Off Topic: Do You Play Video Games? 2016

JH
John Honovich
Jul 17, 2016
IPVM

From an economist:

a hard look at time-use by young men with less than a four-year degree. ... We have determined that, in general, they are not going back to school or switching careers, so what are they doing with their time? The hours that they are not working have been replaced almost one for one with leisure time. Seventy-five percent of this new leisure time falls into one category: video games.

Given this is such a male dominated industry and one that does not often require a four-year degree, perhaps these are potential security industry recruits or maybe video games are more fun.

I struggle to understood the appeal of video games relative to building up one's own real life.

But....

Vote

U
Undisclosed #1
Jul 17, 2016
IPVMU Certified

I struggle to understood the appeal of video games relative to building up one's own real life.

What you or I would first think of when we hear the term 'Video Games' may not be reflective of today's interaction. These are not kids playing Atari Pong or Space Invaders against the computer for hours at a time.

Instead games and their associated online communities are more like social media than you might imagine. Players form teams, join forums, watch other players and generally interact as they would 'in real life' with others.

And we as parents are partially to blame for this increased screen time as 'stranger danger' has increasingly made us limit our children's interaction in the real world. Allowing mostly scripted interaction, like soccer leagues etc.

When I was young on the weekends when the weather was good, I was expected to be outdoors from dawn to dusk maybe coming back for lunch and dinner. Hanging around the house was frowned upon.

Today, as helicoptering parents, we inadvertently force more of our kids lives online. Also, maybe it's not as bad as it seems either, are kids will likely work online at some point anyway right?

Btw, none of this applies to Pokemon Go, which is clearly evil in all respects.

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Alex Wasilesku
Jul 19, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Btw, none of this applies to Pokemon Go, which is clearly evil in all respects.

Being as young as I am, I have a different theory to the evils of pokemon go. Pokemon Go has

A: Done more for childhood obesity in 24 hours than federal programs have in 8 years

B: Has allowed the younger generations to continue doing the things they love whilst being outside to do it. I have never seen parks so populated, organizations with tons of people in front of it, or the amount of people in general walking on the street.

C: In every scenario, this game has allowed most generations 30 and below to experience their childhood dreams. Being 26 years old, Pokemon was a HUGE part of my childhood. I remember racing home to watch every episode, and have dreams of being a pokemon trainer. This dream I used to have became a reality and is allowing many generations all over the world to experience their childhood dreams which majority of all generations above will never get the opportunity to do.

With all that being said, I do not play the game. There is much more I want to see within the game and stable servers before I start to actually spend time doing it.

U
Undisclosed #1
Jul 20, 2016
IPVMU Certified

A: Done more for childhood obesity in 24 hours than federal programs have in 8 years.

False. The most reliable sources are reporting only that Pokemon has 'done more in 4 days than 7 years'.

So to say that Pokemon has actually accomplished one year more of obesity reduction in just 1/4 of the time is just not supported by the evidence.

;)

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AW
Alex Wasilesku
Jul 20, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Oh whatever you know I meant lol. Love the fact you did research on that to find source material. I will correct my other statements in other websites and switch it from 24 hours to 4 days. Can't deny the fact these kids are getting more excersize than they did when pokemon go did not exist.

UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #2
Jul 18, 2016

Maybe not considered a video game, but generally an electronic game (or two) of Sudoku every night - taking me 5 to 30 minutes depending on how tough the game is, or how fried my brain is. :)

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Brian Rhodes
Jul 18, 2016
IPVMU Certified

In college, I noticed a strong correlation between high dropout rates / low GPA and the presence of game consoles and gaming time. Knowing my own limitations and competitive streak if I were to get involved, I swore them off right there.

Even now, I don't own a console or play games. I don't want my kids to be drawn in to that, either. UD1's bit about 'helicopter parenting' is right on. I'd really like to avoid that.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #3
Jul 18, 2016

What else is there to do on the potty now that the newspaper is no longer delivered?

U
Undisclosed #1
Jul 18, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Read Security System News and flush...

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Jon Dillabaugh
Jul 18, 2016
Pro Focus LLC

I haven't played a video game in years. My oldest son has a triple major bachelor's degree and probably plays 20+ hours (maybe 30+?) a week. My younger son is struggling to stay in school and doesn't play video games as often (unless Pokemon Go counts?). I don't think the amount of education directly relates to video game usage. It probably has more to do with level of employment.

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UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #4
Jul 19, 2016

I do but within reason. I certainly don't bring my xbox one on business trips...

NBA2K is my weakness....

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Ari Erenthal
Jul 19, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

I like turn based strategy games. They require creative problem solving, long term planning, and keeping track of lots of complex details. All skills I use every day.

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #6
Jul 20, 2016

I have to agree with Ari. Strategy games and to a lesser extent, RPGs, are not exactly the same thing as DOOM, Call of Duty, or World of Warcraft. I do not view Civiziliation, the Total War Series, or XCOM in the same light as the others listed. A prettier, more modern, more featured version of chess is what I view them as... perhaps that's just While yes, it's definitely squandered time there has to be some leisure time and has to be better than watching TV.

