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Alexander Tied NFL Record
Shaun Alexander from the Seattle Seahawks tied a NFL single
season record for touchdowns (TD) on Saturday, after scoring
three times against the NFL Indianapolis Colts. Alexander scored
in the first, third and fourth quarters of the game. The...
Bookmaking basics
The role of a ‘bookie’, the common name of the person involved in bookmaking, is quite important in the world of gambling. The bookie is responsible for keeping track of all the bets in the game.
The bookie can take bets on any professional...
How to Select new Running Shoes
As a runner the most important piece of equipment you can have are your shoes.
This is the reason that runners spend a great deal of time checking out shoes, until they find the best running shoes for their feet, not only for the fit, but also...
Kendo Videos
http://www.international-kendo.com
If you seriously want to learn kendo, go to a dojo, do NOT try
to learn using kendo videos. In order to properly learn kendo,
you need to have someone correct you when you are doing
something wrong, that is...
Sports Memorabilia Fraud On The Rise Again
Fake autographs on eBay are more prevalent today than during the FBI Operation Bullpen sting a few years ago. It seems that this new generation of fraudulent sellers have forgotten how many people the FBI put in jail during their investigation....
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Why We Play Games, Part 1
There exists some ephemeral quality that separates gamers from the rest of humanity, some thing that makes us, us and them, not us. I've never been able to quite put my finger on it, but it is inescapably there. Today, in hopes of moving closer to that essential quality of gamerosity, we examine part of what makes us tick. In particular, we take a look at what draws different types of gamers to the hobby. Every gamer plays for different reasons, but there are common threads that tie the experience together.
Many gamers are motivated by the challenge a game can present. Success in a game may be governed by any of a wide variety of abilities. A First Person Shooter requires twitch reflexes, a steady hand and the ability to remain calm under pressure. A word puzzle game may require an extensive vocabulary and the ability to rethink the uses of old words, but no measure of speed. A sports simulation might well require an in-depth knowledge of the topic, in addition to arcade skill, but is unlikely to have terribly much concern for linguistic acumen.
The common thread is that all of the games challenge some subset of a player's abilities. This challenge can be a powerful motivator. The Challenge Motivated gamer is drawn to a game that tests their skills, preferably one that tests them to their limits. The gamer may also be motivated by the natural improvement that comes from working at peak. They are driven then, not only to excel, but to improve. Challenge Motivated Gamers thrive whenever a game pushes their skill set of choice, but may be
disinterested in games that fall too far away from the target.
Competition is a close cousin of challenge. Many gamers are driven by the need to prove they are the best, to be pitted against their fellows and come out on top. Competition minded gamers range from those looking for a challenge in a fair fight to the sort of win-at-all cost leet speaking infants that give us all a bad name. Competition can be easy to take too far. There is nothing inherently wrong with being driven by competition. To some extent, competition is merely challenge taken to the extreme. It is only when it leads to mistreating your fellow player that it begins to become less a motivation and more an unfortunate personality quirk. Competition Motivated players thrive on those games where they are pitted against one another with the outcome dictated by skill at playing the game. They will often wane in those environments that either require cooperation, such as many MMORPGs, or in games where skill plays a much smaller role, such as in less sophisticated card or dice games.
Next week we will take a look at some other common gamer motivations, including Creativity, Escapism and Social Interaction.
About The Author
Steve Hall is a member of the GrandMatrix team. They provide a broad range of games, puzzles, articles and reviews. Read more articles, download and play the latest PC games for free plus enjoy thousands of user submitted puzzles, quizzes and word games at: http://www.grandmatrix.com.
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