Online gamers - How well do you balance your 'Addiction vs Real Life'?

[HangTime]

Surely it's not an addiction unless it's taken over your life.

I guess that depends on how you define 'taken over your life'. Smoking (nicotine) is widely regarded to be addictive, yet most people don't really view it as having taken over their life.

<snip>

If you're going to quote me, please don't paraphrase/remove words in the middle of a sentence (even if you agree with me!)

How sad. I have never found an MMO that is worth my money not alone better than my life. I dont think they could create such a game.

Please stick to shaving with an electric razor...we dont want any "Accidents"

Neither have I; the game in question supports 32 players max per server so certainly isn't "Massively Multiplayer". I've also never paid a subscription fee for any game.

As for whether it's sad or not, I found it made me very happy by and large (mixed with frustration, anger and so forth of course). I was probably more 'depressed' before I started playing online games. It also brought me into contact with a wide range of people from around the world that I never would have met (literally in some cases) otherwise. I haven't played a competitive match in nearly 3 years, and yet I can still hop on IRC and be greeted by people from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Luxemborg, Russia, USA, Canada, Australia, Hungary, Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Ireland etc. We probably talk as much about our personal lives and sporting events as we do about the game nowadays, and I've never found and been accepted by any other community with such an eclectic mix of nationalities. Even most MMORPG players (in communities several orders of magnitude larger) probably don't have such a range of contacts. But of course, it's the quality of the game which is what matters.

Personally I think it's all a bit too easy to say that someone who enjoys gaming more than most other things in their life has an unfulfilling 'real life'. Maybe if we look at the converse, the sad thing is that other people haven't been able to get the same level of enjoyment out of gaming that I have

 

[londonbairn]

Don't play as much as I used to, I prefer "real life", might play several hours a week if that, despite having a decent machine.

 

[bloodline76]

Personally I think it's all a bit too easy to say that someone who enjoys gaming more than most other things in their life has an unfulfilling 'real life'. Maybe if we look at the converse, the sad thing is that other people haven't been able to get the same level of enjoyment out of gaming that I have

Dont get me wrong I enjoy playing games as much as the next person but when you make a statement saying its better than life or even worse about it being better than spending time with your children (or duty as some people refer to them as ) then I think you need to take a long hard look at yourself.

I think I have a good balance of gaming and social interaction with family and friends. When I say I think its sad that people feel this way, I dont mean as in sad "you are a loser". I mean I feel sorry for them if life is that bad that a game is better than there life.

 

[Tummy]

It's "your" not "you're", "you're" means you are

My comment meant that if an MMO was the most enjoyable thing in your life then maybe you might be feeling a little depressed about your life. So depressed people shouldnt really play with razor blades should they.

Does that clear your confusion?

You can fix my grammar in this if you like aswell.
Funny thing is I work in education so my spelling should be better.

No your comment was trolling, it offered nothing to the debate did it ? You should be a comedian ! really you'd make a fortune with "depressed people shouldn't play with razors" because nobody has herd that before.

You're playing on a sterotype, that all depressed people cut themselves.
a lot of people have pretty poor lives, a lot of people have perfectly happy lives. They both use gaming, for example World of Warcraft as an escape.

 

[domthecondom]

i used to spent all my afternoons gaming in the winter when i broke my ankle after college.

But in the summer i realised i can go skateboarding again and got a gf.

my gaming went from 40 hours a week to a mear 8 if i am lucky

I do miss the days

 

[Knubje]

I basically got addicted to PC/Online gaming when I was about 13/14, so about 11/12 years ago.

The days of 28.8k modem, being a HPB with 150 ping and starting on Quakeworld, etc. Obviously back in those days, not so much a problem. Played games after school on week nights after homework (or lack of). Played quite a lot, more than was needed, but hey I was a kid with nothing better to do.

When I was about 15/16 I think I gave up (around CS:1.4 time) and really didn't play many games or even have a console. I think it was a combination of: College, girls, drink, fun times.

I still did game but rarley, especially when you get a full time GF. Nookie > Games.

