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The mmorpg "mindset"
zathos8724
Member Posts: 34
Hello everyone,
I guess I'll start with a little background. I've been playing mmo's for I'd say about 4 years now, took a year break to get my life in order, loose tons of weight, play basketball, get a beautiful girlfriend, and start my life the right way.
I never thought about how people look at Mmorpgs until now, honestly I only play them when I have a little free time and im not out with my girl or called into work. So its very easy for me to get off and do other things. But I was playing today and someone brought up how people can be lazy, of course that was followed by "We're all sitting at home on the computer on a saturday, we're all lazy." Now when I read that I decided to comment saying that I was not lazy I just had free time and my girl was coming over later. now that didn't fly with some of the people and they started to accuse me of bragging or "epeen waving".
This thread isn't about me complaining about what happend, honestly I don't care because I've dealt with people like that and it didn't bother me at all. But what has me thinking is this, has mmos been always considered the "fat-mans" game? in other words, does everyone who plays mmos instanly get marked a lazy fat ass who can't have a life?
Now I know this thread isn't going to change people and it's not supposed to. I was just wondering what you all thought about this? Do you think mmorpgs are the "fat-mans" game? or do oyu personally play them when you have the time? or what if you have a lot of time but you keep an active life?
And please don't take me the wrong way by thinking im trying to tell you hwo to live your life, if you want to play games all day please by all means I have no say in that what so ever and I don't judge anyone.
I'm just curious on what you all think about this mindset that many people seem to be on, even the ones playing the game, calling themselves lazy and having no life. Doesn't seem like a good way to build yourself up. and no I do not know everyones life story so im not judging those people either pleas don't think that. I really am just curious.
If you have any thought on this please feel free to write about it 
Comments
Yes, all the millions of people who play MMOs are the fat guys in their moms basement
I have biceps bigger then your face! Yes I still play games, not as much as I used to. No I'm not fat and I don't live in a basement. My friends who play MMO's are all relatively average looking. Out of 10 that I can think of the top of my head, 2 are overweight. You just happened upon someone who gives the rest of the MMO community a bad name. Don't be like them and start generalizing.
No required quests! And if I decide I want to be an assassin-cartographer-dancer-pastry chef who lives only to stalk and kill interior decorators, then that's who I want to be, even if it takes me four years to max all the skills and everyone else thinks I'm freaking nuts. -Madimorga-
I am 5'10" and weigh 145. :-/
Edit:
Honestly come to think of it, I've never met anyone who's overweight and plays/played MMOs.
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Oh no, im not generalizing, I was just wondering what everyone thought about how some people take mmos and put wit with no lives or bad priorities. and Im not asking how much you guys weigh or what you look like lol wasn't the point of this thread
There is no Mindset.
The hot chick behind the counter at the local Exxon, could be a lvl 80 Paladin with a gear score over 9000.
How you spend your nights, really has no bearing on what you look like or what you do. Before MMOs and the internet, it was TV. Before TV it was Radio and before that there were books. Nightime is when most people play MMOs because people have almost always been less physically active at night.
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I guess three things are true.
There are some people, who knows how many, piddling away their lives playing videogames and shirking their real life responsibilities.
But of course there are also quite a lot of people - I would guess most people - playing videogames who simply have more free time, for whatever reason, who are not shirking anything and just like gaming.
And then you have a lot of folks who play casually who aren't online that much anyway.
I don't know the statistics. I don't think anyone does. It's probably not even knowable because how would you find out? Take a telephone poll and ask any adult that answers whether they have a loser 18 or older child in their basement who is never AFK?
I know I am old. I own a home. It doesn't have a basement so at least I am spared that possibility. I play when I can. But I haven't played in a year because I burned out on what was available. /shrug
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
None of my RL friends are into MMOs.
Most of them are video gamers though(or were at one point),and they can understand a person enjoying the themepark style of gaming. As that is the experience they get from most of their console gaming, only on a larger scale.
Same with PVP...fits in with any FPS games they may play.