I also have to agree with Brian Rhodes above and think that he made the right choice to abstain. The intentionally addictive nature of video games could easily impact GPA, productivity, etc.

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UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #5
Jul 21, 2016

I take the opposite view, for me when I get home I don't want a game that makes me feel like I'm at work. If you spend your day debugging h.264 decoders, the last thing you're going to want to do when you get home is have a game of chess. Far Cry Primal on the other hand, that's a different story - transported back to 10,000 BC, hunting mammoths with spears and wearing nothing but a goat skin around your waste... GLORIOUS!!!

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U
Undisclosed #1
Jul 21, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Far Cry Primal on the other hand, that's a different story - transported back to 10,000 BC, hunting mammoths with spears and wearing nothing but a goat skin around your waste...

I also find it cathartic to play 1-minute chess with a goat skin, though modesty (and my family) demands a t-shirt as well.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Jul 20, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Like some others, I play a traditionally offline game online, i.e. 1-minute chess.

Though it can be just as costly time-wise.

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JH
John Honovich
Jul 20, 2016
IPVM

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Ari Erenthal
Jul 20, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

Is that a new feature? I want to know how much time Marty Major and I spent entertaining each other.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Jul 21, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Coming soon:

IPVM's Big Data Bot.

Sample (fictitious) Results:

Statistics for Ari-Marty Interaction

Replies from Ari to Marty: 1012 Funnies awarded: 732

Replies from Marty to Ari: 1078 Funnies awarded: 751

Total funnies: 1483 * 5 secs (length of average weighted chuckle) = 7415 secs pure laughter.

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Brian Rhodes
Jul 20, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Member since July 20th, 2016.

Record: 0 - 0 - 0

:(

UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #5
Jul 20, 2016

Occasionally I'll buy a game just to keep in touch with the state of the art in computer graphics/DirectX development. It is interesting that technologies that were invented solely for games now have applications well beyond gaming. OpenGL/DirectX is used in more than just games, including VMSs. GPUs were developed to improve 3D graphics for video games, but now have widely used applications in machine learning, video encoding/decoding, self driving cars, scientific computing... It all came from the gaming industry, all funded by gamers :-).

But I have not really been able to get into them and enjoy them like I used to when I was younger. I did enjoy Far Cry Primal though.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #6
Jul 21, 2016

That's why us gamers have been wondering what has taken so long for someone to make use of GPGPU in the VMS world. It's for more than simulating particle physics and rendered hair in video games!

UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #5
Jul 21, 2016

That's why us gamers have been wondering what has taken so long for someone to make use of GPGPU in the VMS world. It's for more than simulating particle physics and rendered hair in video games!

I think they are moderately used on the client side, to accelerate h264 decoding for example.

On the server side, I guess the applications had to arise before Nvidia wanted to spend the money on building GPUs suited for running in server hardware. Not sure how suited your traditional high end GeForce video cards are for server VMS purposes - probably not suited at all. The Tesla's are OK, but then I guess price is a factor also. Hopefully as non-gaming applications gain momentum, the prices of their server GPUs will fall and we'll start seeming them in VMS servers.

Wouldn't mind if Nvidia had a bit more competition from AMD though...

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Ari Erenthal
Jul 22, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

Nvidia makes the Tesla line specifically for servers.

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Baudouin Genouville
Jul 21, 2016
SUPREMA

That's a funny topic.

The previous company that I was working for was actually a mobile game company. So I have seen the other side of the game industry. It is not in my code honor code to betray or reveal secrets about my previous employer. So I will give no scoop.

But I must say that the Game Industry is far more difficult to work in than Security Industry. If you think that Security Industry is a very competitive place (some might think so .. ) then after a Game Industry experience, you would clearly change your mind. We are lucky that in the Security Industry, there are some "kind of the hill", companies that have leadership in one sector/region/country/state but they are followers/challengers in other sector/region/country/state. That results in a VERY fragmented industry. I don't have the numbers in mind but I can recall something like "the first 20 security companies appoints for less of 10% of the global security revenue". Despite consolidations and M&A, I don't see that changing in the next 10 years.

Coming back to the topic "Do you play (Video) game":

- Due to my past experience, I play mobile game (I try a lot of different one) => 5 hours a week

- I am a fan of late night table card games to play with friends after a nice meal (drinking a glass of digestive): Belote / Tarot

- I initiate my young kids to play card games too: War / Mistigri

I especially recommend that last one (Mistigri) because they have the rules explained in 10 languages, nice card design, it is a social game, from 3 to 7 years old, and after a few games your kids can play alone.

I really appreciate card games because it gives a good learning of competition, challenge, making alliances, cheating (you have to learn that sometimes too .. ^^), and loosing.

Cards are good for memory and social behavior (because you don't swear/shout while playing social cards games whereas most of us might swear/shout alone while playing Video Game).

So Brian, for your son, invite friends at home and have they playing cards.

Or give up 3% of your IPVM life time to play with him ^^

JH
John Honovich
Jul 21, 2016
IPVM

Baudouin,

Great feedback. Thanks for sharing. Btw...

