FPS

Hey everybody, I'm working on a little project about first-person shooter games, and I was wondering if any of you play them (like from Wolfenstein3D right on up to Call of Duty). I'm interested in hearing about your experiences, such as the best or worst you ever played, and how playing those games relates to your spiritual life.

Feel free to post here because I'd like to see what each of you has to say to others about their experiences.

Thanks!

I use to play a lot of FPS’s and it dominated much of my “free time.” :ohmy:

Best, worst… I know one of my favorites, when I played, was Battlefield 1942. :woohoo:

As to their spiritual impact on my life… it was negative. So, I quit playing.

I play a good deal of FPS on Xbox Live, and I'm a devoted fan. I enjoy Call of Duty and Halo 4, and I have a few things to say about my experiences. I'll try to return back to this forum for a more detailed response, but things are busy now.

Although this is a good topic, Streen!

I used to play fps a lot but...

I love the story of game more than anythings, and honeslty, fps stories... aren't good

i play a wide array of games...my favorite types are rpg's because of the customizing you can do to your character....

right now the 3dps i've been playing alot is army of two:the fortieth day...i can beat the game in under 30mins now...

the first fps i played and got repeatedly pwned in was unreal tournament...until i found maps that had the "redeemer" :evil:

yes, RPGs are really cool, but not everyone play it, it's kind of a geek game

FPS is more played among normal people!

sshhhh :lol:

my geek wasn't supposed to escape...

Okay, I'm back! So, as I was saying, I've really enjoyed FPS games for quite a while and, while I started off as a die-hard Call of Duty fan, I've ended up going towards Halo 4 and the reclaimer trilogy games as they are soon going to unfold.

To me, FPS games are about being spontaneous, with a LOT of luck. Each match is a new, exciting opportunity to do extremely well, fail hard, or do something in between. That is why it is so difficult to stop playing - because you always feel that "this match will be my lucky one", and the opening of each match, whether it's...

"Team Deathmatch!........Take no prisoners, Comrades!"

or

"SLAYER........Eelimuhnate the yenemy teeem!"

adds to this effect.

Streen, you ask how this relates to spiritual life....but, honestly, I don't see the connection between the two. It's like asking, "how is friendship related to bug collecting?" There doesn't seem to be any clear connection there....however, I will say that, if anything, FPS games are very unspiritual, if you ask me.

They usually involve mass virtual killings, and a type of personal competition that involves beating down every opponent who opposes you. This is in contrast to our forms of spirituality, which is about cooperating, patience, and understanding.


However, I don't see FPS games as "bad" things. In contrast, I appreciate how FPS games allow people to do things that they (most hopefully) wouldn't do in real life: shooting, throwing knives and grenades, driving erratically in vehicles, etc.

Many people think that this is why video games cause people to become violent. But I think it's the exact opposite. People who choose to play video games, like FPS's, are making a conscious decision to do certain activities in a simulation environment, with absolutely no risks to anyone, as opposed to experimenting with it in real life.

Moreover, people point out how the Columbine and Virginia Tech students became killers supposedly because of video games. However, do you really think that any single person could become a maniac killer from playing video games (that are played by billions of people around the world)?

The person was probably already the type of person to commit those types of crimes, and the video games just appealed to them more.

After all, people who already love apples will probably go ahead and buy apples.
But people who don't already love apples probably won't go ahead and buy apples when under the influence of apples, correct?


But I digress.....Let me just conclude by saying that I feel that FPS games, and video games in general, are a great fuel and way to spend free time. When I really get into a new FPS, for example, I focus more in school and do work more efficiently in order to make some time for me to play the game. When a new game is about to be released, I do homework and chores and duties weeks in advance and double check them before the game comes out. Also, I play FPS games instead of going to shady parties that I've been invited to by friends many a times.

