Is MSFS a hobby or a game?

[HUSSAR 272]

Definately a hobby for me or I wouldn't have spent the money I would have if it was merely just a game.A game is something that I can pull out of a closet or start on a PC and play for a while and not touch it for weeks or months, I pretty much sim everyday that I can.

[realpilotsimpilot 11]

Could the sales difference also be that real flying in Europe is so expensive, that many satisfy their flying "bug" in the virtual world? Most rw pilots I know in the US do not fly flight sim....

I don't know that I would say that. Clearly the cost of flying in Europe from my limited experience doing it is that is astronomically more expensive there. But, I find simming a natural extension of my real world flying. Not so much for stick and rudder, but for scan, looking at airports I've never been too, etc. But, I also think that's why I find PMDG products so interesting. I'm never going to actually fly a transport aircraft, so hyper accurate modeling fits my interest in learning about them. I'm not taking the default 172 around the dog patch. That I do in real life.

[fencer 16]

I don't know that I would say that. Clearly the cost of flying in Europe from my limited experience doing it is that is astronomically more expensive there. But, I find simming a natural extension of my real world flying. Not so much for stick and rudder, but for scan, looking at airports I've never been too, etc. But, I also think that's why I find PMDG products so interesting. I'm never going to actually fly a transport aircraft, so hyper accurate modeling fits my interest in learning about them. I'm not taking the default 172 around the dog patch. That I do in real life.

Pretty much the same for me - except that, for various reasons, I started real flying long after simming. Since English is not my native language, I checked defintitions on the Merriam-Webster online dictionnary. Here goes: - game : activity engaged in for diversion or amusement- hobby : a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation So, for them, game is more associated with play and hobby with relaxation. Big difference? A chess game can be very serious - and intellectually challenging, right? For me, the two key words that I associate with simming are : aviation and passion (which is why I like very much the definition of hobby proposed by Dylan at the beginning of the post).In the end, I tend to think that simming is a hobby but I frequently use the word "game" if only to remind myself not to take myself too seriously. (ie don't take yourself too seriously, but take what you do VERY seriously).Bruno

[skydrol 0]

For me [based on my personal experience]MSFS helps me a lot to study deeply about the aircraft system and know the basic and advance fundamentals in flying,and other sort of thing will happened to the aircraft during flight or in the ground [failures and procedures..normal and non normal]i considered MSFS as my "training ground" to learn, familiarize and practice & procedures related in aircraft system...you can do anything in flightsim without risking of the following: 1.Life2. Multi-Million AircraftAs a "Real" Aircraft Mechanic..it's not only removal and installation of aircraft component or doing some wrench, torquing and do some safety wiring...it's very important to know how the system works, function that you're fixing/troubleshoot..flightsim and CBT are the good combination to learn deeply about aircraft system..why?CBT is also a simulated procedure to learn the aircraft system...but it is very limited and some CBT has only full discussion and some are combined discussion and click-able features....flightsim is more on virtual hands-on operation of the aircraft whether you fly it or not...simulations has a "limitation"CBT features all the info that you need about A/C but you can't fly or taxi the aircraft...flightsim.. you can operate the aircraft virtually but some certain features specially the FMC[boeing] MCDU[airbus] are very-limited unlike the CBT has...motoring the a/c using the MCDU/FMC or doing some BITE test... you can't do it in the flightsim but you can do in some CBTbut doing some functional and operational test...you can do in flightsim and see all the controls moving/functioning and set some failuresthat you cannot do in the CBT...we have a training called "Ground Engineer Initial Course" to learn how to operate the aircraft...and it will be performed on a Level D type simulator...starting the APU/engines of the aircraft...it's a very serious...why?anytime for these time when the turbine engines starts to run..what are this risk...1. FOD 2. FIRE3. Flame out/surgeand during run-up...it's a very risky part of the procedure specially if you're doing a high run-up checks....even the aircraft have chocks placed in the main landing gear..sometimes the aircraft will jump off in the chocks..because of high thrust produced from the engines....or some loose FOD ingested during run-up...many accidents happened already during run-upgood example is the etihad A340 jumped off in the blasting fence and the aircraft mechanic sucked into the 737 engines while checking the engines during run-upso again....it is really helpful to have these kind of programseither MSFS/ Level C/D simulator/CBTand i don't considered it as a "GAME" or Hobby...if you don't take seriously the aircraft......"Airplane usually kill you quickly---a woman takes her time"

[AirbusCG 52]

