The Human Cost Of MMORPGs

http://hellforge.gameriot.com/blogs/Hellforge/The-Human-Cost-of-MMORPGs

Another article on the trade-offs we make for MMOs. No FFXI reference this time, but still relevant. I suppose what I took away from the article was that little reminder we hit everytime we join the game, "...don't forget your family, friends, school, and work". And really, just do everything in moderation.

What do you guys think? This guy over-reacting? or does he have some valid points?

It just depends really. There are people out there that may be neglecting responsibilities (work, school, family), but you're stupid as ***if you let that happen to you. I for one work full-time, school full-time, and hang out with friends. Even after all of that I find time to play FFXI. The people that should seriously rethink about playing FFXI are people that lose their job, friends, family... etc. Otherwise I don't see it to be harmful.

While I agree with the addictiveness of MMO's (many of us here coule prolly agree with that), I think it has more to do with the type of person you are then the game itself. MMORPG's are just one of many things people get latched into and can't shake, I know a recovering Counter Strike addict that played with his clan for hours upon hours every single day, and I'm also sure we can all agree that just because it's an MMO doesn't mean it's easier or harder to get addicted to it. Look at the Starcraft addicts out there...

If people tend to overindulge in anything, I tend to shy them away from MMO's, when they ask my advice. I have a good friend who just can't limit herself when it comes to these types of things, when she was into Anime she watched it for 16 hours a day. When she shifted into her Manga addiction, she was spending $1000 a month on it, piles of books that could reach floor to ceiling that she never even got around to reading half the time...she just had to have all the new series she could find.

Recently she was in town, and I showed her FFXI (she wanted to see what it was that I was doing when she called lol) and she asked if I really thought she should play, at first I thought it would be fun for her, but thinking more on it I don't think it would be good for her. She'd be logged in 20 hours a day, missing school, social events, and others things. It's just how she is...and she admitted as much herself, pretty much.

Anywho, I personally play a lot of FFXI lately, but I take my days off, and it's mostly because I really have nothing better to do right now. I'm looking for work, so outside of submitting aps by the dozens there's only so much that can be done in a day. When I start working 50 hours a week again, I'll be ramping my time on FFXI back to what it was before I got laid off...a few days a week, with the occasional Saturday, and that's it. I like to have my free time outside of FFXI.

I'll never get a Relic, or that other uber ***that people have...but that's ok. I play, mainly, to socialize with my friends. FFXI is like our "clubhouse", so to speak. When it ends, it ends. C'est la vie ^^

I've been in that position, and when your there, its virtually impossible to pull out... thankfully I got out of it, by chance really... moving servers changed a lot of things for me, and once I was there, felt like I could leave it behind... then school got harder and harder, and ended up having less than 4 hours a week free time for this game, and didn't go on it except for those 4 hours...

so I'd say now I'm broke of this addiction, since lately been reading books and stuff, only signing on to check bird (which takes as much time as checking your email, which is another addiction people have XD), then back off to read book...

I get my work done, and hang out with my friends whenever I can-- someone asks if I'm free and wants to go to dinner, eff the game, I don't care if I'm in the middle of a DM fight that took 3 hours to get together, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna go hang out with my friend. It doesn't happen too often, and I don't hang out with my friends much, mainly because I'm a more subdued person, and too quiet/shy to ask them to do stuff-- so only get to hang out whenever anyone cares to invite me, but thats enough for me right now, and whenever the opportunity arises, I go, regardless of game.

Of course, a lot of stuff can get addicting for me-- long before this game, used to be into this forum a tad too well, and its hard to leave it knowing how much stuff you'd be missing while sleeping and stuff @.@;; But that as well faded with time (for the most part)-- and increased my multitasking ability XD

Have to say, leveling a job like bst really helps cut down the addiction, being able to play whenever you want lets you lay off the "man, I needa get on while ppl are lfp" or "my static needs me..." and stuff.. *shug*

in the end though, depends on the person... I know way too many people, myself included, that relies on the game because of w/e ***is going on in their irl, and that builds until its a crutch... so yeah, its addicting, but in and of itself its not evil, it just needs to be managed (much like alcohol >_>;; most people are perfectly fine with it, although a good portion abuse it on occasion, and then theres those few souls who are ruined by it)

I used to kinda shun things irl for the game. Nothing huge...just once in a blue moon when I didn't feel like going to the movies with friends, I would stay home and play FFXI.

But um. Yeah, my ex-fiance had, and still has a huge issue with it. When I would nag her about it, she server swapped and didn't tell me. She told me she deleted her stuff and quit. At the time we didn't live together, so I wouldn't know. I found out and was pretty much pissed.

It did explain why we didn't talk as much anymore, or why she wouldn't answer the phone. Her merit party was more important. I got tired of it after a while, and despite her being rediculously hot, especially for someone like me, ended our engagement and broke up with her after she said something during an arguements. "The game was here before I met you, and will be here with me after you're not."

I guess people just have *** up senses of priorities. Maybe she'll regret the years of logged time wasted the day FFXI gets shut down...but it won't be anytime soon. I digress, people who get addicted to MMO's lose a piece of their humanity. To choose a game over your friends, family and old set of values...not many things in the world can cause such a sad and drastic change.

Meh, if you don't have the will power, an MMORPG will consume your soul.

Or desire :P

I play xi as mainly a way to socialize, I have very bad Social Anxiety Dissorder so i dont go out and do things at all. Before i played xi it was sitting alone playing other games with no social life at all. Big problem is im finding xi more boring now and i mainly only log in to chat, lmao. maybe i'll try sidi's idea and lvl bst so im not sitting waiting for parties.

