Ever "zone out" while playing a game?

[Delta2501]

I was wondering if anyone else had had a point while playing a game when they pause and realise they weren't consciously playing for the last minute or two, and yet had still been progressing on automatic. I don't mean just hammering the A/X button in an RPG random battle but in an action game.

The two I remember are starting a race on Mario Kart Double Dash, 3/4 of the way through the mammoth "All Cup" grand prix and realising after the first couple of corners I could not remember starting the race or the first part of the track.

The second is from Ikaruga, a bullet hell shooter, when you realise that your focus has zoned in and you are weaving between bullets unconsciously, without really looking at the rest of the screen.

Anyone else ever "wake up" and realise they had just had a zen moment like this?

 

[Cherry Cola]

Oh yeah, happens to me all the time.

It also happens when I'm reading books or watching a film. I drift out, and suddenly I realize that I've skipped maybe 5 pages or missed 10 minutes of film.

 

[imnot]

yes, sometimes its really worrying, i'm like ok, now to destroy the covenant AA gun, oh what? im on the Ark?

 

[Mr. Grey]

If I did it in a video game, I've completely forgotten it... which isn't too hard to believe since I doubt I'd remember it and just skip along without a care in the world as I lay siege upon an unsuspecting world.

Usually the outside world is the one I zone out of.

 

[Outright Villainy]

Doesn't really happen in games, as it requires a lot more input than books or films. I'll often glaze over paragraphs at a time in novels though; I often have to check if I actually took in and created an image of what I said, otherwise I'll be like "hey, how did they all get here now?"

 

[KaiRai]

Yeah. With everything, books, films etc.

I even do it when listening to music while out running. It's kind of beneficial then though because it means I'm like "Oh wow I did that fa- AHHH MY LEGS!" But I'm usually finished by then

Pay for it dearly the next day though.

 

[VonHobbittzu]

I remember this happening to me while playing Kingdom Hearts. I was fighting Sephiroth in a room with a decent amount of buddies. According to my friends, they were shouting encouragements that fell on deaf ears, to spur me along. About half way through I snapped out of it, and realized that the bugger was preparing his Heartless Angel move, and I exclaimed "HOLY &^$&! He opens with that move?"

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

I do it all the time and I love it.

I also just do it generally while not playing a game.

I was once in party with a friend, I zoned out and when I realised where I was he was gone and I didn't remember when or why he left...

But it's great fun while gaming

I ave to say I love it the most with books... zoning out and losing yourself in a vision of a world that has been created for you to enjoy.

 

[FinalHeart95]

Yes, although it tends to happen A LOT with books for me. I always miss a couple pages then have to turn back. Goddamn print.

 

[Generic_Dave]

I like to think of it as immersion, you are no longer consciously aware of the controller in your hand and are thus acting and moving as you would in real lie, except your move arm is no press X!

And yeah, it happens all the time, usually the harder I'm concentrating the more it happens, used to happen all the time with Wipeout HD and those are my best times.

 

[Suicideking]

I zone out frequently in movies. Did it a couple times driving home from work.

But since the topic is about games, I can say I have only done it in World of Warcraft. I was grinding ogres in Nagrand for rep, hours and hours of it, something like 4000 ogre kills... had zoned out after about 15 minutes.

 

[theSovietConnection]

Yeah, I've zombied my way through Razorfen Downs before, literally have no memory of anything between the start and the finish.

 

[TheNamlessGuy]

DELETED

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I don't believe so but I HAVE zoned out while driving my car....and yet somehow I still make it to my destination

 

[Blackality]

Yes, on racing games it happens to me a lot. The curious part is that, usually, it's when i play better.

 

[Femaref]

Eve Online when fighting a hard pvp battle... blood is full of adrenaline, you are giving commands to your mates, receiving comments or intel, deciding on it, and you are totally concentrated on fighting... After it I usually have to shout out loud or begin to tremble immensely due to all the excess adrenaline in the blood.

 

[Not-here-anymore]

I zone out if ever I have to level-grind in a game. Otherwise I don't zone out of the game (or book, doesn't work with TV or movies, though), I zone out of real life instead. People have walked past me and held conversations I don't remember participating in if I'm involved in an RPG of some kind. I'm far too busy being Shepard or the Warden or something.

 

[Nvv]

Yeah I've had that! in fact it was the only thing that made survive some challenge mode thingie on the original God of War. I had to fight for my life until I zoned out, because when I do I do well. At least better than usual.

 

[Kuroneko97]

Sometimes when reading, my mind goes somewhere else and even though I'm reading, I'm not really paying attention to the words. When I realize this, I have to go back and read the part over again. This also happens during movies, videos, music, Yahtzee's review's, etc. I like to think a lot.

Something similar happens when I play videgames. I'll play for hours and hours and when I stop, I realize I'm starving. That's why I often keep snacks in my room, like Starbursts and potato chips.

 

[Trivun]

About fifteen minutes ago. I've spent most of the day revising for an exam resit, and out of sheer boredom and tiredness I started playing Tetris on my laptop. After about Level 6 I just zoned out and somehow made it to level 9 on auto-pilot, before realising what was happening, and then subsequently losing the game (as always when I reach around 100 lines...).