Positive experiences in your life due to video games.

[Chovexani]

Please list them so we have a thread we can point to the next time some asshat in GD decides to paint us all as idiot 12 year old sociopaths-in-training.

My life would be significantly poorer were it not for video games, and specifically the Final Fantasy games. I was an introvert and a loner growing up, without any friends, and my only friend quite literally was my NES (and then SNES, and so on). When Final Fantasy came out, it blew my mind and opened up a whole new world of imagination for me. Now, in the original FF there were no named heroes, you created and named a party from scratch much like D&D. I started writing little stories about the Warriors of Light and the things they did between adventures. Nothing earthshattering, and they'd hardly compete with a Homerian epic, but it gave me an outlet for my creativity. As later games in the series came out, particularly FF6, I started wondering a lot about the different characters' backstories and their relationships to each other, and I got pretty damn proflic with my stories.

When FF6 was out, I was still on AOL and I posted a lot to the Squaresoft boards in the video game forum, and was a member of a silly little moogle club called Kupopolis. I started posting stories about a moogle there, and soon other people started interacting with her, and eventually we had a fullblown interactive fiction circle going. Ten years later, this thing is huge and still exists on the Web (*cough*www.kupopolis.com*cough*...I post on there as Aurora), and many of the writers involved with it have gone on to study writing and pursue it as a career. Some have been published in genre magazines. Me? I still write fanfiction, and for many more games besides Final Fantasy, but I've also branched into original work and I am proud to say I am having a nonfiction essay published in an anthology soon.

I've also made so many friends due to these games. Participating on gaming message boards and moderating fanfiction lists has drawn me out of my shell in ways nothing else has. It's given me confidence. I know this is going to sound extremely stupid, but gaming has also given me self-esteem...I never felt I was good at anything, and this hobby gave me a passion and a purpose in life.

Classical music? I was indifferent to it, until Square started putting out orchestrated versions of Final Fantasy soundtracks. Suddenly the violin I had to play for school became a wonderful thing, and I started teaching myself how to play different songs from the games on it. I'm not alone in this either; I know many classical music aficionados who gained a love for the artform due to hearing "One Winged Angel" at the end of Final Fantasy 7, and learning that Nobuo Uematsu borrowed some lyrics for it from Carmina Burana.

I know people who have studied graphic design because they got the artist bug after drawing fan art of characters...people who have gone into computer science because they wanted to learn about the nuts and bolts behind games...even people who have learned carpentry and metalwork because they wanted to build a better Dance Dance Revolution pad! Geez, on a totally stupid level, I learned how to sew because I wanted to dress up like Kitana from Mortal Kombat for Halloween when I was 12, and I'm now learning html because I want to make a fanshrine to the various pretty boys from Square games.

Okay, I've gushed enough. I can't be the only one whose life was changed for the better because of this crazy hobby. Even if it's something you think is small and insignifcant, please step up.

[malmapus]

1. Had probaly the most incredible relationship ever

With my ex, actually "converted" her to games. It also brought me closer to her family. She had two brothers, one older and one younger. When we decided to live together, she was sharing a house with her brothers. I moved in, was killer cause split the rent 4 ways. We had our network setup with awesome gaming systems.

We did alot of PvP type games, Asheron's Call we played on the Darktide server, we would do Mech Warrior as well (even got kicked off many a server because of the ass we kicked). But yeah those were awesome days and nights, we would end it all by going out to this all nite Korean place and just go over our exploits and the pwnage we did.

Just seemed to have a real closeness and bond that I haven't had since in relationships (let alone with the family members).

[Goldom]

2. I met my now-fiancee on an EQ message board.

Enough said.

[Chovexani]

9. Sweet.

I know a LOT of marriages that happened due to online gaming. I met my current, long term SO on a MUD.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

3. i learned to type playing the Hobbit text based game

on my apple IIe when i was 10. To this day people hear me typing and they say I'm the fastest they've ever seen/heard. I always tell them I learned from video games.

Much like you, I'd say games helped an introverted kid pass the time and learn valuable skills that have, in many ways, benefitted me more than school. Games were an excellent counter-balance to athletics that I was involved in at the time. They helped me make friends I wouldn't have had had I not been involved in computers. And computer games provided me with a crucial comfort-level with technology.

