The World of Warcraft Time Warp: a.k.a Where did my life go?

reply to post by retzius


Yeah after quitting everything else seemed mundane for a few days. It's about finding a healthy addiction lol. Mine would be meditation and ATS. Also getting out as much as possible during the 3 day hump if you will, really helps.


I feel for you. My desk use to be littered with Red Bull's and Rockstar.

i was addicted to diablo II for about a year and a half. i would see those items burned into my retinas hours after playing, lol.

i was gonna start a thread about this (maybe will anyway) but now seems like a good time.

i emailed blizzard about this but they just said they can't comment on the new D3 game. the symbolism is obvious once you get the perspective. there are so many hidden objects in the background that you can just point your finger and find one.

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reply to post by Lucid Lunacy


Well I dunno bout the rest of you, but when I play an RPG game, or any kinda game, like FPS etc, I live myself into the game, like i am that character, i lose myself in the game and live it while i play..

And that in itself becomes more addictive...

or is it just me ?

reply to post by SkepticalSteve


LOL actually wasn't rough at all!!!

She totally got me out of it... about 100 other dorks were upset that I didn't lead the particular raid lol, but beyond that she made a good call!

Windows and Monitors are replaceable after all, we enjoyed quite sometime together beyond that incident lol...


But notice, left to my own devices...

I still have not left Ats to go to the gym...



I sometimes think without women we as guys would never have gotten past the cave man days... not sure I do any thing besides "hang out" and "Eat" with out the motivation supplied by females

such is life



Okay... now I am leaving, I think...for now

Have any of you ever seen the movie "Children of Men"?

At the height of my WoW playing there was a scene in that movie that really struck home..

The main character goes to visit his brother and is sitting at the dinner table..

Also at the table is his brothers nephew and he is soo engrossed in a game in which he is moving his fingers and staring at a hologram image that he never talks and has to be reminded to "take his pills"

I saw something in that character that struck home and really disturbed me..

Could these games do that to us one day? Have you ever wondered how much revenue a company like Blizzard must take in? Im sure they "research" how to keep people hooked on these games..

Ret

PS - Blizzard held Blizzcon earlier this month.. it sold out so fast (less than a minute) that there were virtual riots on line.. a sign?

reply to post by Alucard Hellsing


I used to be that way when I was younger. I know what you mean. That's a road you don't want to go down.......

Hence the old DBZ era.

Originally posted by Alucard Hellsing
Perhaps it is the fact that you play with that character from the beginning, building it up, spending so many hours playing

It is everything you could ever want out of life if you could visit another dimension on a daily basis. Hey is that what it is to you?

reply to post by mopusvindictus


I totally agree. Females help balance the energy of planet earth.

I started with Ultima Online, then went to DAoC, now WoW, and in a few days when I get my new video card, on to Warhammer.

I also managed to get a degree, Magna Cum Laude, and work, and have friends, relationships, etc.

You get past the addictive stage eventually. It is sooooo fun at first, but I go for days and days without playing even when I have the time.

Its just like real life. You have to learn to play for the moment, not for the future, the next level, the next bit of gear, etc. If you do that one thing, play for the moment not the goal, it all snaps into place and all is well in the universe.

I dont think there are subliminal messages in any of these games, they just are made by humans, and so they play to the human drive to achieve "more." It is up to the individual human both in virtual reality and in their lives to decide not to sacrifice the present for the future.

reply to post by TH3ON3


Hell yeah, nothing better than visiting an alternate reality when your bored at home and the rain is pouring outside!!

i'll play games till the day i die!!

I dont think there are subliminal messages in any of these games, they just are made by humans, and so they play to the human drive to achieve "more."

>I hear ya.. but did you ever notice that the people who are the most addicted and have the "drive to achieve" more are alot of times the people who achieve nothing in real life?

>My guess is with 10 million current online subscribers (and growing), at $15 a month, they are pulling in $150 million a month!!!!

>Im sure they spend some of this on R&D to keep you hooked on these games.. its only good business? right?

Ret

Originally posted by retzius

But when I WoW.. All I need to do is WoW

Ret

classic.

