Ask HN: Developers, do you play computer games? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Developers, do you play computer games?

As a tech-person, do you play computer games? If so how often?

Do you think that gaming kills productivity?

I deliberately abandoned computer gaming 9 years after I first touched a computer to delay the day RSI would become an issue. That gave me another 8 years before I started having problems.

As for productivity, most people need downtime and if self-disciplined enough gaming shouldn't become an issue. Of course, that assumes that their official work isn't so deadening that games or many other things are a welcome escape....

I was addicted to gaming about a year back. But then, I was not working in those days. Now, I usually don't get the time, but I manage once or twice a week for a few hours. I don't enjoy or look forward to playing as I used to before, and apart from the obvious reason that I have started working and I don't have time, I think the other important reason is I have got a lot more social and started going out with friends more often. Gaming can kill productivity when it gets out of control. Programmers may start playing games in the work place when no one is watching. This mostly happens for MMOs, as these games usually hook their players/subscribers for long periods of time. One nice solution to this problem would be go to out more often and start enjoying real life with friends (and maybe encourage/help your employees do the same if there is such a problem)

I used to play games a lot some years ago, but now when I start a new game I get stressed because I feel how my time is wasted without doing something ... good. I would rather prefer watching some soap (Friends, TBBT) and get back to work, or better, go out.

Most of my weekend is spent playing, usually evenings too. But only part of that is playing for playing's sake. The major part is actually playtesting of my hobby project - patching new functionality into a certain game with asm/c++ (some more details in my profile). Wonder if that skillset is employable?

Productivity, yes, GTA VC/Urban Chaos/UT2k3 helps me unwind after work and in turn makes me more productive the next day. A few times I even solved some work problem that was bothering me, while ingame.

Oddly, I noticed that I fare better in GTA VC racing courses when I'm paying absolutely minimal attention to the actual game and focus on the music or some thinking problem instead.

Games definitely used to kill my productivity by keeping me up until the early hours of the morning, but then fairly suddenly I lost interest in them for no obvious reason. Maybe I just got too old or more likely maybe the new games don't seem as good as the old games and I've played the old ones to death.

My enjoyment of games seemed to reach a peak. I used to be impatient for the next Grand Theft Auto, but after San Andreas I didn't enjoy the newer ones so much (still good, but not as good). The Total War series peaked with Medieval Total War. SimCity peaked around version 3. Elderscrolls 3 was better than 4.

Thinking of them makes me want to go and play...

I play games for about 10-15 hours per week. My time is split between Star Trek Online or EVE Online for multiplayer, Half-Life 2 (and its add-ons), maybe one or two others in any given week (sometimes racing, sometimes RPG, sometimes SF - like Dirt 2, Alice, Torchlight, Freespace 2, and Sims 3), and various casual games on my iPod and Android devices.

I believe gaming can influence productivity in both positive and negative ways, but it's different for everyone. Obviously though, playing Quake IV when you should be working is a drain on corporate resources ;)

I used to play alot of games but my problem is that I can't get into it casually. Competed as a 'pro gamer' for a few years then led a few high end guilds and ever since then, if I pick up a game it _HAS_ to be for 3-4 hours at a time or else I don't have fun :(

This makes it very difficult to play anything beyond Plants vs. Zombies as every other more complex game saps my productivity and just makes me feel like i'm not accomplishing anything.

Yes, although there are few games that truly interest me these days. If you can be disciplined enough, gaming is a great way to spend some downtime.

I mainly prefer to read about games/gaming these days as I find this almost as stimulating as actually playing them. I'm definitiely a sucker for all forms of interactive story telling and I find the way these guys push the envelope with the available hardware inspiring.

I used to obsess over computer games, but one day coding up fun projects and being able to brag about them to my friends was the best game of all. It wasn't so cool to have a high score in a game, at the end of the day it was lame.

Now I play games to study the way they make people obsessed so I can apply it to my own projects.

I'm pretty hooked on a few ngmoco games these days, they have their game engine down to a science!

For all practical purposes, no. The last time I played any sort of computer game regularly was back in the dial-up BBS days of the mid 90's, when I played door games like Legend Of The Red Dragon fairly often.

These days, I might logon to a MUD and poke around for a few minutes, or fire up adventure and play a little while, once every blue moon or so. But that's about it.

I get bored of games remarkably easily compared to the average person or the average programmer, it seems.

Games that have managed to keep my interest enough to play most of the game, in reverse chronological order: Portal, No One Lives Forever 2, No One Lives Forever, Super Mario World, Super Mario Brothers 3, and Super Mario Brothers.

I played back in high school and a little bit of college and found them enjoyable, but I don't think I've touched a computer game in the last 4 years or so. I already have so little time, I don't want to waste what I do have on games.

No, I quit after I wrote two games that were sold commercially, mandatory play for testing killed a lot of the fun.

What games?

Just curious and apoligies if this is common knowledge.

It isn't :)

Flight Deck and Indy 500 on the atari st for a dutch company called 'aackosoft'.

Ages ago...

Yes, it's what got me into programming. Though as I get more work, I don't tend to game as much.

I play games on the weekends. It's good to take a break and just relax for the upcoming week.

I admit I play a game of Tetris every now and then.

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