While reading Game Informer issue 220, I ran across a section called “Feedback.” In here they list responses from readers and one in particular caught my eye. The response was entitled “Call of Duty: Time Vampire.” What follows is the entry and Game Informer’s response.
“This letter is coming from a previously avid Call of Duty online player. Recently, I’ve begun to actually think about what I’m wasting all these hours of my life on. I decided to pop back in my copy of CoD: WaW, and after getting shot up quite a bit, I quit in frustration. Then I moved back into my comfort zone with my usual gaming selection: Black Ops. I played for a little while and suffered more than my share of frustrating deaths. Then I rage quit and walked outside, thinking about what I had just endured. I asked myself, “Aren’t video games supposed to be fun? Why am I wasting hours upon hours of my life on such a meaningless and even disturbing experience? Why does my kill/death ratio even matter?” I then stepped back and realized that Call of Duty is just a massive waste of time. I went into the barracks option and looked at the amount of time played. It read 10 days, 18 hours, and 34 minuets. Call of Duty, you were like a leech, sucking away at me and my time. I’m glad to be rid of you.”
Matt Bernsdorf
via email
Then GI responded with this:
“So we’re guessing you don’t plan on subscribing to Activision’s new monthly Call of Duty: Elite service?”
So the article hit me in a way that may surprise some people. I felt like this letter was totally worthless, as was the response from GI. I talked about it with my girlfriend and she agreed that the article seemed pointless. Games within themselves are just that, ways to waste time. They are for entertainment, like a movie or a book. They are for you to spend your free time and have fun, two things that the author seems to be re-thinking.
I have spent 8 days 2 hours and 31 minuets playing Black Ops alone. I have had horrible games and been frustrated, but I never consider it an absolute waste of time. I play with my friends and I have fun. To me it seems the author of the letter is not having fun, which leads him to believe that said games are a waste of his time. What I find interesting is that this can be taken to more than just the Call of Duty series and FPS games. I guess MMOs and RPGs are all wastes of time, too. What’s the point? Why should I go for the best weapon or armor? Why should I level up?
I find that it defeats the whole purpose of gaming all together. Perhaps he has grown out of videogames, but I feel he is just being a bad sport. So what do you guys think? Is Call of Duty a total waste of time? Are videogames in general worthless vampires that suck away at us? Give me your thoughts!
Source – GameInformer
If you have fun in a period of time, that time is not wasted.
If you think of a video game as a gallery piece, then no, it’s not a waste of time. [BTDUBS I firmly believe games are art, even the shitty ones]. Entire books have been written over a single painting, or sculpture, or piece of architecture. They must have spent days or even weeks looking at the same gallery piece. I believe video games are the same. Experiencing a game for hours or in your case days isn’t a waste of time. I will admit i think that it’s a lot of time playing a game, but I see no problem, as long as your normal life isn’t suffering because of it.
And if you just think of games as entertainment as needed, then yeah it might be a waste of time because of all the other games you’re not experiencing, but if you wouldn’t enjoy them like you enjoy Blacks Ops or anything else, it’s still not a waste of time.
If you consider that a “waste of time” is the absence of productivity, then yes, Call Of Duty is a waste of time, but no more so than any other video games, or books, or movies. I don’t consider video games as a waste of time, because I am enjoying myself, “nevertell” said it perfectly above. I think the person who wrote the letter was simply taking the game too seriously and is acting like a poor sport. The only time I consider a video game to be a “vampire”, is if it starts to take over your life and you get an addiction. If all someone does, ever, is play video games, I would consider video games to be a “vampire”, sucking away at their life. Video games are a way to have fun, if having fun is a “waste of time” to some, then I don’t want to be as “productive” as them.
My immature response would be to say, “Reading the letters people send in to Game Informer is a waste of time.”
Having said that, put this guy’s comment in perspective for a moment: he spent over 250 hours playing CoD: Black Ops. That’s more time than I spent playing through Fallout 3 (plus three expansions) and Dragon Age: Origins (plus a few expansions) COMBINED.
That’s a hell of a lot of time to invest in a single game, especially when all you’re essentially doing is running around shooting other players.
Whether or not it’s a “waste” of time is a matter of perspective. I think it’s a waste, but only because if I’m going to spend 250 hours playing games then I would prefer to play through several games instead of endlessly grinding through multiplayer Black Ops matches.
But that’s just me…
He whines about a game. In this game, he’s not the only person who plays it. There are other people, better and worse than him. And knowing that beforehand, he goes ragequitting because he got killed too many times?
Bitch please :/
I love wasting my time playing. I love playing some Killing Floor, Minecraft. Heck, even CS:S where people are better and worse than me and it’s very competitive. It’s an escape, for good or bad. If I am happy with it, good, if I rage with it, it’ll be because of the game. And nothing else.
Too much of a waste of time? Go on and work for 8 days straight. See if you can ragequit there.
Well I see where the author of the letter is coming from. I mean, I get quiet peeved when I go on losing-streaks in CoD, but that’s why I only played Black Ops now, because it’s the only CoD wherein I can actually do well. So some days I inexplicably suck, other days I go on rampages with a MAC-11 and ASP (true story, it was glorious.)
The problem is that this guy is clearly addicted to CoD. Even though he gets BEGAUCHED after playing so long, he continues to play. I understand the feeling, so I don’t think that the letter, or rather the sentiment, is irrelevant. Sending in the letter was probably just a way to vent, but at least he’s gonna try to do something worthwhile with his life. Games are supposed to be fun, yeah, but CoD can be frustrating as well as engrossing because, despite your loss streak, you might be able to get a good game in. Still, I speak from experience, it’s not worth it. As soon as you start getting murdered, turn the game off and try tomorrow. It’ll help your mood and your K/D.
I think it’s a valid response to think of gaming as a waste of time, and in some ways it is, if you put those hours to something more productive your time could be better utilized.
But that defeats the whole purpose of video games. It’s about entertainment, stories, fun, and (dare I say) ideas. If you are having fun than it isn’t time wasted at all.
“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
– Bertrand Russell
“The ‘Net is a waste of time, and that’s exactly what’s right about it.”
– William Gibson
@Apollo
While the Russell quote is great, the author of the letter was saying he is no longer having fun, which is obviously the problem here.
I think if you’re not having fun anymore, than video games are certainly a waste of time. I don’t enjoy running, so running is a complete waste of time, EVEN if it has the benefits of being exercise. Some people paint their faces and ride unicycles and fucking love it. For anyone to tell them it’s a waste of time would be ignorant.
According to Steam, I’ve played Counter-Strike 1.6 for 1055 hours, which is about 44 days, since March 2008. My original account was stolen by a hacker years before this, so I can’t even imagine my total hours spent playing that game. I still have fun playing it. I play it with my girlfriend, friends in real life, and people I’ve known for years online. I’d argue it’s still fun because we’re not competitive anymore, but some people *have fun* being competitive.
Whatever floats your mouse & keyboard ladies and gentlemen.