Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Frustration = Fun?

"Screw this, I'm never playing this stupid game again!" *Shuts off PS2 and punches a wall*

I hate to admit it, but that is pretty much how I sounded a few times yesterday while allegedly engaging in "recreational activity", that is to say, "losing so hard at a video game that I could no longer take it and had to quit to preserve my sanity." If you know the feeling, you understand. If you don't know the feeling, good for you, try to keep it that way for now.

So, frustration and video games. Two concepts that for some reason seem to go hand in hand in a lot of cases. In my case, I was playing Kingdom Hearts 2 and losing to the same boss over and over again. Finally, I snapped and stopped playing, but not before raging violently against the game, cussing, yelling and generally behaving in a way I am certainly not proud of. And for what? It's all just a game, nothing but flashing lights on a TV screen, with absolutely no connection to the real world whatsoever. So why not just ignore it? I've asked myself that question many times, and I always arrive at the same answer:

Because I like it.

Now that sounds like a paradox if I ever heard one. I get frustrated, angry and disappointed, but deep down I like it!? Sounds crazy, doesn't it? How can I like being that frustrated and annoyed at something that doesn't even mean anything to my life in the long run?

I think the first question that should be considered isn't how I can enjoy something that makes so frustrated and upset, but rather why I become frustrated in the first place. While a game shouldn't really make that much of a difference, the fact that I get so worked up about means that it actually means a lot to me. I like playing video games to relax and have fun, but also to test my skills, set records, win against impossible odds. And when that doesn't work, I get frustrated and upset, because I can't achieve the goals I set up for myself in order to "have fun". Now that sounds even more like a paradox. Who needs to achieve something to have fun? Well, me, for a start.

Ultimately, I believe it all comes down to choice. I choose to expose myself to this frustration because I know that if I somehow succeed, and actually "win", that alone will make it all worth it. Someone else might have a different idea of what you need to do to "have fun" and not get as frustrated with their choice of entertainment. But me, I guess I need a few hurdles and hoops to jump through (Or a brick wall to bash my head against) to feel like the "fun" is worth it.

So the next time anyone hears me screaming at the top of my voice for Donald Duck to go kill himself, don't be alarmed. I'm just having fun, that's all.

20 comments:

  1. I know the feeling. I always get frustrated on a game and I'm like "Fuck this game!" but I always go back to it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Definitely know the feeling haha

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think a sense of achievement is necessary to have fun sometimes. It is like the difference between playing against someone who is worse than you and playing against someone the same as you. I think it is because we know time is valuable and we value it, so the more time we put into something the more valuable it seems.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Maybe you should play easier games. Frustration does not equal fun.

    ReplyDelete
  5. pieter, if you see this i keep on trying to comment on your blog but i can't cause your profile is set to private

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hah that first sentence :P Me 20 minutes ago with witcher 2 :p

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sometimes I have that too, playing a game so long but failing so hard, and end up really frustrated!

    Sometimes the best thing to do is take a short break and drink a glass of water, and then when you're relaxed you will do much better!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I hate being frustrated... I'm a big baby when it comes to that stuff to the point where I only play games that are relaxing now. My life is stressful enough already, I don't want my games to add to that ha ha

    ReplyDelete
  9. I know the feeling, and I always come back to do it again ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I never gotten so mad as to throw a controller, I wonder why...

    ReplyDelete
  11. I know the feeling, I was stuck on a quest in Oblivion about 5 years ago it ruined a whole 2 weeks of my life

    ReplyDelete
  12. I know this feeling too well, I yell at the TV on a daily basis

    ReplyDelete
  13. For some reason, I always tend to just get angry at myself when I can't beat a hard game.. I never scream at the tv, etc. And while I enjoy a good challenge, it doesn't seem to me like there's a strong connection between how fun a game is and how hard it is. Most of my favorite games were incredibly easy, but just really entertaining to me for some reason.

    Anyway, great post; really engaging writing. I like it :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sometimes frustration just motivates me, but then again, I'm a programmer.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm guilty of swearing at my games and feeling much better afterwards

    ReplyDelete
  16. I can't stand frustratingly difficult games. I don't want to waste time playing the same levels/maps over and over.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I remember in college my roommate got so pissed from losing in the N64 game Blitz he punched a hole in the wall. It didn't help that he was on steroids at the time.
    +followed

    ReplyDelete