This was, of course, pre-mmo explosion. In hindsight, it
feels like one moment we were all playing all these different games and then,
overnight, people started playing lineage or everquest or world of warcraft. Anecdotally,
I must say that it seemed like people stopped mixing it up once they committed
to an mmo. Again, I think it had less to do with boredom and more the nature of
the games themselves. The other games I mentioned us playing had clearly
defined sessions with a beginning and an end, so players either started another
session of the same game or switched to a different game. But mmos didn’t have
a clear end, nor could anything like an ending be reached in one session (even
a mammoth 12 hour session) so people stopped jumping around. Except to make
alts. Far, far too many alts.
<snip>
This is a great point. MMORPGs introduced me to "no save points." I found myself fighting it at first, looking to save my game before trying something possibly stupid, but accepting it after a while, then embracing it.
Then there is the dreaded "death just before logging out" that foiled many a player's plans and/or timing. That train that kills you as you "camp", or some dumb Mob wanders too close to you camp point.
Add in that old MMORPGs where traveling was not a map point click away, and logging out many times was not a quick action
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse. - FARGIN_WAR
I also remember reading about uber guilds such as Afterlife and Fires of Heaven, and marveling at their time (and other) commitments to original EQ. In the next life maybe I can do that. But for now I just appreciated their exploits from afar.
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
Not being snarky, but don't you "enjoy" video games, too?
Not when playing 12+ hours. I would consider it an addiction when I would play it x+ hours a day. And would question myself at the end. I rather spent time with my family and do things in rl that matters.
"Maybe" when I dont have a life (family/work etc) I would be a shut in gamer.
Edit: for me it would be like a weekend day going to party. Its also not normal to party every day, right?
I'm a binge gamer. When something comes out that I really want to play, and I have the time, I'll go 12.. sometimes 16... Sometimes 24 hours... Time willing.
I binge hard, get tired of it and move on. Sometimes I don't play anything for days. Other times I'm in it for 6 - 16 hours over the course of a weekend.
As long as it's stimulating to me, I'll play it. It's rare that happens nowadays though.
I find that I game more at night. On the weekends it varies. I would say I max out at 10 to 12 hours a week. I would be at it more if irl obligations weren't a factor and if I could find a game that kept my attention for more than a few hours. To this day I still find myself hunting for that onegame. It's kind of like an old hobby of mine.
I could do that since I'm retired but I don't except in very rare occasions like PvPing in an RvR type game when there's a good fight that keeps going back and forth... haven't done that in a couple of years.
Combined with watching Netflix and/or Prime, yeah, probably. I only sleep 6 hours a day typically so that still leaves me 6 hours for other things.
It was much different when I worked 10-12 hours a day. I was mostly a weekend warrior then.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
I am 47 years old. Have been gaming since the original Atari. When I can line up the time I can easily do a 12-18 hour session. I usually do those sessions straight in one game which is usually a RPG, if not then a strategy game.
There are no games that would keep me occupied for more than an hour at a time these days. Maybe total burnout or something. I have Steam and Epic games I've bought and that I haven't even run at all, but at least they're there if I get interested in games again.
Most of the games I play now are browser based Idle games....They require very little playing, just have to check once in awhile to manage them. Of the games I actually play, I probably play about 2 hours a day.
On workdays, I'm lucky to get one to three hours, sometimes I don't play anyting at all. On my days off, I don't have much to do, so I might play off and on all day, maybe several hours, or maybe not. I don't play as intensively as I used to. I get more worn down the longer I sit. I think I play better at the start, and it just gets worse with time.
19 years ago I was playing EQ up to five hours on workdays. I can't see myself doing that now, even on days when I'm essentailly part time. I think most of the reason is I was younger, and also I, being older now, have higher aspirations for myself, and want to see myself doing other things, evne if I have the time.
Honeslty though I wish everything was ag ame, or alternatively just a social meeting place or whatever desired. I wish when people died they just respawned, or if you're sick of how life is going you could reroll in a different life, maybe even in a different universe.
For all intents and purpose I really believe that's the direction we're going. People don't like to die. We don't like to see anybody or anyting die. And everybody likes to play games, they just disagree which games to play and how long. Maybe it's a stretch to say everyting could be a game, but with the possible capacity to program everything, including matter and energy and everytign else, at atomic or subatomic or quantum or interdimensional levels, everything around us, including our universe, becomes a program for us to mold. What will that program be. Who or what will own the rights to it. I do believe, despite all historic evidence to the contrary, humanity believes in sharing its fruits with everyone and everything, and so ultimately attaining some measure of peace and blessings for all things. In all that, hopefully individual peoples will be able to live in a fashion similar to that above, or to wahtever desired. It might not happen for hundreds or thousands or millions or untold eons of years, or maybe humanity is destroyed, but I think there's a good ahnce it'll happen for someone who unlocks the deepest secrets of the code of existence.
I do believe, despite all historic evidence to the contrary, humanity believes in sharing its fruits with everyone and everything, and so ultimately attaining some measure of peace and blessings for all things.
I won't comment on your vision of programming reality but I have to say you are overly optimistic in your assessment of the human race. I've seen too much of the sh-tyness of the human race to agree with the part I quoted.
I'm pretty sure 12+ hours A DAY constitutes the "addiction" label. Not remotely healthy. I game every day, like most of us here I'm sure, but my biggest binges were in SWG in the mid-2000s. I was 15-17 years old at the time and played that game religiously, but the most I ever spent in it at one time was MAYBE 8 hours on very rare occasions (guild events probably). 12 hours a day is nuts, regardless of what your other real life responsibilities are.
Those are some pro gamer hours right there. If i remember correctly from the starcraft 2 interviews from the top players, 12-14 hour days were required.
Those are some pro gamer hours right there. If i remember correctly from the starcraft 2 interviews from the top players, 12-14 hour days were required.
Starcraft 2 is the hardest RTS if not game in the world. You must practice hard, a lot of times, one misclick and game is over. I tend to watch the starcraft esports finals called GSL, very good.
Catch me streaming at twitch.tv/cryomatrix You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
Comments
Then there is the dreaded "death just before logging out" that foiled many a player's plans and/or timing. That train that kills you as you "camp", or some dumb Mob wanders too close to you camp point.
Add in that old MMORPGs where traveling was not a map point click away, and logging out many times was not a quick action
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
I don't play mmorpg any more. Now I play pokemon go so I at least go outside and only a few hours a day.
"Maybe" when I dont have a life (family/work etc) I would be a shut in gamer.
Edit: for me it would be like a weekend day going to party. Its also not normal to party every day, right?
Kind of on a hiatus from playing. Last time my skills diminished drastically and never quite returned. I think I need this though
EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests
I binge hard, get tired of it and move on. Sometimes I don't play anything for days. Other times I'm in it for 6 - 16 hours over the course of a weekend.
As long as it's stimulating to me, I'll play it. It's rare that happens nowadays though.
On the weekends it varies. I would say I max out at 10 to 12 hours a week.
I would be at it more if irl obligations weren't a factor and if I could find a game that kept my attention for more than a few hours.
To this day I still find myself hunting for that one game. It's kind of like an old hobby of mine.
Combined with watching Netflix and/or Prime, yeah, probably. I only sleep 6 hours a day typically so that still leaves me 6 hours for other things.
It was much different when I worked 10-12 hours a day. I was mostly a weekend warrior then.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
I won't comment on your vision of programming reality but I have to say you are overly optimistic in your assessment of the human race. I've seen too much of the sh-tyness of the human race to agree with the part I quoted.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.