Online Games/mmorpgs

[Phocus]

1 hour ago, Neill Bolton said:

eve online is the best mmo out there.

This is true... assuming you don't like engaging gameplay

I truly mean that in the best way possible, haha

[Evilwave Heddy]

6 hours ago, Neill Bolton said:

eve online is the best mmo out there.

I found TERA: Fate of Arun to be the better of the two. Spent countless hours on this. That's just me though. 

[W Z R D]

I find it amazing how people react negatively to having spent so much time in games such as WoW. If I take a step back and think of my times playing, my mind is instantly filled with nostalgic memories of having a ton of fun. This is coming from somebody who was deeply addicted and I have no regrets of playing as much as I did.

I started playing during the open beta back in 2003-2004 and I remember the first time I walked in front of the stormwind gates. Holy shit. If you've played it back then, you'll know that feeling. There might never be another game like it, so why not just be happy that you got to experience it? It's something nobody will ever get to experience again! I thoroughly enjoyed wasting my time in it.

[Robert]

On 3/2/2016 at 11:08 AM, Cabot said:

Reading trough this going... What?

I spent thousands of hours playing various video games, WoW included. Eve included.

When I was a kid, I didn't know any better. Now, I see it as a neurotic escape to a fantasy world.

We can argue about benefits, but if you put it on a scale against what you're paying it's not worth it, not by a long shot. It's very destructive. 

To each his own, but there're far better things out there then small hits of dopamine.

It's not a neurotic escape to simply enjoy a video game. As long as you play in moderation, you can easily have video games in your life without being addicted to them and resisting real life.

[Falk]

Till fall 2015 i was basicly addicted to league of legends, because of the permanent rewarding mixed with disappointment when loosing a game , directly feeling the need to play one more and so on! ...playing it almost every minute of my free time!! Which i now see as absolutely idiotic and it almost ruined my life completely , it definetly did a LOT of harm without going into much detail here. Since i stopped i have basicly +50h of free time every week, which i now use for: reading, meditation, gym, badminton, learing an instrument, learning new vocabulary, cooking everyday & eating healthy , playing chess, meeting friends, going for walks, etc... It is incredible what you can do when you stop channeling your energy into "useless" conduits... 

I´m not saying games are bad per se, but there are certain characters who can NOT handle stuff like drugs or games AT ALL!! and i am one of those, good thing i never got introduced to heroin ^^ i would most certainly be dead as a mofo by now ^^

[Evilwave Heddy]

@Falk Ikr, I wish I could get back my 500 hours or more of playing MMO's. Haha

[Falk]

6 hours ago, Evilwave Heddy said:

@Falk Ikr, I wish I could get back my 500 hours or more of playing MMO's. Haha

500 nice ^^ i wish i had wasted so little time  

i played around 5000 normal games + 500 ranked games at least, each game beeing 40min average = 3666 HOURS!! + the time i spend researching stuff, updating my knowledge about it etc...i would round it up to at least 4000 hours  ...  .... ... ...

I learnt that i can´t handle addictions at all and i very strictly watch my behaviour towards everything that might develop into an addiction now

[Guest]

@Falk 4000 hours? That's nothing, I spend 4000 hours playing Morrowind alone. Then I played Oblivion and then Halo for many years, really I played a shitload of games(I probably played like 300 games serious, means I tried to get everything out of them) even before I started playing WoW and then I played WoW for 4-5 years like an addict. 4000 hours...pah...step it up bro

[Falk]

7 hours ago, The Son said:

@Falk 4000 hours? That's nothing, I spend 4000 hours playing Morrowind alone. Then I played Oblivion and then Halo for many years, really I played a shitload of games(I probably played like 300 games serious, means I tried to get everything out of them) even before I started playing WoW and then I played WoW for 4-5 years like an addict. 4000 hours...pah...step it up bro

I learned my lesson here : No matter how good you are ....there is always that one guy who´s better  

btw your avatar´s eyes are creeping me out ^^ that´s how i imagine someone to look after 100.000h of WoW....

[Guest]

20 hours ago, Falk said:

I learned my lesson here : No matter how good you are ....there is always that one guy who´s better  

btw your avatar´s eyes are creeping me out ^^ that´s how i imagine someone to look after 100.000h of WoW....

Haha yeah. No actually in my wow prime I looked way, way worse. Also I'm not better than you lol, that was just a joke. For many years I had no life. When I was 7 my father introduced me to videogames. At 14 or 16, I dunno, I stopped socializing almost completely and only played games. At the age of 24 I started to break out and at the age of 25 I was finally free and started to only beginning to building a real life from scratch. It was hard  and it still is hard.

[Journey]

Thanks for posting this! I am going through a similar issue now. I have played MMORPGs on and off for many years.

I originally thought that these games were just a way for me to unwind under this "work hard, play hard" mentality, but lately I am starting to feel like they add a lot of unnecessary distraction and sense of obligation. It seems that these games always have a daily event or limited-time only thing, so I feel obligated to play in order to maintain my rank or not miss out... Oh and not to mention, I use my real-world money for in game items.

