Does anyone do this??

[fuji]

You get on EQ late at night and play until 4am or later. At the end you feel physically and mentally like garbage and swear you are not going to play EQ again, or maybe not for a long while. Then you get on the next day and are playing again.

How does this happen?

[Bubbles]

You get on EQ late at night and play until 4am or later. At the end you feel physically and mentally like garbage and swear you are not going to play EQ again, or maybe not for a long while. Then you get on the next day and are playing again.

How does this happen?

Does it count if you forget to go to bed at 4am and are still playing the next day?

[Toony]

How does this happen?

Addiction?

[JackFlash]

Let me have a stab. Just replace EQ with heroin and play with (get) high.

You get on (HEROIN) late at night and are (HIGH) until 4am or later. At the end you feel physically and mentally like garbage and swear you are not going to (GET HIGH) on (HEROIN) again, or maybe not for a long while. Then you get on the (HEROIN) next day and are (HIGH) again.

[Kani]

There's a reason it's referred to as, "Evercrack."

[Kambris]

I recently went three straight days with no sleep and endless EQ.

I'm a chronic insomniac though, and I was out of pot.


It was fun until the mania started kicking in...

[astarothel]

I am an addict

Maybe you should take a step back from the game there man.

[quellren]

Only EQ can facilitate benders like that. I played like that pretty often.

Back in 'live' I camped the Ghoul Lord for something like 96 hours. When I couldn't stay awake, my brother would take over and play while I napped. After killing the Lord about 20 times, and losing the roll on the first GB after 24 hours, I finally got mine. I swore I was gonna take a break. I slept for about 4-5 hours, and logged in to 'try it out'. A few kills turned into a full day of SolB camping. lol.

Good times, good times.

[Loftus]

You don't say whether you had played EQ on "live" or not.

However, I can tell you that EQ and it's derivatives (WoW, EQ2, etc.) have a propensity to destroy lives if not careful.

I remember hearing horror stories 8 years ago about EQ leading to:
- divorce
- financial ruin
- job loss
- and a myriad of other nasty life changes.

Tread carefully.

[JxP]

Obesity plagues many MMO players as well :P

[Reiker]

However, I can tell you that [HEROIN] and it's derivatives ([COCAINE], [METH], etc.) have a propensity to destroy lives if not careful.

I remember hearing horror stories 8 years ago about [HEROIN] leading to:
- divorce
- financial ruin
- job loss
- and a myriad of other nasty life changes.

Tread carefully.

Yup, still works.

[BuzWeaver]

You get on EQ late at night and play until 4am or later. At the end you feel physically and mentally like garbage and swear you are not going to play EQ again, or maybe not for a long while. Then you get on the next day and are playing again.

How does this happen?

Skinner Box (http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html)

[Kowie]

I definately do this.

My butt hurts from too much EQ, and I'm a rather casual player.

[RKromwell]

I was on call for work last night. The only time they call me is when I go to sleep. SO I played EQ the whole time, not a single call came in.

[scecie]

Skinner Box (http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html)

Holy Crap. I followed that link and another to this:

http://kotaku.com/5384643/i-kept-playing--the-costs-of-my-gaming-addiction

Read this. It is practically my story back in the days of hard core EQ addiction. I bet many of us can relate to it. I remember getting laid off and doing nothing but my daily EQ cycle for about 6 months. Going outside for anything felt completely surreal. Scary.

[nicemace]

better than my 10:30am today :D

[Bruster]

i am currently doing this atm

[Lanvaren]

This time around (on P99) I didn't have a girlfriend/fiancee, which is ironic since just about every MMO I've gotten in to was a result of their meddling.


But... WOO, level 50 and no guilt!!!




Also - I regularly stay up for days on end and catch naps between respawns. When I was younger, I figured EQ must have been developed in league with the military to breed a generation of super soldiers. It was a failed experiment. That's probably the delirium talking.

UO was just fun, and when you went to bed, you just left your char logged in and progressing all night. Heck, you accomplished more while macroing than you ever could while actively playing. :rolleyes: That was a great game. All fun, no grind.

[Zordana]

Let me have a stab. Just replace EQ with heroin and play with (get) high.

HEROIN HERO!

http://www.jatekozon.hu/img/game/heroin_hero_de.jpg

[Omnimorph]

Rumzuck is so awesome he actually caught the dragon!! you rip it's head off and it's full of candy! And by candy I mean heroin

[BuzWeaver]

Holy Crap. I followed that link and another to this:

http://kotaku.com/5384643/i-kept-playing--the-costs-of-my-gaming-addiction

Read this. It is practically my story back in the days of hard core EQ addiction. I bet many of us can relate to it. I remember getting laid off and doing nothing but my daily EQ cycle for about 6 months. Going outside for anything felt completely surreal. Scary.

I'll take a look.

[Messianic]

Wow.

I woke up at 5am to play eq for an hour or so (because I'd rather go to bed on time with my wife than play EQ into the night), but i definitely remember the pre-marriage hardcore gaming days - staying up 72 hours to level my twink monk so I'd be ready for a future raid in sebilis for a shot at a fungi tunic, getting 10 levels in 12 hours (levels 20-30) in lake of ill omen because I had a personal fridge right next to my computer full of coca-cola and a bathroom within 15 feet...and I was kind of a wimp compared to some hardcore gamers. I was also taking advanced classes at the time...

