Weekend Debate: What have videogames taught you? (update)

Video games actually were really helpful to me, in terms of school when i was younger, including subjects such as Maths and Physics.

Personally when I was younger I always found that you need to apply a lot of simple math in games. Be this just estimating and counting just how much damage you can take from a boss if you are hitting them hit for hit. Calculating the speed of bullets on screen and your spaceship to judge if you can dodge something. I mean I remember some really early games I played like this one game called super tank, a lot of the levels had bouncy walls you could ricochet bullets off to hit targets. Golf games also simulated this and working out percentage power and considering stuff like the slope of the ground and even the percentage power if you are on the rough or the green.

I mean when you think about it, it most likely helped a lot of us with that kind of stuff if we bothered to think about it. Micromanagement in RPGs and Strategy games can’t be underestimated either.

Playstation Network taught me that it doesn’t matter what language you speak – when your playing online, gaming is your language.

Assassin’s Creed has taught me a lot about european history, things that I wasn’t really paying attention to when I was in school. This game made me go look for more info about Italian Renaissance, The Crusades, American Revolution and history of the world in general, something I wasn’t really planning to do at this time of my life. This franchise isn’t just a game, it’s a great universe based on our reality, and also a little history book somehow if you take your time checking all the documention inside the game while playing.
Also this game has allowed me to meet and collaborate with great historical figures such as Leonard Da Vinci lol. Until Revelations, all the Assassin’s Creed I’ve played were borrowed from a friend who introduced me to the series, now I’m at least as much a fan as him, but from now on I will but all my next AC content, because to me it’s a way to symbolize my growing gratitude towards the team behind this game. Thanks Ubisoft,Jade Raymond and all these people I don’t know.

videogames thought me that dragons are really cool.

Final fantasy taught me roman numerals way before school did, Teacher was rather impressed i knew what each number was, It also helped me with my mathematics too, who would have thought a great fantasy RPG series would help me get good grades!
Online multiplayer games have really toughened me up too, insults just aren’t a thing that phase me anymore.

Hiding, English and history

Games have taught me that women are completely useless, for example Carley from The Walking Dead game, she couldn’t work out which way the batteries go in a simple little radio.
If you want something done never ask a woman,,, unless it involves cooking.

Singstar made me a better singer.

Well as a long time playstation gamer and gamer in general there are many things to which videogames teach the gamer that can transfer to reality that can be implemented everyday.

Firstly and maybe the most important is that videogames have taught me to really appreciate a good story. Gamers differ some play for action, some play to pass time by, some play professionally and some play to be immersed in the story. Many games set out to present an amazing story to the gamer and indeed few succeed. Earlier in 2012 we saw the release of journey. Although simple in game mechanics it leaves such an effect on the player after they complete their “journey” and hence why it has received amazing reviews. Another series like say Metal gear presents a good story although hard to follow at times it is effectively a huge story presented over many games over the last 25-26 years. These games are but a few of which present a story to the player and a ‘hidden message’ which everyone who plays the game interprets differently.

I myself understood at the end of MGS4 guns of the patriots was that basically Hideo Kojima says that ‘computers and electronics should not run your life’ and we see this everywhere that people have become more antisocial because when out people tend to be glued to their mobile phones. Anyway I dragged on too long.

The second point and ill keep it short is that of ‘attention to detail’. As the years go on games tend to get reviewed for graphics and gameplay and story get forgotten. However as the graphics increase and amaze people they for me anyway tend to hurt my eyes sometimes due to the super fast movement as seen in the metal gear rising demo. Though it happens with other games. As a gamer personally it has let me become more aware to miniscule details. When searching for ammo in the original resident evil games or when looking for glass bottles in the sly trilogy. It has been really helpful to me especially when driving as im more aware to my surroundings etc.
I could ramble all day but now ill stop.

Skill gained from video games? Not to rush.

The best games don’t reward you for coming first – but for exploring and having fun. Taking your time to experience and enjoy everything on offer.

A valuable skill to have in life.

(Stop sniggering at the back)

I myself understood at the end of MGS4 guns of the patriots was that basically Hideo Kojima says that ‘computers and electronics should not run your life’ and we see this everywhere that people have become more antisocial because when out people tend to be glued to their mobile phones. Anyway I dragged on too long.

