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MMO = Nightmare
Mdpats
Member UncommonPosts: 176
Does anyone really obtain any real world satisfaction from playing an MMO? What purpose does that satisfaction serve? To succeed in an MMO you need to play hours upon hours. Agree? Disagree? If you're playing it just for "fun" then you're wasting your time because you will never be a part of the community that you really wish to be a part of in order to enjoy the game more than you already think you do. MMO's aren't your average type of game. It's more like a job or a serving of some sentence. You really need to be dedicated in order to get the most out of that MMO you're playing. Let me explain briefly of my experience from MMO's.
June 5th of 2006 I asked a friend of mine who I worked with that I wanted a game that mimicked a role playing style game that I could enjoy. What did he suggest? He suggested WoW. Later that night I took his advice and went to the local Wal-Mart. Sure enough they had the game. After browsing the cover and back a couple of times I decided to purchase it. Got home and installation and account setup took almost two hours. I finally logged on shortly after midnight. It was June 6th 2006 (6/6/06). I had no idea what I was getting into. To really make a long story short, I was playing day and night non stop. I would even make exucses not to go out so I could stay home and play. Childish? Perhaps. Addicting? Indeed. I needed to get to the top. I tried serveral aspects of the game. PVP and PVE. Undecided what I wanted to do when I reached 60, I quit for a couple of months only to come back when BC arrived. It was pretty much the same addiction for me. Come home from work, play until the early morning. Rinse and repeat. Agian, I needed to get to the top. When I finally reached the level cap on BC I was again torn between PVP or PVE. PVP gear was almost impossible to get and getting in heroics was just as hard. It was just too time consuming when I had already spent so much time playing to just to reach max level. So I quit again. Sold my account, never to play again....right? Wrong.
I bought the game again along with the BC expansion and I was at it all over again. By this time the new expansion came out. WOTLK. Finding myself unhappy with myself and almost to the point of being miserable I looked for ways online to quit. One guy suggested that I change my password so I'll never know it again. But retrieving forgotten passwords are far too easy. Another fella suggested I throw the disks away and uninstall from my system. So I did just that. A few months later I was at it again. Bought the game with the two expansion and $80 later I was at it all over gain. But this time was different. Or so it seemed. It sucked being a low level and having to level all over again [Mod Edit]. After doing this I was happy all over again. Sort of like when I first started playing the game. Got myself to max level and again everything was too hard to obtain (pvp gear/ pve gear for raiding and heroics). Once again I quit.
Late December of 09 I was reading up on recent patches and found that it was easier now to get what I wanted. Gear! Gear so that I could finally enjoy the game, right? Nope. I found myself playing again but this time I was getting somewhere. I manage to max myself out on "inbetween" gear on two of my characters which was good enough for me at this point but I really had nothing else to do without spending MORE time. Nothing else to do because I just didn't want to do anymore because what I had was never good enough to play at the top level.
Was I happy when I first started playing? Yes. Did I realize that I was accomplishing nothing in the outside world? No. Did it matter to me at that time? No. If I could do it all over again would I? Absolutely not.
Every MMO is the same, they just apply different concepts but in the end you can't really be anwyhere unless you dedicate the time. Is it worth it?
Comments
I'd ask for your stuff but I don't play World of Warcraft.
Is it worth playing any game for that mater ?
You could be doing much better thing with that time.... Read a book. Travel. Learn new language. Enjoy time with your friends. Spend evening with your loved ones. Plant trees ...
If you invest same time learning to play guitar that you invest in playing games you would be a proffesional guitarist. Jack White said that.
So why we do it?
Why do people drink alchohol ? Take drugs ?
Cause we are pathetic loosers, that are to afraid to do something that maters in real life so we do it in virtual one, cause its easier.
Thats the truth.
Now try to apply it to your life , or go back to MMOs
It's my enjoyment, so why not? /shrugs
I have achieved something in real life, I'm happy and satisfied (most of the times) after playing. And hey, it's cheaper than drugs! /grins
OnTopic: I gain plenty of satisfaction from these types of games, just like I do any hobby I participate in.
[Mod Edit - removed text related to deleted portion of OP post]
I'm reminded of a line from the X-Files that is particularily relevant in this case: Trust No One.
This is a case of extreme addicion. While this sort of behavior doesn't affect the majority of most people who play MMOs, the percentages does seem to be rising in people who are affected in this manner. Unfortunately, in your case OP, you seem to suffer from this sort of addiction. As crazy as it may seem, I would suggest that you seek some help. Because it is an addiction and could have serious negative affects on your real life if not treated properly. Again, it may seem like a laughing matter but people really are affected by this just like drugs or alcohol or gambling. It can lead to serious problems.
The key is moderation. Alot of things can be beneficial in moderation, but harmful in mass amounts. Its good to take a break from reality and get involved with a fantasy world. But when the fantasy starts to take priority over the reality - that's when it can become a problem. And not just for you, but all the people that surround you as well.
At any rate, I wish you the best OP. It does seem like you've had a moment of clarity concerning your habit. Hopefully that means you are on the right track to recovery.
Game: an amusement or pastime: children's games.
