Why do gamers always try the seemingly impossible?
I don't play games myself, but I do watch a lot of videos of people playing games. One thing I have noticed consistently across the board is that if it seems like completely the wrong way to do it, and they even say so out loud, they continually try to do it that way anyway.
What causes this? Why do gamers consistently try over and over and over to do something in a way they know is not the easy or intended way, and then get frustrated with themselves for doing so?
I've seen it in all kinds of games - puzzle games, platformers, action/fps, etc. so it seems to be a gamer mentality. On occasions where I have played the game before watching anyone else play the game, I've never had such a scenario happen for myself.
The best explanation that I can think of (and that I don't like) is that they get stuck in a determined mindset to keep trying their planned-out approach repeatedly even when they have overwhelming information to prove that their approach is wrong. Any better ideas?
What causes this? Why do gamers consistently try over and over and over to do something in a way they know is not the easy or intended way, and then get frustrated with themselves for doing so?
I've seen it in all kinds of games - puzzle games, platformers, action/fps, etc. so it seems to be a gamer mentality. On occasions where I have played the game before watching anyone else play the game, I've never had such a scenario happen for myself.
The best explanation that I can think of (and that I don't like) is that they get stuck in a determined mindset to keep trying their planned-out approach repeatedly even when they have overwhelming information to prove that their approach is wrong. Any better ideas?
Can you provide example of "impossible"
I started to write an answer, but I think we might think about different kinds of "completely the wrong way"
I started to write an answer, but I think we might think about different kinds of "completely the wrong way"
You mean like trying to jump-climb a mountain rather than go around, even though it'd be easier and wouldn't break the flow of the game?
I've done stuff like that. Climbing 80° slopes in Skyrim and the like. I think the reason is that after getting accustomed to the game's controls and handling you get a very good idea of, say, which jumps are possible and which aren't. Occasionally, our intuitions are better than the designers', and we find unintended routes.
But the real reason is that feeling of accomplishment you get after spending twenty minutes trying to LAM-climb a wall and then finally getting to the top and seeing the game glitch out. It's a hack, basically.
I've done stuff like that. Climbing 80° slopes in Skyrim and the like. I think the reason is that after getting accustomed to the game's controls and handling you get a very good idea of, say, which jumps are possible and which aren't. Occasionally, our intuitions are better than the designers', and we find unintended routes.
But the real reason is that feeling of accomplishment you get after spending twenty minutes trying to LAM-climb a wall and then finally getting to the top and seeing the game glitch out. It's a hack, basically.
I think the answer is probably in the title - they try the 'seemingly' possible to show that they can do it anyway. Its probably a sort of ego thing.
In gaming you should not ask "why?", but rather "Why not?"
Why not complete a shooter game with 100% kills and only 5 shots fired?
Why not take a weakest armor possible and make it hit armor cap?
Why not calculate theoretical maximum of score points in single game and achieve it?
Why not kill bonus boss which is way harder that even final boss with single 7th level character?
Why not complete minimum ~16 hours of gameplay game in 8 minutes?
Why not kill final boss in the beginning of the game?
Why not take a PS game which have an emulation bug which makes one of the main gameplay abilities not work plus it have a bunch of other bugs and complete it 100% resorting to cheating only twice?
Why not complete a shooter game with 100% kills and only 5 shots fired?
Why not take a weakest armor possible and make it hit armor cap?
Why not calculate theoretical maximum of score points in single game and achieve it?
Why not kill bonus boss which is way harder that even final boss with single 7th level character?
Why not complete minimum ~16 hours of gameplay game in 8 minutes?
Why not kill final boss in the beginning of the game?
Why not take a PS game which have an emulation bug which makes one of the main gameplay abilities not work plus it have a bunch of other bugs and complete it 100% resorting to cheating only twice?
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If gamers didn't do it, then there would be no point in having testers or play tests for games. Portal 2 is a prime example of this. If you listen to the commentary from Gabe during the play throughs. He stated that the game underwent many redesigns on the levels because players were finding alternate routes and using parts of the level that they hadn't intended. He even states that some of the mechanics changed because players were negating the puzzles and finding ways to just skip to the exit of the level.