Life is rather long, in my opinion, (especially the earlier school years) so you need a hobby/passionate activity to pull you through it.

too many people want to blame games, music, tv, etc for their aggressiveness instead of simply accepting responsibility for their actions...i don't buy the whole "they did it because they play such and such games" defense...it's b/s...they did it because they wanted to do it, no one made them do it...i've played violent games, my whole life and i'm not out there committing violent acts against people...why?...simple because i know that there are consequences for my actions, i was taught that by my parents...

in the end always remember...it's just a game

[quote="SeanChing" post=81839I enjoy Call of Duty and Halo 4...[/quote]

oh snap, me too! whats your sign in name?

that said, yes i enjoy FPS, my whole life, but RPGs as well, and pretty much equally. i dont know that i can relate video games to my spiritual life unless you broaden the definition to cover all social interactions (or lack thereof in some cases) arising from the game. i mean, at no point have i ever finished a game and felt closer to or further from god. a little wistful its over, yes, but never 'spiritual'.

aside: my ex wife said that when she and her sister were kids, they were only allowed to play a nintendo game based on the bible. noahs ark, david and goliath, things like that. anybody know anything else about it? cuz i lol'd out loud when she told me that. shes so evil now, it did zero good.

I play CoD on occasion. I have young children so it's not played unless they're at school or in bed. I'll play for an hour or two a few times a week, but I prefer RPGs.

I don't think games effect any part of my life other than enjoying some down time once in a while. If they did, I wouldn't continue to play them. I'm not sure I relate them to real life at all.. because let's be honest.. if someone shoots me in the head I'm not going to respawn haha

Hm, I've always enjoyed FPS games, but usually only for their Multiplayer aspect, but there is a couple games I enjoy the single player more so. As far as my favorite game.. I'd have to say Halo franchise, any and all of them. Halo 4 has probably the best multiplayer that I've seen among the franchise so far.

I also play Modern Warfare 3 from time to time, but its been quite a while since I last played it. Another game I love playing, not sure if you would honestly count it as FPS.. but I also love the Mass Effect games, the single player on them have some really good stories.

As for their impact on my life? I don't personally see any form of impact. Games are often used as a reason for some people being violent, but sadly people don't look deep enough into their lives. I don't think games have a true impact on people unless you let them have the impact. Though I will say that my games do have a tendency of taking up my free time.

I love the concept of virtual reality, so I enjoy FPSers. I am a big fan of games which are open world, and give the player access to tools to customize scenario's and link them into custom campaigns. The Bohemia Interactive Operation Flashpoint 1985 and its followups are stand outs for me in this regard. Despite not being as graphically glitzy as mainstream FPSers it provided greater utility and has subsequantly been used by various militaries around the world for actual training. I dont enjoy the gaming experience of top down POV RPGs, like WoW, SWTOR etc. No negative impact experienced, but I didnt start playing them until late teenager years when things like Doom were invented, so I have no idea if its a good idea for children.

Desolous wrote: [quote="SeanChing" post=81839I enjoy Call of Duty and Halo 4...

oh snap, me too! whats your sign in name?

that said, yes i enjoy FPS, my whole life, but RPGs as well, and pretty much equally. i dont know that i can relate video games to my spiritual life unless you broaden the definition to cover all social interactions (or lack thereof in some cases) arising from the game. i mean, at no point have i ever finished a game and felt closer to or further from god. a little wistful its over, yes, but never 'spiritual'.

aside: my ex wife said that when she and her sister were kids, they were only allowed to play a nintendo game based on the bible. noahs ark, david and goliath, things like that. anybody know anything else about it? cuz i lol'd out loud when she told me that. shes so evil now, it did zero good.[/quote]

My gamertag is
electoh

I'm focusing on Halo 4 now, so I probably won't be playing any COD. Plus, I don't use a mic, so sorry, I can't chat that way. Hope I can play some Big Team Infinity Slayer with you!

Thanks guys, you've been very helpful thus far, but I guess I made a mistake in my wording as you've misunderstood my meaning of "spiritual".