The second point and ill keep it short is that of ‘attention to detail’. As the years go on games tend to get reviewed for graphics and gameplay and story get forgotten. However as the graphics increase and amaze people they for me anyway tend to hurt my eyes sometimes due to the super fast movement as seen in the metal gear rising demo.

Though it happens with other games. As a gamer personally it has let me become more aware to miniscule details. When searching for ammo in the original resident evil games or when looking for glass bottles in the sly trilogy. It has been really helpful to me especially when driving as im more aware to my surroundings etc.

I could ramble all day but now ill stop.

Oh and playing an FPS for longer than five minutes makes me chuck my guts up.

gaming has taught me alot about evolution for example as we evolve we get faster smarter and generally more modern and the same thing happens in the world of gaming..as time progresses graphics get better,there becomes new and exciting way to have fun and interact with gaming such as the psp psvita and ps move hardware now available mainstream and it is clear how much gaming has evolved all you need to do to see the huge leap that has taken place is by comparing the ps3 to an arcade console

I would have to go with my creative writing. I’ve always had a major interest in storytelling, writing scripts and short stories. I’ve always considered myself fairly creative as I’m a songwriter in my spare time but I found myself coming with ideas for games and short stories in abundance after playing games like final fantasy X, with its tragic love story underpinning the whole length of the ‘save the world’ storyline. Another example is the way Assassins creed taken history and spins it to create a stunningly immersive take on our world, our culture and history to tell a brilliant story.

Ive found this really inspiring and I’m in the process of writing a script now – who knows – with a little luck and a lot of hard work you might get to see it someday!

Dark Souls gave me PATIENCE!!

I no longer cuss myself and everyone around me while waiting for the bus. LOL! Thank you From Software.

Well, I’ve actually written a 5-page essay on that exact subject, some years ago. (I got an A, btw)

Growing up, the majority of the video games I played were with english speech, so anytime I had to figure out what to do or say in a video game, I would have to figure out what it all meant. Thus, from an early age I began learning english. I might not even have been able to write this comment, if it weren’t for video games, they basically taught me the english language.

One day in math class we played a “math-computer-game”, on a floppy disk (Floppy disks? Anyone?) Anyway, in the game, you play as a prince, whom has to save a princess, (how original), but there’s a twist, you need 10000 kr. (dkk) to do so. So you start with 1000 kr. and you have to travel across the country to buy stuff, then sell it other places around the country for a profit. Meanwhile, (this is where the math comes in) you have to keep accountance of your money to be able to see what you have to trade with. A simple game, but yet it managed to keep my attention in a way that it actually got me interested in math.

In my opinion, it’s possible to learn something from pretty much any video game, and the same thing goes for life in general, too.

What video games have taught me that I can use in real life?
-Wounds will heal if you just leave them unattended for a while
-No matter how long you’ve been in water, you’ll became dry instantaneously
-Ammuntion is inexpensive and can be found anywhere
-Boxes always contain useful things
-Pure gold is the most common for of currency and accepted internationally
-The more ridiculous the clothes you wear, the better stats you’ll have
-Cardboard, glass, thin layers of metal and wood, along with anything your not using, are all bulletproof
-AI, no matter how trustworthy, will at one point become murderously evil
-Scientists understand any problem and can make anything from computers to weapons on their own
-Hats made of felt protect your head from bricks
-The slowest of animals can reach supersonic speeds within eight seconds
-Storage is only limited to the size of the alternate dimension in your unit, and not the unit itself
-Drinking mysterious red liquids and eating decade old food promotes health

But the most important thing is, if you, you can always respawn.

Probably, throughout my life, games have gradually taught how to be part of a greater community, i mean, since the good old splitscreen gaming on my ps2, games have been a common interest between me and friends, and as the online age really kicked in, the sheer size of the gaming community is incredible! With gaming conventions, betas artwork, indie games and even competitions, like this one! the gaming community is ever growing and ever getting better, and im glad to be part of it!

killin zombies efficiently for when the zombie apocalypse begins!
quote from a bibel
Their people will become like walking corpses, thier flesh rotting away. Their eyes will shrivel in their sockets, and their tongues will decay in their mouths. On that day they will be terrified, stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will fight against each other in hand-to-hand combat

English and Patience.

I have been a gamer probably since i was 5 years old. And through all the years that have passed, I’ve learned English. And i actually improve my language further on. I can encounter new words sometime, which i never heard about before.

What i have also gained is Patience. I used to get angry a lot when i failed in games.

