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Hardcore gamers: get a life?
Theodoros
Member Posts: 38
Let me throw this out to the hardcore gamers who are over 20 and who have jobs. If you are spending 6, 8, 10, 12+ hours a day on your favourite MMORPG(s), do you have time to do other things, to actually "have a life"? Can you still find time to read a book, spend time with your girlfriend/boyfriend, paint a picture, attend a sporting event, walk your dog, etc....? Gaming: what is it to you? A hobby? A lifestyle? An addiction? I'd like to hear what people have to say on this.
Comments
Hardcore gaming is a lifestyle. You make choices and live with them. I'd be hard pressed to say I'm living less a quality life than anyone else I know, because I enjoy it more than many people who "do more things."
Life is what you make it.
There is no way I would ever be able to spend 6+ hours playing, unless it was my day off, and my girlfriend wasn't around. So on average I play 1-2 hours a day. I used to play a lot more, and it really affected my life in a negative way. I would sometimes play AC for 24+ hours straight. But that is some crazy shizat!
it all depends how you look at it... life is lived as long as u enjoy it and if people are enjoying it by spending 10+ hours a day on a game i dont see why they should b hassled...
if they could go out to a sporting event lets say but in the end would have had more fun playin an online game then which one was really the better...
it shouldnt be so much a matter how what you do to enjoy urself, but just that you enjoy urself...
as long as their having fun i dont see the harm
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Well I am 37(almost 38) and have been "wasting" 1-12 hours a day on MMO's since UO Beta! My wife of 15 years has gone through various phases with it ranging from abject horror to understanding and accpetance. Looking back I dont think any of it was wasted time. I do work and I also make a little money gold prospecting believe it or not, that is my outdoors time.
I know a lot of people who do a lot of different things in thier spare time and I look at some of thier "hobbies" and wonder what the motivation is. From knitting to car enthusiasts I guess it is fair to say we all have our preference for how we spend our so called spare time.
My great "hero" in life (not a good word for it) is Henry Rollins and I know his take would probably be somthing like "get off your lard ass and go lift some weights" In his song "Shine" there is a line that goes:
no such thing as spare time, no such thing as free time
no such thing as down time
all you got is life time... go!!!
But hey as much as I like the guy.... being like Iggy Pop on speed is not for me. When Tony Robbins says "we are not happy unless we are constantly achieving everything we possibly can" My thought is "speak for yourself, there is a lot to be said for sitting on your A$$"
One thing that really aggrevates me though is to hear parents or child phsycologists saying foolish things like "I wish my kid would stop playing on the computer and read a book". Well both are sedentary persuits and from expereince I can say I have learned more playing PC games than any book I could have ever read. Also I would probably not have read the book in the first place because I dont like reading very much. Through gaming and netting I have learned about everything from warfare to wildlife, space to science, basically you name it. At 37 most of my close friends regard me as the most intelligent person they know (they must know some dumbasses
) and it is the result in no small part of my time spent on computers which is mostly spent in games.
In addition I have made friends from all over the world. I have visited 4 countries to stay with GOOD friends I have made in UO during the 6.5 years I played it.
Now when I talk to friends about thier kids spending a lot of time on PC's I gennerally tell them to relax about it. If they were not on the PC what would it be ? TV? Books? Football? who knows they all have thier pros and cons and I for one am not pretentious ebough to start telling people that one is better than another. It is a great shame that our media is full of people who arnt so prepared to admit they may not have a clue what they are talking about.
Now where is my GTA Vice City Disc
I am somewhat of a Bull$shitter myself, but occasionally I enjoy listening to an expert. Please go on.
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"MMOs, for people that like think chatting is like a skill or something, rotflol"
http://purepwnage.com
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"Far away across the field, the tolling of the iron bell, calls the faithful to their knees. To hear the softly spoken magic spell" Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon
Life is one big Elbowskrape
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I hear a crunching cracking sound, the breaking of your bones
Hehe
Peoples would call me the pathethic hardcore gamer.
