If you're reading this article, there's a high degree of likelihood that you like video games and think they are fun.  There's a good chance you own one or more video game consoles or platforms, with more than a dozen games to play.  It's more than a little plausible that you've spent hours pouring over your favorite video games.  If you're in my age bracket, and grew up during the 1980's and early 1990's, you might have spent a lot of time reading Nintendo Power, Sega Visions, Electronic Gaming Monthly, or any number of other magazines dedicated to video games.  It's also possible that, now as an adult, you've spent a considerable amount of time and money on video games over the years.

But the question I want to ask you is this: Have you had fun?  Have your experiences, in total, added up to what you would call "fun"?  How does one quantify fun, and what does that look like?  Is fun simply a series of feelings, or is it more than that?  While I can't claim to have all the answers, they are important questions to ask, in light of one's experiences with gaming.



I was captivated by video games at an early age.  The first time I picked up an Atari 2600 joystick to enjoy Combat or Pac-Man, I knew that this was a medium I could relate to, and something that would be a big part of my future.  Years later, when my family bought a home computer, I solidified those feelings, and spent many hours playing one game after another.  The same happened with the Game Boy, and later with the Sega Genesis.  As I acquired each new game, I would play it as much as I could, and try to discover everything I could about it, soaking up every morsel of enjoyment I could.  Then, the unthinkable happened - I became an adult.


Before everyone thinks I suddenly became a cynical, curmudgeonly beast when I reached adulthood, let me quickly dispel that idea.  When I rekindled my love for gaming in the late 90's, that's when I started collecting, and branching out.  I bought my first NES, a SNES, a Sega Saturn, a Sega Nomad, a Game Boy Color, and a Sony PlayStation.  My games collection grew from a dozen or so titles to well over 50 or 60 games in a relatively short amount of time.  I discovered not only a great deal of games from my childhood that I had missed out on, but also the new era of 3-D gaming at the same time.  I was mesmerized by new games with brilliant graphics, while still maintaining a love for the old games and all they had to offer.  But at the same time, a kind of shift happened to me, one that has made it difficult to fully enjoy games as an adult.  That change was full-time employment.

You see, as an adult in the working world, I spend a fair amount of time at the office.  I'm blessed to have a 3 block commute, rather than having to spend an hour and a half on the freeway, but the sheer amount of time I am at work can sometimes be rather disheartening.  With so much time dedicated to working in order to pay bills, take care of the expenses of merely existing, and money left over to indulge my hobbies (when there is money left over, that is), there's not a lot of time left for other pursuits.  I don't have the kind of free time I did when I was a kid, so spending an entire summer uncovering every inch and secret of Super Mario Bros. 3 is no longer an option for me.  Since I have to dedicate so much of my time to things other than my hobbies, I want that time with my hobbies to be maximized as much as possible--maximum fun in minimum time, if you will.  I don't want to spend 40 hours grinding and fighting slimes.  I don't want to have to play levels 1-5 just to get to level 6 again, only to be shamed by that stupid boss monster for the umpteenth time.  I want to progress in this game and get to the end so I can say it's accomplished and move on!  I don't want to wait for my gaming gratification, I want it now.........now, Now, NOW!


Allow me to circle back to my original question: am I having fun?  I can't always say that I am, but some of that is my fault.  I have a tendency to think I'm better at video games than I actually am, which causes me some grief.  That, coupled with my desire for instant gratification due to limited time, and you have a recipe for major frustration.  Do I really want to slog through 3 or 4 stages again and again, just to finally beat the pesky boss guarding the castle entrance, only to realize that there are 4 floors in the castle and there's no password or battery to save my progress when I have to quit playing in 10 minutes to eat or mow the lawn?  I have to assume that this is a reason for the major shift in video game mechanics from short stages, hard level design, limited lives, and limited continues, to sprawling levels, unlimited re-spawns, narrative-driven gameplay, and copious save points.  I've been spoiled by modern games, and often have nary the patience to play anything that doesn't reward me almost immediately.  When I go back and play old games that have actual challenge to them, or newer games like God of War or The Wonderful 101 that truly do have challenge, I get easily frustrated and stubbornly feel like I should be better at the game than I am. As a result, occasionally I will spend more time mitigating my own frustration than actually enjoying the experience.  I get angry at my own inability to recognize that I have to PRACTICE the game I'm playing, before I can progress.

That's just my side of the story, however.  I still love video games, still love playing them, and still try to eek as much enjoyment from them as I can.  Despite that, I still have fits of rage over cheap deaths, still yell at my TV, as if the enemy on the screen is going to hear me insult them, and still grimace at the screen when my lifebar is being whittled away by some no-name enemy, only to reach the boss with not enough life left to fill a thimble, let alone face an enemy worthy enough to be my opponent.  I am trying to recognize my own shortcomings and become a better person, and gaming is one way for me to do that.  By looking at things objectively, realizing that truly, "It's just a game," and by not taking things so seriously, I can hopefully get a better perspective on life so that I can focus all of that energy elsewhere.  I can apply it toward family, friends, work, and all the things that real life are truly about....not on falling off that mountain ledge for the 12th time!

What experiences do you have where games just aren't fun?  Do you struggle with thinking you're better at games than you actually are like I do?  Do you like some aspects of a game and dislike others to the point where you just don't have any fun?  What games do you wish you had fun with, but your experience has been less than stellar?

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