I came back to online gaming at Uni in first year when the house I lived in had a couple of newbie online gamers (MoH) and I thought I'd start playing again, very moderatley as Uni has more fun things to do than sit about gaming

That was it really until towards the last year of Uni where a lot of my previous housemates/friends finished a year before me and I had more free time. My GF also loved online pc gaming (CSS, Halo, TF2) so it was good to be involved and not to be moaned at for doing what I enjoyed.

Just as I finished my last exams for Uni ever, I bought WoW. Then proceeded to urinate about 2 years of my life away, raiding hardcore in a guid where I had a fair amount of responsibility and standing. It was like a job away from my day job.

Quit WoW before the big patch before WOTLK. Never looked back but miss the social aspects and all the people I made friends with.

Now I keep it real with playing the odd bit of LFD, TF2 or whatever. Play a few hours a night max and that usually does me.

To answer the OP, I balanced it with my life schedule at the time. When I was old enough to get out and do more interesting things, I did. When I fancied a game on the odd occasion, I did.

When I was highly addicted to gaming was when I had nothing else going on to distract me. Being at uni with no work , gf in the same room playing games with me and chilling out was not good motivation to "cut down".

Similarly with WoW, just got addicted and then kind of drawn in so that I felt like I had to stick in the game raiding for the people who I'd met and the progress of the guild.
Once I knew the game was coming to an end and we had done everything we needed to do I just saw my oppertunity to "get the hell out of dodge" and did so.

I still play a lot of online games but I'd like to think it's less addiction based and more having some fun with friends. Doesn't ruin my social life or things I need to get done as a priority - which I think is the key.

 

[thevet]

got addicted to silkorad online in 2005,played it everyday for 2 and half years solid,spent loads of money on it,was one of strongest on the server troy,then i quit after i realised its all about the money and the pathetic grind...silkraod was my first and last mmo,i had some good times but once you have seen all and mmo has to offer and being at a very high level with the best weapons/armour...then there is no point playing another as they are all the same...all mmos are the same just different graphics and story

 

[bloodline76]

You can fix my grammar in this if you like aswell.
Funny thing is I work in education so my spelling should be better.

No your comment was trolling, it offered nothing to the debate did it ? You should be a comedian ! really you'd make a fortune with "depressed people shouldn't play with razors" because nobody has herd that before.

You're playing on a sterotype, that all depressed people cut themselves.
a lot of people have pretty poor lives, a lot of people have perfectly happy lives. They both use gaming, for example World of Warcraft as an escape.

How was I trolling you asked me a question in this forum and I answered it. A question ends in `?` If you were making a statement you should have ended it in `!`

Your comment also adds nothing further to the post, so are you trolling? (<-- This is a question ) I think it is fair for me to answer the question that you put forth to me.

Ok I would admit that my sense of humour was not in the best taste but it was only meant in jest. I apologise to anyone this might have offended.

I still think its sad though.

 

[HangTime]

I feel sorry for them if life is that bad that a game is better than there life.

The point I was getting at is that you don't need to feel sorry for some of those people; you are looking at it from a 'glass is half empty' perspective. It's not always a case of their life being 'that bad', it can be a case of their enjoyment of gaming being 'that good'

 

[KiTBoH]

I used to play MMO's a lot, when I was in secondary school and had very little work to do.

Then I sold my account because the burning crusade was just a rehash of vanilla wow, then when I went back to uni I found I had a lot of spare time on my hands and played WotLK, again I got rid of it because everything is the same

If i am playing an MMO I have no spare time, I go out less and do less work I also spend less money, though. Whereas when I don't have an MMO I spend so much time being bored resulting in me going out more and spending more money.

It's a double edged sword really, but I've compromised and now I play CSS and TF2

 

[bloodline76]

The point I was getting at is that you don't need to feel sorry for some of those people; you are looking at it from a 'glass is half empty' perspective. It's not always a case of their life being 'that bad', it can be a case of their enjoyment of gaming being 'that good'

No Im looking at the perspective that no game could possibily come close to bettering life. Not yet anyway

There is nothing currently on the MMO stage or normal games that are `that good` Come up with some examples were they would better life?

