Video games, family, arguments over the TV

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greg
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Video games, family, arguments over the TV

Post by greg »

llj wrote:Do you have room in your house/pad for another TV? Almost any working CRT can be picked up at pawn shops for really cheap around here. Don't know if it's the same case where you are though.
I've thought of that, actually. The problem is that I like to have my consoles all hooked up to my main TV and not have to unhook them to go plug them into another TV. My main problem is that I married a girl who hates video games. Her mom has a DS, and even her grandmother used to play Tetris on an LCD keychain to keep her mind sharp up until she died. My wife thinks that video games are gonna rot my daughter's brain, yet she puts on the stupid, insipid crappy Japanese TV shows constantly. We had both criticized my parents for having the TV going constantly, but now that we've moved to Japan, she's proven to be a hypocrite. My daughter had even once cleared the first stage of Puyo Puyo on the Megadrive and I was like, "WOW!" But it didn't register with my wife at all. We had both agreed that American TV was crap, but suddenly now video games will rot my daughter's brain, but shows about transvestites or bullcrap psychic detectives who can't solve mysteries or people who claim to communicate with pets telepathically and the STUPID, STUPID canned response of the audience going "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?" in response to EVERYTHING... oh no, that won't rot her brain. Video games enhance one's reflexes and hand-eye coordination, while my wife can barely drive a car worth crap.

Sorry for the rant. I love her, and we're about to celebrate our 14th anniversary. It's just that you pick your battles, and some aren't worth fighting. I do make a point to either change the channel or turn off the TV when stupid shows are on. I simply say, "Do we really need to watch this?" I pay the electricity bill, anyway. Really, people think that Japanese TV must be so cool, but much of it is just dumb. Recently there was a real stupid show hosted by Beat Takeshi about ghost stories and such. They were showing these obviously fake videos from YouTube and passing them off as real, like The Rake creature videos. I was just thinking, "Ermigersh, I've seen this one before. FAKE!" They were even passing off Slender Man as something real. It's just that "creepy pasta" fiction and he was invented by some guy on Something Awful. Everyone knows that! But these were videos from America, and they did not bother fact checking. And the drones in the audience were just reacting to everything with that obnoxious, "EEEEEEEEEEEH?" I was like, "Hey, if they want to show a really disturbing true story video, why don't they show the Elisa Lam elevator footage right before her mysterious, inexplicable death?"

I did buy my daughter a Sega Pico and she plays educational games on that sometimes. To be honest though, I go through phases and right now, I'm just not very motivated to play video games often. I was playing Call of Duty: Finest Hour until my Xbox went kaput. I'll have to see about maybe fixing that. The laser on my Mega CD conked out and I bought a replacement over a year ago, but I haven't been motivated to do the repair. My obsession mostly is working on plastic models more than anything these days. I want to play some more RPGs on my handhelds, but honestly I just don't have the interest for them that I once had. I'm not about to sell my huge game collection or anything; I'm just going through a phase.

The hobby room does have my wife's computer desk. Her laptop that she rarely used has died, and she says she will just use my desktop. I've created a login for her on my desktop. I suppose I could put a TV on that desk and play games on it, but to be honest, I'd rather get rid of it and buy another display case for completed models since I'm running out of space with my current one. As it is, it's wasted space just used for storage.
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ParaParaJMo
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Re: Video games, family, arguments over the TV

Post by ParaParaJMo »

A majority of Japanese comedy is repetitive and they put no fresh context into it. Chris Farley could always do the fat, loud, clumsy guy but at least he always put a new spin to it and not seem repetitive. In Japan, especially with comic duos, they just run their dumb ass act to the ground. Some j-dramas are ok. The j-dramas from the 90s and 2000s were awesome but today they suck.
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Re: Video games, family, arguments over the TV

Post by Char Aznable »

greg wrote:Video games enhance one's reflexes and hand-eye coordination, while my wife can barely drive a car worth crap.
It's unfortunate that video games have become such a scapegoat for brain-rot or that they're a supposed harbinger of societal decline. Sure, gaming can be taken to an excessive/borderline obsessive limit, but really, so could nearly anything. And certainly, one wouldn't want to buy their 10-year-old a game like Manhunt...

But, I think slowly, the mindset that video games are inherently 'bad' is beginning to change. I see an article every few months regarding some new study about how beneficial certain video games can be. Ironically, one such study even included the 3D shoot 'em ups--which is so often lambasted by the media. It goes without saying how great puzzle-solving video games are. I've read everything from how games can improve eyesight, help kids with dyslexia to read, to combating the brain-plaque that leads to Alzheimer's. The aspect that really interests me most about the positive aspects of games is the therapeutic angle. I recall when hospitals were buying Wii consoles for chemotherapy patients and senior citizens because studies showed that when they played video games it would take their mind off the pain and less painkillers were required.