How do you think the secrets in games are discovered? Game developers don't tell about them. How about the fact that Duck Hunt just ended once you hit the last level, which the designers didn't think anyone would ever be able to do, yet a gamer did the impossible.
Gamers are the ones that usually find the uncaught bugs, glitches, and secrets in the games.
Gamers are the ones that found about the GTA V money glitch in GTAO, which pops up every time they update the game. Gamers found that you could walk on some of the walls in COD 4 and get to the outside of the playable map. 007 Goldeneye and other FPS gamers found glitches where you can manage to look through walls and see the staging areas when the level designer was making the maps because their in-game objects were still setting outside the map were they just dragged copies of that object into the game map during the building of it (N64 days).
I've been a gamer since I was about 5 years old. I've owned the a lot of the systems, but now just own and play the PS3 while my Wii, DS, and PSP sit collecting dust.
@LB
My question to you is, if you aren't a gamer and don't play them, then why do you care if a gamer continually tries the "seemingly impossible"?
Gamers are the future game developers so it is good they try the seemingly impossible.
How do you think the secrets in games are discovered? Game developers don't tell about them. How about the fact that Duck Hunt just ended once you hit the last level, which the designers didn't think anyone would ever be able to do, yet a gamer did the impossible.
Gamers are the ones that usually find the uncaught bugs, glitches, and secrets in the games.
Gamers are the ones that found about the GTA V money glitch in GTAO, which pops up every time they update the game. Gamers found that you could walk on some of the walls in COD 4 and get to the outside of the playable map. 007 Goldeneye and other FPS gamers found glitches where you can manage to look through walls and see the staging areas when the level designer was making the maps because their in-game objects were still setting outside the map were they just dragged copies of that object into the game map during the building of it (N64 days).
I've been a gamer since I was about 5 years old. I've owned the a lot of the systems, but now just own and play the PS3 while my Wii, DS, and PSP sit collecting dust.
@LB
My question to you is, if you aren't a gamer and don't play them, then why do you care if a gamer continually tries the "seemingly impossible"?
Gamers are the future game developers so it is good they try the seemingly impossible.
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I think it's because doing things that the designer never intended sometimes leads to scenarios that they never planned for and sometimes breaks the games balance in your favor. For example, it's obvious to anyone with two brain cells to rub together that turning friendly fire off and standing on your own demolition pack is not part of the intended game play. But if doing this at just the right place launches you on to the tallest structure on the map and gives you a complete and unobstructed view of the field then that is your reason for doing so.
| coder777 wrote: |
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| I'd say they're bored doing the standard stuff, so they try something new |
People making videos of them playing the game make it for public. Which is mostly already completed the game. So to get their attention streamers usually do thing which differs from "generic" playthough. Look at that as grand show.
Some of them pretends to be dumber than they are; they are using same trick that Golden Age of Detective Fiction writers learned long agow: protagonist should be slightly dumber that average reader. This will make reader say "Ha! I noticed it three page ago!" or similar and will grab their attention: reader will try to outsmart protagonist again and again.
Also often there is desire to do something not in intended way, or just finish that they started. Theit train of throught is similar to:
Some of them pretends to be dumber than they are; they are using same trick that Golden Age of Detective Fiction writers learned long agow: protagonist should be slightly dumber that average reader. This will make reader say "Ha! I noticed it three page ago!" or similar and will grab their attention: reader will try to outsmart protagonist again and again.
Also often there is desire to do something not in intended way, or just finish that they started. Theit train of throught is similar to:
OK, let's try this Failed, let's try again Failure again, but I think I get a hol of thing Failure, but I am closer to victory ...I am moron. That is the way... It does not matter. I determined that way I chose before is possible and I will try it again. --either -Damn! So close. It is impossible. Well let's use "correct" solution -Finally! Get that, developers! I do not need your help to beat your game! |
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