Why do you play games?

[SingSong]

Everyone plays games for different reasons including using them as a way to connect socially, playing them to escape the real world, and enjoying succeeding in the challenges presented by them. What draws you to games (and by games I mean everything from duck-duck-goose to Blackjack to Half-Life)?

I personally gravitate toward each game medium for a different reason. I play games in the real world (like cards, board games, and sports) to have something fun to do with other people, and the bonus with some of those games is that there's exercise involved or an excuse to go outside. I play console games typically to burn time or, again, socialize with the people I'm around. I don't play mobile games often, but I definitely just use those as a mindless thing to do when I just want to relax. And I usually join and play browser games because they fit to my desire to procrastinate. I typically use them as a way to reward myself between unrelated tasks, and sometimes I just have some free time, so I use the characters or world in browser games as inspiration for something else like writing or drawing.

[Digital]

I really game to escape real life. Although I enjoy the social aspects of games, I am not terribly competitive which is what games usually aspire to direct their communities to do, which usually leaves me kinda out of the loop, but I do enjoy casually chatting and playing with others.

[SingSong]

Oh interesting! Because I find myself getting really competitive during games (mainly during console games). I get really get sucked into them. I swear too much during first-person shooters and other fast-paced games. I just swear at the screen though, and I just really have a fun time with it. I guess in a way, that's one of my ways of getting some kind of release from the day to day stresses. I try not to be mean while playing though, and I don't get upset much if I lose, because I'm actually really used to that.

[Digital]

Yeah, its funny because I used to be really (arguably addicted) to World of Warcraft, which can be competitive. My guildies never could understand why I didn't try to one up them, and would be interested in the less competitive parts of the game. I guess I enjoyed the game more for the world and the fact that it was alive with other real people, rather then for what those people were really doing. To me they were more for the environment and ambiance of the game.

Don't get me wrong, I would still get into the raiding and such, but tended to avoid the player vs player gameplay.