I use to have a life...I was working 80h+ a week, seeing friends and doing social stuff at least 3 times a week when not more, and was barely playing computer when I was out of other options. (prior work(at university and before) I was boardgame playing and table gaming and socializing a lot). Yes yes, I was not sleeping enought back then.
But for many reason, I despite what it was and retreat from that life(when I see someone died of cancer before 50 and that have work hard all her life, I swear it would never happen to me and I will enjoy life right away). I still have a ghetto job(25h a week of minimal work and salary). I rarely see peoples now, as I am not craving for such social stuff anymore, but before becoming a hardcore gamer I was seeing peoples kinda everyday and doing social stuff all day long(boardgames and table gaming among other stuff)...it turn that I start to dislike the human race in general after many "events"...
So I could have go wrong (
) or become a hardcore gamer freak, I guess I make the right decision.
Currently I am 30 years old, I have been in Alberta & in the wild wild north before resuming a ghetto job in home town(Quebec city).
I am a hardcore gamer freak since 26-28, it was gradual althought. 
Am I disfonctionnal? Prolly, but without gaming it would be much much worser!
Do I want to change? I dont! There is nothing worth it atm!
- "Coercing? No no, I assure you, they are willing to bring my bags and pay public transportation just to help me, it is true!''
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
I'm 38 my wife is 32 and we are both hardcore gamers more so me because she is still finishing up a BA in Finance so it is hard for her to find the time to game alot with ful time work as well. I have gamed more in the last 2 years than any other due to having a illness that has left me housebound.
Although I am almost fully recovered I have done most things I have wanted already in life besides a bit more travel. I find time for my family, reading, dogs, movies etc. and still game hard ( 20+ hours a week). We are avid board gamers as well and we have a small select branch of friends that we are close to and none them game but we are not big on the social enviroment scene anymore either too many cement heads around!
We make excellent money yearly between the 2 of us and are basically homebodies. I used to be a professional musician as well and bar scenes and crowds are long past over with. I prefer to spend my free time on MMORPG's, PC, or my Xbox on my theatre system. Am I a geek? I guess some would consider us that until you took a look at me I am the farthest from looking the geek type but I love my life and I live it to the fullest daily even when it includes a 12 hour day of gaming. Many people prefer the degredation of bars, drinking and partying and hanging out with ignorance we like to game in the comforts of our own home it's our hobby, our past time and I hope when I am 80 if I live that long I will still be gaming just as hard!
Peace
Through your fear I am reborn. My hand of grief can't be ignored. You know my name.... yes you know who I am. Frustrating turmoil again and again. I am the spike that drives through your hand. for i am eternal battering ram!
Zakk Wylde
Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box. ~ Italian proverb
I'm actually not playing any MMORPGs right now, but I'll assume you could extend that to any type of gaming.
You assume that you have to do other things besides gaming to have a life. Where do you get this assumption? Why can't people play games and have a life? How can you declare one form of entertainment inferior to another such as gaming to attending a sporting event? How far do you have to go with a hobby to declare it an addiction? What if your job is developing games? Then it would be your lifestyle. But, does that mean you have no life?
You say you would like to hear what we have to say on this, but you start out with an assumption that "to do other things, to actually have a life" as if that was seperate from playing computer games. I'm not sure any answer we give you will satisfy you. Obviously you won't understand people's attraction to computer games compared to other forms of entertainment.
If you can go to a forum on planting flowers and ask the people there why they like spending so much time in a flower bed and get some responses, I'll try to explain to you why I like to spend so much time on video games.
I didn't take the question as a Troll. I saw it as a valid question. I think he just wants to see different view points. But, maybe I am being naive.
As far as answering his question, here is what I have to say.
I have been on both sides of this. I played 3, 4, 5 hours or more of EQ every single day. I did this for quite a while. One day I stepped back and realised (in my opinion) that I was wasting my time. I wasn't just having fun or being entertained. I was addicted. I was doing the same things over and over. I realised that I was spending all of this time trying to advance my charcater, when the time I was spending could be better spent advancing my own real life. It was at that point that I cancelled my account and quit playing. And you know what? I found myself wanting to play, very badly for a couple weeks. It was like withdrawl symptoms, I really felt that I needed to play. But I eventually got over it.
