Long-Haul Gaming
- Thread starter Mark J Kline
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Wow, and I thought my 14 hours of straight Civ5 play was long. I really don't know how this guy does it.
If he can do that and still fulfill all his real-life obligations, I don't see much of an issue. Though it'd probably be best to take a one hour break every now and then.
Also, I was worried that Dr. Mark wouldn't be posting anything anymore, since its been quite a while since his last article. Glad to see I was wrong.
If he can do that and still fulfill all his real-life obligations, I don't see much of an issue. Though it'd probably be best to take a one hour break every now and then.
Also, I was worried that Dr. Mark wouldn't be posting anything anymore, since its been quite a while since his last article. Glad to see I was wrong.
Good to see this column is still up, I haven't seen it pop up for a while, guess I've missed them.
I have never played a game for more than 10 hours in one sit, but the times I've done so were due to games like STALKER and Far Cry 2. Games that immerse a lot, and keep giving you stuff to achieve.
So you're also over sensitive to pollen, I've been so for as long as I can remember. And the list of pollen I'm sensitive to has only increased over the years, so I spend most of my time in the summer indoors hiding from plants.
Recently though I've tried getting a hypnosis treatment against it, and it's actually working really well. The theory behind why we get those reactions to pollen and why hypnosis works is also worth checking out.
I have never played a game for more than 10 hours in one sit, but the times I've done so were due to games like STALKER and Far Cry 2. Games that immerse a lot, and keep giving you stuff to achieve.
So you're also over sensitive to pollen, I've been so for as long as I can remember. And the list of pollen I'm sensitive to has only increased over the years, so I spend most of my time in the summer indoors hiding from plants.
Recently though I've tried getting a hypnosis treatment against it, and it's actually working really well. The theory behind why we get those reactions to pollen and why hypnosis works is also worth checking out.
30-50 hours.....
yay! by comparison, I don't have a problem!
I've spent a whole day gaming, but I take breaks... then sleep for 18 hours...
... I'm healthy.
yay! by comparison, I don't have a problem!
I've spent a whole day gaming, but I take breaks... then sleep for 18 hours...
... I'm healthy.
I can and have spent long long hours playing games. And I did it a lot more when I was younger as well. Back then it was definitely the escapism aspect, not helped by my not-yet-diagnosed Bipolar Disorder and Autism.
Nowadays I'm a lot better, but I still occasionally settle in for the long haul. When I got Mass Effect 2 I finished the whole thing in about three days, and my final hour count was over fifty hours play-time so...
The worst offender was definitely Final Fantasy IX though. When I was 11/12 I couldn't put that game down, and it was long enoguh to engage me for that long. Nowadays it's easier to not play for hours because you can finish a whole game in about 5-8 hours.
Nowadays I'm a lot better, but I still occasionally settle in for the long haul. When I got Mass Effect 2 I finished the whole thing in about three days, and my final hour count was over fifty hours play-time so...
The worst offender was definitely Final Fantasy IX though. When I was 11/12 I couldn't put that game down, and it was long enoguh to engage me for that long. Nowadays it's easier to not play for hours because you can finish a whole game in about 5-8 hours.
I'm not going to lie, some of you guys' numbers are kind of scary. I love to game, and some long bouts can last 4-6 hours. But After school and work, I just don't have enough time in the day for more than that.
I think it must be safe to assume the question asker doesn't have any significant responsibilities. I guess he could work for few days on, few off, but he didn't mention that. He also probably doesn't have children or a significant other, or have anyone they have to look after. It sounds almost as though they're living somewhere rent is taken care of, food is bought and cooked for them, and they don't hold any adult responsibilities. Sounds like the perfect environment to escape into a fantasy world more interesting than reality.