A friend's grandfather just turned 80 and, wow, does this the guy love his video games. He's been playing since the days of Pong and the man plays literally every type of game under the sun. He'll go on about his PS3 and the latest Call of Duty, Metal Gear Solid, and Batman game he beat. And, despite his age, it's like he becomes a kid when he starts excitedly describing some new upcoming title he's looking forward to. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I think he may have just purchased a PS4 a few months ago. Talking to this guy is incredible, and he's so proud of his 400+ game collection. He's in exceptional health, totally with it, and sometimes even gets his 75 year old wife to play games with him. It's hard not to admire his life-long passion for something that brings so much joy to his life, even if it's something as simple as video gaming.
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Re: Video games, family, arguments over the TV

Post by llj »

To be honest, I always feel a little guilty when I commit to a long ass video game because so many these days take over 20 hours to finish. And quite frankly, I think writing or drawing is a better use of my time because even though it may not be Great Art, at least I'm producing *something* in my spare time. That said, there are just some weeks when things aren't going well in life and you don't want to do anything but commit to a game for a few weeks. I think video games do have some cognitive benefits as Char said, but there is such a thing as excessive gaming and a lot of games today want you to spend way more than just 1 hour a day playing games. I have an increasing backlog of RPGs that I always seem to buy for a rainy MONTH or when life just plain sucks, but my life would probably have to suck for 5 straight years in order for me to finish all the RPGs I have stacked up, so I've started actually selling off a few of my games.

That said, whenever I get married I definitely must have a TV all to myself. Not just for games, but also for movies, anime, and things that I like watching that my Other wouldn't. I've lived with a girlfriend AND my sister in the past (though obviously not at the same time, that would be nuts) and I can tell you that the people I've lived with rarely ever want to watch the same things as I do, and while I can tolerate and even like some soap operas (I could watch Grey's Anatomy once in a while and enjoy it), I cannot stand reality and contest/game shows, which for some reason many women I know seem to love watching! :lol:
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Re: Video games, family, arguments over the TV

Post by greg »

I go through phases, you know? My OCD tendencies seem to sway back and forth. Currently, I only really want to spend my time building models and relishing the sense of accomplishment that accompanies the hobby. Yet a year or so ago, I just wanted to play video games and didn't feel like building anything. I'd also gone through a phase where I'd rather write about video games for my Super Famicom page rather than actually playing the games, but unfortunately that's been a long time since. Other times I've focused mostly on making Perler bead sprites of game characters rather than actually playing the games. I have plans to make another 100 Saturn games in 10 minutes video, and another 100 PC Engine games in 10 minutes video, as well as a 100 Dreamcast games in 10 minutes video. I enjoyed making such videos, but right now I am focusing on just building models. I figure the pendulum will swing again in another direction, eventually.

I love my wife and get along with her pretty well, but it just bothers me how some people just cannot understand how games are fun. She's tried Pac Man and such, but she gives up because she can't get far. I tell her that if it was real easy, there would be no challenge and thus it would get boring real fast. The fun of it lies in trying to get better at it. She used to be in the tennis club when she was a student, and enjoyed swimming too (although ironically in the 14 years of our marriage, I've never once seen her in a bathing suit!). I told her that Tennis is fun because there is a challenge to it. You can't play well at first, but once you do it more, you can play it better. At least I assume that's how it is. I can't play sports for the life of me because I am so clumsy. Now that I think of it, I am the same way about sports. I really cannot fathom how watching sports on TV can be enthralling. I think that it is extremely boring to watch sports games on TV. Being at the actual event is different, though.

Come to think of it though, my wife's computer had come with a set of games that she used to enjoy playing. One was an air hockey type of game, and another was a pretty neat turn-based Roguelike with randomized dungeons. I'd never seen a game like that before and she would see how far she could get before dying.

