Curse

heist23 · Oct 07, 2006, 06:14 AM // 06:14

Well...to the OP's question: Yes, I can. When faced with much, much, much more important priorities, I can and will give up Guild Wars. I already have, to an extent. I used to play for at least 7-9 hours a week. I haven't played GW for more than 5 hours in the last 2 months. That would have seemed ridiculous to me a year ago, when this game sucked up all my time to the point that it was embarrassing. When the time came, I realized that I couldn't obsess over GW as much as I used to and basically...stopped.

Lawnmower · Oct 07, 2006, 11:59 AM // 11:59

The way I see it, the point of life, is to be alive and live. Meaning that you should do that you want to do.

We can not all be Gandhi's, or Nelson Mandela's. We are what we are, and we should do what makes us happy.

The only people who fail at life, are does who thinks that there are certain rules that must be followed to have a good life(like having kids, getting married, being rich...).

Do what you wanna do. If you will later regret using so much time on computergames, then so be it. Then you will have learned your lesson and have become so much more knowledgeable, and stronger, having learned from your past mistakes. Or else you will appreciate all the time you spent playing this game, and thinking of the nostaligic values it will bring to you, until the day you die, as a reminder of the era and time you lived in, in this world, where electronic entertainment started to blossom and the vastness of the internetage began to take it's toil, and people from all over the globe banded together for the same entertainment.

People should never wonder about what they are doing. If what they are doing is right or wrong. Because in the end, there is no right or wrong ways to live a "good life".
People calling other people losing losers for example spending alot of time with videogames, merely tells more about the person saying it, than the person being called a loser.

It's funny and clichee, but you can actually get alot of inspiration from commercials. If you feel like quitting the game, then follow, Nike's advice and "Just do it!" or if you wanna keep on playing and having fun, follow Coca-Cola's advice and "Enjoy Life!". It's really that simple really.

Years ago I spent alot of time wondering about how I could justify my time spent on games, movies or music. After hearing about Koreans playing WoW and Lineage 2 for 70 hours straight and then dying from exhaustion, it made me wonder if gaming really would lead to a productive life.

The thing is that, it does not matter. If playing games religiously until you die, makes you happy, then it's what you should do. The thing is, that most people don't. They value friendship, family, job and so on, much more important and that is why the vast, vast majority of people playing these types of online games move on to other things.

You merely sit down, if you'r unhappy and look what you have to do to fix it. "Im sad because I don't have any friends" for example.

Then you ask yourself why you don't have any friends. "It's because I spent all my time playing game X"! Then you just have to play less and find some friends. No need to quit it or something or do other drastic stuff.

I think people these days are generelly really intellegent. Perhaps people these days have a tendency to think TOO MUCH about life. Perhaps our generation has set a too high standard for ourself, expecting everyone to become rich, famous, and as handsome as Brad Pitt, or else we have failed at life. I think that because we think so much about it, and making it much more complicated that it really is, it's hard for us to see the obvious answers that we already know in our mind.
I think thats what triggers the "MMO and Online gaming addiction hysteria".

eVeRt · Oct 07, 2006, 01:25 PM // 13:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diablo™

All people value their time spent differently, whether it be for pleasure or for productivity, it is based on our own perceptions of importance. Afterall, when we die, what is it all worth?

What is tangible in life that we may take with us into oblivion? Time and chance happens to us all, just as mountains will erode, so will our existence here on earth. A Saint's lifetime differs not from anyone here on this forum, after a thousand years, neither of our names or accomplishments will be remembered. As Marcus Arelius wrote in Meditations, "the yawning gulf of time behind you and before you at another infinity to come. In this eternity, the life of a baby of three days and the life of a nestor of three centuries are as one."

Our life is too short to worry about how other people judge our time, you spend it pursuing the things you desire, and nothing, not even the whole world, can tell you otherwise.

Wow that's a really nice post!

I personally won't have any problems quiting the game and neither would I care if I couldn't as long as I'm enjoing the game, not hurting anyone, having fun, and not forgetting the other important things in life I'll keep playing.

ElinoraNeSangre · Oct 07, 2006, 05:09 PM // 17:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Narutoscryed

Are we wasting our lives in front of a computer playing a game for nothing?

In a word: yes.

But at least I admit it.

I slave away to get stupid little virtual pixels that comprise armor, and it makes me insanely happy anyway. It keeps me from duct taping my coworkers to chairs.