Whats the point of anything? Why go outside? Why ride a bike? Why even learn to play guitar? For the fun of it, it's a game.
And by the way comparing a game to alcohol makes me hate you on basis. WoW doesn't kill tens of thousands of people a year, and my playing WoW has never given my girlfriend broken limbs. (If you can't tell im anti-alcohol, but enough of that)
To get more on point its for entertainment, to each his own and it makes you seem like an ignorant prick to call everyone who plays the game a pathetic loser. In fact why are you online? Why do you ever pay for internet? Go outside and never get online because you'll "advance" further in life.
To the OP:
I played WoW (actually almost exactly like you did) for quite a while and sure it consumes your life, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. Sure you need to get real life interaction and cut your WoW time down, but if you can do that it's not a bad thing. If it makes you happy then do it.
While I will agree my WoW career is more like a nightmare now that I look back upon it, but I don't regret it as it did give me some epic enjoyment.
Bro you are playing LOTRO like it owes you money - Grunt187
Anticipation : TERA
Almost any game is meant to be fun. It's not meant to be productive. If you look at it from the wrong viewpoint, many things could be considered to be a waste of time. Doing a crossword, seeing a fictional movie or reading a fictional book. So why do we do it? Many reasons: escapism is a big one. I don't get to be a sword swinging badass or fireball tossing wizard irl, but I can be one online. In an online game, I get to be a hero that is part of story that I am actually contributing to, like an interactive novel or movie. That has appeal. For many, it's a gathering point for being social, even if some people's idea of that is trying to kill each other in PvP, they are with like-minded people.
I could go on, but the point is do not disregard the enrichment fun adds to your life. You really do not know how long you have in this world, and if you live in a part of it where you are fortunate enough to be able to experience fun, I feel it is truly important to do so. But of course, all things in moderation and all that.
Well its always up to the person playing the game of course there is no life time game of all season its always happen that when a gamer reached his gola on a certain game it comes up the major fear in the game whish is boredom and when this MODE happen im sure all the negatives will come up, but then games should not be our life we ahve our own life to play on its just happen that games provides the countless fantaasy and thrilling acts which gives us fun.
Always remember to play the game and do not let the game play you.
Ok normally I lurk on these forums but I felt a special need to reply to this thread. Possibly for the purpose of exploring this topic within myself and to share what I've uncovered through introspection.
Video games, like movies and novels, are a medium for storytelling. The difference with games is that you're able to interact with the medium and take part in the story being told. This allows us to explore different situations that would not happen in our real lives or simply do not exist at all. This is beneficial because it makes us think and reflect on what is being presented before us, also how we choose to respond to it and the effects of our response in some cases (ie. GTAIV). So we get something out of it mentally and emotionally.
With MMORPGS the benefit of all the things I mentioned above falls short. Because many of us (not all) do not read the quests and are in it to make max level and gear up. Even if the quests are read, the majority of the time is spent mindlessly smashing keys. There isn't a whole lot of thought process that goes into a key rotation, it becomes automatic. The focus is not on the quest and the story, it's the item or experience at the end of it. So herein lies the question: What is it exactly that we expect to happen when we're max level and geared to the teeth? Bragging rights? Probably.
So we're trying to fill a void within ourselves with this sense of digital accomplishment that essentially is meaningless. We're trying to say "Hey I'm better than you at this" to make ourself feel better about some possible real life shortcoming. I would say it's more imporant to explore what is it that any of you as a person feel you're missing in real life and trying to make up for with an MMO. Once you discover it, work to fullfill it to some extent and find balance between the two, you'll find that you won't have the need to log in for hours and days at a time. That's why so many people who have MMO addictions are afflicted with depression. Because no matter how high of a level they are or how much gear they acquire the hole never gets filled - the underlying problem never gets healed.
Games are great, I love them and find them more enjoyable than watching mindless crap on TV. Everyone needs their escape and enjoyment. I've been at the bad end of the spectrum, but I can see the other end now. I'm realizing what it is I need to address. It's up to everyone to self-evaluate and find out what they need to do.
Just my two cents.
P.S. This post is directed at extreme players, not necessarily the casual crowd.
Edited for spelling.
I get my self satisfaction in my life from my friends and my job. The times inbetween my friends and my job I like to play games. I do not play them to get satisfaction in my life. I play them to have fun in my free time. I do not let my games interfer with things that do give me my satisfaction. I will drop an Eve fleet, a DDO group, or a game subscription in a heart beat if I find something better in the real world to do and have no regrets. You just have to prioritize what is important to you and what makes you feel good about you. When you find what makes you feel good about you do not let any one or anything stand in yoru way, just make sure that is not a false sense of accomplishment or self-worth. That is the hard part making sure it is real and not some artifical feeling.
Because reality is crap and it's a form of escapism.
Because real life is just not as cool as the virtual world you can play in.
There are a few good responses here.
If you aren't having fun playing a game, you shouldn't be playing it. If other aspects of your life are being neglected, it's time to get away from playing. Recognizing that there is a problem is the big first step. Denial is a strong factor in addictive behaviour and a difficult one to overcome.
I hope things work out.
Yea, it'd be way better if we were spending 50$ a night at some bar or pulling drive-bys...