Total guess on my part, but I imagine part of that is working class young people are much more likely to not be able to afford to have families, and single people have always been the largest...
Total guess on my part, but I imagine part of that is working class young people are much more likely to not be able to afford to have families, and single people have always been the largest demographic in gaming. It's a lot harder to find time to game when you've got a wife and kids and a house to take care of.
Even beyond families, video games, if done right, really are a quite frugal form of entertainment. Sure, you can spend irresponsibly on it, like any hobby or form of entertainment. If you're a...
Even beyond families, video games, if done right, really are a quite frugal form of entertainment. Sure, you can spend irresponsibly on it, like any hobby or form of entertainment. If you're a whale sinking thousands of dollars into play-to-win games, then yes, you will spend a lot of money on games. But there are games that I've put literally thousands of hours into that cost me $50 or less. Compare that to going out to the movies, playing golf or bowling, attending sporting events or public concerts, etc. About the only form of entertainment that gives more bang for the buck is books you borrow from a public library.
Fully agreed. In terms of bang/buck, the $20 I put in to Factorio back in the day (for literally hundreds and hundreds of hours of playtime) has got to be one of the best deals ever in terms of...
Fully agreed. In terms of bang/buck, the $20 I put in to Factorio back in the day (for literally hundreds and hundreds of hours of playtime) has got to be one of the best deals ever in terms of entertainment value.
My version of that is probably the original Kerbal Space Program. I bought it not at the earliest release, but pretty early. I think I spent a similar amount, maybe $10-20 on it. And I've played...
My version of that is probably the original Kerbal Space Program. I bought it not at the earliest release, but pretty early. I think I spent a similar amount, maybe $10-20 on it. And I've played that thing for a few thousand hours. I've played it many times, but every once in awhile I'll go back for a whole career-mode play through, visiting all the planets and climbing the old tech tree again. It's basically rocket legos, and like legos, it has a lot of replay value.
StarDewValley for me. $15 and hundreds of hours later, concerned ape is still adding content. But I guess the biggest bang for buck over last decade plus was $0 dwarf fortress.
StarDewValley for me. $15 and hundreds of hours later, concerned ape is still adding content.
But I guess the biggest bang for buck over last decade plus was $0 dwarf fortress.
This is particularly true if one sticks with older titles and games that run well on limited resources. The earliest buyers of PS4s have gotten insane value out of them for example, with how there...
This is particularly true if one sticks with older titles and games that run well on limited resources. The earliest buyers of PS4s have gotten insane value out of them for example, with how there are still new games being released for the platform today, and that’s to say nothing of the massive number of cheap used PS4 discs available. On the PC side there’s Steam sales and giveaways from Epic and Amazon that allows building of a formidable library on a dime.
This is essentially it. The year I graduated college I was clocking in 80 hours of gaming per week according to my Steam stats. Fast-forward to a decade later with a wife, kids, dog, house, and a...
This is essentially it. The year I graduated college I was clocking in 80 hours of gaming per week according to my Steam stats. Fast-forward to a decade later with a wife, kids, dog, house, and a jobby job and my "gaming" consists of whatever daily puzzles the NYT wants to throw at me and some casual stuff on the iPad with the young kids on weekends. Though I have fond memories of time spent in those digital worlds with all their wonderful art and music, I don't miss it terribly.
There’s no agreed upon definition. Sometimes it’s by occupation, sometimes income, sometimes people insist anyone who relies on a salaried income is working class. Sounds like in this case it’s a...
There’s no agreed upon definition. Sometimes it’s by occupation, sometimes income, sometimes people insist anyone who relies on a salaried income is working class.
From the survey, they found that among people aged 20–24, 8.7% working in higher managerial or professional jobs played video games every day, compared with 20% of people in routine or manual jobs. The figures for 25- to 34-year-olds were 8.7% and 13% respectively.
Sounds like in this case it’s a white collar/blue collar split.
It may not be due to a class distinction, however. It may just be that different hobbies appeal to people who sit all day versus people who are on their feet all day. Anecdotally, I used to do...
