Roark wrote:
I am referring to MMORPGs - EQ, WOW, and the like
It didn't sound like that was the only thing you were talking about... it sounds instead like you were talking about every game ever made (and still are)...
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Gaming achieves nothing - it is a pure leisure activity and the MMORPGs have a unique ability to consume more and more of your life. The online friends you make may be nice, but they are no substitute for flesh and blood. They can't come over your place to hang out, or take you out for a coffee or beer if you are feeling down, can't look into your eyes or give you a hug. If you know yourself and can limit it to a reasonable playtime of 1-2 hours a night where it is just a substitute for TV great. But for people with less than optimal social skills - the online world can be an easy place to retreat and withdraw to - it sure was for me.
If "online friends" are not a substitute for real friends, does that mean I should forsake this community here at wrong planet? I never really got sucked into online games like WoW, but the same logic can be applied to this situation. The only real-world social construct I am deeply involved in is my church (where there's nobody in the 18-30 range other than me). This online community provides much of the interaction with people my own age that I have, since I can talk to people here of my own age, and not be immediately ostracized...
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If you game seriously (2-3+ hours a day) that is easily 15-20 hours a week, like a part time job - but with nothing to show for it... Read books, learn an instrument, develop some hobby - something to improve yourself and that you also might be able to put on a resume or talk about in a job interview.
I am a full-time college student, spend 20 hours a week at my church doing stuff for the youth group and the choir, and still have time left-over for 2-3+ hours of gaming each day...
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I look at the years I wasted in my life (During my deepest depression I was logged onto Everquest for over 150 days in 1 year - that is almost 50% of my life in game, and way over half of my non-sleeping time). If I had actually tried to deal with my issues - go out and engage the world, develop hobbies, anything productive it would have been better then the void I existed in.
Too many people who game use it as an escape - and anyone with Asperger's already has enough challenges in life.
I do agree that people who do absolutely nothing but game while awake need to pull themselves out, but to suggest that the three hours a day I put into Tetris is somehow a waste of my life is just an affront to what I hold dear...