Needing Outside Entertainment While Playing Games
I'm sure many of you have done this at some point while playing a game, where you listen to a podcast or let's play while playing a game. Often this is because the part of the game you're playing is super boring, or because the game itself is boring and you need something else to make the game tolerable. This often applies to RPGs and online multiplayer games where you're level grinding, doing some trivial yet lengthy quest, or seeking out that rare Pokemon to capture in the Safari Zone that just keeps running away.
I often think at these moments if I'm even having fun playing the game, because I need to be entertained while playing it. Once it gets to that point, is the game not even a factor to my enjoyment? Could I just shut the game off and listen to the podcast and be just as entertained? Could it be that the game you're playing is in fact, not that good?
Something like a rhythm game occupies your entire focus, as there are often nice visuals, a kickin' tune, and your full focus is needed on both of them to play effectively. They're fun to play because you're really into what's going on in the game! However when a game shuts off your senses to the point where you need something entertaining to listen to while you play, it kind of makes you question the quality of the game you're playing
Maybe this is a topic RPG fans discuss at length and I'm just not aware of it, but I feel it should be asked here in Gamer's Gauntlet.
Question: If a game gets to the point where you need to be entertained by something else, does that make the game bad?
I often think at these moments if I'm even having fun playing the game, because I need to be entertained while playing it. Once it gets to that point, is the game not even a factor to my enjoyment? Could I just shut the game off and listen to the podcast and be just as entertained? Could it be that the game you're playing is in fact, not that good?
Something like a rhythm game occupies your entire focus, as there are often nice visuals, a kickin' tune, and your full focus is needed on both of them to play effectively. They're fun to play because you're really into what's going on in the game! However when a game shuts off your senses to the point where you need something entertaining to listen to while you play, it kind of makes you question the quality of the game you're playing
Maybe this is a topic RPG fans discuss at length and I'm just not aware of it, but I feel it should be asked here in Gamer's Gauntlet.
Question: If a game gets to the point where you need to be entertained by something else, does that make the game bad?
Comments
There are exceptions,but in my opinion I would say in general that it is a negative if you have to listen to music or a podcast while playing a particular game.
As for the question, I dunno, it might say more about your attention span than the game itself. Same reason people can't stop looking at their phones every 2 seconds or why YouTube video are rarely over 5 or 10 minutes. It's a known fact that the human attention span is gradually becoming shorter and shorter due to technology. I often do the same thing though when playing online games - I'll surf the web between rounds or matches while I wait.
There's an art/some magic to it for sure
There was another topic on music a while back that sort of relates: http://vintage.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=31&threadid=155788
I also purposefully try to not check my phone while playing games these days. It seems to decrease the enjoyment factor when I do, and I find it a good exercise in self-control to try and not to (and fail more often than not).
EDIT: ^^^ The agreed was supposed to be in response to a quote from IronToupee.
when I play my NES games, the sound is always muted. I don't listen to music, but I do have the sound from the other tv, usually some type of sporting event that I'm watching, like recently the soccer games play while I'm playing NES.
Muted sound makes Battletoads tougher. The sound cues are important for getting the right rhythm in levels such as the Turbo Tunnel and Clinger Winger.
You have to be in the right mood for a certain kind of game. Shooter, RPG, platformer, etc. If you aren't in that mood, you aren't going to enjoy the game nearly as much as if you were in that mindset. Maybe you did enjoy it before because it was at the action parts where you kept advancing the story and the challenge was keeping up pretty well. But eventually you got to the grind which people don't like and got bored. It happens.
Me personally I like the original Dragon Warrior. Yet there are times when you have to grind for quite a long time to be able to advance the story. I happen to like this because I only tend to play DW when I am in that mindset where I just need my brain to drift off and I find the monotony of repeated slime battles enjoyable. The music isn't great so I tend to play with it on a very low volume, but when you are in that mood for monotony it is an excellent game.
I prefer no background noises when I play a game as it makes it very hard to immerse myself into it which I enjoy.
To me I feel it's a flaw with the game if you need outside entertainment, because clever designers can find ways to make a boring situation more enjoyable. Good music can make an otherwise dull game enjoyable such as Final Fantasy 4, and adding a little something extra to the game's mechanics can make it more exciting. Mario RPG/Paper Mario do a good job at this with the timed hits requiring a little more focus, and clever boss battles that spice up the combat are a nice addition in those games. Stuff like the Bowyer fight which temporarily locks one of your key functions in battle, or Dodo carrying you off to have a one on one match for the first half of the Valentina fight. These types of things keep a fairly dull combat system interesting, and combined with the game's great music, you're always enjoying what's going on. The game even makes overworld travel enjoyable by having platforming challenges, which was an uncommon thing in RPGs at that point.
Lazy design in RPGs makes them dull, and when you require an outside source of entertainment, there's something fundamentally wrong with the game.
