Mike Spike
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Posted - 2006.07.19 17:42:00 -
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Edited by: Mike Spike on 19/07/2006 17:45:30
I found a comment that fits to me:
 Quote:
For me the problem is that I love to complete a goal. Once it is completed that is it, I am finished, time to move on. I become obsessed to complete the goal, so from that standpoint it is an addiction. In a game where you will never complete an "ultimate" goal, well it would be like falling into a black pit. It is easier to escape into a controlled fantasy world than face reality at times - in other words the goal offered in the PC game are "easier" and more fun than the real world. Pretty scary implications if you think about it.
Robert M., Linconshire
But it isn't specific to EVE. If I get a new single player game, I want to complete it. So I usually put every time I have into the game, until it's done. It isn't even limited to games: If something fascinates me and is fun, I put as much spare time to it as possible into it. A book, programming ...
Guess I had done the same in my favourite sports some years ago, but the body just told me early, when it was enough. I had a time when I did some sports up to 5 times a week. With occupations that require thinking like programming, reading etc. it's the loss of concentration after some time that tells me, when it's enough. With games I only stop if I feel bored or too exausted to go on or there is something that has to be done now.
It became a problem at university, where I'm 'stuck' now.
I have a lot of freedom. At times I had to write exams and do some labs, but most of the time I could decide myself, which lectures I wanted to attend. Nobody checked, if I was there, I just had to write the exam in the end.
I've started with my first multi-player game in university, a text-based MUD and guess since then I'm doomed.
On one side you have a fascinating game that's fun with goals that you can achieve easily and on the other side you have a long road with often rather dry stuff.
You know it takes years to reach the end goal at university, even if you put your whole power into it and it is often dry / not fun.
Really dangerous in combination with games. You think: 'Since I don't have to go to university for that lesson, I can learn that stuff from a script later' or 'I can write this exam also next year, doesn't matter, since I'm studying anyway.'
I've lost a lot of time due to shifting the bothersome stuff to 'later' and doing something fascinating and fun instead.
Suddenly when a deadline comes close, I stop enjoying something like a game and I feel a slight panic and start to put all my efforts into my studies. As long as I'm sure I have enough time left, I keep on doing the stuff that fascinates me.
E.g. I've done the learning for an oral exam about 2 terms physics for in one day/night. I appeared there a bit exausted and it didn't go great. I knew I could have been a lot better.
Did the same with computer science subjects that seemed easy e.g. done the learning for some practical computer science exams in one day or hammered the stuff from 2 semesters of theoretical computer science, a course that I attended rather irregularily, in one weekend into my head or decided 'last minute' to write an exam at the end of the term. I didn't want to, but then I learned one morning full-power.
Then I start learning / doing exercises non-stop for up to 16 hours, depending on how much time I've left.
Most often it worked somehow, but the grades were usually not so good, if it wasn't a subject that was easy and made for me.
A few times I've failed in a critical exam due that.
But I've never missed due to gaming, when I was employed.
The list of important games:
- my first mud
- Quake 2, Starcraft, Diablo 2 (played during critical exam times)
- Neocron ( for 2 years, more than 35h per week)
- Unreal, Thief 1+2, Deus Ex, Max Payne etc, Gothic 1+2, played till the end like marathons)
- some other MMORPGs, WoW ( full-time a few months)
I think something is wrong with me and setting wrong priorities, not with games. 
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