It may not be due to a class distinction, however. It may just be that different hobbies appeal to people who sit all day versus people who are on their feet all day.
Anecdotally, I used to do hard physical labor at my previous job, and I spent most of my leisure time doing seated activities, including playing video games (as well as reading, painting, programming, etc.). Now I have an office job, and I hardly ever do hobbies that involve sitting; I prefer to be on my feet as much as possible (so I do more woodworking, gardening, etc.), and I neglect my seated hobbies until I have a long weekend.
I understand routine vs non routine but honestly from how much I'm paying, it's the HVAC and builders and plumbers who are the high paying professionals as far as I am aware.
I understand routine vs non routine but honestly from how much I'm paying, it's the HVAC and builders and plumbers who are the high paying professionals as far as I am aware.
Those are trades, not professions. A profession specifically is the application of an academic field in the commercial or public sectors, such as a medical doctor, lawyer, engineer, historian,...
Those are trades, not professions. A profession specifically is the application of an academic field in the commercial or public sectors, such as a medical doctor, lawyer, engineer, historian, journalist, etc.. i.e. Professions have professors.
Tradespeople, on the other hand, are skilled laborers. Often with an apprenticeship process.
Thank you, yes, totally, and hence why I said "from how much I'm paying, it's the HVAC and builders and plumbers who are the high paying professionals as far as I am aware." Professional jobs...
Thank you, yes, totally, and hence why I said "from how much I'm paying, it's the HVAC and builders and plumbers who are the high paying professionals as far as I am aware."
Professional jobs don't pay as well as trades. They're different. Wish we'd been told when we were kids to go to trades and not professional fields like research, academics, teaching and journalism.
It might just be a misunderstanding on my part, but I was under the impression that two weren’t exclusionary of each other, with “working class” meaning anybody who has to work to be able to live....
It might just be a misunderstanding on my part, but I was under the impression that two weren’t exclusionary of each other, with “working class” meaning anybody who has to work to be able to live. That includes a large swath of if not most of the middle class.
Depends on who's giving the definition. Yours is a more classically Marxist definition of the term, which I believe is the original lens where the "working class" was more closely examined. That...
Depends on who's giving the definition. Yours is a more classically Marxist definition of the term, which I believe is the original lens where the "working class" was more closely examined. That definition is quite literal, as you illustrated.
Colloquially, at least in the US, working class just mostly means blue collar, with a sprinkling of economics in there.
Most people would consider a roofer making 40k a year working class, and they'd consider a manager at a bank making 100k middle class.
However, a plumber making 150k a year would probably be considered middle class by most people despite having a blue collar job, while a bookeeper making 50k a year would probably be a 50/50 split depending on who you ask.
Working class meaning hourly, tend to know what their hours are and leave work at work, so can dive deep into a video game during off hours. Also the control and strategic thought in a video game...
Working class meaning hourly, tend to know what their hours are and leave work at work, so can dive deep into a video game during off hours. Also the control and strategic thought in a video game might be more appealing if you are not working primarily with your mind.
The use of "working class" and "middle class" in the UK are wildly different from their use elsewhere, however. In the US it's almost 100% based on income. The UK's class system is far more...
The use of "working class" and "middle class" in the UK are wildly different from their use elsewhere, however. In the US it's almost 100% based on income. The UK's class system is far more complex sociologically.
Total guess on my part, but I imagine part of that is working class young people are much more likely to not be able to afford to have families, and single people have always been the largest demographic in gaming. It's a lot harder to find time to game when you've got a wife and kids and a house to take care of.
Even beyond families, video games, if done right, really are a quite frugal form of entertainment. Sure, you can spend irresponsibly on it, like any hobby or form of entertainment. If you're a whale sinking thousands of dollars into play-to-win games, then yes, you will spend a lot of money on games. But there are games that I've put literally thousands of hours into that cost me $50 or less. Compare that to going out to the movies, playing golf or bowling, attending sporting events or public concerts, etc. About the only form of entertainment that gives more bang for the buck is books you borrow from a public library.
Fully agreed. In terms of bang/buck, the $20 I put in to Factorio back in the day (for literally hundreds and hundreds of hours of playtime) has got to be one of the best deals ever in terms of entertainment value.