Personally, I'd say yes it's unhealthy because 30 hours of a single activity is overkill. Sure, if you enjoy it that's great but seeing as how that something is a fantasy MMO and the person isn't stopping to do anything else I would call that an addiction. Addictions don't necessitate that the addicted hates his vice. There are plenty of folks who love smoking a pack of cigs a day, and tell themselves they can quit any time but just don't want to. The test would be for him to cut down his time to 3-5 hours, and do other stuff for the rest of the day. If he can't bear it or feels like nothing else is worth doing than I'd say he's lost in the abyss of addiction.
I played FFXI for about 3 years at the end of high school and into my first years of community college. At it's height, I woke up and began play immediately. I stopped only shortly to heat up microwave food from my parent's freezer. I played strait through the day, probably anywhere from 12-16 hours a day. After being long out of that scenario I would say I was definitely lost in the fantasy and was quite addicted. I'll never do that again, there just simply isn't enough time to lead two social lives. I like to spend real money, learn knowledge about the real world, and have sex with my real girlfriend.
Simply put, this kid is completely and unhealthily addicted. Hobbies that enrich our lives are always good, as are games. Having that hobbie hijack your life is not.
I think it must be safe to assume the question asker doesn't have any significant responsibilities. I guess he could work for few days on, few off, but he didn't mention that. He also probably doesn't have children or a significant other, or have anyone they have to look after. It sounds almost as though they're living somewhere rent is taken care of, food is bought and cooked for them, and they don't hold any adult responsibilities. Sounds like the perfect environment to escape into a fantasy world more interesting than reality.
Personally, I'd say yes it's unhealthy because 30 hours of a single activity is overkill. Sure, if you enjoy it that's great but seeing as how that something is a fantasy MMO and the person isn't stopping to do anything else I would call that an addiction. Addictions don't necessitate that the addicted hates his vice. There are plenty of folks who love smoking a pack of cigs a day, and tell themselves they can quit any time but just don't want to. The test would be for him to cut down his time to 3-5 hours, and do other stuff for the rest of the day. If he can't bear it or feels like nothing else is worth doing than I'd say he's lost in the abyss of addiction.
I played FFXI for about 3 years at the end of high school and into my first years of community college. At it's height, I woke up and began play immediately. I stopped only shortly to heat up microwave food from my parent's freezer. I played strait through the day, probably anywhere from 12-16 hours a day. After being long out of that scenario I would say I was definitely lost in the fantasy and was quite addicted. I'll never do that again, there just simply isn't enough time to lead two social lives. I like to spend real money, learn knowledge about the real world, and have sex with my real girlfriend.
Simply put, this kid is completely and unhealthily addicted. Hobbies that enrich our lives are always good, as are games. Having that hobbie hijack your life is not.
Can someone explain to me how the fuck these people play so long without their hands and joints screaming in pain?
I have no medical problems but if all I do all day is sit and play games, my hands, wrists, and joints hurt like hell. Im in better shape I've no doubt than most of these people so I don't know what the deal is.
I have no medical problems but if all I do all day is sit and play games, my hands, wrists, and joints hurt like hell. Im in better shape I've no doubt than most of these people so I don't know what the deal is.
finally just got around to playing Fallout new vegas..
I work a full-tim job, live my girlfriend, have family and friends and other projects i am working on...
however i actually got to play it for like 6 hours straight and i was so happy
i havent had a session like that in a year or more
at the end of it i was pretty wrecked so i dont know how this dude does 50..
but at the same time i do enjoy the "enchanted feeling" after you stop feeling and your mind is racing and even when you are sleeping you dream about picking up loot
haha
game with moderation...life is good...and gaming is meant to be a game
I work a full-tim job, live my girlfriend, have family and friends and other projects i am working on...
however i actually got to play it for like 6 hours straight and i was so happy
i havent had a session like that in a year or more
at the end of it i was pretty wrecked so i dont know how this dude does 50..
but at the same time i do enjoy the "enchanted feeling" after you stop feeling and your mind is racing and even when you are sleeping you dream about picking up loot
haha
game with moderation...life is good...and gaming is meant to be a game
There is no way in hell I will ever reach 30-50 hours...
