Why do people waste their time with silly things like this? It can’t be more fulfilling than actually cleaning real things.
It’s a weird trend that’s been going on for some time, but people are starting to play games not because they are challenging or fun, but because they are mundane tasks of real life. I’m sure alienation has something to do with this.
I completely disagree with you and your conceptions of what a game should be about. Can you come up with a definition of what a “fun” or “challenging” game is? This same critiques are done by 4channers to shit on video games that provide different kinetic experiences like walking simulators because they “do not have mechanics” or “are not challenging”, wheres in my opinion this genre is the one who has brought the most mature retrospection to the medium.
I know it seems futile and and capitalist and so on, but the things people are saying here can be applied to mostly every video game, where your objectives either go from point A to point B, do repetitive stuff over and over and so on. Video games that simulate real life event have been going for a lot of time, yet I do not see anyone hating on fishing games because of it, or driving games, or futbol games… Why wanting to play as a virtual basket ball player is a valid gaming experience but using a washing gun not? They both in the more “primitive” of analysis achieve the same thing, the fullfilment of a task by which you are rewarded. Not everyone wants to speedrun Super Mario 64 with a blindfold, some want what video game theorist Jesper Juul calls “Casual Games”, which are also know by some as relaxing games, where the level of complexity is lower and allows the player for a more comfortable experience where loosing is not as hars or non existant at all.
Games are literally about “wasting time”, according to capitalist ideals, this is equal for Chess, Counter Strike and Powerwash Simulator, the differences relies on how do you approach this experience. We live in a hard world, people are constantly suffering a shit ton of everything, if people enjoy playing these kind of games because it provides a little bit of escapism then I am happy for them. There are valid critiques for this and other titles, but such a flat view over such a complex topic such as Video Game (I dare you find a definition of what this means that more than 5 academicists can agree with) is not one of them.
If anyone is interested I highly recommend reading “A Theory of Fun for Game Design” which goes about what fun means, what is a game, how is it art and how can math be used to express this art.
Dude, wtf? Why such a wall of text for such a simple comment? Calm down.
We live in a hard world, people are constantly suffering a shit ton of everything, if people enjoy playing these kind of games because it provides a little bit of escapism then I am happy for them.
Yes that’s exactly my point, if people weren’t alienated by capitalism these mundane games would probably have no audience. At least that’s my theory.
It is a complex issue, I did not mean to be aggressive, it is just hard to get to my point in a brief way.
I disagree, though, I do not think this inherently an issue within capitalism, since anything can be ludified and whst is presented here is not something out of ordinary for video games. I guesd we are so used to that our video games are about combat, war, murder and shooting that when we see something different it just doesn’t seem a correct way of spending our time.
Just want you to know I loved your long comment, it summised my understanding of the subject far better than I could.
I used to play a lot of grand strategy games as a kid (HoI2 and the like). Now I contribute to openstreetmap.org . It basically has the same feeling, but gives a sense of fulfillment knowing I contributed to society in a small way.
Why do people waste their time with silly things like this?
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Hey it’s better than wasting hours arguing on Twitter or Reddit. I don’t know if this game is particularly good or not, but I don’t really have a problem with games like this.
I sit here in Beijing, and play Lawn Mower simulator on a regular basis. I miss mowing the lawn from my childhood home with my dad, it’s fun and cathartic as fuck. Don’t judge people who find pleasure and enjoyment in things you don’t. Feels weird for leftists to be doing that, especially in this hellscape of a world and when it doesn’t hurt or bother anyone at all.
Being offended about a joke about capitalist innovation seems a wierd thing for a leftist to do.
Oh man I’m so offended, good right wing dog whistle friend.
In what way?
This is definitely a waste of time, but the g*me itself might actually be fun (something like Viscera Cleanup Detail) for a while
Ahh, yeah, people should go and play Chess, a real mature, Western and totslly not a waste of time that maeks you smart guy gaem, not this silly little waestin timers siemulaetr. Silly kids, in my time we used to hunt and torture squirrels for a game!
I meant that I consider cleaning just half for a R*ddit post to be a waste of time (of course, it’s subjective). I understand why people would like simulators like these (most people can’t just buy a power washer, and even if they can, they likely have nothing to legally use it on)
I think playing chess has more value than power washing. Chess is an art form that takes years to master, it has a history with grandmasters to learn from. Even during the cold war people from different nations would compete with one another. It’s a great game with a fascinating history. Power washing less so.