[Spider Jerusalem]

4. I got into a long conversation with a group of strangers just today...

I was at my LCS (local comics shop, for those who aren't as geeky as I am...), and the guys in there were watching a very funny video someone took on a World of Warcraft server...went from there to an hour spent discussing the merits of RTS vs MMORPG vs FPS, sports games, the merits of different console controllers, which console has the best platform games, etc...and I'm generally an introvert, so I wouldn't have gotten into the converasation otherwise.

And I've made quite a few friends thanks to a shared interest in gaming, learned some scripting and programming in order to create game mods...I'd say there've been positive benefits (and I have great hand-eye coordination, thanks to playing shooters...even out of practise, I can nail the baseline from the service box on a tennis court nine times out of ten).

[NuttyFluffers]

5. I'm surprised no one has said it yet: vocabulary builder :D

Especially with oh-so-dangerous D&D P&P RPGs (they lead to the devil, you know :evilgrin:). But many video games, even from the earliest years, used complex sentences and advanced vocabulary. The people who I've met who had some of the most developed vocabularies were gamers, often RPG video game players.

Also great spatial reasoning and sense of direction.

Tactics and strategy (found to some degree in most games).

I would say cooperation, but... for as many games that teach this there's games (and cheating) teaching the opposite. Still a toss up for me. But....

Good moral stories/lessons for most of the games. Strength in numbers, mercy, forthrightness, etc. y'know, the generic fair of morals.

I'm sure there's more to add, such as comfort and knowledge of electronics, but I'm tired now.

[malmapus]

6. Didn't even think about those points

I play EQ and you usually have to have alot of tactics and strategy for the upper end mobs on regular servers, I play on Test though which has a very low pop and we have to be even more creative when trying to take these guys down with like half if even that what normal servers have.

[Systematic Chaos]

7. Video games (and pinball) were my focus and sanity for years.

I was horribly emotionally distressed and introverted from the age of 8 or 9 until my mid 20's. I spent lots of time and money playing every home and arcade game I could find, as a way to escape a really horrible home life. I never clicked with any of the stoners or troublemakers that frequented the arcades in Roanoke, VA, Cape Coral, FL and finally Las Vegas during that time period. I kept to myself.

I was an absolute rabid dog when it came to buying up steeply discounted Atari 2600 cartridges after the video game crash of 1983. I used to go to Zody's, K Mart and Kay Bee toys and buy those games (some of which were actually very good, like Tunnel Runner or Gyruss or Frogger) for $5 in lots of 5 or even 10 at a time. At one point I had FOUR shoe boxes full of cartridges. Probably about 125 total. But like an idiot, I gave the whole collection to my oldest brother and he promptly lost them all (or sold them for rent money or some shit). In good condition, many of those games are worth some bank today.

RPG's kept me company like few other pastimes could during the late 80's and 90's. I spent countless hours buffing up my adventuring parties in all three Wizardry games, plus the Might and Magic ports, that came out for the NES, SNES and Genesis, and Final Fantasy VII just blew me away.

There's no denying it. My video game and pinball prowess were what gave me at least some kind of identity when my peers were busy making me feel like crap. Without that escape, I might not have survived.

[tedoll78]

8. I have a vacation every time a Zelda game comes out.

In 2003, I went sailing. :D

I prepare to the point of obsession.

First, I take off of work. Usually a whole work week. Since I work 3 12-hour weekend shifts at the hospital, this gives me a whole 11 days off of work. The paperwork is filed with my boss months in advance, as soon as I know the official release date.

During the week before the game arrives, the house is cleaned from top to bottom. Floors mopped, carpet shampooed, everything dusted, windows draped to let no light in, every piece of fabric is laundered. I also run a rough calibration check on my DLP television, and a check on my surround sound system.

Next comes the grocery shopping trip. Tons of easily-prepared foods are procured. Pizza rolls, chicken tenders, pot pies, TV dinners, fruits, a gazillion gallons of Barqs & Mountain Dew, Pringles Sour Cream & Onion, Cheddar Cheese Combos, and Excedrin.

