I do not care if you smoke pot.

[Alawen Everywhere]

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

I think what has changed is the open aspect of it. Obviously the gamer community is one that will be more suspect to having drug use in it (note I include alcohol under drugs).

I mean lets face it, we are all sitting here playing a 12 year old game getting our jollies off of content that was cleared by HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of people before us. I more question how some of you can sit down and play this INCREDIBLY out-dated game sober?

But onto your point, its in just about every game. I left eq1 for eq2, and was in the same guild in eq2 for many many years. We had a core of major stoners in that guild, and our server (crushbone) had weekly discussions in the top level channel about it. My guild had even created a game for raiding called Low4High which was specifically was intended to get you stoned as shit during a raid, and it became so popular people requested it on weekend PUraids we would do for our alts. Since quitting eq2 I have played just about every major MMO to release for a period (WAR, AoConan, Rift, Darkfall, Aion....) and each and every one of them has a very large community of smokers.

Reality is this.....your playing a game DESIGNED to create its own reality. Just think of the phrase started by eq1 "You're in our world now..." Is anyone really surprised there are people playing this game getting high? I still come back to questioning how can you do this SOBER and get into it as much as some of these 'straight edge' people do. Shit if I sit here and spend a day playing eq1 sober by the end of it I feel like an utter jackass for wasting the day. At least when I am stoned I can justify the fact I had already intended to not do anything overly productive with that time anyways.

I used to have a an approach to smoking and drinking that was six months on and six months off in order to keep some order to life and to control my tolerances. I started smoking and drinking again around the holidays of 2009 and, not too coincidentally, started playing P99 in early January of 2010. In early June of 2010, I went off again, probably for good this time. (Forever is a long time.)

By July, I was so irritated with lack of talent and brains in Inglourious Basterds that I took a long break. In August, I got myself kicked out. In September, I joined DA for a few weeks and got rapidly bored out of my skull. By November, I decided to go back to school and started spending most of my leisure time reading and playing guitar. Now I play a few hours a week. Most days I don't log in at all.

In my case, the answer to your question is obviously that I can't get into it sober. It lacks immersion and difficulty. I'd rather go for a walk or chat on Facebook or bicker on the forums. Or even do my homework or laundry or polish my boots. There's literally no challenge or motivation of any sort.