Games have taught me the following pedestrians are safe that i don’t drive in real life.
I should never EVER tryout for X Factor.
World war 2 was bad but think ourselves lucky as America had it worse with an alien invasion.
And finally the best life lesson from gaming is always make sure your children wear the strap for the move controller cos it bloody hurts getting smacked in the head by one flying through the air.

Finger-guns are cool. You’d be surprised how few people use this technique. After seeing Revolver Ocelot in MGS3, I was finally one of them.

Dramatically walking away is another. FFVII really drilled that in. That Sephiroth was ahead of his time.

So in short, the advanced movement tutorial for life which parents don’t teach when you’re learning the basic movement tutorial which involves walking, picking items up, etc.

LA noire taught me how to know if someone was lying

the biggest thing games have taught me is wether your a superhero or a god if some one jumps in the sea you just have to stand there and wait for them to come out as for whatever reason you never learned to swim

My concentration skills have been greatly improved through some of the games I’ve played, like the fast paced games “Treasures of MsB” (Playstation vita), Portal 2 (mostly about patience), puzzles in games like Zelda, Uncharted, Darksiders, God of War. Dante’s inferno and Tomb Raider!

What have games taught me?

Guitar.

If I never picked up the first guitar hero, I never would have never become interested in guitar at a younger age. I must have practiced every song until I could just about get through on expert.
Now with Rocksmith, I can not only practice with songs I never thought I would have been able to try, but also learn new techniques and further learn how to play my real guitar.

So thank you Guitar hero for getting me interested in something I never thought of doing before.

Quite a lot actually; the most obvious are driving skills (I am horrible at parking but really good at the actual driving part ) and reading maps. Other than that I am guessing my strong focus on details, seeing beyond what’s at face value (much needed skill in strategy games) and very VERY quick reflexes all attribute to my having been gaming since I was but 3 years old. Growing up on it tends to have a lot of effects on you both on personality and skills, I don’t think I can name them all

Games and on the other side, PlayStationNetwork itself,made me learn english for good, since I need english to talk with people.
And ofcourse, I need to know what the game wants me to do. Another thing I leanred, was that I might get some second chances in parts of my life, but after a few, I might lose and have to start over… or can’t even start again.
Some games also made my patience level go higher, which is good to have in your life in my opinion.

Gaming has probably taught me most things I know now!
Dark Souls taught me Patience, and to never give up.
Kingdom Hearts taught me to keep a close bond, and look after friends.
Portal has taught me to think outside the box and think everything through.
Resident Evil has taught me that everything is better if you have someone to share your experience with.
Assassin’s Creed has taught me about historical and religeous events.

In short, gaming has taught many things, and I sit back and laugh about how much it has taught me.

I’ve gained the ability to get chicks and managed to get lots of high scores.

Videogames have taught me the English language! I have to use the language every day for school or to communicate with people. It has taught me so much more than I learn in school. I always turn on English audio and subtitles, even if it’s in dutch.

It also taught me moral choices. Should I kill you just because it’s fun? Of course!

As I play a lot of stuff, I probably got more skills from games than I imagine, problem solving, quick reflexes, determination to achieve my objectives, creative thinking and the list goes on, but I think the most important was to think clearly under pressure and stay calm.

I say this, because a couple years ago, my mom cut her hand pretty badly on a glass cup that broke while she was washing them, at the sight of blood and the pain, both my mother and my sister started panicking, but I kept my cool, washed her hand and put a towel around her and called a cab to take her to the nearest medical center and all went well.

I believe I acted the way I did because of all the difficult time challenges that platformers have like the old crash bandicoot 3 that had time trials to get the ankhs and in some levels that required concentration and calm despite the pressure to do it in time.

Oh and god of war probably helped deal with the sight of blood

Demon’s Souls taught me the importance of always holding a big shield directly in front of my face when entering a room. A technique I utilize every day in the office.

Using a move controller has helped me build up muscle in my arms to helps support my legs whilst using a walking stick and wii fit has helped me develop leg muscle and help keep me keep fit with my disability.

