# Things that video games do to you **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 19, 2014, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194 "2014-01-19T06:21:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/21 "2014-01-19T21:52:38Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I do wish people would insult each other with “fetcher,” “nwah,” and “swit.” I’ve called people taffers before (from _Thief_), but they just got confused. [QUOTE=Athena] People taking too long to check out at the grocery store? Mez. [/QUOTE] But then they’d take even more time ! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/22 "2014-01-19T22:04:15Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Back when I played MUDs extensively, I would have dreams that were 100% text. Yep, had those too. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/23 "2014-01-19T22:06:25Z")
Recently I happened to find myself on the top floor of a large parking garage looking down at the streets and cars and had a Grand Theft Auto moment. Hm, which car to steal after I jump my car off this roof? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/24 "2014-01-19T22:57:16Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > But then they’d take even more time ! 😃 No, because right after I mezzed them, I’d kill them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/25 "2014-01-19T23:03:25Z")
> [@dasmili](#): > > Whenever I’ve been playing Assassin’s Creed a lot, I start trying to figure out how I’d scale every building I walk past. I got into this habit as well. I’d be in church mapping out the route I would use to get to the roof. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/26 "2014-01-20T02:49:37Z")
When I play Tetris a lot, I start to see the world in shapes and try to fit things into them ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/27 "2014-01-20T05:19:29Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > When I play Tetris a lot, I start to see the world in shapes and try to fit things into them When I was an oceanographer, we would fill up a U-Haul with gear and drive to meet a ship, then do the same thing to bring the gear home. On one trip we spent a lot of time playing a 3D tetris game while we were at sea. When we packed for the return trip, the U-Haul was much more efficiently packed, with about a quarter of it’s volume free on the return trip. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/28 "2014-01-20T05:37:03Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Again with the Sims–I played a lot of that in college. I started to think about my own life in terms of the parameters that the game uses. Oh, my bladder meter is declining… I should go to the bathroom. My social meter is going down… I should go and interact with some people. I get that, too. Sometimes I get a bit confused as to whether it’s The Sims that imitates life, or life that imitates The Sims. Humans sure make a lot more sense once you just figure out which Sim traits each of them has. “Oh, Joe must have the ‘inappropriate’ trait combined with the ‘hot-headed’ trait. No wonder he was acting like an asshole.” ---
**Author:** ![Cognoscant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Cognoscant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cognoscant)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/29 "2014-01-20T19:17:29Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > Save scumming would be a sick super power. _runs upstairs, doesn’t like what he sees_ _runs downstairs and back upstairs, hoping for a better result_ ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/30 "2014-01-20T19:42:51Z")
> [@Cognoscant](#): > > _runs upstairs, doesn’t like what he sees_ > > _runs downstairs and back upstairs, hoping for a better result_ No, life is one of those games where things are randomized way in advance, so you’d have to go back a bit, and that guy would always shoot you in the same spot and you can’t react any faster. You should burn that random roll on something less chancy, like peeing into the toilet with your eyes closed. Then go kill that guy. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/31 "2014-01-20T21:15:36Z")
Sometimes when I’m in the right sort of mall at the correct time with lots of people around me, I feel like I’m in a Roller Coaster Tycoon game because of the crowd jabbering sounds and maybe the occasional music in the background. Then of course I start thinking about happiness/hunger/thirst meters and the thoughts such as “This X is really clean and tidy!”, “X is really good value!”, and sometimes “I can’t find the (mall) exit!” A lot of fog always makes me think of Silent Hill. Once I “solved” a Fire Emblem map in my dreams. I know I’ve played quite a bit of a game if I start dreaming it. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/32 "2014-01-20T21:34:46Z")
That’s a thing I picked up from the Sims. You can make a Sim happy by having him take care of the basics, like cleaning the toilet, doing dishes, etc. That’ works in real life too. If I’m feeling down it helps sometimes to bang out some chores and at least bring a little order to my immediate surroundings. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/33 "2014-01-20T21:53:21Z")
I was playing a game of Civilization V the other day, and handily winning a war against one of my neighbors, when I realized I’d unwittingly re-enacted the Holocaust. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/34 "2014-01-20T22:48:55Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > When I was an oceanographer This just tickles me 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/35 "2014-01-21T04:49:19Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I was playing a game of Civilization V the other day, and handily winning a war against one of my neighbors, when I realized I’d unwittingly re-enacted the Holocaust. “Unwittingly”? You’re a [better man than I.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10541148&postcount=21) ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/36 "2014-01-21T04:53:13Z")
I used to play WoW a lot, and still sometimes catch myself wanting to hit my mouse button and tilt the world to a more useful angle. I haven’t played Dead Rising (the first one) since 2006, but to this day when I go into a mall at night near closing time (especially when it’s nearly deserted) I start looking around for the zombies to start appearing. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/37 "2014-01-21T05:43:31Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > This just tickles me 😃 Why. I changed careers. It’s not because I got myself packed in the back of the truck and couldn’t get out or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/38 "2014-01-21T05:45:03Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > “Unwittingly”? You’re a [better man than I.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10541148&postcount=21) Hey, it’s not my fault that the AI founded its cities in bad locations. It’s sometimes better to start over with a clean slate. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/39 "2014-01-21T08:02:02Z")
Mirror’s Edge makes me want to climb things and jump over obstacles. Okay, makes me want to do so even more than usual. I’ll start mentally mapping routes to roofs as I’m walking. I live in the Tokyo area, so climbing up the outside of buildings is actually quite feasible in many places. The Assassin’s Creed games don’t help. The type of combat in Splinter Cell, Conviction fit in a little too well with my type of martial arts and tactical thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2014, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194/40 "2014-01-21T08:15:31Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I was playing a game of Civilization V the other day, and handily winning a war against one of my neighbors, when I realized I’d unwittingly re-enacted the Holocaust. What, you mean we’re not supposed to? Conversation with a friend in a MUD, a long time ago: Kiri - “Wouldn’t it be nice if people had ‘gate’ irl? We’d be able to visit each other any time!” Me - “I see a problem.” Kiri - “?” Me - “Our mothers would have it too, it’s just level 15.” Kiri - “OK, scratch that.” There used to be a coin-operated game where your character, a cook, had to climb up and down ladders and walk over burger “parts” so they’d drop onto each other and make burgers. The night after one of my Orgo exams I dreamed I’d been turned into a pixelated white-coat and had to run up and down stairs walking over molecule parts to drop them onto each other… (synthetic design was definitely not my strong point). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-video-games-do-to-you/679194.md?page=3)