Now, I do still play MMORPG's, but I am careful to make sure that I am having fun, and that I will have fun as I push farther into the game. I also do not play hours everyday any more. I do not let it consume my personal time. I spend as much time as I can with my family and do any other things.
I have played 3 other MMORPG's since EQ: DAoC, ShadowBane, and WWIIOnline. But I am very critical and want to make sure I am oing to have fun. I lasted about 2 months in DAoC until I relised I was not ging to enjoy their PvP system, which is the high light of the game. ShadowBane only took me about a month to realise the PvP game was out of control...
WWIIOnline is the one that I would have enjoyed playing, as you can just jump in at any time, play for as short or long amount of time as you like, then jump out. But, I liked being a soldier, and the downtime travelling to battles just got to me.
So, I am back to gaming solely on my XBox. Currently playing Gladius. Pretty fun. Great thing about a game like that is, I can save at any point and run off to enjoy my real life.
I in now way feel that there is something wrong with people who spend most of their lives playing these games. But it is my opinion that it is no the right thing to do (my opinion).
Since quitting EQ, I have taken up Scuba Diving, Paintball, Shooting, gone back to college, and am currently looking to buy a remote control helicopter... To me, it just feels better to be doing these sorts of things. But, I do still dabble in MMORPG's. Nice to find one you can play for just a few hours a week. Guild Wars is looking to be that game.
Hardcore gamer and jobs rarely go together.
Most suck money off GF/wives,have huge credit bills and live in a hovel.
Personally if there was a way to keep my home and car and not work I would .It is a lifestyle I envy.
Sadly I work 60+ a week and can't afford to spent more then a couple of hours a day on a game some days no time at all since I am so tired.
Don't mind me I am just jealous lol.
There are as you can see some hardcore gamers that are happy with their lifestyle and truth be told its their lifestyle.
Like someone pointed out you could work hard all your life and drop dead on the job.It happened in my work place last year.Guy just had a heartattack as he stepped thru the door to work and died in the hospital.
So what did he get ?For the last 30 years he worked hard everyday of his life and was ready to continue it for another 10 and retire and start having fun.But he dropped dead and spent his 55 yrs studying working and dying.
I think many including me are taking to this view and honestly speaking if I was not so attached to my house I would give up work,go part time and sit on my butt and game all day long.And when I drop dead I will go smiling.
First of all books, read them all the time. Fantasy is my favorite genre. I have a wife and kids and they are into games as well. We go out every weekend to do things like the park, bowling, Omniplex (a science center). I have a job, I am a full-time college student. I don't paint and do not care too, that is a hobby of many but not me. I hate attending sporting events, too damned loud and a bunch of jackasses there anyways. Dogs, I hate those damned things. Gaming is a hobby. We can ask the same things of people who sit on their buts all day and watch sports or make a big deal out of cars, etc. Just because we like playing games doesn't mean we are without lives. Games believe it or not require much more intellect than watching a sporting event. It involves problem solving skills. It brings together a community of players and creates friendships. I met one of my best friends (until he passed away) playing an mmorpg. I could go on and on but hey, I don;t think I need to.
edit: sports I like btw: hockey, roller hockey, paintball - Football, baseball, golf are lame ass all hell. Today sports is about how much money you can make, not about pride in the game.
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33.333333333333336% of me is a huge nerd! How about you?
Who are you determine what having a life is? From another point of view, you might play more games if you had a life. Instead of wasting it away on mundane events to pass time until you grow cold and die. Everyone does things that they enjoy, just because you don't enjoy it or do not enjoy as much or as often, doesn't make any less valid.
If I went fishing 12+ hours a day, or watched TV 12+ hours a day, or talked about sports +12 hours, would this be better than playing a game 12+ hours a day? What is about games that makes doing it so evil?
Or is you don't like people playing more than you?