My version of that is probably the original Kerbal Space Program. I bought it not at the earliest release, but pretty early. I think I spent a similar amount, maybe $10-20 on it. And I've played that thing for a few thousand hours. I've played it many times, but every once in awhile I'll go back for a whole career-mode play through, visiting all the planets and climbing the old tech tree again. It's basically rocket legos, and like legos, it has a lot of replay value.
StarDewValley for me. $15 and hundreds of hours later, concerned ape is still adding content.
But I guess the biggest bang for buck over last decade plus was $0 dwarf fortress.
This is particularly true if one sticks with older titles and games that run well on limited resources. The earliest buyers of PS4s have gotten insane value out of them for example, with how there are still new games being released for the platform today, and that’s to say nothing of the massive number of cheap used PS4 discs available. On the PC side there’s Steam sales and giveaways from Epic and Amazon that allows building of a formidable library on a dime.
Borrowing your console games from the library is the real genius move!
This is essentially it. The year I graduated college I was clocking in 80 hours of gaming per week according to my Steam stats. Fast-forward to a decade later with a wife, kids, dog, house, and a jobby job and my "gaming" consists of whatever daily puzzles the NYT wants to throw at me and some casual stuff on the iPad with the young kids on weekends. Though I have fond memories of time spent in those digital worlds with all their wonderful art and music, I don't miss it terribly.
What's difference between working class and middle class anyway?.
There’s no agreed upon definition. Sometimes it’s by occupation, sometimes income, sometimes people insist anyone who relies on a salaried income is working class.
Sounds like in this case it’s a white collar/blue collar split.
It may not be due to a class distinction, however. It may just be that different hobbies appeal to people who sit all day versus people who are on their feet all day.
Anecdotally, I used to do hard physical labor at my previous job, and I spent most of my leisure time doing seated activities, including playing video games (as well as reading, painting, programming, etc.). Now I have an office job, and I hardly ever do hobbies that involve sitting; I prefer to be on my feet as much as possible (so I do more woodworking, gardening, etc.), and I neglect my seated hobbies until I have a long weekend.
I understand routine vs non routine but honestly from how much I'm paying, it's the HVAC and builders and plumbers who are the high paying professionals as far as I am aware.
Small business owner vs employee makes a difference
Those are trades, not professions. A profession specifically is the application of an academic field in the commercial or public sectors, such as a medical doctor, lawyer, engineer, historian, journalist, etc.. i.e. Professions have professors.
Tradespeople, on the other hand, are skilled laborers. Often with an apprenticeship process.
Thank you, yes, totally, and hence why I said "from how much I'm paying, it's the HVAC and builders and plumbers who are the high paying professionals as far as I am aware."
Professional jobs don't pay as well as trades. They're different. Wish we'd been told when we were kids to go to trades and not professional fields like research, academics, teaching and journalism.
It might just be a misunderstanding on my part, but I was under the impression that two weren’t exclusionary of each other, with “working class” meaning anybody who has to work to be able to live. That includes a large swath of if not most of the middle class.
Depends on who's giving the definition. Yours is a more classically Marxist definition of the term, which I believe is the original lens where the "working class" was more closely examined. That definition is quite literal, as you illustrated.
Colloquially, at least in the US, working class just mostly means blue collar, with a sprinkling of economics in there.
Most people would consider a roofer making 40k a year working class, and they'd consider a manager at a bank making 100k middle class.
However, a plumber making 150k a year would probably be considered middle class by most people despite having a blue collar job, while a bookeeper making 50k a year would probably be a 50/50 split depending on who you ask.
Working class meaning hourly, tend to know what their hours are and leave work at work, so can dive deep into a video game during off hours. Also the control and strategic thought in a video game might be more appealing if you are not working primarily with your mind.
In Britain it is a running joke that “working class” people aren’t actually working, that is the in UK, “working class” is definitely sub cultural.
The use of "working class" and "middle class" in the UK are wildly different from their use elsewhere, however. In the US it's almost 100% based on income. The UK's class system is far more complex sociologically.