6 ms·

It seems like an over-simplification/generalization to think that people who write software for a living/hobby share video game preferences. People are multifac

by kohanz 13y ago

It seems like an over-simplification/generalization to think that people who write software for a living/hobby share video game preferences. People are multifaceted with many different interests. Our professions do not define the rest of us. I personally enjoy playing sports games (e.g. FIFA, NBA 2K) and action games (e.g. Red Dead Redemption), but I don't think those choices have anything to do with my profession.

Lambdanaut 13y ago
I agree. I abhor both of those genres, but I bet we'd get along plenty when it comes to programming(or not, who knows!) As you said, programmers are multifaceted, and video game preference is probably highly unrelated.
boyaka 13y ago
I haven't played sports games since Ice Hockey and World Cup on NES. IMO the entire sports industry is just a waste of time.
- kohanz 13y ago
  You can call any form of entertainment a "waste of time". Even say, video games.
  - boyaka 13y ago
    Yeah, but games are INSANELY fun. Sports are just meh. It's more of a social activity I guess, and I'm kind of antisocial. I still enjoy hanging out with people and watching a game and especially live games, I just dont bother with the immense waste of time that is following it and playing the crappily made games.
    - kohanz 13y ago
      Yeah, but games are INSANELY fun. Sports are just meh. This is (and I assume you realize this) merely a personal preference. Like a taste in music or food.
csense 13y ago
There's some truth to that, but OTOH programmers have a different mindset -- if you write software for a living/hobby, generally you'll have above-average intelligence and enjoy dealing with complex dynamical systems and elegant models of the real world. This explains why so many suggestions in this thread are strategy games, roguelikes, and deep puzzle games. Also, the HN demographic skews to a certain age range, so there's a lot of nostalgia for 1993-1999 games. (If this describes you, check out the site formerly known as Good Old Games [1]) [1] http://gog.com http://gog.com
- ramblerman 13y ago
  I agree with original OP and think you're retrofitting your theory onto the data. Games like civilization 5, starcraft I/II, dota and minecraft are some of the most played games in general. The fact that you're seeing them pop up here doesn't automatically say something about our demographic.

by kohanz 13y ago

Lambdanaut 13y ago

I agree. I abhor both of those genres, but I bet we'd get along plenty when it comes to programming(or not, who knows!) As you said, programmers are multifaceted, and video game preference is probably highly unrelated.

boyaka 13y ago

I haven't played sports games since Ice Hockey and World Cup on NES. IMO the entire sports industry is just a waste of time.

kohanz 13y ago
You can call any form of entertainment a "waste of time". Even say, video games.
- boyaka 13y ago
  Yeah, but games are INSANELY fun. Sports are just meh. It's more of a social activity I guess, and I'm kind of antisocial. I still enjoy hanging out with people and watching a game and especially live games, I just dont bother with the immense waste of time that is following it and playing the crappily made games.
  - kohanz 13y ago
    Yeah, but games are INSANELY fun. Sports are just meh. This is (and I assume you realize this) merely a personal preference. Like a taste in music or food.

csense 13y ago

There's some truth to that, but OTOH programmers have a different mindset -- if you write software for a living/hobby, generally you'll have above-average intelligence and enjoy dealing with complex dynamical systems and elegant models of the real world. This explains why so many suggestions in this thread are strategy games, roguelikes, and deep puzzle games. Also, the HN demographic skews to a certain age range, so there's a lot of nostalgia for 1993-1999 games. (If this describes you, check out the site formerly known as Good Old Games [1]) [1] http://gog.com http://gog.com

ramblerman 13y ago
I agree with original OP and think you're retrofitting your theory onto the data. Games like civilization 5, starcraft I/II, dota and minecraft are some of the most played games in general. The fact that you're seeing them pop up here doesn't automatically say something about our demographic.