Game Obsession/Addiction

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-09-25 10:07am

Vympel wrote:How can you play a game 10 hours straight EVERY day? Like shit, I spend more than normal on the computer, but like ... shit.

And I'm in my final year of university.

Eh, the 10 hours straight EVERY day was an exagerration. I have seen him play that long occasionally, and he has said he has played for a day and a half straight (don't ask me how...), but he averages 5-12 hours a day, with probably 6 of those being continuous.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-09-25 10:09am

ggs wrote:
Nathan F wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:He suffers from severe short-term thinking. My grades in school could have been a lot better if I wasn't spending all of my time with a certain leggy brunette, but at least I have something to show for that. What the fuck does anyone accomplish by playing videogames so obsessively?

He needs a cold, hard dose of reality. And he'll probably get it, unless he's taking some ridiculously easy major like Sociology.
Graphic Design, not much harder, although he does have a Calc 1 class which is no walk in the park.
Unless your Calc 1 is significantly harder than what I've done, it shouldnt be that hard. But then again, I dont think I've actually done any "easy" units yet

While not terribly difficult, you can't get through it without studying.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-09-25 10:10am

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:I personally don't see any problem with him wanting to get a tattoo of the Half Life lamda symbol on his hand.

No problem with it, just kind of curious how he is going to explain that one later on in life when he looses interest in computer games...

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-09-30 09:49pm

Digging up an old topic here, but, I figure it is something that all of you who are planning on going to college need to hear.

My room mate just came in saying that I would probably have the room to myself again in a couple weeks. I was like, "Uh, what?"

Apparently, he has just realized that most of his classes take roll and you can only miss so many classes. Well, seeing as though he has taken to the habit of playing Counter Strike until the wee hours of the morning and sleeping until 2-4 PM, he hasn't been going to class. He just found out today that he has now failed most of his classes for this semester and, at UT, you must have a 3.0 GPA your first semester in the Graphic Design Dept., or you're outta there. Now, with the classes he is taking, it doesn't look like it would be that hard to do, that is, if you go to class. So, he tells me that he is leaving in 2 weeks and is going to be heading to some technical school.

Let this be a warning to you guys who are about to enter college. You don't have your parents telling you to go to bed or someone making you go to class, unlike high school. You don't have to go to class. Of course, you won't pass your classes if you don't go to class, but you don't have to go. But, it is a good idea to go, otherwise, you end up being kicked out.

Raptor 597 · Post by **Raptor 597** » 2003-09-30 09:58pm

Europa Universalis II. I've been quite wired for the past few weeks. I usually spend 2-4 hours on Saturday then I'm like Oh Shit it's 1 PM. On weekdays I can usually fit in an hour or a little more. One thing is sure I'm only reading my unread books and my chess bard to college. I seriously need to stop playing EUII I'm not studying and stuff. Well I usually don't but the mentalkity helps out alot so I think I should stop.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2003-09-30 09:59pm

Nathan F wrote:Let this be a warning to you guys who are about to enter college. You don't have your parents telling you to go to bed or someone making you go to class, unlike high school. You don't have to go to class. Of course, you won't pass your classes if you don't go to class, but you don't have to go. But, it is a good idea to go, otherwise, you end up being kicked out.

Indeed, this reaffirms my first post in this thread.

Unfortunate that he didn't figure that out before he failed his classes. I feel kind of sorry for the guy, but then it was his decision. I gamed a lot my first year, but never to the extent this guy seemed to, and I consider myself a pretty dedicated gamer...but then I had four years of boarding school to soften the blow before college.

Soontir C'boath · Post by **Soontir C'boath** » 2003-09-30 10:01pm

Bleh I have already restricted myself from Diablo as it just got plain boring and only maybe an hour and a half in MoH...soo hopefully I'm on the right track.

~Jason

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-09-30 10:50pm

Sounds like you guys who have had problems with this in the past are getting past it just fine.

Thing is, this guy just doesn't seem to get it. I felt sorry for him when he first told me this, but he sat right down and started playing it right after he said this. Then he decided to go to class, again. He was gone to class, and I went to get something to eat for dinner. I got back 10 minutes later and, lo and behold, he was sitting there playing it again. So, now, he isn't even helping himself any, so, I have NO remorse for him. He is getting just exactly what he deserves. I know it's harsh, but dang.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2003-09-30 10:58pm

Nathan F wrote:Sounds like you guys who have had problems with this in the past are getting past it just fine.

