What trouble gaming can get you into

Just a note of warning for Hairy J and his penchant for online gaming.

It seems that Republicans believe that playing World of Warcraft leads people to live a bizarre double life. They are questioning whether a Democrat candidate for a place in the Senate is fit for office because the character she plays in the game, an Orc rogue called Santiaga, likes back-stabbing and poisoning

I demand all PASB candidates must reveal which charcters they play in any online games, and the traits their particular character demonstrates. I'm sure it will reveal some fascinating behaviour!

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Republicans really are thick as pigshit ignorant.

Why don't they all meet in the park and play real games face to face like real people do at say 2am? Bleddy freaks.

I don't play World of Warcraft you gibbering Scotch oddball. I did when I was about 20ish but I didn't ever really understand the appeal and I found it far too intensive - it's a game you can't really dip into as it all happens in real time.

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This is me.

I'm 36 years old and I am a part of the gaming generation. I play some form of videogame every day as it's how I relax and I love videogames. I only really play online with people I know although I have let my Xbox live subscription expire and I've not renewed it as I don't get the time to play online as I once did.

I have met some pretty cool people online - I went to a wedding a few years back through meeting someone online (we played Halo and Outrun regularly and struck up a friendship). I also sometimes play against my boss at work and there's nothing more satisfying than shooting your boss in the face with an RPG.

You should try it.

Owning an Xbox isn't geeky any more - it's a media hub and something that now integrates with an AV set-up. A fair amount of people I know own Xbox consoles and PS3s and never play games on them. Even sensiblegreeny plays my Xbox from time to time and he's really old.

Touched a nerd there, sorry nerve.

Only joking hairy, I just thought it was an interesting story. I'm sure gaming is great fun, just not my thing.

You do get ever so defensive about it though

When I first got the internet in my early teens I got into an online gangster game for a few weeks.

The aim was to build up your character by training in low key crimes, earning money from drug deals so you could buy better weapons, etc. Then you would join a gang, who would protect you and you had to stick to their alliances and extensive rule-list. The only thing was, the sad fuckers were so afraid of dying that these alliances meant nothing ever happened. So you'd be committing more and more 'text' based crimes, performing 'text' based drug deals, and generally not doing anything interesting.

After a week or two, I'd done enough of these mind-numbing tasks to be thoroughly bored.

I bought the biggest muthafokka of a gun I could afford, and starting shooting everyone who wasn't in my gang.

I killed about 5 characters, not loads, and had started 4 gang wars. Awesome!

I then got banned from the game for not sticking to my gang's rules.

Lemmings on the Sega Master System. The only game ever worth playing. Ever.

In the (quite brilliant) Australian Museum of Moving Images in Melbourne, they have an old Lemmings PC version loaded up as an interactive feature which you can play (along with quite a few other standout games). 3 hours later, I was still stuck on the third level I came to having completed the first two at my first attempt. God I hate Lemmings. Yet love it.

As a man who never got passed the joy that is Katamari I haven't a clue what you are all taking about

Am I the only ATDer who's NEVER owned any sort of Games Console?

No.

I have two but I never ever play them, honest!

Andy_Symons wrote:

Am I the only ATDer who's NEVER owned any sort of Games Console?

Moi,

The only games i like are the football manager series for the PC.
Never seen the fascination with games consoles and all that War-hammer rubbish,

Blimey, Symons, Knecht and Punchdrunk do have something in common after all. Who'd have thought it?

The Non-Gaming Cabal!

Bubble breaker is fuckin awesome!

I don't have a console. There is a Sega Mega-Drive here for the other half's boy who's 8, but he's not bothered by it.

I cannot comprehend paying £300 for a console and then £50 when you want a new game, but there are amazing games out now and if it keeps teenagers, and Hairy J, off the streets I suppose they have their uses.

Andy_Symons wrote:

Blimey, Symons, Knecht and Punchdrunk do have something in common after all. Who'd have thought it?

Oh shit!!!!

I actually play games 23 hours a day pausing only for toilet breaks. Correction ..... I play on the toilet.

Phew! Think I got away with that!

Mock Cuncher wrote:

The Non-Gaming Cabal!

I can be the grand master

knecht wrote:

Andy_Symons wrote:

Blimey, Symons, Knecht and Punchdrunk do have something in common after all. Who'd have thought it?

Oh shit!!!!

I actually play games 23 hours a day pausing only for toilet breaks. Correction ..... I play on the toilet.

Phew! Think I got away with that!

Look, if you don't want to be associated with me, all you had to do was say so...

Greenjock wrote:

I don't have a console. There is a Sega Mega-Drive here for the other half's boy who's 8, but he's not bothered by it.

I cannot comprehend paying £300 for a console and then £50 when you want a new game, but there are amazing games out now and if it keeps teenagers, and Hairy J, off the streets I suppose they have their uses.

An Xbox 360 is £180ish and you can buy games for as little as £3.50 if you look on Xbox live marketplace. £50! The most I have ever paid for an Xbox game was £40 and that was Valve's astonishing Orange Box release (it was 5 games on one disc).

I'm not surprised Renegade plays championship manager and I do find his feelings on World of Warcraft deeply ironic.

I really have hit on a nerve over this haven't I Hairy?

Lighten up man, it was an interesting story that's all and I'm sorry that I took the price of new games from an advert that said "Game prices vary from £19.99-£49.99"

Can you choose to be Fletcher on Championship Manager?

You haven't hit a nerve - gamers tend to pride themselves on this geek persona anyway. I don't care if people think a 36 year old man playing a game like Animal Crossing is sad... when I think about it, it is quite sad. I spent about six months playing that game and even celebrated New Year's Eve once with a few friends on that game.

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Quote :

In all Animal Crossing games, the player assumes the role of a human character, who moves into a rural village populated with anthropomorphic animals and lives there indefinitely. Gameplay is open-ended: players have no defined objectives, but are instead encouraged to spend their time in the village performing any number of activities, which include collecting items, planting plants or other items, and socializing with the village's residents. All Animal Crossing games are played in real time, utilizing the system's internal clock and calendar. Thus, passage of time in the game world reflects that in reality, as well as the current season and time of day. Some in-game events, such as holidays or the growth of a tree, occur at certain times or require some duration of time to have passed

I spent at least three hours once going into the homes of my animal neighbours and helping them choose wallpaper... seriously.

I had to get rid of it in the end as the game is linked to the real World calendar so certain things only happened on certain days and times - I even started setting alarm clocks so I wouldn't forget to meet Joan the turnip seller when she visited the village.

My 9yr old loved Animal Crossing.

She's 10 now. She's grown out of it.

hairy j wrote:

Valve's astonishing Orange Box release (it was 5 games on one disc).

Portal ftw.