My Life as a Gamer: It's About Testing Your Skill

@notch why must games only ever be tests of skill instead of experiences?

— Tomcat (@tombeckettcat) February 24, 2016

And the response:

They have those. They're called visual novels.

Or books.

Or theater. https://t.co/YLiUnsd4zW

— James Steed (@James_May_Not) February 26, 2016

Jesus H. Mother-Fucking Christ, this.

Gaming is, at its core, a Problem-Solving Activity. Boardgames, videogames, RPGs, whatever: the point of play is to engage the scenario before you, assess the problem, and then solve the damned thing. The specifics of how you go about doing this is where we get genre differentiation, and gamers don't give a shit about the fluff and dross that makes no difference or has no impact upon solving the damned problem. It's why these fundamentals transfer across genres, with only the development of specific skills and practices being the factor in making that transfer effective.

If you want a fucking story, go read/view/listen one or roll your own. Don't use the wrong tool for the job. If you want an experience, get offline and go encounter that shit first-hand in meatspace. If you want to test your skill, sit your ass down and get ready to put up or shut up; it's as close to a job as it gets without getting paid (or ripped off), and the same habits that work to succeed in work life will serve you well as a gamer.