To any significant extent, does Linux culture simply scoff at using computers to play games? Often when I see an open-source game offered, I see "Here's a good way to kill/waste time" or words to that effect in the description.

no, of course not. There are plenty of games for Linux. Steam is about to launch for one, and will be very popular. Personally though I actually *AM* better than computer games, so that's ok.

I don't think this has been even generally true for a long time. It was Linux users who paid the most for the first Humble Bundle. Steam and Unity3D are both moving to support Linux. And a huge number of high-profile Kickstarter game development projects promise Linux support.

I guess the Linux game designers who describe their own games as a way to waste/kill time probably have the same attitude as you.

Well, whatever the case, there are certainly plenty of serious Gnu/Linux gamers. See the popularity of sites like linuxgames.com.

However, often free software game developers are working alone, and have no professional marketing skills. So they tend to use honest, self-deprecating language like "this is a fun, pointless little game" instead of the more effective "the BEST game of 2012... that EVERYONE is PLAYING!"

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Thanks, that fully explains what I read.

I play games, and I will until there are no decent games left.

I would play more paid games if they were any good. However, most recent games that I have bought are very disappointing. I also will not be buying any more PS3 games because I will not accept their EULA. No more Xbox 360 games because the Xbox 360 had the red ring of death. I do still have an Xbox, and I sometimes play that. I play some PS1 and PS2 games either via emulator, or PS3.

The last paid game I bought for Linux was Oilrush, but I was disappointed by it. They tried to make a 3D game using a flash game concept ... it doesn't work.

Surprisingly flash games are actually pretty good, but as Adobe refuses to support Linux, that is not an option.

It's the gaming companies that force my hand. I will not give up my freedoms, not for anything, much less entertainment. No, they need me more than I need them, and they need to learn that. They probably won't learn that, because the sheep will just 'baaaaaa' and accept any EULA. Go ahead, just click 'Yes', don't even glance at the EULA. Then later when they screw you over, and you realize that EULA has taken all your rights, well then you'll just sit there dumbfounded as usual.

I'm not using Valve on Linux, because of their EULA which includes arbitration. If they wouldn't have had that clause, I would have tried it.

My gaming status might be a little odd. I am completely out-of-touch on contemporary systems and games; I'm not entirely sure why I have no interest at all in playing the recent games, but I don't. The newest console I own is a used Nintendo 64; as you probably recall, that's fifteen years old. Retro gamer may describe me, but I don't make an ideology of it by thumbing my nose at newer games. Notwithstanding that I'm perfectly capable of finally tiring of games, most of the old games I played as a kid still entertain me. I very much regret that the text-only role-playing games of the 1980s, the ones that insulted you with sarcasm when you entered invalid commands and that had extremely difficult puzzles that required ridiculous word-parsing to solve, disappeared. I don't like violent games; I actually play one (Goldeneye 007--in fact it's the only reason I acquired an N64), but am annoyed by the gore, and wish it had a bloodless mode. I found out only yesterday that Linux has at least one good city simulator, and since I miss SimCity 2000, I was delighted. But as far as I know, I'm realistically out of luck on The Sims.

With emulators, Linux is certainly a plus since I could optimized those at their bests. Way more FPS here than any other distributed (packaged) OS.

i can waste hours playing castleville on facebook, and it doesn't matter what o/s i'm running. i'm working now on developing a stable and effective linux solution for a local non-profit who are wasting time dealing with windows issues, ineffective backup solutions and data scattered on twenty+ workstations (three at a remote location), the server (soon to be servers if i get my way) and email still left on the ISP's email server. i'm basically replicating an active directory setup in linux and setting up internal mail server, dns server and web server. if i get any free time, i do try to play "chase the skirt", but i'm almost getting too old for that.

I don't see Linux culture and video games as a conflict. Anyone needs to have fun sometimes - even Linux users! :-D
There's plenty of games built for Linux (like the "Blob Wars" series or OpenRA just to throw some names into the statement) on the web built with no specific OS, and many big "mainstream" titles can be run on Wine with no or little Problems - If Linux wasn't made for gaming, I don't see how that all fits in...
BTW, Got an XBox360 myself (No, I don't hate/dislike Microsoft. Windows just doesn't satisfy all my needs as good as Linux), but I think it won't have much time on this Earth.

I see games fairly-rushing back to handheld devices, anyway. And those have and will-have nothing to do with (the "true") Windows operating system (that everyone used to build for).

And these are Unix/Linux based platforms.