Meta-diary: Are you a gamer? w/ Poll

With video games being a billion dollar industry, and efforts to censor/control the content of video games creeping more and more into politics (See Hillary and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas)  I thought it might be insteresting to see how many gamers we have on dKos.

Take the poll on the flip...

I grew up on Nintendo and the like, and I'm a big fan of PS2.  I love driving games and sports games; I enjoy a good first-person shooter every now and then, but it gets old quickly.

There are a million different ways to play video games these days:  PS2, XBox, Nintendo, PSP, GameBoy, PC, ect.  I know there are a lot of computer geeks/hackers and I'll bet a bunch of them got their start on PC gaming.

How 'bout you?  Do you game?

•  What game(s) are you into right now?

  I haven't played in a while, but I recently finished up "Mercenaries:  Playground of Destruction."  A lot of fun, and really underrated.

  I'd also be interested in knowing what everyone's take on "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" is.  Personally, I thought it was one of the most entertaining games ever (but I would never let my kids anywhere near it.  Don't even let them watch).

  by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:10:37 PM PDT

  •  GTA: SA

    I'm currently playing Guild Wars. Not really a MMORPG by "normal" standards, but incredibly fun and addicting. On the PS2, I'm just getting into NCAA Football 2006... it's that time of year again.

    I stopped playing the GTA games after playing GTA3, my first, and only experience into the GTA universe. It's not that I didn't like the game. It's not that I was insulted by it. It's not that it wasn't fun. It's that I had had enough. (Insert shameless plug of my GTA3 review.)

    But that's not to say I wasn't in the dark with GTA:SA. And following the story as it devloped, I found even myself saying, "What's the big deal?" I mean, really:

    • The game is rated "M" for "Mature." That means it can't be bought by those under 17, and shouldn't be played by those under 17 without parent supervision. Yes, I know that game ratings are about as useful as movie ratings, but c'mon, soccer mom. You were warned.
    • It's not like the hidden "sex game" can be easily accessed. You need to spend several hours of time, as well as using third-party "gamebreakers" to unlock the content. Those gamebreakers violate all sorts of things, including the EULA that's printed in the game manual. Thus, you have to work at finding this content.
    • Is this any worse than what's already in the game? We're talking about adding animated sex in a game were you can:
      • Steal cars at will.
      • Shoot cops with all sorts of real-world weapons.
      • Pay a hooker. "Use" a hooker. Kill a hooker. Get your money back.
      • The list goes on...

    If anything, I feel it's "much ado about nothing." If I was a parent, I agree that I wouldn't have let my kid get the game in the first place... the inclusion of a hidden sex minigame doesn't change that one way or the other. Instead, we've flooded the airwaves with information about this, and now there will be a TON of interest in the game.

    eBay will be busy, methinks. And I wish I had shorted some of Take-Two's stock yesterday...

    by Senor Pez on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:21:20 PM PDT

  •  That's the point isn't it?

    I played through about half of Vice City and finally decided that I was playing a character I would have zealously pursued in other games.  I stopped after that.  The GTA games are incredibly well crafted, and I love them for that.  However, the story elements put me in the role of a character I have nothing but contempt for.  

    However, I personally don't care for the characters in them.  They consistantly lack any kind of ethics that you can find in fiction along the lines of Boyz in the Hood, or The Godfather.  It's scattershot sensationalism in the mold of being evil.  That's me personally.

    As a gamer, I'm pissed at retailers and parents for ineffectively enforcing the ESRB ratings.  Parents that let their children play a M rated game without any screening are horrid parents.  Let me repeat that so you understand that I'm not going off hot-headedly; if you let your child play games rated M without screening them, you are a bad parent.  Retailers that sell these games to children should be faced with the full brunt of a community enraged.

    Furthermore, Rockstar just plain sucks for having this X-Rated mini-game buried in their code and sneaking it by the ESRB.  They have undermined, in seconds, what has taken the gaming industry years to set in place and establish early threads of credibility.  Rockstar set the industry back 5 to 10 years with this in terms of getting respect.  It will take forever to live this down.

    Hey, Rockstar. Thanks a lot, ASS-HATS.

    by zubalove on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:25:32 PM PDT

    •  Totally Agree

      Parents need to do a better job of paying attention, and there needs to be a better way to enforce the ratings systems for movies/music/games.  It only takes on bad parent to ruin it for everyone.

