Does anyone do this??

[Messianic]

Wow.

I woke up at 5am to play eq for an hour or so (because I'd rather go to bed on time with my wife than play EQ into the night), but i definitely remember the pre-marriage hardcore gaming days - staying up 72 hours to level my twink monk so I'd be ready for a future raid in sebilis for a shot at a fungi tunic, getting 10 levels in 12 hours (levels 20-30) in lake of ill omen because I had a personal fridge right next to my computer full of coca-cola and a bathroom within 15 feet...and I was kind of a wimp compared to some hardcore gamers. I was also taking advanced classes at the time...

Seriously, be careful with games. There are so many important things to experience and use your time on in life than video games, regardless how good you feel when you ding. You're just in the skinner box, pulling the lever.

It is fun to pull that lever, though...

[Serrack]

Before we go all the way down the "OMG THIS GAME IS DANGEROUS" rabbit hole, I think it's important to highlight this excerpt from the tale of woe linked above:

It would be easy for me to pin my problems on EverQuest, and society in general would accept it without question. I could say I fell prey to an addictive video game that nearly ruined my life, but I would know that wasn't the case.

I hid. I ran from my problems, hiding away in a virtual fantasy world instead of confronting the issues that might have been easily resolved if I had addressed them directly. As far as I am concerned, the only thing Sony Online Entertainment is guilty of is creating a damn good hiding place. It was my responsibility to control how much I played...

[Messianic]

Originally Posted by Serrack [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Before we go all the way down the "OMG THIS GAME IS DANGEROUS" rabbit hole, I think it's important to highlight this excerpt from the tale of woe linked above:

It would be easy for me to pin my problems on EverQuest, and society in general would accept it without question. I could say I fell prey to an addictive video game that nearly ruined my life, but I would know that wasn't the case.

I hid. I ran from my problems, hiding away in a virtual fantasy world instead of confronting the issues that might have been easily resolved if I had addressed them directly. As far as I am concerned, the only thing Sony Online Entertainment is guilty of is creating a damn good hiding place. It was my responsibility to control how much I played...

Good point...

I don't blame EQ per say - it's a personal problem, not a problem with the game itself. But if my Dad had been an alcoholic, I would be wise not to stray too far into drinking territory (not that drinking is bad, but I might be prone to abusing it). Some people are more susceptible to certain vices than others are. I dare say some people shouldn't play video games at all - but obviously that's their choice and its their responsibility to determine if that's the case for them. Not to water-down genuinely fun games which most people can enjoy responsibly.