What I really meant was "philosophical". What I'm looking for are the descriptions of being "in the zone", where you're playing so well it's as if someone took over for you. If y'all could tell me about those experiences, I'd much appreciate it

You mean something beyond immersion? I'd say there is two types of immersion, environmental where you suspend your disbelief of the simulation and connect to the visualization of being in the game, and then also character immersion where you act in the game as if you were a different person.

Well, since we're on the topic of First Person Shooters, that narrows down the list of potential games to reference....however, I know a really great FPS that immersed me into the world of spying and cold war espionage:

Goldeneye 007 for Wii.


Yes, this game had one of the best campaigns I have ever played for an FPS, and was certainly the most immersive FPS game that I have ever played. Unlike the usual "shoot-em-up" and "macho-man" FPS games (and really, there are too many of them), Goldeneye focused a whole lot on stealth and controlled gun fire. Armed with only a pistol and a PDA, the game required players to rely on stealth assassinations, hacking of enemy equipment, and wise shooting. The difference between Goldeneye and a usual spy game was the fact that everything about the campaign just worked well. Whether or not the game developers and players genuinely predicted how well Goldeneye would work before it was released and played in not truthfully known, but it ended up being a really great working game - by fate or free will.

I wrote a video game review on Goldeneye 007 for the Wii and gave it an 8.5/10 - a good grade. If you're interested, you can view my review by copy and pasting the following URL into another tab:

gamespot.com/users/gamereviewguru/contributions

and search for my review about Goldeneye 007.

That is what I was talking about as well when I said…

As to their spiritual impact on my life… it was negative. So, I quit playing.

I am REALLY good at games. And it is not because I spend massive amount of time playing them. I learned to “let go” and just be a part of the game. To almost become a game playing machine, so to speak. The rest of the world tuned out and you are in the “game zone.” Reacting to things in the game before they happen almost as an anticipatory reflex. I then would become “locked” in to the game. All sense of actual time or the “real’ world around me would melt to the background of existence.

A friend of mine was a quality assurance manager at Blizzard and then Ensemble Studios; he also worked at a few other places over the years. But because of my ability to “zone out” and just demolish games and other gamers he would have me come in and test games for him. It eventually began to encroach into my real life and all I could think about was the next time I would play. There is a feeling that comes with being “in the zone” that unless you have been there it is impossible to describe, and it is a good feeling, very addicting and very false. You begin to feel “powerful”, but what people seem to fail to realize is that they are only connecting to a machine. It is just a game… and so I stopped playing.

I will still pick up a controller from time to time… but NOT often.

First Person shooters are a nail in the coffin for people who used to be able to view real life from a third person perspective. That being said, who knows if it is real life?

How do you know?

Desolous wrote: [quote="SeanChing" post=81839I enjoy Call of Duty and Halo 4...

oh snap, me too! whats your sign in name?

that said, yes i enjoy FPS, my whole life, but RPGs as well, and pretty much equally. i dont know that i can relate video games to my spiritual life unless you broaden the definition to cover all social interactions (or lack thereof in some cases) arising from the game. i mean, at no point have i ever finished a game and felt closer to or further from god. a little wistful its over, yes, but never 'spiritual'.

aside: my ex wife said that when she and her sister were kids, they were only allowed to play a nintendo game based on the bible. noahs ark, david and goliath, things like that. anybody know anything else about it? cuz i lol'd out loud when she told me that. shes so evil now, it did zero good.[/quote]

when i was in high school, my best friends father was a pastor, and his mother ran the christian bookstore....they had the same rule for games...in fact they would regularly search my friends room for d&d books, any games that weren't christian, any music that wasn't christian...none of it made a difference...he still listened to metallica etc, played d&d etc...he used to get me in trouble and i kept him out of trouble...it's been my experience that that sort of totalitarian parenting always fails miserably, when you forbid something it creates a stronger desire to experience it and this is never more apparent than in "christian" families...