      I went to a lot of effort to keep my kids from playing/watching GTA, only to find out they were watching the babysitters kid play it.  Arg!

      by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:32:02 PM PDT

      •  Kids can get games and play them

        without the parent even knowing.

        Regulate like the movies with strong enforcement.  No need to be too heavy-handed.

        by Velvet Revolution on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:00:32 PM PDT

    •  sex mini game

      the sex mini game sounds like the healthiest mini-game in GTA!

      by pyrrho on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 02:03:59 PM PDT

      •  Probably

        I can participate in a sex mini-game, or I can climb on top of the tallest building, randomly shooting people with a sniper rifle seeing how mad I can make the police, in order to shoot down police helicopters with bazookas and high-powered rifles.

        And people are pissed about the sex?

        by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 02:19:23 PM PDT

•  PS2 = Escape

  When the real world gets me down (which is surprisingly often, these days), I just flip on that slender black box. It's here where the Wisconsin Badgers can win the Rose Bowl every year and I get to drive exotic cars on racetracks.

  Heck, now that I think about it, it's probably more grounded in reality than most of FOX News.

  by Senor Pez on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:12:38 PM PDT

  •  Cleveland Browns.

    The Browns have never lost a game in my house!

    by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:14:12 PM PDT

•  No Fair

  I thought this was going to be about RPG's.  Especially with Gencon coming up in August.

  To be fair though, there will be a lot of video gamers at Gencon too.

  by Mlle L on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:13:15 PM PDT

  •  It Could Be

    We could talk about RPG's, too. :)

    My personal favorite right now... primarily because I write for it... is GURPS Prime Directive. Flexible system, good universe. Everything a player or a GM could want. :)

    by Senor Pez on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:22:29 PM PDT

    •  Feng Shui!

      Possibly the only game where "Ninja Interior Decorator" makes sense as a character.

      Oh, and the new re-re-release of Paranoia looks good, but I haven't had a chance to play it yet.
      

      by bhurt on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:25:53 PM PDT

  •  Ha ha, me too...

    I'm not a gamer myself, but all of the self-identified gamers I know are RPG players. I clicked on the link out of curiosity about the relationship between people who play RPGs and people who read Kos - imagine my disappointment to see it was about video games, not the stuff my friends do!
    

    by ChaosMouse on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:16:15 PM PDT

•  Online Games..

  I don't have a PS@, XBox, Gamecube, any of the handhelds.. just me and my 'puter. That's OK by me though there are plenty of games that you can play on a PC, and a bunch of them are just a free download away.

  My big thing lately though is Final Fantasy XI. It's been around a while, and the graphics aren't the greatest, but it works well and there's all sorts of things to do. Lately I've been fishing and making food - gotta make a in-game living somehow!

  by Scoopster on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:16:47 PM PDT

•  Raise your own damn kids!

  If you don't want your kid to play hyper violent/sexual games then don't buy them for your kids.  These games are $50+ a piece.  Kids are getting that kind of money from their parents.  Do your job and raise your kids.  Secondly, the "sex" in GTA:SA is no better than a drawing on the wall of a public bathroom.  If your kid is getting off on it you have seriously repressed the hell out of your kid.  

  by Dr Colossus on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:16:55 PM PDT

  •  In most areas...

    you can pick games up used 2 months after release for under $20

    by zubalove on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:27:54 PM PDT

•  Can't pick more than one???

  I'm PC, X-Box and Gamecube...

  Fave's include:

  Neverwinter Nights
  KOTR (1 & 2)
  Jade Empire
  Gladius
  Dark Alliance (1 & 2)

  Hate the point and shoot stuff, like Halo. I think it's a girl thing, my husband loves those games. I just can't deal with moving with the left thumb and targeting with the right thumb. Just too damn complicated for me! :)

  by jbalazs on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:17:21 PM PDT

  •  Neverwinter Crack

    is the name that my brother and his best friend have re-named Neverwinter Nights.  They seem to realize that it takes over your life.

    by Mlle L on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:24:03 PM PDT

    •  Got that right!

      I had to FORCE myself to avoid it after awhile. I'm the type that finishes a game and never plays it again. Ever.

      Not so with NWN, I've gone through that game completely with 4 different characters. And you know what? I could do it again.... Scary!

      by jbalazs on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:51:03 PM PDT

      •  I had to start

        getting up at 4:00 in the morning to play NWN before work, since my wife outlawed non-social interaction in the evenings.

        by dantes on Fri Jul 22, 2005 at 10:28:50 AM PDT

•  Um, you forgot GameCube....