This is only friendly banter by the way, nothing serious

I think the guy that said the game was better than his life was talking about an MMO(correct me if im wrong as i cant be bothered to look) I have played most of the MMO (only trials mind you) just to try and get an understanding of whats so special about these games and cant find anything.

They are good games but nothing that comes anywhere near the experiences real life offers. I think we will have to agree to disagree

 

[HangTime]

There is nothing currently on the MMO stage or normal games that are `that good` Come up with some examples were they would better life?

Well obviously it depends on the personal preference of each gamer, but for me a game can be 'that good' if it is giving you a massive sense of achievement, a huge buzz, you sit back after winning a close fought match as underdog and bask in the glory - that's gotta be comprable with what some people get from sport, except that for many gamers, they can reach a much higher level in games than they could in sport. I can pit myself against the very best in the world at Quake (and lose, but that's not the point!), something I could never do in football, or indeed pretty much any activity that doesn't involve a computer.

It's not surprising gaming can be viewed as addictive when you consider the extreme rush it can provide. I mean I've sat there in my chair with sweat literally dripping down me before during an intense session, and then when it's over I get hit by a wave of exhaustion that somehow wasn't noticeable until that moment. Why should gaming be viewed differently from other activities that have such an effect?

At the end of the day, gaming is just like any other pastime; people do it because they enjoy it.

 

[Tummy]

How was I trolling you asked me a question in this forum and I answered it. A question ends in `?` If you were making a statement you should have ended it in `!`

Your comment also adds nothing further to the post, so are you trolling? (<-- This is a question ) I think it is fair for me to answer the question that you put forth to me.

Ok I would admit that my sense of humour was not in the best taste but it was only meant in jest. I apologise to anyone this might have offended.

I still think its sad though.

The question was how do you currently feed your additction without going overboard.
I gave my response, You didn't respond to the question, you tried to be funny about people playing games to escape and how bad their lives were, playing on the whole "emo razor" thing.

You never commented on how you handle your addiction ? You've just said that gaming comes second to your daughter and in your opinion real life is better. Well in a nut shell that isn't what the question was, he asked how you deal with it ? You've not said that you've played a game to become addicted, I was addicted to WoW for a while, I'm not anymore however, I played the game too much, you could have just given an answer like many people have but no, you decide to take the wee wee out of somebody for playing to get away from their real life and then accused someone of posting something a comment that had nothing to do with the question...

I'm not being hostile, this isn't having a go at you, I just don't see what you've offered to this thread in a constructive manner in reguards to the question and have used this to have a pop at people who've played mmo's a lot.



@ hangtime I'm sure I read somewhere that gamers can achieve the same rush that pro sports players get

 

[bakes0310]

Ive never really replied to these threads that come up now and again but i think ill join in

All my spare time if im not at the gym/running is spent gaming ill name everything i do in a whole week:
Eat
Sleep
Gym
Running
Work
Gaming/internet browsing
TV
Go see Dad

Thats it basically, my routine never changes. You should have noticed a big thing missing...socialising. I dont go out with mates or anything, ive gone out on rare occassions with work mates. Out clubbing/drinking and all the rest of it. But im ok with it, i just like being by myself and family.
Currently ive just left the army (only in 6 weeks) and now jobless and will be looking for a new job in a couple weeks. Im 23 and dont see myself changing, and have no need to how i spend my life. Everything i do now i enjoy, and as soon as i get a job i can fund my gaming hobbies. Basically when i worked, i payed £40 rent to my parents and all the rest would be spent on games/gadgets/pc parts/magazines/dvds and thats it.
Im not sure what im trying to say, but if your happy doing whatever just carry on doing it, whatever people think

 

[Tombstone]

No Im looking at the perspective that no game could possibily come close to bettering life. Not yet anyway

In some ways an MMO can indeed be better than life (particularly if that MMO is the greatest of them all, UO, at its prime). But it depends upon the situation you are having in life. At the time I got addicted to UO, I was using it as an escape to get away from something which had happened in life that subconciously I didnt want to deal with.

At that time, the MMO was indeed better than my real life.

Given that you have a daughter as well, I hope that you never have to "deal" with the something that I had to deal with. Otherwise you just might find yourself locking yourself away in a game too.