When you get to dedicated crafters/alternate reality/roleplay....heh I wouldnt wanna try to explain that to them. For gamers like us, that is when it enters "only a freak would play games like these" area. We range in age from mid 30s to mid 40s, and from college educated down to only HS diploma. All making 35k + per yr(good wages for our area). I dont now, but used to be in the 40k + camp.
Which goes counter to the stereotype the sandboxers try to invoke of older/educated/well to do people are the ones who enjoy sandboxes, and younger/uneducated folks flock to themeparks.
Asking Devs to make AAA sandbox titles is like trying to get fine dining on a McDonalds dollar menu budget.
Think you just happend to come across people with a bad self image, who like to generalise. I would never think that a gamer is a fat lazy person. It's a hobby for most I guess. The, let's call them hardcore, people i knew, were actually slim because they didn't think of food too much.
Excuse any grammar issue, I am drunk.
First: Gaming is easy . Unlike sports you aren't bound to certain hours (you must have people who want to play with you or an event organised by your team or whatever) , you don't have to worry about transport to get to the location you need to be (your pc is right at home) and while gaming is one thing on its own it actually offers a buttload of variety . Playing football is playing football , playing an RTS isn't playing an MMORPG (eg) .
Second: some people just happen to have more free time. I'm going to college studying a not quite easy course and i'm also in the army reserve . And i've given up none of both for gaming and yet i've a butload of free time . What am i going to do in that free time? Going out with friends, but hey , they're not always free when i am and tbh i don't always feel like driving to someone and get drunken for the 100th time to wake up with a headache over 9000, so ye i'll sometimes give up going out with friends , but not because gaming is more important but simply because i don't feel like going out (it happens...) and if not that i'll play games.
I have never been a sports fan because i find them stupid , the only sport i really enjoy is Airsoft because of the sensation and even tactics ! (flanking the other teams position, etc...) . And thus ye , that's again more free time. Is that because of gaming? No , i didn't stop sports because of gaming , i never liked sports to begin with! So its actually a reversed causality , i actually played games because i didn't like the rest . (and its funny how parents claim its the other way around and seem to know you better than yourself...)
But sure , some do give a too high priority on gaming but it happens for everything! Some people consider their job so important they forget they have a family , others ruin their lives over a girl , some ruin their lives to go out all the time (i know one who failed twice at college because he went out waaaaay too often and forgot about studying) , etc...
Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt.
Among those who dislike oppression are many who like to oppress.
Of course playing a video game is lazy, but it's no more lazy than reading a book, watching TV, catching a movie, or grabbing a bite to eat at some restaurant. There's nothing at all wrong with being lazy as long as your lazy activities are done in moderation.
Very good points. You might have free time for various reasons. Think the ones that spend all their time playing games while ignoring all other aspects of life are few and even if they do that, why should it bother me how others spend their time. Their life, noone has any right to criticize them as long as they aren't interfeering with their lifes.
EXACTLY how i feel, weird, didn't know someone had like the exact same opinion as me.
I wouldn't care less. I have a wife & 2 kids and we live our lives the way we want to. If I spend lots of time in front of the computer, that is my choice.
BTW, I adhor manual labor and sports. I don't even play sports video games and the only sports I would watch is those played by my kids. Paradoxically, my BMI is way below average, probably because my wife forced me to do 30 min of exercise everday.
I am not apologetic and MMO is only one of my hobbies. Be comfortable with your choices. That is my advice.
Yeah this stereotype is absolutely ridiculous. It's a combination of much older stereotypes though. kind of a perfect storm if you will:
A) Dungeons and Dragons stereotype (Those dirty role-players, yes, in their parents basement)
Game stereotype (Why don't you play outside like a normal kid)
C) Chat room stereotype (Everyone in there is an old man looking to pick up children)
These are all complete BS. People from all walks of life enjoy the above activities. But these older prejudices are very ingrained in American culture.
The only games cool and normal people play is Modern Warfare and Farmville. What a world eh?