Seriously, be careful with games. There are so many important things to experience and use your time on in life than video games, regardless how good you feel when you ding. You're just in the skinner box, pulling the lever.

It is fun to pull that lever, though...

[Serrack]

Before we go all the way down the "OMG THIS GAME IS DANGEROUS" rabbit hole, I think it's important to highlight this excerpt from the tale of woe linked above:

It would be easy for me to pin my problems on EverQuest, and society in general would accept it without question. I could say I fell prey to an addictive video game that nearly ruined my life, but I would know that wasn't the case.

I hid. I ran from my problems, hiding away in a virtual fantasy world instead of confronting the issues that might have been easily resolved if I had addressed them directly. As far as I am concerned, the only thing Sony Online Entertainment is guilty of is creating a damn good hiding place. It was my responsibility to control how much I played...

[Messianic]

Before we go all the way down the "OMG THIS GAME IS DANGEROUS" rabbit hole, I think it's important to highlight this excerpt from the tale of woe linked above:

It would be easy for me to pin my problems on EverQuest, and society in general would accept it without question. I could say I fell prey to an addictive video game that nearly ruined my life, but I would know that wasn't the case.

I hid. I ran from my problems, hiding away in a virtual fantasy world instead of confronting the issues that might have been easily resolved if I had addressed them directly. As far as I am concerned, the only thing Sony Online Entertainment is guilty of is creating a damn good hiding place. It was my responsibility to control how much I played...

Good point...

I don't blame EQ per say - it's a personal problem, not a problem with the game itself. But if my Dad had been an alcoholic, I would be wise not to stray too far into drinking territory (not that drinking is bad, but I might be prone to abusing it). Some people are more susceptible to certain vices than others are. I dare say some people shouldn't play video games at all - but obviously that's their choice and its their responsibility to determine if that's the case for them. Not to water-down genuinely fun games which most people can enjoy responsibly.

[guineapig]

I tend to purposefully go a few days in a row without even touching EQ every week specifically for all the reasons posted above.

I'm too old to be "chasing the dragon" like I used. There's other stuff to do in life.

[Messianic]

I tend to purposefully go a few days in a row without even touching EQ every week specifically for all the reasons posted above.

I'm too old to be "chasing the dragon" like I used. There's other stuff to do in life.

Sometimes I have difficulty doing this. It lets me know I need it all the more :P

[Diogene]

Dont be afraid guys ! = D

Why 11 years later, some nerds like us come back to an outdated video game like EQ ?
Because EQ is not a game (who the fuck think its a game? =P) It's a masterpiece in term of immersion and mechanics, story background and social interactivity. We are like, every artists, deeply moved by our passion, and our character is our masterpiece, unique and powerful. Sounds pitiful hey? Just take a look at Writers ; they write all day long on their computer a book they want to live in, sacrifying family and friends. At the end of the day, they are tired, and feel like ghosts. Just because of that : PASSION. We are like them, we write a story, endless, worthless for some maybe, but we are all reaching the same goal : DREAMING. So don't be too harsh with yourself !

I think the central problem in EQ is the greed. I have learned Greed kills everything (especially your brain). I now play EQ once or twice a week, and i'm not interested in leveling fast / earn ubber items, or just fucking camp a boring place to level safely etc... I just want to group with friendly players and seek real adventure. Form a well balanced group and rush into Runnyeye for the sake of adrenaline ! Regardless of your level / equipment, EQ is for me pretty much the same, you can have fun and great moments anytime! its core value lives in the level of difficulty that makes you feel you're in a real world ! =)

Just my two cents anyway, but long life to EQ ! I love you !

[purist]

K, nerd alert, but I'd credit a lot of my attachment to EQ classic almost entirely to the escapism. Back in HS when I played EQ classic, Norrath was a refuge of sorts, and being immersed in the gameplay and lore (and EQ did this really well) was like a dissociative mental state to forget everything else. I now recognize how psychologically unhealthy that is, when you let an MMO become a disassociative activity, but I can't deny that was an element of the appeal for me. A lot of the reason I play p99 now because of it brings back a lot of sentimental memories from my original experience. The fondest memories of any gaming I've had were on EQ classic. Wow, this feels like a Livejournal blog post or something, but just my 2 copper.

[BuzWeaver]

Holy Crap. I followed that link and another to this:

http://kotaku.com/5384643/i-kept-playing--the-costs-of-my-gaming-addiction

Read this. It is practically my story back in the days of hard core EQ addiction. I bet many of us can relate to it. I remember getting laid off and doing nothing but my daily EQ cycle for about 6 months. Going outside for anything felt completely surreal. Scary.


Thanks for posting that, it was a great read and I joined the newsletter.

[Jinkeybhoy]

I feel like I'm in such a huge minority here that I don't think I've ever had an "addiction" to EverQuest. To be honest I don't think I've ever played more than 5-6 hours at a time.

Don't get me wrong I love EQ and that's why I continue to play after all these years, but to me it's always been something cool to do when I have some spare time - nothing more. Hopefully it's not just me haha.

[Seven]

Skinner Box (http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html)

Just read this article and holy crap... it makes me never want to touch another video game. Yet I still want to play EQ. Amazing how even when we understand our addiction and realize WHY we're drawn in, we STILL want to carry on regardless.