My family and friends are made aware of my vacation. They know not to call unless someone is in the hospital, in the morgue, or behind bars. I also handle all of my finances

When I place my order online, I order the overnight shipping with the UPS package marked "HOLD FOR PICKUP." This allows me to go to UPS in the morning before 8AM and pick-up my game, rather than having to wait a whole 6 or 7 more hours in the afternoon. (Sad, I know!)

I get home, read the instructions, and play and play and play, stopping only for bathroom breaks, food, and naps. By the end of my vacation (which flies by every single time), I'm exhausted and haaaapy.

It'll probably be this way until my hands can't operate a controller. Or if my eyesight goes, or if some other neurologic condition prevents me from playing. I look forward to these vacations almost as much as I look forward to spending time with my family.

[Systematic Chaos]

11. That really sounds like fun.

I think that if I had a computer of my own back in the early 90's, when the Might & Magic World of Xeen games came out, I'd have done the same thing. I saw them in Electronics Boutique and drooled over them, but alas, I was without a computer so I had to settle for console RPG's which were often hit and miss.

[tedoll78]

13. Wow. I LOVE the Might and Magic series.

Especially 6 and 7.

I lost sooo much time to those games. Parties of all-knights, all-sorcerers, etc. And solo games.. god, how I love a good Might and Magic solo (especially with an archer character).

I still have em too, but one thing sucks - I have big-time trouble running them in anything later than Windows 1998.

[TroubleMan]

10. I became really good a fixing and troubleshooting computers

I've been fixing computers for about 20 years now (I'm 32), and I got started on it because of gaming. Actually it probably started when I was in elementary school. We had a TRS-80 Level II when I was real little. With no disk drive or hard drive, you had to type programs in yourself - line by line. Then you saved them to a cassette tape. I learned how to program basic when I was really young and the basic tenets of computing, just cause I wanted to play games on the computer. It's funny how excited I got just to get Eliza work (it's a real stupid game when you look back at it).

Of course, I can't get a job in IT the last 5 years because of the dot-com bust, the bush economy, and tons of outsourcing - not even a bunch of certifications, a bunch of experience, and a medal I received in the Marine Corps for computer work could get me a job in IT (but that's probably due to my felony conviction - but I digress).

However, I can fix any computer problem I have or my friends and family have. I save money by building my own computers, and I never have to call tech support, except to tell them that there's a problem on their end.

I guess that's the best way gaming has helped me....but don't tell my wife - she hates me being on the computer at all, LOL.

[Orsino]

12. I avoided sunburn.

I may have a Vitamin D deficiency, but I'm not worried about skin cancer. :D

[DavidMS]

14. I have made some great friends at lan parties.

I was at one last night fraging away untill 4:30 am. All I can say is 3 people playing BF2 in the same room against way too much of a clan on the other team. We gave better than we got.

[Occulus]

15. I didn't have a whole lot of friends and was pretty lonely before I found

a way to entertain myself. I spent hours playing Pac-Man on my Atari 2600.

I also spent hours and hours- and hours- hiking in the woods behind our house.

I still play games a lot, though... and I still take a walk in the woods from time to time (I have a state game preserve not eight feet from my patio, so it's very very easy to do).

My favorite game: Half-Life 2. Visually stunning, user-editable, "easily" moddable.

Future favorite game: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Screenies and movies look unbelieveably convincing; knowing that series, it'll be a huge, sprawling RPG set in a lush, fully-realized virtual world. I simply. Can't. Wait.

For those of you who may read this who have no real experience playing any RPGs, this series in particular has the look and feel of a book come to life. I very highly recommend the Elder Scrolls series for those who want to experience an RPGers RPG. The classic "Neverwinter Nights" and "Baldur's Gate" games are equally engrossing.

I'm a gamer; always have been- since I was about eight or ten- and always will be. These things are fun, period. Theyre enthusiastically distracting, a necessary disconnect from everyday life.

It's the fools who spend away their life's saving (or their marriages) on things like Everquest, or those who shoot up a building explicitly using strategies from "Doom", that give video games a bad name.