Char, your story about the old man who likes games is pretty interesting. I've heard such stories before. I am glad that my J-Mom enjoys tennis on her DS. I bought her the anniversary Puyo Puyo game, but unfortunately it does not have the various games in the series as stand-alone games. I wanted to introduce her to Puyo Puyo through the very first game or so, like Puyo Puyo 1 or 2. Unfortunately, it goes into Fever mode and such and even I have a hard time figuring that out. Consequently, she doesn't play that game. Tetris is very simple because you just form lines, but Puyo Puyo is all about color combinations and chaining. Maybe it is a bit much for her. I suck at it because I'm colorblind, but I still enjoy it. (Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo is the worst for my colorblindness due to the colors involved---the yellow and pastel green look nearly identical to me. I still enjoy it, though.)
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Re: Video games, family, arguments over the TV

Post by llj »

I've probably said this here before, but I don't mind watching sports, although some I watch more than others. I like watching people who are good at what they do, and mostly I am often fascinated with watching people doing what I can't do.

I wasn't a good athlete in school either. Although I had decent coordination and good fast twitch reflexes (I was unhittable in dodgeball!), I was physically small and weak and didn't have the large hands required to catch or manipulate moving objects like a football or baseball without fumbling them on a regular basis. I was okay in soccer or hockey; my footwork was better than my hands when it came to sports. I didn't embarrass myself in basketball, but all I wanted to do all the time was shoot the ball, and had to always accept giving it to the so-called "good" athletes in my class, even if they weren't actually good shooters. There's nothing more annoying than giving up the ball to someone who gets to shoot the ball more often simply because he's bigger and stronger and can run faster than me, but clanks about 9 out of every 10 shots off the rim whenever he takes a jumpshot. Oh, and I also had poor stamina. I could run a 100 metre decent enough (rarely in the top 3 fastest but usually just outside of it) but anything past 200 metres and I'd be gasping for air pretty soon after. If I had to run 800 metres or more, I usually came last because I started walking by the 500 metre mark. I had poor drive when it came to athletics which is admittedly something I regret a little when looking back today.

I don't think I've ever actually dated an athletic type. I tend to hang around the more nerdy or hipster crowds (even though I don't really fall under either group) so the girls I meet tend to be more bookish types.

That said, you don't need to be athletic to be into physical activity. My sister was not a good athlete and never did exercise for most of her school years, but she started taken up exercising a few years ago and now she practically runs every day, and has run a few 5k races and is training for a half-marathon right now. It was a big challenge for her to embrace it, though, because she had always given up on any kind of physical activity in the past due to her not being an inherently "good" athlete. She always needed to "win" at things or else it wasn't worth doing. It was only when she found a way to embrace the challenge for personal value rather than trying to "blow the competition away" that she finally found a way to dedicate herself to physical activity and push through the initial "I'm not good at this" tendencies.
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Re: Video games, family, arguments over the TV

Post by greg »

Hey, book girls are the best!

Growing up, physical education was pretty nominal, at best. We just played sports, but spent little time practicing how to play them. After a few years, I just got so sick of being viciously persecuted for not being athletic and I just did not care who won the game or not. I saw the other boys get so angry over losing and all I thought was, "What's the point? This is stupid." Then I watch how PE class is taught here at the elementary schools in Japan. They practice kicking the soccer ball back and forth to each other, then practice running and kicking, etc. I never got that. I was just mocked constantly, and sometimes by the PE teacher, even. The teacher never told the other boys to stop, that's for sure. Is it any wonder why I couldn't care less about sports?

My sister was really into watching Phoenix Suns basketball games in the early '90s. She could tell whether our team would win the game or not when the referees were named. She knew exactly which ones would treat the Suns unfairly. I watched them with her to bond with her, but after she moved away, I stopped watching them.

Although I don't play sports, I'm not completely inactive or anything. I use my school's training room to lift heavy weights I have no space for at home, and I jog laps around the track during my breaks. In high school, only one year of PE was required. I wish that I could have had the option to just take a weight training and overall fitness exercise class instead of just continuing the harassment from grade school & junior high and being accused of being gay because I can't hit a baseball.

Probably the least interesting video games are the type of sports games that are released every year. Those games are typically played only one year and then become useless. Who really wants to buy NBA '96 for the Playstation these days? Those older games on the NES or Neo Geo with the squat player sprites have more of a longevity and replay value than these newer games with their vivid realism.
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Re: Video games, family, arguments over the TV

Post by llj »

I think they sort of taught gym all wrong in those days in western countries. They always emphasized raw skill and athletics, but the fact is that only 50% of any class is really athletically gifted. If they even put 10% of the teachings into the strategic aspect of sports and the fundamentals, then maybe the nerdy or unathletic kids would be more interested. If I had the knowledge that I have now about some of these team sports, any team I was on could win 9/10 games because looking back, we really played most sports in the dumbest way possible, and the teacher didn't care. This is where the typical "just have fun" motto is actually terrible for the unathletic kids, because you're basically letting the athletic kids run the house and dictate how to play the games, and inevitably you had basically selfish play which is the opposite of what team sports is about.

