). And if I get bored of one? I can move onto another!

In short, I play Video Games because they've become so heavily ingrained in my life and so very important. And that may sound silly, but think about it: nobody laughs when you say books are important to you or movies or whatever. So why should games be any different? They will always be a key part of my life now.