The ability to realize that our actions will have consequences helps in that regard. Something tells me this guy had little to no accountability growing up, which is sad.

Thing is, this guy just doesn't seem to get it. I felt sorry for him when he first told me this, but he sat right down and started playing it right after he said this. Then he decided to go to class, again. He was gone to class, and I went to get something to eat for dinner. I got back 10 minutes later and, lo and behold, he was sitting there playing it again. So, now, he isn't even helping himself any, so, I have NO remorse for him. He is getting just exactly what he deserves. I know it's harsh, but dang.

He's still probably in a state of shock, and coping with it the only way he knows how, which is unfortunately tuning out the real world and escaping into his game. People who flunk out due to excessive partying and drinking often go to another party to try and clear their heads, or wind up needing a drink. It's just the way things are, I'm afraid.

Yes, he is getting what he deserves, but I also hope he wises up and gets another chance.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-09-30 11:15pm

Nathan F wrote:Sounds like you guys who have had problems with this in the past are getting past it just fine.

It took six months of volunteer hospital work during the weekends (Thus killing my free time over the weekend), the March of the Living making me forget my EQ password, and two apartmentmates here in College to jumpstart my social life and make me quit the game. It isn't that easy, trust me.

Soontir C'boath · Post by **Soontir C'boath** » 2003-09-30 11:21pm

Nathan F wrote:Sounds like you guys who have had problems with this in the past are getting past it just fine.

Errr...that's because there's too many other things to do.
Weekends: Kaplan for 2.5 hours a day plus it's long butt cheeking hw.
Tuesday and Thursday: I have two period of literacy and propaganda *college now class* which means I have school 7am-3pm on those days.
Plus a buncha homeworks, term project, essays, preparing for Regents exams. So it's hectic.~Jason

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-09-30 11:38pm

Actually, I was saying that as a compliment. You have the will power to MAKE yourself stop playing and get past it. It might have taken a while and some doing, but you are working to get past it and not letting it run your lives.

Soontir C'boath · Post by **Soontir C'boath** » 2003-09-30 11:39pm

Thx, and I was was just following Xeno there so he wouldn't be lonely.

~Jason

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-09-30 11:49pm

Sorry to hear about your roommate, Nathan. Not sorry because he didn't deserve it, but sorry because it's a tragic waste of a young person's life to escape from reality into computer games for most of his waking hours. Especially when he can't afford it. If it was a retired multi-millionnaire, I imagine he can do whatever the fuck he wants, but a university student ...

Betcha he fucks up at the technical school too. Contrary to snobbish pseudo-intellectual belief, tradesmen have to work hard to earn their qualifications too.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-10-01 12:22am

Darth Wong wrote:Sorry to hear about your roommate, Nathan. Not sorry because he didn't deserve it, but sorry because it's a tragic waste of a young person's life to escape from reality into computer games for most of his waking hours. Especially when he can't afford it. If it was a retired multi-millionnaire, I imagine he can do whatever the fuck he wants, but a university student ...

Betcha he fucks up at the technical school too. Contrary to snobbish pseudo-intellectual belief, tradesmen have to work hard to earn their qualifications too.

Yep, you are 100% right. That is, what, 2 things we agree on?

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2003-10-01 12:52am

*shifty eyes*

...What?

Seriously though, while I spend a lot of time on my computer, I don't think I'm that bad. Maybe 5 hours of games on a weekday, not all at once though, split up with surfing SD.net and other stuff. Not one game either, I like to mix it up (currently on a bit of a SWG/Republic/RotK demo/Hitman 2 cycle).

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-10-01 01:44am

Soontir C'boath wrote:Thx, and I was was just following Xeno there so he wouldn't be lonely. ~Jason

Thanks a lot, man, nice to know there's people out there with stories like mine, and with whom I can relate to

2000AD · Post by **2000AD** » 2003-10-01 01:41pm

Game addiction. *shudders* there's areason why i just brought my PC to uni and not my PS2 as well.