 

[Metalface Mark]

My wife works 3 nights a week nightshift, plenty time to play my games without her ever getting upset, thats the key, get a missus who works nights and you can feed your geek for years.

 

[jas72]

Duty as a parent? You obviously dont have any kids and if you do I feel very sorry for them if you think of them as just a duty. I think that comment is even sadder than the one about the person that thinks MMO's are more enjoyable than life.

Not every parent is cut out for parenting you know.

I know a few people who have kids but don't enjoy them as much as other friends.

I don't see anything wrong with that. No everyone get's filled with this instant "bond" they talk about.

 

[bloodline76]

The question was how do you currently feed your additction without going overboard.
I gave my response, You didn't respond to the question, you tried to be funny about people playing games to escape and how bad their lives were, playing on the whole "emo razor" thing.

You never commented on how you handle your addiction ? You've just said that gaming comes second to your daughter and in your opinion real life is better. Well in a nut shell that isn't what the question was, he asked how you deal with it ? You've not said that you've played a game to become addicted, I was addicted to WoW for a while, I'm not anymore however, I played the game too much, you could have just given an answer like many people have but no, you decide to take the wee wee out of somebody for playing to get away from their real life and then accused someone of posting something a comment that had nothing to do with the question...

I'm not being hostile, this isn't having a go at you, I just don't see what you've offered to this thread in a constructive manner in reguards to the question and have used this to have a pop at people who've played mmo's a lot.



@ hangtime I'm sure I read somewhere that gamers can achieve the same rush that pro sports players get

You asked me a question I responded to it, what part didnt you understand, I thought I made myself clear.

Maybe you should read your own comments before commenting on other peoples. Your comment had nothing to do with the OP as you were just responding to my comment, in which you are saying im not allowed to do to other peoples comments. Isnt that pot calling kettle black?

My comment was a response to someone elses post in here.

What you are basically saying is that no one is alllowed to make comments about other peoples posts unless they answer the OP question? Isnt that what you are doing by only responding to my comments?

I said we will agree to disagree as its getting off subject, but you continue again. So who is trolling now? (That is a rhetorical question, you will have to look that one up )

I think the most I have been addicted to a game was CSS but even that was only a few hours a night. On balancing my game playing, I normally have the day to my family and friends. Then if Im not tired then I will play a few hours at night as my wife and daughter go to bed early.

My wife works 3 nights a week nightshift, plenty time to play my games without her ever getting upset, thats the key, get a missus who works nights and you can feed your geek for years.

Much the same with me. I work some nights so before a nights shift I stay up quite late and get to play. Plus with the shifts I do, I am off during the week so get to play when my wife is at work (After ive done the housework of course )

Not every parent is cut out for parenting you know.

I know a few people who have kids but don't enjoy them as much as other friends.

I don't see anything wrong with that. No everyone get's filled with this instant "bond" they talk about.

Maybe so but its not the case with me and she was talking to me. So I responded with my own experiences. But I do find it sad that a child is referred to as a duty. I simply cant not understand how someone can not bond with their owm child but I accept it does happen.

In some ways an MMO can indeed be better than life (particularly if that MMO is the greatest of them all, UO, at its prime). But it depends upon the situation you are having in life. At the time I got addicted to UO, I was using it as an escape to get away from something which had happened in life that subconciously I didnt want to deal with.

At that time, the MMO was indeed better than my real life.

Given that you have a daughter as well, I hope that you never have to "deal" with the something that I had to deal with. Otherwise you just might find yourself locking yourself away in a game too.

This is what I mean. Surely there is something very bad happening in your life for a game to become the most important thing in your life. I might not have been very diplomatic about my responses which I have apologised for (Please see back a few posts) so by me saying I think its sad, this is why.

 

[wordy]

I don't balance it at all, far too busy to play anything more than a couple of hours over the weekend, hence why my char in wow is still only lvl 74

 

[nicktay2605]

Never really been into MMO's. I'd much rather play a game with a really good storyline or play a different type of game online, such as COD4. When I was younger I got really into Medal of Honour Allied Assault and got pretty good at it but that is the most addicted I have ever been to an online game.