Odd topic (about life and gaming)

[UnravThreads]

Well, I just want to say Hi first of all. Been on and off this website for a while, mainly due to ZP's pretty amazing reviews. I've noticed a lot of high-calibre discussions here and so I thought I'd see if I could get some advice/direction, and it'll sound like a ramble, but please try to bear with me.

So, where to start? My name's Mik (short for Michael), and I'm 19, well, 20 in December. I've pretty much grown up with a game controller/keyboard in my hands. My dad (who's my non-biological father) has been the male figure in my life since I was around 2. I grew up playing the Amiga (Zool, Castles, that sorta stuff) and as such progressed to the SNES (which I still own!), Playstation, N64 and so forth. Over the years I've owned a PS2, DS Lite, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Gamecube, none of which I have anymore because I tended to do a lot of part exchange and it meant I circled around the consoles a little, but I've always played PC games. As I'm unemployed at the moment, I've not got any spare cash to throw around on games so I'm stuck with what I've got, so basically WoW, WC3, Oblivion, HL2 and a bunch of others.

I saw an image in another topic of Link from Zelda (Twilight Princess, to be precise) and something hit me. I miss playing consoles! You know, sitting on the bed playing Chrome Hounds, LoZ, Phoenix Wright.. That sort of stuff. One reason I kept moving away from it was the cost. Why pay £40 for a game when I can get the PC version (which often looks/runs better) for £25? I do miss playing consoles, but I love my PC at the same time. As mentioned, I play WoW, which seems to take up all my time and I don't even realise it. Wake up, boot it up, turn it off at night and go to sleep, and repeat. I know quitting WoW would probably be a HUGE benefit to me, but at the same time I don't want to. I like being able to log on, talk to people and so forth. I've tried twice before and it's very hard, to be honest.

I look at everything coming out. Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, Dragon Age : Origins, Fallout 3 + Expansions and I want them so badly, but I'd never play them. Why? Yep, WoW. I guess a lot of you are gonna say "Quit WoW, and get outside", so I'd like to point out I basically don't have friends IRL, and never really have done. I do have friends of a sort, but I wouldn't call them friends in the sense I go out with them, have fun, get sloshed (I dislike alcohol, actually) and so on.

Once I get a job, I'll be able to afford a Wii, get the new Zelda, buy the next new console and five hundred games... But am I just stuck in a loop, and should I break free? I am not a social person in the slightest, you know? I've had relationships (and relations) with girls, but it's very short lived. Less than a month, really! Yet at the same time, I don't think I really have much interest in relationships.

So really, my question is, what do I do? Is it really just as simple as Quit WoW or what?

 

[grimsprice]

haha. weird. that sounds like me... and im talking about the michael part... and the born in december part... and the anti-social part... and the relations with girls part... and all the consoles part... and... well... lets just say that the only thing we don't have in common is my dad is my dad. but back to the topic... i'd say either go to college, or get a job. the only way you make friends is by being in an environment where you meet people. get that job, and you'll most likely find a friend or two, you'll be able to hang out and you'l probably mature and build confidence and social skills. at least thats my advice.

 

[ghalkhsdkssakgh]

Yep. Try going cold turkey for a while. Go outside, try for a job, find some new activity to try.
Try a different MMO, maybe one that automatically limits your time, or try an online game like TF2, where you can still talk to other people.

(I'm probably not the best person to be giving you this kind of advice but hey, take what you can)

 

[Jedoro]

I'd say once you get a job, get to know your coworkers and their friends. I'm pretty good friends with the people I work with, so it could work out for you, too.

As mentioned before, college helps, too.

 

[Spitfire175]

So really, my question is, what do I do? Is it really just as simple as Quit WoW or what?

Yes.

 

[Kilo24]

It is possible to have fulfilling relationships through WoW, it's just that that's rare, and not generally looked for by the players.

I played WoW for a while too, but stopped after a bit (and came back thrice to check out new content for maybe a month or so each time.) I just didn't find the end-game guild raids or the 5 man heroics too fun, I suppose.

If you're looking for more games, there are a host of free games out there on PC. Nethack alone is a huge, fairly enjoyable and really deep game and has tons of replay value even if you actually beat it some time. Dwarf Fortress and Spelunky would earn my seal of approval as well.

I'd jump on the preachy "thou shalt get a job and a girlfriend and will be happy by becoming a Productive Member of Society and casting WoW into flames," but I expect that other posters will bury you with that.

