Hello guys, I want to share my experience on my struggles to be a console gamer and how my dad actually made me into a PC gamer. A little intro abt here: I'm 18 years old this year and I only built my PC this year in February. Prior to that, the games I played are Dota and CS.
My family is never rich, life is even harder as my mum had passed away. My dad is not so much of a techie and discourages gaming.(Typical Asian family and I live in Asia.) I always wanted to play games as they are fun as I look at other kids playing it, be it on consoles or on PC. When I started working at 15 during school holidays, the cheapest available option was a Xbox 360. When I wanted to buy it, my dad forbade it. I was quite angry at my dad as it is my own money, not to mention he is not a techie. But this is what he told me: "Why get a stupid piece of machine which does nothing but game? Why not get something more useful which does things other than just gaming? In fact, why not get a job in a repair shop and understand how they work, then build a PC?"
And now here I am, after a series of misfortunes (my 6 year old laptop broke down and replaced with my own savings, my dad lost his job during my graduation year, and my phone malfunctioned as well) I finally built my own PC and with a passion in IT. And now, looking back at my choices, I guess my not so techie dad is right after all. I'm really glad that he got me out of the idea of buying a console, if I bought one, I'll probably still very broke due to paying the expensive games and the xbox live expenses.
So what do you guys think? Will it be a valid reason to prevent kids from buying consoles?
the poor xbox sales in the east should be valid enough not to buy one in your location
I doubt owning an Xbox would have changed your perssonal affinity twords technology. With that being said I do agree with your dad in why get a machine that can only play games?
Now all you have to do is let your dad use your pc for whatever he wants and reel him in to pc's.
I like having the freedom to do what I wan't on a PC and not be locked into doing specific things on a console. But then again that is just me, some people like the simplicity of a console, regardless of the fact that they are getting a lesser experience.
I agree. Although I was a console gamer ever since the original Xbox, I came to a drastic enlightenment this last year when my friend showed me his PC that he'd built. But this was after a long time of wanting something more. I slowly over the years of owning a shitty laptop and an Xbox 360 with a buggy console-idis Skyrim I was realizing how limited I was in what I could do. I started looking in to more things. I discovered Tek Syndicate, Programming, HTML CSS Javascript and PHP, and finally resulting in a summer job with savings of $1200 and the assembling of my shrine. Ever since then, I've learned more about technology and how computers work than I ever have in my life. Just by fixing problems, tinkering with things, going back in to my case and re-routing things from the aftermath of my rushed build from excitement and getting that much more experience on how it all works. It's a machine of everything. Education, production, and entertainment. All 3 constantly increasing simultaneously in an infinite amount of knowledge and ideas. I have to say, if the ISP's don't destroy the internet, anyone who uses a PC as their primary device is guaranteed to learn things they never thought they would. It's like getting a crapy old car and having to deal with fixing it over a span of 5 years. You learn everything about it inside and out.
Yeah, thanks to my dad, I fell in love with PCs while working. And because of that, I now study for a Diploma in IT. I still want to learn more though, especially Linux if I'm not bogged down by the massive amount of school works I have.
He doesn't want a PC, but I have put in a SSD into his laptop which runs on Vista and he absolutely loves it.
I think it might as I would not be bothered about PC, maybe I'll be more focused on mobile phones instead.
OMG... My dad is just...
*While I'm playing Witcher 2*
Dad: Will you just stop playing games and learn how to make one instead?
Me: *Speechless*
Exactly. I want to go the Linux route in my career as much as possible. We need to break the cycle of developers that only know how to code for Direct X. I hope to see Linux become more united in the foreseeable future! The world would be a better place.
I don't understand why PC vs Console is even a thing. I would love to know some of the reasons why this argument is more than what to me is just a mundane discussion about feeling justified in the way you have spend your money as opposed to others? Especially that it is being discussed on this forum, as these topics seem to just be 'preaching to the choir' and aim for acceptance by the community.
Not trying to troll, just trying to understand.
For not being a techie, your dad does sound quite wise. A very good decision.