Because watching TV etc is passive, you don't have to farm anything or camp anything or put in any effort whatsoever. MMO's provide entertainment but at the same time you are spending energy on it like a second job. Ppl play MMO's for the same reason they use drugs, to escape from their crappy life. Generally escaping from reality is a bad habit to get into, because you start focusing on your in-game life rather than your real life. Yes there are people who successfully balance their gaming, and don't let it get out of control. But they don't call the internet "the world wide timesink" for nothing. Ppl literally spend hours on forums arguing about this or that, or tweaking their characters, or farming, or camping, or raiding. Think what would happen if you spent that much energy on your REAL life.
yeah, TV is passive. you can just sit there and drool and not have to exercise your brain or reflexes at all. Why would anyone want to interact with anything, after all, when they can just sit there and do literally nothing but stare forward with a dull expression?
Anyone who tells me gaming is a waste of time is wasting my time.
When I started playing video games when I was a kid, my grandfather started a saying that stuck with my family. "You playing vid-idiot games again?" There is a hard untrue fact people like to put forward. Video games ruin the mind and eye site. Studies now prove it helps in fast decision making, eye hand coordination to name a few. The stigma is real. I also would rather play a video game then spend time watching TV. I have learned to ignore these remarks and just enjoy life. Just remember to do other things to better yourself.
I hated that phrase with a passion. I don't hear it that often now, but if I do and I'm in a bad mood I'll confront the person.
It's not a waste of time if you're enjoying it.
I agree and disagree. A guy died last week because he was eating 2 bags of black licorice a day. It shorted out his heart. Moderation is key. Are you doing other things to better yourself? Exercise, reading books, looking at your spiritual needs, spending time with friends and loved ones in person. Even TV is not bad in moderation. Entertainment is needed, I agree with that. Balanced life is always best.
I'm really glad that I finished college when I did because if I had to do it with all the distractions of today I don't think I could. In the end, video games are a waste of time pretty much. That's one reason why I don't invest very heavily anymore. After 5 years of playing EQ1 pretty hard, I looked back and asked myself "was it worth the time and money?" My final answer was no it was not.
I hated that phrase with a passion. I don't hear it that often now, but if I do and I'm in a bad mood I'll confront the person.
It's not a waste of time if you're enjoying it.
I agree and disagree. A guy died last week because he was eating 2 bags of black licorice a day. It shorted out his heart. Moderation is key. Are you doing other things to better yourself? Exercise, reading books, looking at your spiritual needs, spending time with friends and loved ones in person. Even TV is not bad in moderation. Entertainment is needed, I agree with that. Balanced life is always best.
Sorry if I'm being blunt, but how is eating a hobby? Obviously moderation is key.
The people that usually spout the "x hobby is a waste of time" don't know how you're spending your time.
I hated that phrase with a passion. I don't hear it that often now, but if I do and I'm in a bad mood I'll confront the person.
It's not a waste of time if you're enjoying it.
I agree and disagree. A guy died last week because he was eating 2 bags of black licorice a day. It shorted out his heart. Moderation is key. Are you doing other things to better yourself? Exercise, reading books, looking at your spiritual needs, spending time with friends and loved ones in person. Even TV is not bad in moderation. Entertainment is needed, I agree with that. Balanced life is always best.
Sorry if I'm being blunt, but how is eating a hobby? Obviously moderation is key.
The people that usually spout the "x hobby is a waste of time" don't know how you're spending your time.
I find many in life go with what you said, if you enjoy it, if it feels good, your all good. I used to live by that as well. For about 1.5 years I went down the rabbit hole on EQ1 and DAoC and lost contact with life. I know friends that have done the same with other habits. I find "if you enjoy it, if it feels good" often is used to say just do what you want. I agreed with you in part with my reply. Entertainment is needed should be part of a balanced life. I just feel thats a small part of what makes us whole.
I find many in life go with what you said, if you enjoy it, if it feels good, your all good. I used to live by that as well. For about 1.5 years I went down the rabbit hole on EQ1 and DAoC and lost contact with life. I know friends that have done the same with other habits. I find "if you enjoy it, if it feels good" often is used to say just do what you want. I agreed with you in part with my reply. Entertainment is needed should be part of a balanced life. I just feel thats a small part of what makes us whole.
Don't get me wrong, there obviously are certain people that go way overboard, but I was talking about my own experience.
Not that I have to prove myself, but here goes a small example when I was spending a lot of hours playing mmorpgs. Even when I was younger, on weekends I would go out. After school, I'd go out with friends and play afterwards. Yet, people quickly judge other's hobbies because they find them "infantile" or serve no purpose in real life skills. Then, you hear them talking about soccer the hypocrisy...