I generally play on my PC tower as my laptop doesn't support the game client, so I am testing removing the PC from my office space entirely for the next several days to get some better perspective and let go of the need to "be the best" in the digital space. I do think that leisure and relaxation is an important aspect of life, and I feel that MMORPGs don't mesh with either of those for me currently.

Edited March 9, 2016 by Journey
semantics

[Cabot]

3 hours ago, Journey said:

...they add a lot of unnecessary distraction and sense of obligation. It seems that these games always have a daily event or limited-time only thing, so I feel obligated to play in order to maintain my rank or not miss out... 
 

This. I had a raid/pvp schedule for every day of the week. Sounds absurd now, but I was actually trying to fit in real life around WoW instead of vice versa. 

Funniest bit was when you finally get that set you're farming for three months, a new patch comes out and all of a sudden it means nothing. It's all about the next thing. 

 

[Argue]

I failed miserably. I'm too addicted to this game I'm playing and it's ruining my life. I just don't know how to stop. I need somebody to help me. 

[Journey]

Just now, Cabot said:

This. I had a raid/pvp schedule for every day of the week. Sounds absurd now, but I was actually trying to fit in real life around WoW instead of vice versa. 

Funniest bit was when you finally get that set you're farming for three months, a new patch comes out and all of a sudden it means nothing. It's all about the next thing. 

 

Yes,  and not only are their dailies but there are time-specific events within that day or things you have to coordinate with your parties or guilds schedules. If you miss it, you let your team down and you miss out on all the rewards. You're punished for stepping away from the game and not only ruining your chance of being strong, but now your friends chances. It's a lot of action fueled by guilt or fear. 

How were you able to break the "daily" habit and amicably let those relationships with other gamers go?

[Cabot]

@Journey Yep, your guild depending on you, it's a sense of duty alright. 

I just got fed up with it all at one point, couldn't do it anymore... Fuck your dailies, fuck your repainted items, fuck this. Like a small nervous breakdown.  

Stayed contact with my closest friends via social networks, but I never returned to the game. Not without sin though, I still play Dota from time to time... 

Are you trying to stop now or is it already in the past?

[Journey]

4 minutes ago, Argue said:

I failed miserably. I'm too addicted to this game I'm playing and it's ruining my life. I just don't know how to stop. I need somebody to help me. 

I am sorry to hear you are struggling. I will share something that has helped me and may provide some value to you.

Let your imagination consider what you have to gain by letting go of this. What can you focus on? What can you contribute?

For me, I thought about what I could do with my newly-found free time that aligned with my big vision. I'd have more time to commit to my life-learning, so I get to spend time combing through the forums here, reading, and watching videos like Leo's. I feel a weight has been lifted and my focus is restored. I am able to recognize and train my self-discipline to align with my highest values, rather than passively going with the flow of tradition or habit.

It may be useful to be accountable to another person near you or online. This can help you track your progress and be a constant reminder of your goals. Maybe even keeping track in a journal could help. 

I'd also do everything you can environmentally to set yourself up for success. What leads up to this undesired action that you can change? For example, if I usually get up in the morning and go straight to my computer, can I plan to cook breakfast and go for a walk instead? Can I read something or play with my pet? Can I practice some mindfulness meditations?

If you want to get right to the brute of it, you can remove your computer from your space physically and then disconnect from the Internet. Uninstall the clients, delete the passwords, delete the accounts, whatever it is to regain your freedom here.

At the core of it, it is about setting the goal firm in your mind and then taking clear internal and external actions to get closer to it each and every day.

[Cabot]

@Argue Realize how much time you are putting into it. Realize life is passing by you.
 If you choose to practice any other skill you'd be a God at it. 
Instead, you waste away doing daily quests and other boring nonsense you didn't even sign up for. It's all worthless.

[Argue]

@Journey

thank you. This is really helpful. I need an accountability partner bad. I just don't know where to find one. 

@Cabot

youre so right! I think about how much time is passing by etc but yet there I go playing my life away. It's making me anti social, angrier, and breaking out. I used to sleep early... Not anymore... I sleep at 3 AM every day... And wake up late. The game is my obligation. Nothing else. It's so frustrating that I don't have the power  to let go. Today the fingers on my left hand were hurting so much and I couldn't control my nerves. I need to end it. Thanks for the encouragement guys!! 

[Journey]

@Cabot I stopped officially today, though I had been on an increasing "hiatus/afk mode" for the past month or so, as my academic workload amped up.

I actually got some distance from the game entirely this week as I was reorganizing my home office using some of the advice from TheMinimalists. I was asking the question "Does this thing/activity add value to my life?" as I chose to keep or donate items. Needless to say, when I got to cleaning my desk area, I looked at my gaming computer with a much more critical eye.

I went ahead and deleted all the game clients, messaging services, and unplugged and moved the entire tower itself for the time being. I am now debating selling the computer itself to put the nail in the coffin, so to speak.

[Journey]

@Argue You're welcome. You are free to send me a message here daily or weekly to let me know your progress - barriers, successes, and all.