But I must say that the Game Industry is far more difficult to work in than Security Industry. If you think that Security Industry is a very competitive place (some might think so .. ) then after a Game Industry experience, you would clearly change your mind.

I totally believe you about the game industry. And as for the security industry, it is very uncompetitive, with a sadly high percentage of lazy entrants / 'competitors'.

UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #5
Jul 21, 2016

the security industry, it is very uncompetitive, with a sadly high percentage of lazy entrants / 'competitors'.

I think this is in part because the customers are very different.

If you are a new entrant in the security industry, developing a new access control or VMS product for example, then your customers expect certain features from these products. Your competitors are Milestone, Genetec and others, and the first thing you have to do is download their "feature matrix" and tick of every feature that they have spent 10 years implementing - Why? because all of those features were put there because customers asked for them, and you have the same customers wanting the same functionality. What else can an Access control product or VMS be expected to do? For the developers, these features are really quite dull and hard in comparison to working on a game and it takes a very long time. If you work on a VMS or access control product, you can't be the sort of person that gets bored easily.

With games it is different, your customers are probably very open to something different to what's out there. There is the chance to be creative and build something that is sexy and exciting. People look at a game and go wow! and the motivation among developers is high. I have seen a startup in the security industry that approached their product like this, and last I heard they were in the red several million because they just didn't have the customers - the core feature weren't there.

In summary: If you go into the game industry and implement a clone of Call-of-duty, you'll probably fail. If you go into the security industry and implement a clone of say Genetec, or Milestone, you might actually have some success.

I don't mean to overstate it, you can still innovate but the constraints are much tighter compared the to game industry with more resources going into implementing core features. We also have the patent problem, that seems to affect the gaming industry less.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Jul 21, 2016
IPVMU Certified

And as for the security industry, it is very uncompetitive, with a sadly high percentage of lazy entrants / 'competitors'.

Everyone in favor of more competition say aye...

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JH
John Honovich
Jul 21, 2016
IPVM

Everyone in favor of more competition say aye...

Did you spend 5% of your life playing chess against the least skilled players you could?

U
Undisclosed #1
Jul 21, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Did you spend 5% of your life playing chess against the least skilled players you could?

Only when playing for money...

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AW
Alex Wasilesku
Jul 21, 2016
IPVMU Certified

In the IP Camera Industry alone there are over 60 mainstream competitors. Thats not including underground competitors that I know of. I wouldnt necessarily say lazy entrants, I would more go along the lines of less financially supported entrants. I see it as the same as cell service, you have your top dogs and your underground competitors.

Personally, I would prefer much less compitition! And hopefully one day everyone can get along and use the exact same freaking Plug Ins, Drivers, and Device Packs so i dont have to download a different one every single time I install a different brand :P.

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Mark Kirkeby
Jul 21, 2016

I play video games alot, at times I may hit the 20+ hours a week , and when I am busy like I have been the last couple months the time has been zero hour per week/month. I do not think that there is any correlation between my education or ability to focus on long term projects and the amount I play. I have started and been an admin for an online gaming clan for the last 10 years. The players typically attracted to my group are older males 30 plus up to 60's , and we have members world wide. Any given night that I join my teamspeak server there can be from a half a dozen to a dozen or more people from all over the world. To me as an introvert offers a chance for social interaction and camaraderie. My games are generally first person shooters, love blowing stuff up and digital killing in general, and also do alot of flight simulation, there is no rush like a close air support run in a A-10.

So as a gamer does it make me lazy , or less involved in my company or the work I do , nope~~ it is a fantasy getaway, for a hour or 2 at night if I have time , I can disconnect, chat with friends.

I have no deep insight into video game industry,and I do not really care about it, no impact on my general day to day life at all and is not pertinent to "Do You Play Games"

So the simple answer is yes I do, and when I have the time I enjoy it immensely.

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Marty Major
Jul 22, 2016
Teledyne FLIR

I have been playing the card game Hearts since I was a little kid... and for the past 2 decades, I've played online. I start most days with a game and end most days the same way - and I don't consider it 'wasting' my time at all. On the contrary, I think it helps to keep me mentally sharp - which translates well for the other stuff I do each day (like work and whatnot).

Hearts is a very easy card game to learn to play, yet a very difficult game to master and be any good at. It requires strategy and team work (you play with 3 other players) - and in order to win you have to rely on your ability to predict what others will do (which cards they will play based on what you and others play) to position yourself to pull off the win right at the end - which is what everyone else is also trying to do.

Like NASCAR, each hand in Hearts is like a lap on the track - it helps your position, but only one player [driver] will win at the end.

Clearly, anything done without moderation can effect other things in your life - but I think 'games' have real value.

Competition is healthy, imo - and it teaches life-skills. The ability to win with grace is a learned capability and so is the ability to lose with dignity. These are both valuable traits.

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Marty Major
Jul 22, 2016
Teledyne FLIR

As you can see below, these traits are not always automatically learned by playing games.... (warning: colorful language)

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Sean Nelson
Jul 22, 2016
Nelly's Security

i got addicted to call of duty at one time, but then I found myself not getting anything productive done, so I quit. Sad thing is I was really getting good at going beast mode.

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