My point with the enjoyment part was that you shouldn't judge anyone's hobby, no matter what you believe, because you don't know their personal life.
Was gonna say "because it causes uou to necro a 12 yo post with a response selling matresses", but I'm late. I thought we had new filters in place to stop these yayhoos.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
I find many in life go with what you said, if you enjoy it, if it feels good, your all good. I used to live by that as well. For about 1.5 years I went down the rabbit hole on EQ1 and DAoC and lost contact with life. I know friends that have done the same with other habits. I find "if you enjoy it, if it feels good" often is used to say just do what you want. I agreed with you in part with my reply. Entertainment is needed should be part of a balanced life. I just feel thats a small part of what makes us whole.
Don't get me wrong, there obviously are certain people that go way overboard, but I was talking about my own experience.
Not that I have to prove myself, but here goes a small example when I was spending a lot of hours playing mmorpgs. Even when I was younger, on weekends I would go out. After school, I'd go out with friends and play afterwards. Yet, people quickly judge other's hobbies because they find them "infantile" or serve no purpose in real life skills. Then, you hear them talking about soccer the hypocrisy...
My point with the enjoyment part was that you shouldn't judge anyone's hobby, no matter what you believe, because you don't know their personal life.
It might be a necro, but it's as good a point 12 years ago, as it is today.
Egotism is the anesthetic that dullens the pain of stupidity, this is why when I try to beat my head against the stupidity of other people, I only hurt myself.
I like looking through necro posts to see the posters long gone. I remember discussions with them from 'back then' and wonder where they are now and why they don't post anymore.
I blame Delete. That is, if all the departed members weren't actually Delete bots.
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.
If you are playing to relax, then it's no different from watching comfortable TV or reading an easy book. It's valuable if you need to relax (and we all need to relax at some point), but could be considered a waste of time if it is getting in the way of other life goals. But, if you are comfortable with where you are in life, then it's not a problem. Do you.
If you are playing for fun, then it's actually a valuable experience. Games TEACH us lessons. It lets you put knowledge into practice without any consequences, which is extremely valuable. Most of us are afraid to try new things in life because we're afraid of the consequences, so games serve a very real purpose.
But what lessons are they teaching? That could be how you judge the value of a game.
We have games about territory control
We have games about resource management
We have games about "getting to the other side"
We have games about aiming, "practice makes perfect"
etc
Some of these lessons are valuable in modern society, but a lot of these games are teaching us lessons that were more useful in the stone age when we were hunter gatherers. This means we're hardwired to enjoy those lessons, even if they aren't that valuable.
But, I'll give you examples of two lessons / skills that MMORPGs have taught me that I have found extremely valuable in real life.
1) Explore all the options - learned from the depth of LotRO's combat mechanics
LotRO really had the best combat mechanics I've ever seen. There was so much depth to it that it allowed for so many possibilities. This taught me that when faced with a problem, try to think about all the possible solutions, even the wacky ones. don't just go with the first solution that seems to work.
This has helped me out loads in my professional life, allowing me to come up with innovative solutions and adapt strategies based on the personel available. Maybe I would have learned this lesson in real life, maybe i wouldn't, but i learned it first in LotRO and so I value that.
2) Leadership - learned from raid leading and guild leading
I was still in education when I started in MMOs so the only leadership experience I had was a bit from sports and a bit from my social group. Leading raids and then leading a guild taught me tons of useful things! Dealing with the politics of a guild, learning how to explain complex ideas to a wide variety of people, learning how to keep people positive and having fun through stressful situations.....these have all been very valuable skills for me and helped me get promotions and leadership positions in my career.
Again, maybe (hopefully) I would have learned these lessons anyway, but when i fucked up in a game, the worst that happened was we lost a few hours of gameplay, or a guild member quit. In real life if I fucked up, it could have cost the company £1000s or more. I'd much rather learn those lessons in a game!
Currently Playing: WAR RoR - Spitt rr7X Black Orc | Scrotling rr6X Squig Herder | Scabrous rr4X Shaman
i think television is recognized by society and playing games is not. But the negative attitude towards gaming has felt better as there are more and more people who do it. You don't see it as wasted time anymore, because nowadays you have eSport leagues where you can earn a lot of money. But I believe that there is still a long way to go before eSport is equivalent to football, etc.
Games do offer some education, but it's bare minimum. It could be a hell of a lot more. All while playing and having fun as normal. Think simulation here.