That being said, I don't really care THAT much, because when a game allows me to listen to a podcast or video series I enjoy at the same time, it's extremely convenient. I don't always have time to sit and re-watch a favourite playlist of videos, and sometimes I'm conflicted if I want to watch one of them, or play a game. Slow paced games that don't require a ton of thought like Pokemon or Harvest Moon allow me to kill two birds with one stone, and maximize my enjoyment.
I do feel it's a problem with the game when you need to have something else to entertain you, but there is an odd advantage about it that makes it forgivable.
On the other hand if the game has amazing music, or requires focus, then it gets my full attention.
Right now I'm playing through Lufia II while going through Buffy (the tv show). That has nothing to do with how much I'm enjoying either of those (quite a bit), but that's just the reality of really only having free time from about 11:00pm-1:00am each night
when I play my NES games, the sound is always muted. I don't listen to music, but I do have the sound from the other tv, usually some type of sporting event that I'm watching, like recently the soccer games play while I'm playing NES.
Muted sound makes Battletoads tougher. The sound cues are important for getting the right rhythm in levels such as the Turbo Tunnel and Clinger Winger.
I played that whole week w/no sound. Maybe I should try to play it with the sound on.
Your right, some games do have sound cues. MTPO for sure.
when I play my NES games, the sound is always muted. I don't listen to music, but I do have the sound from the other tv, usually some type of sporting event that I'm watching, like recently the soccer games play while I'm playing NES.
Muted sound makes Battletoads tougher. The sound cues are important for getting the right rhythm in levels such as the Turbo Tunnel and Clinger Winger.
I played that whole week w/no sound. Maybe I should try to play it with the sound on.
Your right, some games do have sound cues. MTPO for sure.
You're also missing out on a wonderful soundtrack by playing it on mute.
when I play my NES games, the sound is always muted. I don't listen to music, but I do have the sound from the other tv, usually some type of sporting event that I'm watching, like recently the soccer games play while I'm playing NES.
Muted sound makes Battletoads tougher. The sound cues are important for getting the right rhythm in levels such as the Turbo Tunnel and Clinger Winger.
I played that whole week w/no sound. Maybe I should try to play it with the sound on.
Your right, some games do have sound cues. MTPO for sure.
You're also missing out on a wonderful soundtrack by playing it on mute.
Played Battletoads without sound?
I would get demolished if I did that. Also... agreed with mbd39, the music is awesome. Also also, sometimes I pause it and rock out to the beat. I'll call it the "Battletoads Pause Beat". It's awesome.
I can't play any game without sound. Mostly because I love the music... but also because of the sound cues in most/every game.
I don't mind listening to music while I play video games, but I still need to hear the game...
when I play my NES games, the sound is always muted. I don't listen to music, but I do have the sound from the other tv, usually some type of sporting event that I'm watching, like recently the soccer games play while I'm playing NES.
Muted sound makes Battletoads tougher. The sound cues are important for getting the right rhythm in levels such as the Turbo Tunnel and Clinger Winger.
I played that whole week w/no sound. Maybe I should try to play it with the sound on.
Your right, some games do have sound cues. MTPO for sure.
You're also missing out on a wonderful soundtrack by playing it on mute.
Played Battletoads without sound?
I would get demolished if I did that. Also... agreed with mbd39, the music is awesome. Also also, sometimes I pause it and rock out to the beat. I'll call it the "Battletoads Pause Beat". It's awesome.
I can't play any game without sound. Mostly because I love the music... but also because of the sound cues in most/every game.
I don't mind listening to music while I play video games, but I still need to hear the game...
Ya I'm weird. I like playing without the sound. I am always watching cable when I play NES.
when I play my NES games, the sound is always muted. I don't listen to music, but I do have the sound from the other tv, usually some type of sporting event that I'm watching, like recently the soccer games play while I'm playing NES.
Muted sound makes Battletoads tougher. The sound cues are important for getting the right rhythm in levels such as the Turbo Tunnel and Clinger Winger.
I played that whole week w/no sound. Maybe I should try to play it with the sound on.
Your right, some games do have sound cues. MTPO for sure.
You're also missing out on a wonderful soundtrack by playing it on mute.
Played Battletoads without sound?
I would get demolished if I did that. Also... agreed with mbd39, the music is awesome. Also also, sometimes I pause it and rock out to the beat. I'll call it the "Battletoads Pause Beat". It's awesome.
I can't play any game without sound. Mostly because I love the music... but also because of the sound cues in most/every game.
I don't mind listening to music while I play video games, but I still need to hear the game...
Ya I'm weird. I like playing without the sound. I am always watching cable when I play NES.
You do your thing, mang! That's mutli-tasking at its best.
I'm not even mad, that's amazing.
Nowadays, most of my music comes out of computer monitor speakers or my phone. I've got a nice setup in my video gaming room, but I rarely find the time to actually use it.