 

[suhlEap]

it does sound like quiting WoW might help. i tend to spend all my time with my girlfriend (practically live with her in fact) but that doesn't mean i don't get to play games. you needn't quit altogether, but spending all day doing it is probably the root of your problem. go to college/get a job and meet people. and when you have nothing to do, play games. it works for me

 

[Proteus214]

Kicking WoW is tough. I tried twice before and both ended in relapse where I would play more hardcore play than before. I finally did it for real in May. I transferred my character off the realm that I had been based on for so long and just disconnected from my guild for about a month. I still talk to some of the guys from there that also quit shortly after I did and every once in a while I get that "oh man I need to get back in there" kind of feeling.

But then I remember, "Oh snap. I actually have time to play all these other games!"

Seriously dude, do it. You won't regret it.

 

[UnravThreads]

I've been looking for work between my WoW Sessions, I forgot to mention that. I've not just been sat playing WoW, so I'd like to get out there.

Indeed Kilo, I quite liked FreeRealms and Runes of Magic, but they did feel "free", if that makes sense? You could tell time and effort had gone in but they just felt a bit tacky.

As for another MMO, I am considering City of Heroes despite me preferring fantasy. I've tried AoC, DDO and LotRO, and I can't remember them that well, to be honest. Oh, and SWG.. Did not like that at all. I have got TF2 but I never really enjoyed it all that much. It's good every so often, but I couldn't play it much more than an hour every few days.

EDIT : Proteus, that does sound like a good idea.

Right, so, gonna give quitting another go!

 

[UnravThreads]

Well, still looking for a job. Not played WoW since earlier today and I already feel a bit better. Replaced my desktop with a FF13 pic, hidden my WoW stuff... Yeah, pretty good.

Actually, is FF11 any good, or should I just wait for FF13 and get a PS3/360?

 

[SimuLord]

WoW is a double-edged sword. My wife has a tendency to run up the credit card looking for "something new" whenever she starts to get a little bored of WoW, but she's never satisfied with the games she buys, plays them for about three days, then goes back to WoW while I'm left with the credit card bill for her dabbling. Personally I just wish she'd play it exclusively.

(then again, she's also very well-adjusted, holds down a full-time job, and considering I've decided to go back to college to finish my long-abandoned degree and won't be working full-time until 2012, she even supports my sorry ass!)

 

[vanillabeans320]

ditto on grimsprice, us being similar. i dont play wow, and so i play games like l4d periodically throughout the day. even without habitual all-day gaming, i sit around the house because i dont feel like theres anything 'out there' i want to do (i usually follow my sister around, and what she does is fun enough for me). im unemployed now but had a job last summer and let me tell you, it does a LOT in terms of keeping you sane and making the days not feel all blurred together. somehow it helps esteem too. when i work (i still live at home, im 22) i feel like my parents cant get mad at me for being lazy. so yeah a job. btw if youre like me youve thought about working at a tech/game place because thats what you like. ive found i prefer something simple, like stacking boxes.

 

[UnravThreads]

Exactly, Vanilla. I don't want a job like working in a café, working in an office.. I'd much rather just stack shelves and think about what's on TV that night, the next album I'll get or whatever.

I've tried to get jobs at places like GAME (UK's biggest game shop, I think) and Gamestation, but I never hear anything which annoys me a bit. Gonna keep trying though

 

[UnravThreads]

Sorry to double post but :

That's WoW uninstalled, and my account cancelled. Step one, complete!

 

[UnravThreads]

I thought I'd just update with progress on how I've done etc, for those who posted. I apologise if triple-posting is frowned upon.

Well, it's been almost a week and I'm back on WoW. I was actually bored to near-tears without it, to be honest, but I'm enjoying it a lot more. I'm in a great guild, my character's geared up very quickly and I'm knocking the socks off other players! They certainly seem happy with me, at the very least. The server's still in a bit of a state, but I've been too busy to truly notice.

As for what else I'm gonna do... Get a job, still, a 360 and the new KoF game. Was quite a fan of some of them (such as Max. Impact, which I'll get a PS2 for!). Who knows? Maybe once I get a job I'll quit WoW and play other games, but for now it's something to pass the time and the days of the week. A DS or PSP may work its way into my collection for on-the-move gaming, or for playing around the house (making a sarnie whilst solving a case in Phoenix Wright? Hell yeah!).

Suggestions for what to do, what console/games to get... They're all still very welcome!