Role definition would have helped involve everyone too. Assign a kid one role on a team based on his strengths and weaknesses and tell him to focus on doing that role. If a kid is fat and can't outrun anyone, fine, let him use his size to his advantage, like muscling for rebounds in basketball, or helping guard the net in soccer. If a kid is weak and small but quick, assign him a role on the team that utilizes his speed. If a guy does nothing well, then you use him as support or setup man for the more gifted players, etc,. The problem is that the teacher is supposed to treat every kid as if they are equal, but athletics is based a lot on physical gifts. If we were taught to acknowledge our weaknesses and learn how to use our strengths, everyone would probably have a clearer picture about how they fit into every sport, and have more confidence in who they are, too.

But there's nothing of that sort of learning back when I was in school. Part of the problem, as you said, is that we aren't even taught how to play the games properly in the first place.
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Re: Video games, family, arguments over the TV

Post by yusaku »

llj wrote:To be honest, I always feel a little guilty when I commit to a long ass video game because so many these days take over 20 hours to finish. And quite frankly, I think writing or drawing is a better use of my time because even though it may not be Great Art, at least I'm producing *something* in my spare time. That said, there are just some weeks when things aren't going well in life and you don't want to do anything but commit to a game for a few weeks. I think video games do have some cognitive benefits as Char said, but there is such a thing as excessive gaming and a lot of games today want you to spend way more than just 1 hour a day playing games. I have an increasing backlog of RPGs that I always seem to buy for a rainy MONTH or when life just plain sucks, but my life would probably have to suck for 5 straight years in order for me to finish all the RPGs I have stacked up, so I've started actually selling off a few of my games.

That said, whenever I get married I definitely must have a TV all to myself. Not just for games, but also for movies, anime, and things that I like watching that my Other wouldn't. I've lived with a girlfriend AND my sister in the past (though obviously not at the same time, that would be nuts) and I can tell you that the people I've lived with rarely ever want to watch the same things as I do, and while I can tolerate and even like some soap operas (I could watch Grey's Anatomy once in a while and enjoy it), I cannot stand reality and contest/game shows, which for some reason many women I know seem to love watching! :lol:

I am a little fearful of video games, particular RPG's. When I was playing Guild Wars online eight years ago. I played everyday for months. Nothing else got done other than going to my job. I spent a lot of time not even playing the game. Me and players on my friends list would spend time in the safe areas in the game emoting to each other while chatting about random things. I stopped showing up when my other best buddy stopped playing for some reason.

E harmony and other dating sites I was a member of kept me occupied daily. I logged on everyday before and after work. I got adept and getting responses. My best friend eventually talked me out of online dating because there was so much profile fraud going on at the time. Second Life never really had time to take root in my life because I was grad school going for my MBA and I did not have the time.

All in all, I could get a copy of Skyrim, Eve onlline, or Elder Scrolls and with the online forums, You tube, Netflix, and Hulu I could call it a life. I do not think I would ever get around to getting a girlfriend to get married. I do not have a girl now; and, I think the fact I spend a lot of time working at my job, playing the cello, surfing the net, watching television, and shopping results in me having little time for much else. That is not including the fact that I build electronic gadgets in my spare time because I took an basic electricity class last fall. Now I assemble simple electronic gadgets. I like studying math and art.

I have a back log of anime, games, and movies that are still in the cellophane. I just went to Nakakon here in Kansas City and only bought some Maison Ikkou prints when I went to the dealers room. I just have too much anime online and in the wrapper that I have yet to see. It is a good convention if you got kids or like talking to the younger crowd.

My main interest other than work is playing the cello. Practicing the cello takes a lot of time. I practice everyday about at least twenty minutes. I average around an hour a day because the time just flies. I watch anime everyday and it is usually something familiar to set the mood. My attention usually floats between the screen and the bed, dining table, computer desk, or my cello practice area. I am not completely watching the screen.

My free time can be completely absorbed by just by A FEW of my online activities alone. I do not think I watch new anime every week. I spend a lot of time just rewatching stuff. Are you guys rewatching your old stuff like me?
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Re: Video games, family, arguments over the TV

Post by llj »

I generally don't rewatch stuff TOO often. I usually leave at least a 1 year window before I rewatch something, sometimes longer if it's a TV series. I do sometimes rewatch movies I really like, but I generally still watch more new stuff than ones I've already seen before.
Last edited by llj on Tue Mar 17, 2015 11:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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