I usually get a vicarious sensation…

[Silverobama]

I was trying to answer the IELTS question “ Do you watch people playing video games?” with the italic sentence as an answer.

I usually get a vicarious sensation by watching people playing video games online.

Is it natural to say that?

The intended meaning is “When I watch others play computer games, I get a vicarious sensation, makes me feel like I am myself playing the games. I don’t play though”

 

[SoothingDave]

No, it's not natural. We usually only use the adverb "vicariously."

 

[Silverobama]

No, it's not natural. We usually only use the adverb "vicariously."

How can I say it if I use "vicariously"?

Can I say "I play video games vicariously by watching [people playing] them online"? But what confuses me is that I don't play video games, and the question is do you watch others play video games.

 

[SoothingDave]

Yes, you play them vicariously.

 

[Silverobama]

Yes, you play them vicariously.

Then this will be a logical fallacy. I don’t play the game at all. How can I play them vicariously?

 

[SoothingDave]

I think you're thinking too much. It's not a fallacy unless you ignore what "vicariously" means.

"Vicariously" means you are doing the thing indirectly, through the experiences of others.