It might not mean anything, but it's fun. Which means it's like anything else. Having fun is good for mental health. It's the same reason why I drum. And yes, there are better things I could be doing with my time than GW - working on my novel is one of them. But writing can be draining, and video games really aren't draining for me. So when it's been a long day when I can't focus enough to get a good story out?

I worry about the people that are TOO obsessed, but that goes for anything in life.

BunnyMaster · Oct 07, 2006, 07:29 PM // 19:29

I don't feel like wasting my time.

I've made countless new friends here, age 12 to 52 (yes, they're still playing). And I even visited some of them in Germany/England/Spain. For me GW is a bit more then staring at pixels (wow, paying all those plats for FOWarmor :P ) but it's also:

- a way to meet new (and hopefully) interesting ppl
- a chance to keep up my languages (multilingual ftw!)
- keeping my mind sharp (make the best build / team / etc)
- a nice opportunity to unwind and relax (I still wish I could cast Meteor Storm on some of my coworkers)
- learn about other cultures and how people interact

Vladmir Mironov · Oct 07, 2006, 07:43 PM // 19:43

I have some friends that I know both in person and that I've known for the longest time who play the game. If these people didn't play the game I wouldn't be playing it either. While I enjoy playing the game and normally play for an hour or so a day, atleast, I could almost always be doing something else and normally would prefer to be going out and doing something.

awelcomecomatose · Oct 07, 2006, 09:36 PM // 21:36

It can be addicting at times but its only a waste a time if you personally thing it is. Some people see it as wasted time just like some people see fishing as wasted time and some people think music is a waste of time and others feel tv is a waste of time. The point is if the game is getting in the way you your real life or living a life with real people then its gone to far. I have close internet friends ill never meet. So what. I also have close real friends too. The key is moderation and if you have a problem with enforcing that on yourself then maybe you shouldnt play mmo's but if you can play a few hours a night but then go back to your regular life then its no big deal. I had a time when It was encroching on real life i realized it and I put the game back on the shelf and when I had the availible time i brought it back out. I have done this twice with GW and thats why its so great. Lets you get away from the game with out having to worry about anything and you can jump right back in.

Numa Pompilius · Oct 07, 2006, 09:48 PM // 21:48

I just did.
I've been playing pretty much daily since the release of Prophecies.
Two weeks ago real computer died, and I've had to fall back to computer junk from the garage. No guildwars for two weeks now, and I'm feeling fine; just checked in here to see if anything had happened in the last two weeks.

Like someone else said, GW has replaced my TV viewing. Now that I'm not playing GW, I've started watching TV again - and man, I had forgotten how *bad* TV shows are!
The only things worth watching I've found are documentaries and reruns of "Scrubs" and "The IT Crowd", the rest is sheer garbage.

Queenie · Oct 08, 2006, 12:08 AM // 00:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by makosi

Addicted...Who knows? What I do know is that thousands of people where I live are addicted to drugs, alcohol and, to some extent, food. If you are addicted to a game, you're one of the luckier ones.

I completely agree with you Makosi, I'd rather be addicted to gaming than Drugs/alcohol.

Sometimes I've wanted to guit gw but meh, would else would I play but i think i will quit within 1-2 years lol.

dreamhunk · Oct 08, 2006, 12:13 AM // 00:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Narutoscryed

Tonight i watched an episode of south park. it was the eppisode about world of warcraft..

while guild wars and world of warcraft are completly different. The point the show made was perfectly clear.

Although i only play a few hours a night. I began to think about the possibility of me being addicted to this game.

Are we wasting our lives in front of a computer playing a game for nothing?

I have made online pals that i will never meet in person. Are they worth anything?

I have made countless ammounts of money in the game.. yet to a non player... these items and plat are worthless.. am i placing to much value in these digitized goods?

is it a sign of addiction when the possibily of quitting the game seems almost too unreal to happen?

think about your lives and how much time you spend playing this game..

these online games eat you alive...

will i be able to just stop when the time comes? who knows.

Will you?

I have always said that wow is an unhealthy game!!!!

As for other addiction any type of addiction is not good.

Ilythia · Oct 08, 2006, 12:37 AM // 00:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sorcha ravenlock

Meh, you can ask that about any hobby. Can an avid reader put a book down and not read anything but traffic signs for 2 months? Can a golfer stay away from the green? Can a yoga fanatic be a couch potato for 3 weeks without freaking out?

