What do you think?
Games are (usually) voluntary; work and chores aren’t. Games also tend to provide predictable rewards, as they tend to be designed in ways that keep people coming back. Jobs, etc. tend to have quite a bit of unfairness in them, as they weren’t really designed to be fair or fun, but to make business owners/shareholders more money. That is IF a jobs was designed at all for the actual people who do them. Ian Bogost would say that it is because we aren’t treating chores/tasks seriously enough, that they aren’t fun. His video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78rPt0RsosQ
I think we should take chores in video games seriously. We should make them as fun as possible and have fun thinking about how to improve them. Why would we want to do boring chores in video games? We can barely get them done in our daily lives.
That’s true. But I don’t think we need to accept boring chores in video games. Most of us play video games to have fun, and the chores should be fun as well.
I love thinking about this stuff. Most games, in essence, are chores. We’re given responsibilities and rules and must complete a task.
I think we like games and even chores in games because they help us develop important skills we intuitively want to practice. We want to flex our mental resilience in difficult games, we want a chance to dispel our stress from real life chores, and I’ve even seen an interesting “chore game” (in the middle of the revolutionary The Beginners Guide) that seemed to be created as a chore simulator for the unique purpose of recreating that pleasant feeling of completing chores for a loved one. It helps us practice mindfulness and appreciation of tasks that we otherwise scorn or ignore.
Now, if only we could remember that appreciation when we’re not playing……..
Video Games Nebula 
Actually, I have transferred all my gaming skills to the real world. As a result, my job performance improved.
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Wonderful! That should put people in their place when they say video games are a waste of time.
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What do you think?
Games are (usually) voluntary; work and chores aren’t. Games also tend to provide predictable rewards, as they tend to be designed in ways that keep people coming back. Jobs, etc. tend to have quite a bit of unfairness in them, as they weren’t really designed to be fair or fun, but to make business owners/shareholders more money. That is IF a jobs was designed at all for the actual people who do them. Ian Bogost would say that it is because we aren’t treating chores/tasks seriously enough, that they aren’t fun. His video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78rPt0RsosQ
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I think we should take chores in video games seriously. We should make them as fun as possible and have fun thinking about how to improve them. Why would we want to do boring chores in video games? We can barely get them done in our daily lives.
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For XP so we can advance the plot? For the happy little chime when we do something well? Hm, I think you just gave me an idea for a post… 🙂
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I think those are both good reasons to do chores in games. But I often wonder why we don’t demand something even more fun than chores.
I’m glad I could help you think about a post idea. 🙂
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When tending my garden gives me rupees, then I’ll enjoy IRL chores 🙂
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Might want to check on your garden outside. I think I saw some rupees there :).
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We get rewarded for doing chores in video games (most of the time) so there is more incentive to complete them. 😉
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That’s true. But I don’t think we need to accept boring chores in video games. Most of us play video games to have fun, and the chores should be fun as well.
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And how do you know where is a ‘game’ and where is a ‘real life’?
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Good questions!
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This isn’t always true. I hear that a lot of people moaned about the chores in No More Heroes.
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Yes, I’m sure we can think of many examples.
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I love thinking about this stuff. Most games, in essence, are chores. We’re given responsibilities and rules and must complete a task.
I think we like games and even chores in games because they help us develop important skills we intuitively want to practice. We want to flex our mental resilience in difficult games, we want a chance to dispel our stress from real life chores, and I’ve even seen an interesting “chore game” (in the middle of the revolutionary The Beginners Guide) that seemed to be created as a chore simulator for the unique purpose of recreating that pleasant feeling of completing chores for a loved one. It helps us practice mindfulness and appreciation of tasks that we otherwise scorn or ignore.
Now, if only we could remember that appreciation when we’re not playing……..
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Yes, there is an odd disconnect between our interest in chores in video games and the chores-scorn of our daily lives.
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