Faster reactions/ better timing have certainly developed over the years thanks to video games. Certain skills like timing when to act and when to know to wait transfer into the real world. Also knowing when something is a marathon not a sprint and how todo best at it is another skill video games can provide. For example most recently COD’s zombie transit mode isn’t a sprint. The people that try to horde the box at the gas station (1sst stop) end up missing the bus as it moves on and eventually being overrun and dying which has a message for the real world; don’t risk too much for short term gain, just be patient and wait for the longterm gain out of stuff. So patience is the overarching skill games teach- and that’s just waiting for certain games to actually be released

Okay this is the way I see it. Each game is like learning a new set of attributes within the game’s interface. You have to think differently to each new game you play. I’ve really seen transferable skills when I’m using other non gaming programs, like Sketchup, Achicad, creative suite (for my work), video editing etc, or even messing around with my mac problem solving. I can get into these programs with more patience as I always want to see the games I play through to the bitter end, like I did with Demon/ Dark Souls.

So yeah, I don’t think anyone should underestimate the value of gaming as long as it doesn’t take over your life.

Not to try and find the key to Shambhala, Don’t go into the a lab with ‘Apeture’ posted on the side, that I should lookk out for the Fal’cie,and that we probably shouldn’t make Metal Gears!

But on a more serious note I believe games as a media are so versatile in what they portray and some games, particularly The Walking Dead and Heavy Rain put you in a situation and say ‘how would you react if x or y happened’ it almost always gives food for thought. Plus the excellence of thatgamecompany’s Journey with a message of companionship , its a game that actually made me realise I’m not as antisocial as I thought! Some call gamers ‘antisocial’ but I believe in the current climate of how social gaming has become whether its inviting the friends over for PS Allstars or playing through Heavy Rain alone it can actually help to develop social skills!

Can’t really say that videogames taught me any singificant physical skills, but still… they did teach me several things.
Persona games show that even though friends may leave u at some point, they’re still your friends and your ties are not that easy to break.
Lemmings teach you that by working together even the smallest can achieve their goal.
Just like any other media videogames can’t really teach you how to shoot or drive, but if they make u understand smth, then their goal is already pretty much achieved.

Wait a year before buying a game – if it isn’t half price in a red box it probably isn’t worth owning. If it’s less than half price then it really isn’t worth owning.

The English language. Learned most of it by playing games and watching TV. English was one of the easiest subjects at school

Patience. When I was a kid, I could quickly lose my temper. (Looking at your Tekken 1. heihachi is a cheater!). But I never lose my temper again. (I do lose it on the ‘inside’ sometimes though :p No controller was ever hurt!)

Probably some faster reflexes.

And how to carry a few hundred items in my pockets/on my back.

Video games have taught me that adventuring can spell the end for your knees.

patience and quick reflects

also never to give and that hope is the last thing to die

NEVER trust a women! (Dead Space) They will make you crazy and leave you with nothing!

Videogames.. meaning playstation/console games haven’t taught me nothing really, that is nothing i cannot say books, tv shows, films and theathre/concerts Haven’t done, Have been racking my brain trying to find a answer to a question that maybe should of been asked., What have videogames taught me that is unique, which i am sorry to say i Still cannot find a good enough answer. I wish That would of been your question as i would of liked to read the (good) replies/thoughts on That one. I agree they’ve helped people, like the posts have claimed, unfortunately i can allways see a alternative method for every answer. as well as the realistic ones. for instance a user claims he learnt history, from a AC game, i really hope he means the write ups of the various buildings and other factual lessons. Not the bias views of the devs, some answers are funny, though theres only so many of those one can read before it gets stale. a opportunity missed imo.. But i will scan through more replies in the hopes of seeing a unique, or best example answer. guess i won’t be winning this week ?.. still, i played few chapters of Baynetta couple years back, Also i would love to know what game HRM learnt off, anyone know ?.

wishes for edit feature. theatres. other mistakes.

Games have taught me to be attentive to detail, patient, and that any case can be brought to the end, if you make enough effort for it.

I was recently driving with my wife in the heavy snow and came around a corner to find a stationary car lying horizontal across both lanes of the road. With very little time to react, I slammed on the brakes and my instinct took over and aimed directly towards the rear of the other car. While I’d like to think that I was protecting my wife by taking most of the impact on the drivers side, subconsciously I think my hours of time crashing through police roadblocks on Need For Speed: Most Wanted have taught me to always aim for the boot of a car to survive. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the collision swung the other car round so it was no longer causing an obstruction while we waited for assistance. Who says crime doesn’t pay?!

If i beat up the prostitute after i have paid for her services i can get my money back….. hey there not always good skills…