Games consoles

[MattUK]

What are your opinions on owning a game console?

waste of time? worth it for enjoyment/escapism?

i ask because im thinking of getting an xbox but unsure if it would be wasting time i could be spending doing something productive or if i should get it for enjoyment/relaxation.

[ztigerb]

Being a seventeen year old male, i greatly enjoy video games. A while ago i stopped playing them and i tried to focus more on my homework, however i found that i became less happy and more annoyed because i wasn't doing anything i enjoyed. So i started playing video games again and i discovered i could enjoy myself and still get my work done. I just needed to balance the things i have to do, with the things i enjoy doing. In my opinion it is most definitely worth it for the enjoyment/escapism that you asked about.

[Tasaio]

Originally Posted by ztigerb

Being a seventeen year old male, i greatly enjoy video games. A while ago i stopped playing them and i tried to focus more on my homework, however i found that i became less happy and more annoyed because i wasn't doing anything i enjoyed. So i started playing video games again and i discovered i could enjoy myself and still get my work done. I just needed to balance the things i have to do, with the things i enjoy doing. In my opinion it is most definitely worth it for the enjoyment/escapism that you asked about.

I very much agree.

That said, I despise Halo and would never buy an XBOX. For one thing, all the good games end up ported to the PC.

[Lucas]

My gaming has dropped considerably as I decided to focus on different goals. however, I think gaming is one of the best forms of entertainment that exists, and the 3 console companies are really pushing new paradigms. Especially Nintendo and Microsoft. The Wii is a great machine, which really relates the essence of gaming...simplistic, fun and interactive. Xbox Live is also the best online gaming service ever created, enforcing standards that keep the experience disjointed.

I think all homes should have at least one system...Peoples perceptions of gaming seem negative and addictive a lot of times, though many folks dont think twice about the TV, the Computer or even the refridgerator. It's not the objects fault if someone is addicted/wasting time.

[RT Wolf]

You dispise Halo? We can never be friends.

It depends on who you are. If you're likely to procrastinate or get addicted, it'll be best not to get one, however it can good fun to shoot some aliens after a long day or on the weekend. What I'm saying is, how much discipline do you have?

If you simply don't like video games a lot (much like me) then even having one and twenty games won't compel you to play. I've got an xbox I rarely play, except with my brother.

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by RT Wolf

You dispise Halo? We can never be friends.

Halo is probably the most overrated series outside of Madden. Halo 2 was garbage compared to Halo, the only thing that made it better is that it was Live enabled. :P Halo 3? I'll believe it when I play it.

[Wanderer]

General concensus is that the PS3 is too expensive - for £425 you could buy...

A ps2 and probably 40 or so games
An Xbox and maybe 20 games
An Xbox 360 and a handful of games
A wii and a Nintendo Ds and games
A psp, a Nintendo DS and lots of games
A small car... etc.

I would not go for a PS3, an xbox 360 would probably be cost effective but a good tv is required to take advantage of the graphics, if not then you'd be better off with a ps2

As for enjoyment - yeah there great fun, but so is reading and thats a considerably cheaper habit (library)

[RT Wolf]

Yea, I like Halo over Halo 2, too. Halo 2 wasn't garbage, it was just less fun somehow. The original Halo was almost animated, and I liked that, the new one was just too...shiny.

Halo is a helluva lot of fun with the co-op play. The co-op play is FANTASTIC. It's added hundreds of hours to the gameplay. I don't agree with you that its overrated. Its fun as hell alone, too. That said, you don't like it and that's cool. I don't see the big deal with Half-Life. To each their own.

I can't wait for Halo 3, I may even buy an xbox 360 just for it.

[CeciL]

If you have a beefy computer just play games on it. If not an Xbox is great choice at current. It's cheap, the games are cheap, there are a good number of games and if your so technically inclined you can install linux on it, watch DiVX movies, view pictures, run emulators and even make it a fully functional web server! Try that PlayStation... I own every game system you can imagine, well except a PS3. My PS2 just collects dust and I don't need a $600 dust magnet. I'll wait until Blu-Ray falls out and get it for a song.

[Michelle]

My boyfriend and I got a Nintendo Wii. It is so much fun! We especially like that you do not have to sit on your butt to play it. It is really more about the fun than about the graphics like the PS3 ... We brought it to a party last weekend and it was a hit.

[ChefSalad]

The Wii is so awesome it's not even funny. I wish I had one.

I do have a PS2 and a handful of games. It's quite nice even though I pretty much only play DDR. I just can't play shooters on a console and there's no good strategy, so about the only thing a console's good for is rhythm games. PC's are a far better choice for shooters. If you've never gotten used to a keyboard and mouse, then you've never really played a shooter. The only good strategy games ever were Warcraft II and Starcraft and they're both PC only. I think, though, that the Wii may finally be a competitor to the PC for serious gaming, but I doubt that many FPS's will get ported to it since it's a bit underpowered.

[Shaden]

Games are playing a larger and larger role in our lives. Just look at what Hideo Kojima has managed to accomplish with the Metal Gear Solid series. Those games pushed the borders of what the medium of gaming could accomplish. They truly are art and have taught me so many important lessons in life. I owe my very understanding of the concept of "identity" to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and my appreciation of the dangers of politics to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

These games truly are artistic in their quality. As a literature student I can't help but be overwhelmed and stunned by the beauty of the imagery and symbolism in MGS3 and as a casual philosopher I can't help but lose myself in the plot of MGS2. These games really do evolve the people who experience them. I'd classify them as a consciousness-raising creation, much like Steve's writing, only on a different medium.

Here are some links to see what the contents like:

Metal Gear Solid 3 - Trailer

Ocelot - A Fictional Legend

[JonathanBrowne]

Well its great to see that their are some gamers at stevepavlina.com

Go here Halo 3 Screenshots, Video, and Information Galore! « No Limits Entertainment for a great behind the scenes video about halo 3 for those who doubt that it will bring back the greatness of Halo1

My blog is No Limits Entertainment and it is growing fast. I will have the most popular blog about entertainment on the internet.

[pictokid]

i used to be a gamer in my younger years, n i game daily during my holidays from the time i wake up til i head to bed, i gamed about 10hours daily(it was so xtreme the lens of my ps1 got toasted) , other than resting abit, eating, drinking n shitting lol but slowly as i grew older i somehow grew out of it n game alot lesser n switch to net surfing etc

as i got enlisted in army n completed my national services, i started working n game alot lesser, now i haven really been gaming for some time, usually i surf arnd reading abit here n there, watching some tv, n im always wanting to head to bed becos i wanna dream of everything i desired haha

thnk as most teens get older they will slowly cut down on those gaming addictions becos u will hav to undertake more responsibilities and u noe too much time on gaming will screw u up lol