A hobby is only an addiction when it's a problem. When your work, school, family life or social life suffers, or when you experience health problems. Once there are any signs of that, then you have to re-evaluate your life.

But there is nothing wrong with playing video games for a few hours a day, and if you get enjoyment, and in MMORPGs social interaction out of it, then it's just as much (or as less) waste of time as any other hobby.
I think GW stimulates the mind, you have to think about your class, build, stats, skills, team mates, enemies and so on, and I can't see anything wrong with that

Can I walk away from the game, or from gaming in general? Sure, there are more important things in life. But some entertainment and relaxation for a while every day can make these important things easier to deal with, since I am more relaxed

couldn't have said it better myself.

Ilythia · Oct 08, 2006, 12:38 AM // 00:38

[QUOTE=Sorcha ravenlock]Meh, you can ask that about any hobby. Can an avid reader put a book down and not read anything but traffic signs for 2 months? Can a golfer stay away from the green? Can a yoga fanatic be a couch potato for 3 weeks without freaking out?

A hobby is only an addiction when it's a problem. When your work, school, family life or social life suffers, or when you experience health problems. Once there are any signs of that, then you have to re-evaluate your life.

Nicely done. Couldn't have said it better myself.

LOL! just saw someone else said the same thing!

tomcruisejr · Oct 08, 2006, 12:39 AM // 00:39

i agree to "better GW than p2pgames/drugs/alcohol". there is no free beer, no free cigarettes, no free drugs and definately no free WoW.

so GW wins.

but the overall theme of that WoW episode is so true. we must take everything in moderation.

one funny quote: "How can we kill someone with "no life" ". LOL

Konrow · Oct 08, 2006, 12:53 AM // 00:53

tbh i don't really play that much anyway. and during the time i play theres nothing better to do anyway so tbh even tho i'm addicted i'm wasting time that would be wasted anyway

OlMurraniKasale · Oct 08, 2006, 10:56 PM // 22:56

I have played Eve and GW a while, and after a bit of time in Eve I thought it would be nice to create a character and run through the landscapes of pre-Searing again.

I hit the character creation screen and man, I hit a wall. I *finally* decided on a mesmer female, got her looking pretty good and decided it wasn't worth it.

I logged out and went off to do something else. I can only play a game so much before it bores the devil out of me. I will enjoy Nightfall (definitely), but once I go through it a couple of times I will be moving on to something else.

Dark Saga · Oct 09, 2006, 10:41 PM // 22:41

I agree with all things Diablo has said

Kais Unduli · Oct 09, 2006, 11:03 PM // 23:03

I keep playing only because I keep finding new things to do in game. I've decided to focus more on my pvp lately, so hopefully I can finally get to rank5, possibly rank6 sometime soon.

I think the real question is, how would you handle it if Guild Wars suddenly just ended? No more Guild Wars, could you live with that? I know I can.

Scown-dog · Oct 09, 2006, 11:54 PM // 23:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diablo™

If you truly LOVE playing a game, ANY game, may it be Guild Wars or WoW. Do it, by all means.
Your time can only be wasted if you spend your life doing what you DON'T want to do.

When I was younger I tried to be good and accomodate everyone, make everyone happy, but it wasn't making me happy. A few months ago, when I broke my ankle it made me realize that life isin't forever, and I need to be happy now. From then on I have tried less to make other people happy, and more to make myself happy. I can be perfectly happy even if others aren't.

Trakata · Oct 10, 2006, 12:13 AM // 00:13

I played a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon, basically Guild Wars but only in text) hardcore for 5 years straight, and was forced to go cold turkey because of parents deeming it a waste of time. It hurts sometimes.

For me, it's not really the items or achievements, because I can wipe a memory card of complete Final Fantasy games or anything equivalent without much effect on me. It's the people I end up missing.

Spirit Of Azrael · Oct 10, 2006, 05:46 AM // 05:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kais Unduli

I keep playing only because I keep finding new things to do in game. I've decided to focus more on my pvp lately, so hopefully I can finally get to rank5, possibly rank6 sometime soon.

I think the real question is, how would you handle it if Guild Wars suddenly just ended? No more Guild Wars, could you live with that? I know I can.

Yes, I can. I used to be addicted to a Gameboy game called Dragon Warrior Monsters II. Played 600 or so hours before it died on me. And I went on. Coincedentally, thats how many hours I have on GW lol...