I played Starwars Galaxies for 1 yrs straight then after that i made a business where the characters were all automated.. 4 of them..
i'd check in on them and maintain them in the morn .. go to school.. then come chck at lunch.. go back to school..
then check at dinner .. then go out etc..

I'd sell all the "Credits" ( $ ) that I made the whole time on ebay.
I completely supported myself ..and then some...with that money.

Then Sony Online changed it so that you couldn't use the automated language to programm your characters.
tons of people left during that "CU" "combat upgrade" blah..

i dumped the game after that.

haven't played a game since.

actuallly hadn't played a game like that before it either.

oh no i played munch's adventure on xbox then sold my xbox when i finished it.. because i just wanted to play that game.


MMORPGS will SUCK YOU IN.
they weild you.

danger will robinson danger.

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reply to post by Lucid Lunacy


I think you are right, UO was before Asheron's Call but I never got into that game. I'm a very competitive fellow and didn't like the fact that there were so many UO players to compete against.

Obsidience

Credit to what a previous poster said..

Doesnt WoW (Blizzard) advertise on this sight?

Based on the responses it sure seems like they have done their homework well..

Do you remember the South Korean guy who died playing WoW? It was in the news last year..

Also, based on the responses, it seems like alot of Blizzard games, Diablo, Starcraft, Warcraft, are addicting..

Anayways, off to level my cooking and fishing.. they have achievement points now

Ret

Originally posted by retzius

>I hear ya.. but did you ever notice that the people who are the most addicted and have the "drive to achieve" more are alot of times the people who achieve nothing in real life?

Maybe thats because they know in their "real" life they can never be the highest ranking ________ on the server?

For most of us peons on the bottom, we know we are doomed to a life of mediocrity. If we choose to use fame, prestige, and goods as indicators of success that is, which is what all media encourages us to do, not just games. In a game, you can be a "CEO" in effect, in a matter of a year or so. You can play, form a guild, lead raids, etc. And, if the server gets too crowded with "Gods" you can move to a new server, and be the best player there.

In the real world, it isnt that easy to break into the ranks of the "gods" of materialism. You dont have to kill mobs, you have to be willing to be that ruthless to other humans. Most of us just really dont want to do what it takes to succeed in the "real" materialistic game and be the "best" on the server of Earth, (or at least in the ranks of the Elite.)

Games offer us the chance to achieve, to be materialistic, to be big fish in little ponds, where in "real" life we are little fish in a huge ocean.

We could choose to reject that "materialistic" definition of success, eschew titles and "goods" and popularity as indicators of our worth. We could define success ourselves and be wildly successful in real life. Most dont, however, they accept the definition of success as offered by our culture. For those who do not choose against materialism, games offer a limited "success" that simply would not be available in the real world materialistically.

After all, the possible number of servers in a game is limited only by money for new equipment, but in life we only have one Earth, and the ranks of the Elite there offer MUCH stiffer competition when it comes to getting into their ranks.

this is making me want to play again.

[edit on 30-10-2008 by SkepticalSteve]

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


Well I live a respectable life, I have a good job, a girlfriend, and a social life, and yes, I spend way too much time on the net and playin games..

but it's fun...

i know i'll never be a powerful warrior in real life, or a special black ops soldier, so why not play a game pretending to be one ?

it's fun

I am a current WoW player but I dont play with the same ferver that I did with EverQuest. It was definately an addiction then!

I played Everquest for over 6 years, Was a Guild Leader and it encompassed all my spare time outside my job.... It was horrible! LOL I had an entire series of bookshelves in my office at home dedicated to the game... maps in one, trades in another, spells in a third... one for each character, guild lists and information, quests, eqpt.... and on and on and on.. I was a wreck and had no life LOL

I love a good online game so now i play WoW... once a week for about 3 hours with my sister (we live 2000 mi apart so thats how we hang) and i dont play any other time... we have fun, catch up, dont join a guild and just do quests.... its a blast and Im not a junkie like i was with EQ.

Originally posted by SkepticalSteve
this is making me want to play again.

[edit on 30-10-2008 by SkepticalSteve]

don't do it man.

we're here for ya.


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Once you quit you will probably want to go back eventually. I went back and realised how much it sucked. Bought a game card, played for 2 days, then uninstalled it.

I think its the social factors that make it so addictive, and the size/complexity of the game.