It's funny how the times have changed...

[Akuma]

Nice post OP....[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[phacemeltar]

Originally Posted by STOP CHEWIE NOOOO [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

try livejournal.com

i peed

[Akuma]

Originally Posted by phacemeltar [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

i peed

i dribbled

[bktroost]

Everything said after OP

Welcome to the Jungle, we've got trolls and flames.

[Clark]

Originally Posted by Cecily [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

OP is RnF to begin with. Hey while you're at, bash on some poor people too. Cause P99 is free, y'know?

[feste]

Originally Posted by Arterian [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I think we all remember the players that were 38 after 5 years. They ran around in bushes and tried to climb trees in WK. They were the true ubers.

truth lol

[Toehammer]

Originally Posted by Faerie [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

The person who got me into EQ was an uber, and he was one of those annoyingly successful people. Straight As in high school while working, playing sports and doing tons of volunteer work while managing to have a great social life. I never understood how he did it, but somehow he spent his time very well in EQ and in all things. Very goal oriented and whatever.

That's the key, focused on goals! A lot of it has to do with maturity and the realization that while it is fun to waste time, it is better to waste time after you have accomplished something.

Also, it is very tough to maintain a high level of success at everything for many years. You see it a lot in high school and college because, well, those times are actually quite easy compared to later life, and also there are lots of avenues to excel in and be perceived as successful. Once people actually grow up, it becomes much more time-consuming to excel at many things.

I remember in high school and college having so much free time, even after school/sports/work and now (kids, family, demanding job) I don't have as much time for things like sports/video games. I am lucky if I can squeeze in 3 hours of video games and 5 hours of sports per week. Sometimes I miss those times (grad school was a good example) where I was doing really well in school/research, training (judo/grappling/weight lifting/soccer) 12 hours a week, and could squeeze in 2 nights going out per week. But in the grand scheme of things, it is always good to switch up your goals and change focus every 3-5 years on the big things in life, or else an active mind starts to become stale.

[Shiftin]

Originally Posted by Cyrano [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Well in my guild alone we have two dental students (myself being one), a medical student (think he just got licensed), lawyers, CPAs, investment bankers, day traders, a couple guys that own their own business, a PhD, etc. Most of us in this capacity are married or in longterm relationships.

I don't think this is anything unique to my guild; I think every larger guild will have people who are successful by typical American standards.

Originally Posted by HeallunRumblebelly [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Not sure if the Cyrano above me is real cyrano or zombie cyrano, but for TMO, there's tons of people doing super well. I'm not one of them :3 But for the most part it's surprising. That said, most people also don't play the hours I do--most just answer batphones when they can [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

It's the real (old) Cyrano. Still protecting that sunder.

I agree that there's a very poor correlation between being a worthless person and successful in game. I'd argue that, at least among the people I associate most with, it's quite the opposite. In 1999 I was a soph/jr in high school. I managed to lead raids on Tunare while playing football, acting in plays and being a national merit scholar. I used my time in a focused and directed way when I could because i'm extremely type-A, did research and prepared before jumping into things.

A person who is not type-A in real life can easily succeed* in this game by brute forcing it with time. However, it's very hard for someone with my personality to log in and do nothing, level alts for fun, wander around and complete unnecessary quests, etc. It's not how my brain works, and for many of my guildmates, the case is the same.

*I think we need to be very clear here that I'm purposefully defining success in a way that aligns with OPs 1999 view of game success for this analogy. I fully acknowledge and support that this is a game, and everyone plays for their own reasons. Thus, everyone defines success in their own way. To some people, logging in and escaping real life for 2 hours to chat with friends in EC is success. To others, it may be tradeskills, how many new players they helped, how many alts they have, how many mobs they can swam kite, or ANY personal measure of success or fun. I think that is actually what made everquest so incredibly successful in the first place - it was the first huge virtual world with so many possibilities and ways for people to make it their own.

[koros]

Worked investment banking for a year. You have no time for real EQing unless work + eq are the only things you do. Maybe if they're a director+ but otherwise...

[Cyrano]

Originally Posted by koros [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Worked investment banking for a year. You have no time for real EQing unless work + eq are the only things you do. Maybe if they're a director+ but otherwise...

I was walking around a trading floor after hours a few years back and saw people with Xbox's on their desk and WoW boxes. These games can be played passively, control is the key. Also, recognizing opportunity and risk vs reward goes a long way too.