I barely reached 12 hours without totally passing out. That is an achivement there.
I barely reached 12 hours without totally passing out. That is an achivement there.
30-50 HOURS?!?!?!
That's insane! Imagine if he spent that time working straight shifts... He'd be rich!
That's insane! Imagine if he spent that time working straight shifts... He'd be rich!
When Dr. Mark mentioned the entranced feeling after playing for hours on end, I know exactly what he means. I haven't played in stretches like the ones described by the writer, but there have been days when my cousin and I have been playing video games almost the entire time we were awake during my summer visits. We would pause for a restroom break and I would suddenly notice that it was dark out, and I hadn't eaten breakfast, lunch or dinner yet.
And yet, that didn't really bother me, as if my body didn't need the food and it was perfectly happy with continuing to play video games. It felt as if I got everything I needed from the game. I don't think extended play sessions are a problem, unless you find them interfering with other obligations, such as family and work. As much as I love video games, some things are take precedent in my own life, but I won't tell someone how they should live theirs.
And yet, that didn't really bother me, as if my body didn't need the food and it was perfectly happy with continuing to play video games. It felt as if I got everything I needed from the game. I don't think extended play sessions are a problem, unless you find them interfering with other obligations, such as family and work. As much as I love video games, some things are take precedent in my own life, but I won't tell someone how they should live theirs.
Isn't addiction to games more of a social problem than a problem with the game itself?
MMOs easily makes people feel accomplished, creating the feeling that it's "better" than real life. Many people blame WoW for being "addicting," when little to none of the fault lies in the game.
But if he can easily stop, then it's more because he finds it fun than anything, so yeah. Not escapism.
MMOs easily makes people feel accomplished, creating the feeling that it's "better" than real life. Many people blame WoW for being "addicting," when little to none of the fault lies in the game.
But if he can easily stop, then it's more because he finds it fun than anything, so yeah. Not escapism.
GOOD FUCKING GOD MAN, THIRTY TO FIFTY HOURS?! I CAN DO A 5-7 HOURS PLAYSESSION OF FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS AT BEST!!
Okay, all caps off now, I understand what the sender experiences, as others mention above, getting entranced in a video game REALLY isn't all that big of a deal. Letting yourself be sucked in/immersed in the game is a fairly normal and somewhat exhilarating experience.
HOWEVER, there is a necessary cutoff point. I think at BEST, a 'marathon' game session shouldn't break 5/7 hours, on ONE game. I mean if you're tackling 3/4 games over a 24 hours period and remembering to get food and, ya know, PEE every now and then, that's fine.
But 30-50 hours... dude, you seriously need to tear yourself away from the game. It doesn't matter how engrossed you are, you 'need' to take a break or else your brain will get bo- Well wait a minute, if you're playing for that long, you're obviously not bored...
...Yeah, I got no clue what to suggest. I never could play a single game for more than 6-8 hours at best when I think about it and honestly, it 'needs' to be an open world/'massive' RPG for me to throw away that many hours into it...
Okay, all caps off now, I understand what the sender experiences, as others mention above, getting entranced in a video game REALLY isn't all that big of a deal. Letting yourself be sucked in/immersed in the game is a fairly normal and somewhat exhilarating experience.
HOWEVER, there is a necessary cutoff point. I think at BEST, a 'marathon' game session shouldn't break 5/7 hours, on ONE game. I mean if you're tackling 3/4 games over a 24 hours period and remembering to get food and, ya know, PEE every now and then, that's fine.
But 30-50 hours... dude, you seriously need to tear yourself away from the game. It doesn't matter how engrossed you are, you 'need' to take a break or else your brain will get bo- Well wait a minute, if you're playing for that long, you're obviously not bored...
...Yeah, I got no clue what to suggest. I never could play a single game for more than 6-8 hours at best when I think about it and honestly, it 'needs' to be an open world/'massive' RPG for me to throw away that many hours into it...