I think it was some old german alchemist or scientist hundreds of years ago that had a quote of something along the lines of:

"Everything in life is a poison to some degree; it's the dosage and moderation that makes the difference."

I believe this to be true to just about everything.

^^ I agree!

People are morons if they get addicted to games. FFXI is great, I login regularly, but more often then not I don't have anything of interest to do in FFXI, I play for the fun of it. I only have 1 75 job, no plans on leveling any others, average gear, 1 end game event, Dynamis, and that's pretty much it. That keeps me satisfied. I have a job, a girlfriend, friends, and I still manage to balance FFXI with it all.

This post will be tl;dr. Also, I'm sad for that guy because his post only has "7 likes." :<

I think articles like this are very necessary for the MMO population, personally. Just as a guess, it seems like any first-timer to this sort of world is probably going to be sucked in because they don't know what to expect and have no idea what kind of committment they're in for. I know FFXI was my first internet-based game period and I started playing it waaaaay more than I expected when I bought it. After awhile you realize the position you're in and if you've come to enjoy the game, you probably won't be able to step back from it so easily.

Personally I got to a point where between various events and salvage I was playing from 6PM to 1-2AM (breaks in between, but still) 5 nights a week and with a month before my classes were ending, I abruptly left them game altogether. Before actually being on a schedule of play it was probably worse because I'd get on whenever I was bored as opposed to logging on when I knew I had something to do. Event shells actually curbed my play-time because when an event wasn't on, I wasn't playing and became a lot more productive with my free-time.

I still haven't played seriously since I left, only logging on every few weeks to *** with friends. The hardest part to get past was the mega social aspect because it was so breezy and entertaining. I think FFXI in particular has an addictive social aspect because from the get-go you're forced to work with strangers from the beginning till the end. Every aspect of the game involves other people aside from solo play, and even then you have to deal with various competition. Because of that I ended up creating profiles on Facebook, MyFFXI and (tadaaaa) ffxiah so I could stay in touch with friends and still have that semblance of open socializing with a herd of people as nerdy as me.

Anyway, not sure where I'm going with this now, but I believe MMO communities need their critics as much as their followers to keep everyone balanced and in the "real world" so to speak. Without those friends bitching at you to turn the game off and the articles demonizing your addictions, would everyone really have the presence of mind to let it go? Good topic to post on, Mahoro.

the whole in-game marriage thing really cracked me up. I felt sorry for those people who "marry" in-game but never meet irl...

I agree with the only in-game marriage thing. My character is married in-game to my RL girlfriend Astarael. >:P

if you two actually met irl and are not bullshitting each other, then thats fine.

Ya we have met, been dating long distant almost 3 years, I'm in Canada and she's in U.K. right now but im moving there in Aprilish 2010.

wow, long-distance.... Not for me... I get too paranoid lol

Which is exactly why if I did get hitched in game, i'd either want it with someone I am literally with IRL or a really close friend for light hearted fun, and as a lesser symbol as a friendship bond. After all, as much as we love and dedicate our time and effort into our characters, it is just a game.

I merely play FFXI to keep from eating myself into a coma of fatness.

haha, does meatloaf being your only wanted item have any relevance to that? Either way, I'd be more than happy to see this adopted by Oprah for therapy. FFXI needs more galkas! lol

Most people who play MMOs are the opposite. Only eat, sleep and play. >.>; somehow I managed to lose weight. Apparantly the diet worked for Sterling too. xD

Addiction to something means it affects other aspects of your life.

So if you play FFXI to the point that you neglect your real life priorities, then yeah, you are addicted to FFXI.

I'm sure most of us who play FFXI have jobs, go to school, have girlfriends, hang out with friends, etc. Thus we prioritize our play time, unfortunately though, some weaker minded souls like FFXI take over their entire lives.

Addiction to a MMO, summed up imo, is described as someone who recluses into their room/home, forfeits anything and everything they once loved and valued, and at the same time don't realize it. Get angry when confronted about it, and say the famous "I CAN QUIT WHENEVER THE *** I FEEL LIKE IT!"

Sad part is, unlike a drug addiction, the people addicted to an MMO are often people who have the opportunity for so much more in their life. People who have the money, chance and opportunities to be whatever they want but sadly fell into something they themself allowed. :/

I recently returned to the game after a 1 year break and im sad to say i probably wont keep my sub going :/

What greatly stops me from enjoying this game is the fact we spend so much time on it and in the end we get nothing. This is not aimied at anyone its just a generalisation but, do people realise that FFXI will eventually shut down?
Of course it could take years before it does but whats the point racking up on Relics and Endgame gear to pimp your character and spending 900+ days when in the end you will lose it.

SE are already working on Rapture which most of the FFXI population(and me) will go to, emptying, if not making the server populations low. I've got about 130days playtime(i know its not alot compared to some peoples) but it saddens me greatly to see people with extremely high playtimes and good gear(which i envy on occasion) which for now seems like an achievement, until the day comes that you either one, quit, or two, what i mentioned above.

Anyone ever get that feeling, or is it just me? O.o

I canceled my account and reverted back to my PS2, my other 360 games, and outside world.

The key of staying healthy in everything is balance and of course video games are included. If someone can't stay balanced with RL and video games then, obviously, there's going to be problems of some kind. It also happens with drinking or smoking; of course it is unhealthy, but people do it anyway. Again, what is needed here is balance. If a person can't control his/her urges to entertain excesively then he/she should take a breath and think about what really is important in life and how to balance it correctly with her entertainment before it leaves deep scars which cannot be cured in time.