Well for me flightsimulation is a hobby seen in the same way than glider flying what i do in the real world.But honestly i prefer flying in real world because you get the feelings for your aircrafts there which are pretty low in flightsim.For example:This summer i have been flying at the limits of my (real)ASK21 (meaning that i've been flying with 250km/h in almost heavy turbulences.That was really scary beacuse the glider has made very strange noices which i had never heared befor.But when i'm flying the Discus from Aerosoft i can't hear those noises even when i fly with 320km/h. And i don't even wanna talk about the diffrences in the feelings when you're at home on your chair with a joystick in your hand and when you're really 2000m above the ground.So I'd say that flightsimulator is a hobby but it depends on the persons view.For a real world pilot who is sitting in a 738 Cockpit almost every day in the week and who's feeling every bump, which the flightsimmer maybe can see if he's using software like the EZDok Cam, flightsimulator wouldn't be a hobby as maybe playing football.But for a mechanic at an big airport who is seeing big planes every day and who is always looking after them when they're airborne and flying to the big citys of the world it's something whole different as for the airline pilot who is sitting in the cockpit in the most time he has got in a week befor he has 1 or 2 days off befor the whole stress starts again.And finally to add my opinion in a clear way :( :For me as pupil it's a hobby (of cause, -or better said not of cause ).And i'm proud of having the chance to fly airplanes the way the real airlines are doing it. Even the fact that most of the other pupils at school laugh at me because "i'm donig something boring when they can play "eciting" games as CoD" doesn't change much on my opinion. For me flightsimulation is a world to get more precise. Every day when i'm coming home from school i switch on my computer and start a flight in any airplane i want to do one in. And that's relaxing for me. So flightsimming isn't just a hobby, it's much more. I can do my homework when flying (And i'm not bad at school, just metioned for everyone who say that it's not good to have the computer running while doing homework). And my homeworks are most often correct because i can concentrate better with the powerful voice of an MD11 flying over my country or whereevery i want to fly at. It's just relaxing. Much better than the brakes ar school.So to me it's definitely a hobby -when not every more, because i also use flightsimulator for the trainigs for my real gliderpilot license, even though i have to say that the weather in flightsim X has almost nothing to do with the weather you can find in the real world.Same for many other things in flightsim, but i still think that it's the best and most realistic "game" which has ever been on the market and which will ever be on the market as long as there are good developers as PMDG outside there giving us the possibility to experience our "game" in the most realistic way which is making it from an game to our favarite (or maybe nor favorite?) hobby.Ok, i think i'm writing far to much again, so with that reagards have a good cristmas time.Emanuel Hagen

[andysim 0]

I love the complex aircraft like the MD11/Maddog80 and PMDG747. I fact the more comlex the systems are the happier I am. I always fly with Activesky ASE, Radar Contact, and plan my routes with either real world flightplans or ones from my flightplanner FSC8. I like to learn something new every flight and gain a little more skill. I play BF2 Bad company when I have not the time to fly properly but always come back to FSX. Its a hobby and ive been using MSFS since 98. But I know its nothing like the real thing as its stuck on a 21" monitor and is 2D. I will never be able to fly on my own as I have very poor eyesight.If I won the lotto I would buy a super PC and multi monitor setup and all the bells and whistle but untill then I can dream. Looking forward to the NGX. Andrew Simmons

[bpcw001 22]

I personally have been using MSFS since I was 11 or 12 (way back in 1982/83). Aside from my Father taking me to JFK to see planes landing and taking off as a child, I attribute MSFS for my fascination with Aviation. And now happy to say I've had a successful 20 years in the Aviation Industry which still continues today. Like many of you, I've watched this piece of software morph from a few lines and circles on the screen, to an almost virtual simulated world. This program has been part of my life for the last 28 years and I am not ashamed to admit, have become pretty passionate about it.Recently I came across a post (pinned mind you) on another developer's forum that really upset me. Actually if I had seen this post before I purchased their product, I never would have. That's how strongly I feel regarding the subject and contents of the post. The title of the post on the developer's site is "It's just a game!". Which brings me to the reason for this poll. Many of us sink a sizeable amount of cash into not only the computers we run this software on, but also add-ons that make the simulation experience that much more enjoyable and realistic. Not to mention the amount of time we spend on planning and carrying out our simulated flights as mentioned in a previous post in this forum. These reasons alone are good enough for me to consider this a hobby. Here are a couple of definitions of a hobby that I particularly agree with and probably describes the lot of us.A hobby is an activity that we engage in that involves some form of personal investment. Time and effort is invested in a hobby; it is not an activity that can be engaged in while completely detached.So my question to everyone is do you consider Flight Simulation a hobby or just a game?

Well, from Microsoft's point of view I guess FS was meant to be a game. Microsoft never planned on adding any "hardcore" features (DPs, STARs etc) to FS but instead concentrated on making the FS franchise appeal to the broadest possible audience to maximize sales profit.Only through the various excellent add-ons from 3rd party developers can FS be boosted to something like a poor man's flight simulator.I'm a real-world private pilot and I really enjoy getting my virtual hands on some aircraft I could never afford in real life, so ... yes, it's a hobby, sometimes even more than that.

[vscimone 16]

It's a job :(

[jc_150 3]

Hi all in the forumI did not respond to the vote because I think it can be whatever your imagination wants it to be for that session. I like a technical flight and may do a whole flight to see the effect of how an instrument works or go online and do a 3 hour flight with my VA. On the other hand I may practice touch and goes or sometimes I just kick the tyres and take up the trike just for fun. So for me it is a game and a hobby depending on my mood for the day.Kind regardsJohn Calleja

[1FLIGHTSIMFANATIC 4]

Absolute obsession for me.

[MdMax 233]

For me it's a hobby ! Happy flying ! :(

[Guest wims]

There's no contradiction between being a hobby and being a game at the same time. It being a hobby does not increase the realism a single bit. Also dont take yourselves too seriously :(

[Chock 17,769]

If it is a game, it's the most bloody expensive game I've ever bought LOLAl

[Brett Nicholls 0]

Its definitly a hobby. We all obviously have a passion for aviation whether we actaully fly, or just admire the grace and beauty of something thats floats on air. The roar of a jet engine, the crackle of and idling vee 12 merlin or even the smell of burnt aviation gas. Simulation allows us to pilot planes that most of us could not afford to own or train for. A game? You shouldn't need to ask the question. Brett Nicholls

[dazz 69]

It's a Simulator if you...... only fly high detail simulators like PMDG, Level-D on high realism settings, use weather programs and have almost no ground sceneries.It's a Hobby if you...... Fly any kind of plane and have a maelstrom of addons.I think.

good point. of course there are exceptions, but many of those who really know how the systems work and are proficient operating complex simulations by the book, usually in VATSIM / IVAO, don't care too much about the eye candy, autogen, scenery complexity, 32xAA and all that stuff