  ....my daughter would be royally peeved at you... ;-)

  by Palamedes on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:19:52 PM PDT

  •  I stopped paying attention to Nintendo.

    Which is newer, GameCube or N64?

    by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:23:36 PM PDT

    •  gamecube

      and it still has some great games, although almost all of them are geared for kids.

      by bitterguy on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:42:06 PM PDT

      •  That's always been true for Nintendo

        Almost all of the games on Nintendo systems are geard towards younger kids.

        That's a good thing if you have young kids, bad if you want to play some of the adult oriented games.

        by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:44:03 PM PDT

•  Gaming still means D&D to me

  Real gamers don't need computers- just pencils, paper, some dice, and about 3 metric tons of rule books.  Instead of just introducing us to sin and violence, it caused us to become Satan worshippers directly.  Kind of like Harry Potter on steroids.

  You young whippersnappers.  Why, back in my day...

  by bhurt on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:23:27 PM PDT

  •  DND

    Ahh, late nights, lots of caffiene and a good set of dice.  Let your imagination run wild!

    by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:24:38 PM PDT

  •  dice don't need upgrades

    My d10's and d20's aren't going to need to be upgraded because there is a new OS.  Heck of a lot cheaper than buying a new game system every few years.  

    Just saw a cute little game the other day called Wormz.  Sick twisted 1st person shooter game.

    by Mlle L on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:28:49 PM PDT

    •  True but...

      What Edition are the D&D rules these day?  I love paying for hardcover books.... :)

      by zubalove on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:38:19 PM PDT

  •  I was always partial to Risk

    and Axis and Allies and other strategy games.  Had many late night sessions in my college years trying to rule the world.

    by bitterguy on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:50:43 PM PDT

    •  like risk

      you may get addicted to what I would call "speed risk"... an online version from the netherlands.

      dominate game

      well... I have.

      by pyrrho on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 02:06:11 PM PDT

•  Mostly dead consoles right now

  The internet is a wonderful thing for preserving stuff that you can't buy in stores anymore.

  by lemuel on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:29:16 PM PDT

•  Believe it or not...

  I still play Starcraft with a bunch of friends and Counter-Strike.

  I also bump around Morrowind on my Xbox from time to time.  Splinter Cell too.

  Tony Hawk 2 still gets played on my Dreamcast.

  And then I kick it old school on my Atari 2600 when I play Vanguard.

  I am hard-core

  by zubalove on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:31:04 PM PDT

•  I don't play often

  but I did at one time.  I played the original Super Mario games on the NES and I had one of the old school Game Boys.  I played the Zelda Windwaker game almost all the way through one summer on the Gamecube.  I have a couple of computer games too -- C.S.I.: Dark Motives and some old DOS games that you can download for free on the web (Quest for Glory, Laura Bow, King's Quest).

  by Adr on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:33:12 PM PDT

•  asdf

  POKER!!!  Live & on-line.  When I make it to the World Series (and I will), I will be the one wearing a picture of Dick Cheney that reads "This Dick is a Liar."  

  I am gearing up for the DailyKos convention by finding a tournament to play while in Vegas!!!

  by aimeeinkc on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:35:13 PM PDT

•  I am an old school gamer

  I had the Atari 2600 as a kid, and I spent many a months allowance in the arcades, playing Defender, Tempest, Galaga, Joust, etc, after school, on weekends, in restaurants, anytime anywhere.  Then when I entered my teenage years, I discovered girls and drugs, so gaming fell off the list of priorities.  It wasn't until a few years ago I first saw Grand Theft Auto 3, and that was it.  It pulled me back with a fury, and I spent quite a bit of time playing the series.  Loved Vice City.  And I had my copy of San Andreas reserved months in advance.  That is really the only vid game I play these days.  
  I even got my wife hooked on it for a bit, and she is not a gamer at all.  

  From what I can gather, the majority of gamers today are people in my demographics, early 30s, who grew up with the games like I did.  

  by Rey Mota on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:38:26 PM PDT

  •  That's where I fit in.

    Late 20's, early 30's.  Late Atari gamer, big time Nintendo gamer with all of my friends through elementary/middle school.  Back then arcades were still worth the money 'cause the games were better.  Nowadays, the games at home put most arcade games to shame.