Games really aren't any different than golf, bowling, or even watching TV for entertainment. Other than outdoor exorcise, which I hope gamers also give time too.
Socializing is another aspect that games offer a little of, but that too could be done a hell of a lot more. Learning to deal with other people who may disagree with you is important.
Games can also be therapeutic for those who simply need an escape for a little while. Also for people in pain, as a good MMO helps to forget it for the time spent in-game.
Overall, games are a good thing, as long as a person doesn't let them consume them. That's something towards more casual gaming, I think.
I think there has been a massive shift in attitudes since 2008 when this thread started. Playing games and internet culture (youtube, twitter, facebook, etc) have become pretty much as wide spread and part of everyday life as TV was back in the day, which is awesome.
I am also impressed with the OP's taste in mmos (Warhammer).
I am unfortunately in an odd age group where women my age don't game. Phones don't count as the kind of games I am referring to. So I get a lot of criticism from friends and family members including those who have said my children have been brought up badly thanks to my gaming. It really hurt a lot and I have often questioned my choice of a hobby.
I think I would have gone crazy if not for gaming because I had a very busy job and when I stayed at home after my first child I was alone. My husband was very busy and I had no one to talk to since my friends were too busy with their own hectic lives. If not for games I may have sunk into a depression. No one really understands how lonely it can be being a mother for the first time in your life when you have no one around to help or talk to.
I am unfortunately in an odd age group where women my age don't game. Phones don't count as the kind of games I am referring to. So I get a lot of criticism from friends and family members including those who have said my children have been brought up badly thanks to my gaming. It really hurt a lot and I have often questioned my choice of a hobby.
I think I would have gone crazy if not for gaming because I had a very busy job and when I stayed at home after my first child I was alone. My husband was very busy and I had no one to talk to since my friends were too busy with their own hectic lives. If not for games I may have sunk into a depression. No one really understands how lonely it can be being a mother for the first time in your life when you have no one around to help or talk to.
Oh wow, yes, I can understand that. A strange depression after the first child is fairly common. My wife went though that. A life change that comes with an awesome responsibility. I felt daunted, even as the father. It's the biggest "I hope I don't screw this up" there ever was.
I think there has been a massive shift in attitudes since 2008 when this thread started. Playing games and internet culture (youtube, twitter, facebook, etc) have become pretty much as wide spread and part of everyday life as TV was back in the day, which is awesome.
I am also impressed with the OP's taste in mmos (Warhammer).
Warhammer and Age of Conan were on the horizon when this thread started. Two of the biggest hyped MMOs and both flopped. THis was about the last time I ever got excited about a new MMO.
Comments
Anyone who tells me gaming is a waste of time is wasting my time.
It's not a waste of time if you're enjoying it. Not every hobby has to have a practical use in daily life to be deemed "worthy" by the masses.
The people that usually spout the "x hobby is a waste of time" don't know how you're spending your time.
Not that I have to prove myself, but here goes a small example when I was spending a lot of hours playing mmorpgs. Even when I was younger, on weekends I would go out. After school, I'd go out with friends and play afterwards. Yet, people quickly judge other's hobbies because they find them "infantile" or serve no purpose in real life skills. Then, you hear them talking about soccer the hypocrisy...
My point with the enjoyment part was that you shouldn't judge anyone's hobby, no matter what you believe, because you don't know their personal life.
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I thought we had new filters in place to stop these yayhoos.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
It was probably more of a problem 12 years ago than it is today lol
I blame Delete. That is, if all the departed members weren't actually Delete bots.
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.
Games really aren't any different than golf, bowling, or even watching TV for entertainment. Other than outdoor exorcise, which I hope gamers also give time too.
Socializing is another aspect that games offer a little of, but that too could be done a hell of a lot more. Learning to deal with other people who may disagree with you is important.
Games can also be therapeutic for those who simply need an escape for a little while. Also for people in pain, as a good MMO helps to forget it for the time spent in-game.
Overall, games are a good thing, as long as a person doesn't let them consume them.
That's something towards more casual gaming, I think.
Once upon a time....
I am also impressed with the OP's taste in mmos (Warhammer).
I think I would have gone crazy if not for gaming because I had a very busy job and when I stayed at home after my first child I was alone. My husband was very busy and I had no one to talk to since my friends were too busy with their own hectic lives. If not for games I may have sunk into a depression. No one really understands how lonely it can be being a mother for the first time in your life when you have no one around to help or talk to.
Thanks for pointing this out.
Once upon a time....
Warhammer and Age of Conan were on the horizon when this thread started. Two of the biggest hyped MMOs and both flopped. THis was about the last time I ever got excited about a new MMO.