What difference does it make how much other people play? Is it hurting you somehow, is your life somehow less meaningful because someone else plays a game more than you think they should?
"Hard core" has little or nothing to do with hours played. I know many people that play 40+ hours a week and yet accomplish much less than I do with my play time.
Learn the games, play smarter, don't compare yourself to others. If your having fun with your time, it makes little difference what others are doing.
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You can not save people from themselfs.
Bartle: A: 93% E: 55% S:3% K: 50% Test learn what it means here.
Yee: Ach: 85% GRE: 65% AFF: 15% Imm 15% Test Click here to learn about it.
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Achievers realise that killers as a concept are necessary in order to make achievement meaningful and worthwhile (there being no way to "lose" the game if any fool can "win" just by plodding slowly unchallenged). -bartle
Bartle: A: 93% E: 55% S:3% K: 50% The Test. Learn what it means here.
I am dekrons wife. When we first met I was not a gamer at all. I almost hated it. There were times that I would get upset with him when he was playing. I thought it was a waste of time. Then he talked me into trying AC. It took a while for me to get into it, but when I did I thought it was great. Now, I like spending my free time playing games. However, my family is my first priority!
I think that it doesn't matter how much time you play as long as you dont neglect your spouce and kids (if you have any)
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"MMOs, for people that like think chatting is like a skill or something, rotflol"
http://purepwnage.com
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"Far away across the field, the tolling of the iron bell, calls the faithful to their knees. To hear the softly spoken magic spell" Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon
Its just a hobby and like any other hobby it can get out of control and take over (your life).
Most hardcore gamers ,once they (we) mature dont play to the detrament of others anyway.
Just gotta nerf some things and balance others
Well as of right now I can't play any online games. At the moment Im stuck in Iraq. Before I got out of school, I was a hard core gamer. I started the day at school at 7:30 and got out a 2:30. Somtimes I played Mage Wars durning class and even Counter-Strike.
But about 3:00pm I got home and the first thing I did was graped a 12 pack of DP and got on my PC. I would talk to my friends and played CS, EQ, UO, E&B, AC2, iRO, WS:ET and WC3. I did that until I get tired witch was about 12pm-3am and then it started all over again.
As a hard core gamer I still plan to play games while making money. I want to open a net cafe in the near futer. Im only 20 years old and this is what I love. If a had a GF I would spend more time with her unless she what to play with me. That would be the best GF I could ask for.
I say if it makes you happy, do it.
Beta Tested:
Final Fantasy xi
Ragnarok Online
Beta Tested:
Final Fantasy xi
Ragnarok Online
I think *hardcore* is more a set of mind then an actual thing that can be judge by actions.
If you judge my actions, as long as you limit to soloing or grouping, I did a lot. If you go to PvP, tradeskilling or Raiding I did very very few. In fact, I did as little as I could there since I dont enjoy it at all. On the opposite, I never have enought soloing/grouping, never...as long as I see the toon progress significantly toward the top, I am in, the day I understand it was pointless in EQ if you dont raid, I stop, it took me time to understand that.
Nobody would think 1 moment I am not a hardcore, and personnally, I think the time I play matter more then what I accomplish there, but this is an opinion. I never heard of folks soloing harder stuff that I did despite their uber gear(they earn it doing anything but soloing, which mean they dont deserve it in a solo setting IMHO), but again, a chanter in EQ is another class althogether and despite the charm nerf, we cant xp with solo charming, that dont mean we cant camp mobs for uber stuff.
Someone could be hardcore and never left bazaar in months...
- "Coercing? No no, I assure you, they are willing to bring my bags and pay public transportation just to help me, it is true!''
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
If you can go to a forum on planting flowers and ask the people there why they like spending so much time in a flower bed and get some responses, I'll try to explain to you why I like to spend so much time on video games.
Hoho, is it Kriminal alternate identity or what?
Hehe, I do understand you althought Alient, but I dont mind talking, I rather talk them till they are bored then give them the feeling they are right! They want info, here it come, in poor frenglish!