    I got back into video games playing Super Mario Kart on Super Nintendo with a bunch of friends; we had some really intense competitions back then.  But then really got hooked on the first Gran Turismo on PS1.

    by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:42:50 PM PDT

•  Sims

  I haven't seen anyone mention any of the Sims games.  My step sister is really into Roller Coaster Tycoon.  I don't really play PC games for a variety of reasons, but I was thinking about picking up a Sim.  I think my wife (non-gamer) would really get into something like that.

  by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:38:55 PM PDT

  •  I'm a sim geek

    I love all the sim <whatever> and <whatever> tycoon games.  Don't really care that much about The Sims though, for whatever reason.  Too interpersonal maybe?  Anyway, I usually gravitate toward the franchise mode when I play sports games too.

    Currently playing Hot Shots Golf on the PSP, and waiting for Spore and the next Winning Eleven.
    

    by bitterguy on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:48:21 PM PDT

    •  HotShots

      That's got to be the most entertaining (and addictive) golf game ever!  Who knew video golf could be so fun (and infuriating).  

      Besides, it's the only way I'll ever shoot a 7 under par!

      by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:50:59 PM PDT

•  Author Claims Video Games Are Good For You

  I am not a gamer. My 8 year old son and wife are. Heard author Larry Johnson on "Fresh Air" yesterday and he helped ease my guilt over not limiting my child's gaming time more. I've defended the industry on the boards here against those who seem to try to be whooping up the kind of hysteria over the games in the same fashion that comic books were demonized decades ago. Not a fan of Hillary heading to Paul Simon and Joe Lieberman turf.
  link

  July 20, 2005 ·  Steven Johnson is the author of the new book Everything Bad Is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter. In it, he argues that rather than turning our brains to mush, entertainment options like video games are now so complex that our brains rise to the challenge.

  Johnson writes the Emerging Technology column for Discover magazine and writes for Wired, Slate and The New York Times Magazine.

  by HL Mungo on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:49:25 PM PDT

  •  Advantages of games

    I've tried explaning this to my wife:  Which is better?  Sitting and just staring at the television, or being forced to interact with the television (thinking, reacting, paying close attention to what you are doing)?

    Games these days are not the Donkey Kong and Pit Fall of the days of old.  Games these days take a lot of analytical thinking, good coordination, and quick reflexes.

    by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:54:24 PM PDT

    •  I Almost Had The Same Argument...

      Many moons ago, when I still lived at home (every new-college graduate's dream, I tell you), some friends and I were taking a ski trip, and my mom saw the "packing list" on my table. One item on the list was "PS2+SSX Tricky".

      "Why are you bringing that game machine?" she sneered. "That's a waste of time."
      I didn't respond, allowing her to go back to the ~15 hours of "Law and Order" she watches a day.

      I almost wish I had responded.

      by Senor Pez on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:03:58 PM PDT

•  Talk about dull, I play

  Risk, Monopoly, and Free cell.

  by roysol on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:52:23 PM PDT

  •  I just bought Risk for my family

    It was the first time they had ever played it.  Of course I cleaned their clocks (after letting them dangle for a while).  We also enjoy Stratego, Scrabble and Clue.

    by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:55:55 PM PDT

    •  online risk

      dominate game: http://www.dominategame.com/website.php

      supports a lot of the traditional optional rules, and usually played with a time limit such that you are kicked from the game if you take longer than the set time (usually ~45 seconds).

      by pyrrho on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 02:08:08 PM PDT

  •  absolutely nothing wrong with freecell

    I play it constantly during law school classes.

    by Adr on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:23:58 PM PDT

•  Dad, you thought this was cool?

  This is what my future kids will say to me when I show them the fantastic, awe inspiring 8 bit graphics of the Atari 2600.  64 colors, wow!

  by Rey Mota on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:53:01 PM PDT

•  Nerd alert

  I'm not a gamer, but if MUDs count, my husband used to be an admin for a MUD.

  I wonder if he'd be pissed at me for disclosing that here?  ;-)

  Because, well, he's a Kossack.

  And now you know his sordid nerdy past.

  (wait a minute, he's still a hardcore nerd!)

  by Plutonium Page on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 12:57:32 PM PDT

•  PC Games

  SimCity, Civilization, Myst series. Hours and hours wasted until I got political and started wasting my hours on blogs.
  

  by Catte Nappe on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:12:28 PM PDT

•  I am not a gamer

  but my boyfriend works as a concept and texture artist for Raven Software, a computer/console games company owned by Activision. They make Quake, Soldier of Fortune, Jedi Academy, X-Men Legends, etc (boyfriend worked on the latter two and now working on another comic related game).

  by Elizabeth D on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:29:01 PM PDT

•  In the industry

  I consult for video game publishers. Worked for a game publisher for 7 years prior to that.