On the topic though i will say just two words: Championship Manager !

Post by **Kuja** » 2003-10-01 02:27pm

Kingdom Hearts ensared me completely. I was borderline obsessive about that game for some weeks.

Several of the Final Fantiasies and GTA3 tagged me for a while, but none up to the level of KH.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-10-23 11:20pm

Just an update.

He (my CS addicted room mate) recently went home. I'm not sure if he has just dropped out or what.

An interesting occurance happened on his last night before fall break, though. I went the Tuesday and Wednesday before leaving on Thursday without hearing hide nor hair of him. I figured he was out somewhere, or maybe had left for home, just leaving some stuff here in Knoxville since he said he was going to be coming back later on in the year to, quote, "take advantage of some of the student services."

Well, I came back that Monday after fall break, and found that pretty much all of his stuff was gone, sans a mat of his that was on the floor, the bed spread, and some trash on the floor. I IMed him over AIM and he said that he would be coming back Nov. 25. I didn't think much of it, until I saw a friends of his outside. I asked if he had talked to him any, and if he knew when he would be coming back. His friend said, "Nov. 25 is his court date." I was like, "WTF? Court date?"

He looked at me funny and said, "What, you didn't know?"

Me: "Know what?!"

Him: "He has to be in court because he got busted at a party his last night here and spent a night in jail."

Now, I'm guessing that it was for underage consumption, but it could be for, uhm, 'other things.' I get the odd feeling that he liked to toke on the special cigarettes a bit...

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2003-10-24 12:03am

Nathan F wrote:Has anyone ever truly experienced this? I'm not talking about just really getting into a game and maybe playing it for 10 hours straight one slow saturday, I am talking about playing 10 hours straight EVERY day. As some of you may have noticed in the OT forum, my room mate is obsessed with the game Counter Strike. So much so that he regularly stays up so late playing it that he misses class the next day because he sleeps through it. He sits over there playing it using the voice chat and gets so enthralled at it, that he forgets to answer the telephone and sometimes won't respond if you say something. It is like a whole other world. I have seen him study a total of two times this semster, and I know that he is going to regret wasting so much of his time on this game down the road. He was even wanting to go so far as to get the Half Life Lambda symbol tattoed on his hand. I figure that, unless he is some kind of super genius, this activity won't last when he finds his grades for next semester. His life is literally (In no particular order): Eat, Sleep, Class, Counter Strike (at times putting CS before the other three...).

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced or witnessed game obsession or addiction. I hear it is quite widespread in the world of Everquest.

I've never been "adicted" to any one thing. Its using the computer in general that can get me in trouble. My first semester when I went off to college I stopped going to class after the first two weeks. I am sure my roomie knew that I was blowing class, but he never said a thing. I would do things on my computer early in the morning (that is early for me when I woke up) and stay on late as I could.

Eventualy I did get in a disagreement with my roomate and it cost us a night of quiet backstabbing. I stayed up late playing an online game and he eventualy got up at 2am to do homework since I was keeping him up. Well I finished my game and went to bed but he stayed up with the cd player going for another few hours. The next afternoon I apologized over the whole incident and promised to get off no latter then midnight on school nights. Furthermore I would use headphones for anything after 11 on school nights or even the weekend. We got along fabously after that and at times he didn't mind me staying up late on school nights because I was quiet.

Embracer Of Darkness · Post by **Embracer Of Darkness** » 2003-10-24 04:59pm

The fourth time I played the original Max Payne was from beginning to end in one sitting.

I actually couldn't stop.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-10-24 08:44pm

Embracer Of Darkness wrote:The fourth time I played the original Max Payne was from beginning to end in one sitting. I actually couldn't stop.

I did that with Elite Force, it didnt take too long, it was over well before dawn broke....and then it went back in the box and back to the store for a refund.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-10-25 08:55pm

The only time I played a video game for more than 8 hours straight was when I got Sim City 3000 a few years back, and I ended up staying up all night. Simulators and RPGs are probably the only games that can keep me playing that long. I probably would have played one of the GTA game for a few hours on end, perhaps all night once or twice if my brother wasn't around demanding that he play, though.

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Game Obsession/Addiction

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