I think that Theo/Kriminal identity plainly dont understand us, so why not talk a lot till he get bored? Even if it can be quite long to get Kriminal bored, eventually it will happen!
- "Coercing? No no, I assure you, they are willing to bring my bags and pay public transportation just to help me, it is true!''
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Twitter @Phantium
Let's face it. It is impossible to do a LOT of the stuff that you do in a game every day in real life. And even if you could, the physical risk of death and dismemberment would make it hardly worth it, and kind of ruin the fun factor.
Games let you do the things that you really want to do....without even getting tired. Nascar enthusiasts can drive digital race cars across virtual tracks that are so accurately represented that small bumps and grooves can be felt in the force-feedback steering wheel. Pilots can fly planes from WW2 and virtually live what they dreamed of as a child.
I can't begin to list the things that I've learned from gaming. About as much as I do from reading, I'd say,. which I do a LOT of....usually between appointments at work when I don't have time to game.
I'm 31 btw....my wife is 27 and a Quake3 junkie....my son is 5 and enjoys his play-station. (he'll grow out of the console soon...hehehe). I spend MANY hours per day gaming, but I also manage to spend a good deal of my time with my family, since they game too. Most of my friends are gamers. Social events feature friends coming over for games.
I get enough damn excersise at work
Been gaming forever, really...from when I was a wee kid playing pong at the VFW while I waited for my grandmother. I remember all my friends dads (and mine) coming home from work and flopping on the couch where they would watch TV while chain-drinking beers until they eventually fell alseep. They did this every day. A LOT of ppl watch TV all day. At least a game is interactive and dynamic. I have to think, make my own decisions, and use my imagination a bit. Not to mention that a keyboard and mouse take a bit more coordination than a remote control
AS I grew up I lost a lot of friends...people out getting in car accidents becuase they went out and got wasted, or had scuba-diving accidents, or hit by cars while skate-boarding, or shot their head off with their target revolver. As someone said, in an earlier post, there's a lot to be said for sitting on yer arse
Games aren't a bad thing....they're the natural evolution of home entertainment to something you can interact with and really have fun with. Anyone who thinks it's a mindless activity simply has never tried it, or thinks we're all still playing Pac-man.
It is of course possible for gaming to be taken too far, to the point where it consumes one's life, but that's true of almost everything, and is a flaw in the person, not the activity in question.
anyway...I'll see ya in the game...
I spend a lot of time on the computer throughout the day, not as much actually gaming but I would still consider myself a hardcore gamer. The computer is my hobby, I suppose it's even a lifestyle. I really hate it when people balk and tell me to get a life and do "real" things. I recently quit my job (Was offered it back the other day, probably will take it, but I'm not sure...
) and have spent a good deal of time having a "real life" and as much as I love hiking, fishing, etc; computers will probably always be my real hobby and I hate it when people dispute it as being a legit hobby, it's a way to spend my time, just like partying, sports, watching tv, etc, etc.
I was going to highschool/college, working 30-40 hours a week, and gaming like mad for many years and all I can say is I had a blast. Some people made really good points in this thread, Tasky especially. If I am having noticeable fun, I am not wasting my time. Usually when I feel that "damn I'm bored" I figure it's time for something else.
I think as the years roll by and the next couple generations really come into play(hahah) it'll show how gaming is an integral part of our time and be more acceptable, heck, for the most part it already is.
Anways,
Game on!!
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Jake
I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring
- Richard P. Feynman, 1988
Being relatively new to the MMO scene, I went through several weeks of working a full shift, then coming home and gaming til the early hours of the morning, then repeating. I was getting hardly any sleep. Finally, my body could not take any more of it and I ended up sleeping 13+ hours in a row. I would say that I had "no life" during those weeks. I've cut back now, but it's still hard to tear myself away.
Anofalye: Nous parlons presque la meme langue: Frenglish/Franglais!
Twitter @Phantium
I am a semi-hardcore gamer. If I had more time in the day all I would do is play games on m computer.
Also, A friend once told me that MMO's are like Crack once you try them you can't stop. Which would those parents and phycologists rather have you do?