Let's talk about video games, fellas.

2013-04-26T19:45:18+00:00

I've always said that the reason guys like video games is the same reason guys like sports: a diluted sense of glory.

Everyone I know will say that sports became popular as a way of experiencing a sense of glory that used to come from battle. I've always thought that many video games are the same, just one further step removed. RPGs and other games like that don't really take any talent or skill. They take time and maybe they take some dedication to study. But really, they take a lower amount of skill than shooters and sports games.

Games like Counter Strike, Halo, and any sports game all take skill. That skill is representative of status. If I beat you at a game that takes actual skill, I am better than you in this field. Even if you are taller, stronger, smarter, I still have this thing over you. And as games got more popular and complex, that sense of small scale glory became much more tangible because guys started playing each other and taking things extremely seriously. The fact that this person is good at video games became an actual, tangible representation of status within the group. And as we all know, guys take status extremely seriously. That's where the competitive nature comes from, and that's where the tangible glory of being the best in your group comes from.

Women generally don't approach games the same way. If I beat one of my guy friends in NBA2K13, I guarantee that the next words out of his mouth are "Rematch!". If I beat a girl at mariokart, they may want a rematch, but I guarantee that after I beat her 3-5 times in a row, they'll say "Let's go do something else, this is boring."

So I think women find games to be a distraction, and men find games to be a necessary skill to cultivate. Of course this varies with the age of the man and the nature of the woman. There are always exceptions.

TDCRedPill · 2013-04-26T17:21:08+00:00

Games have been a big influence for me. They're actually one of the reasons I was able to swallow the red pill easier.

A number of years ago, I got serious and competitive about a game/style of games. After years of playing with friends there'd always be discussion about what was 'cheap' what was breaking the game; there'd be grumbles about playing unsportingly.

When I got serious about them and studied, I learned counterpoints to those tactics, and to deal with what was in the game, rather than putting my own or my friend's own limitations on the games. I learned to play the game as it was, rather than limit myself with those kinds of house rules. My response to a tough situation would be to learn how to defeat it or avoid it, and try to put the opponent in those situations to see how they could beat it. This sort of 'see the game for all that it is and explore it instead of restricting it' philosophy helped tremendously. If someone doesn't call your play 'cheap', you're not trying hard enough.

I think the connection to red pill is pretty obvious once I realized it. I've been playing with a large set of house rules, limitations placed on myself to reduce the complexity. It's been failing miserably. So I studied Game, and that helped. I found red pill, and it's helped show me and helped me explore the nuances of relationships in a way I can understand. I understand better what drives women. I understand better what drives me. There are even the Game equivalent of the amateur players all around, vocally upset that I'd dare try to understand things instead of following their 'house rules'.

But that's the price you have to pay when you decide to play to win.

Deldar · 2013-04-26T17:14:26+00:00

Excessive vidya playing is the social equivalent of a female eating too damn much ice cream (and getting that god-awful tricep waddle). Now excuse me, I have 14 year old, emulated EverQuest pixels to loot.

redpillschool · 2013-04-26T16:40:47+00:00

I enjoy strategy games like command and conquer. I also enjoy creative strategy games like sim city.

Just don't let games become too large a focus. You know, moderation and such.

Are_You_A_Real_Man · 2013-04-26T18:43:24+00:00

I love video games, but I have given them up for the most part because they are more addictive than crack.

As for the hypothesis that games generally appeal more to men due to the problem-solving focus, there is much merit to that idea.

Girls love games like the Sims and Farmville, since they are centered around social interactions and the gathering side of hunter-gatherer.

Pecanpig · 2013-04-26T19:03:34+00:00

Meh, I could give a shit less what society thinks, I enjoy the competition of Arma and will probably be building a PC to play Arma 3.

Competition is THE main aspect of it for me.

MikeSierra6 · 2013-04-26T17:04:58+00:00

There are so many other things you can do in your free time. Go exercising, play soccer against other people, read a book, meet with friends and buddies, meeting new people, check out the new museum with your girlfriend, learn a new language ect. For those things you get rewarded but from playing video games you get nothing except a waste of your time. Playing video games is doing nothing and doing nothing means failing.

nicethingyoucanthave · 2013-04-26T19:39:09+00:00

The Reddit party line seems to be that men only like video games ... because the games are made and marketed more toward men

Has anyone actually said this? Because it's kind of ridiculous.

If the only reason people liked something is that you marketed it to them, then companies would save billions of dollars on game development. Just market Pac-Man to people.

JamesRyder · 2013-04-26T18:37:00+00:00

I can provide some explanation. My gf likes the following games:

Pretty much all single player RPG games, especially gruesome ones Some first person shooters, provided they're tactical type games (she played sniper elite whilst cackling maniacally every time she got a head shot). Random button mashing hack and slash like DMC.

She does not like: 3rd person shooters Any form of competitive multiplayer First person shooters where scary things are liable to jump at you (this includes games like half life and borderlands, although why she can deal with it in top down or over the shoulder RPGs I do not know)

Then again I wouldn't hold her up as an example of a typical woman, she has no friends, dislikes socializing and generally hates people except me and her immediate family.

So I'd say that what we might consider masculine traits such as obsession with numbers, challenges etc. is what makes people predisposed to playing games.

30303030303030 · 2013-04-26T18:32:27+00:00

I read that some study proved that men get addicted to games and porn 30% easier than women. There was something about our brains not catching up to the times we live in, all the nudity and sex of all kinds under the hand. Hormonal response to pictures and movies seems to be close to reaction as it is for real woman.

Can't say now if it was bullshit or not. Didn't follow the subject. If we look around, seems about right.

rcglinsk · 2013-04-26T19:00:08+00:00

My good friend's 18 month old girl fucking loves iPad games. They're all designed for kids though.

2013-04-26T18:06:30+00:00

It's not as simple as men like videogames and women don't like videogames. Certain genres and worlds appeal to different genders. Something like Katamari Damaci, The Sims, Harvest Moon, or Zelda will have more appeal to women. Hyper competitive games like Street Fighter or Counter-Strike will have more appeal to men. Generally speaking of course.

Title	Let's talk about video games, fellas.
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	2
Comments	23
Date	April 26, 2013 4:36 PM UTC (13 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/TheRedPill
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/TheRedPill/comments/1d5uul/lets_talk_about_video_games_fellas/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/TheRedPill/lets-talk-about-video-games-fellas.4114 https://theredarchive.com/post/4114

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