Always someone in here who unironically comes in here with some weird elitist attitude assuming I haven’t played Souls games.
I agree. So, let me explain it to you:
People play video games for a large variety of different reasons. Some people appreciate the media as an art form, possibly for the story writing, and possibly for the unique and stylized graphics of certain games like Okami or the cel-shaded Zelda titles.
Other people appreciate the media as a way to scratch an itch, like the drive to optimize that comes with playing games like Satisfactory.
Or, sometimes people play games because they want to be intellectually challenged. There’s nothing quite like figuring out the answer to a cryptic puzzle in FromSoft games.
Another reason people appreciate games is because they want something physically challenging in terms of reaction times and coordination. The Osu! community is an excellent example of this, with some truly impressive demonstrations of gamer skills.
Sometimes, people enjoy being frustrated so that they feel accomplished after failing repeatedly. I’m sure there’s some developer dedicated to this kind of game that I can’t quite remember, but I know Getting Over It is a good example of one such game.
Interestingly, some people play games for an adrenaline rush. Horror games like Amnesia and Outlast are excellent such titles for building up tension and adrenaline.
Video games can also be a wonderful social experience. Nintendo has always been good at offering couch co-op and party games, but we have a lot of other good offerings these day too, like with Jackbox games.
They’re also a good way to unwind after a day, like with a good couple levels of Candy Crush. In fact, the majority demographic of people who play video games are those who play games on their smartphones.
And, last and certainly least, some people play video games because they have nothing else going for them in life and want to feel superior over others.