  Currently playing these games:
  - World of Warcraft- still!
  - Burnout 3 (picked up the Xbox Platinum version for $19.99)
  - Pirates! (PC)
  - Mercenaries

  by I like Ike on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:32:15 PM PDT

  •  Just finished Mercenaries

    Great game.  Love the environment and the quick action.  My only complaint was that I thought the driving left a little to be desired.  Other than that, I thought it was just as much fun as GTA.

    by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:47:19 PM PDT

    •  Wish I had more time for it

      Unfortunately it's on the bottom of the pile right now. But I've had fun on the few missions that I did complete. Look forward to picking it up again soon.

      by I like Ike on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 02:58:22 PM PDT

•  Anarchy Online....

  ... has largely taken me away from Dkos.

  I just got burned out on ugly reality.  If I'm gonna have any energy to put into the lead-up to next year's elections, I need to escape for a while.

  And AO is very addictive ...  

  by Timoteo on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:43:12 PM PDT

•  The short list (the stuff I can remeber)

  Software: City of Heroes, GTA3:VC, God of War, Devil may Cry, Dark Cloud, .hack, Freelancer, Soul Blade, Soul Edge, Soul Calibur, Soul Calibur 2, Monster Rancher 2, Warcraft 3, Quake 3 Arena, Unreal Tournament, Soldier of Fortune 2, Global Operations, Halo, Halo 2, Dawn of War, and Galactic Civilizations.

  Pen and Paper/LARP: Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Requiem, World of Darkness 2, Hunter: The Reckoning, Mage: The Acension (sp?), Shadowrun, AD&D 2.5E, AD&D 3E, AD&D 3.5E, Paranoia, Star Wars D20, and a couple Superheroes style games.

  Other: Warhammer 40K, Magic, and the old Decipher versions of the Star Wars and Star Trek CCGs.

  Yes, I would definitely describe myself as a gamer.

  The computer is your friend. You love the computer. You want to report anyone who does not love the computer to the computer.

  by jabbausaf on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:57:05 PM PDT

  •  Forgot the good old days

    I used to be a crack fighter jock in X-Wing, X-Wing vs Tie Fighter, and X-Wing Alliance.

    Seriously, I was fucking good.

    by jabbausaf on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:58:12 PM PDT

•  I'm 19 years old...

  I got my start off on the Muncher series (Super Munchers, Number Munchers) - I absolutely loved those games. I then moved on to Where in the World is Carmen San Diego and SimTower on Mac (I was uncivilized then). My first game that I got hooked on PC was...Solitaire and Minesweeper, of course - I honed my Minesweeper skills such that I solved the Expert level in under 90 seconds. The first real game, though was Starcraft (which I still love dearly, play occasionally, and hope like hell Starcraft II will come along someday). Since then, I've played other games, including Diablo II, SimCity 3000, both KotORs, Counter-Strike and CS:S (I'm too lazy to play through all of HL2), and my LAN party game of choice, Unreal Tournament 2004. I mainly spend time on The Matrix Online nowadays and UT2004 at LAN parties. So many games I'd like to get and play more regularly - Far Cry, Doom 3, Quake, along with RPGs that strike me as interesting (such as Neverwinter Nights).

  by PsiFighter37 on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 01:59:47 PM PDT

  •  Also...

    I don't own a console, but love playing GTA on PC. Also play Halo on PC, Halo 2 on XBox, and my friends and I at college LOVE, and I mean LOVE, playing Mario Kart Double Dash on GameCube. We also play Smash Brothers as well sometime, but we can't get enough Karting done to satisfy and make us do our schoolwork! :P

    by PsiFighter37 on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 02:01:45 PM PDT

    •  Mario Kart

      When I was in college, it was Super Mario Kart on Super Nintendo.  It's amazing how competitive you can get on a game like that.

      by supergreen on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 03:10:13 PM PDT

•  Mega Risk

  My family had some friends over a while ago and we hooked up 2 Risk boards, with bridges connecting South America, Africa, and Oceania with North America, Europe and Asia. 10 players and countless hours later...

  by dantes on Fri Jul 22, 2005 at 10:33:13 AM PDT