What's the point of playing mmorpgs?

[Ranzell]

For a long time I've been playing mmorpgs. I've played City of Heroes and WoW, Flyff, Maplestory, Rose Online, Ragnarok Online and many, many more. My topic title says exactly the question that I've begun to ask myself as I've grown up: What's the point of playing mmorpgs?

To make friends ingame? Make friends in real life, it's 10 times as rewarding and unlike mmorpgs that you quit eventually you will theoretically have those friends you make for life. Of course, some people may make friends in games and actually meet them in real life, but those occurrences are few and far between. Just from being ingame and seeing how many people play what you do shows the amount of people with your same interests that you could befriend in real life.

To escape from a harsh reality? Nothing will ever, ever change for you until you get off the computer and change it for yourself. In trying to escape life through games you only deny yourself a chance at a better life outside said games. No epic loot you get in game will ever change the fact that you have problems talking to a crowd and no level up will ever teach you a new language or how to play an instrument. You have to do these things for yourself.

If you play mmo's to pass the time, as a time of relaxation in a stress free enviroment than it's likely you didn't read this far regardless. Even then, though, unlike console games mmorpgs are never entirely stress free. You meet people there and feel you must keep up with them in levels, in gear, what have you; when you reach the endgame what was the point? Regardless of how much you enjoyed the game you will eventually leave it and have nothing to show for it but wasted time, time that could have been better spent learning, reading, writing.

You may tell yourself that it was time well spent, that playing these games was without a doubt how you wanted to spend your time. When the day comes that your asked to go abroad, will you not regret having spent that time to learn another language? Or when a girl you like owns a guitar, will you not regret having never learned to play so you could impress her?

If you don't want to read this wall of text read this:
Play games, if that's what truly makes you happy. Just play in moderation; on the side learn a skill, be it an instrument or how to draw, write, act or sing. Living life to it's fullest and experiencing as much as you can is hard to do when you spend hours playing games online.

I've just recently been very inspired to accomplish as much as I could in this short life, and I wanted to share how I felt, regardless of the reception it receives. Cheers.

[[o.o]]

I'm pretty close to being a "Hikikomori" So I'm pretty sure I'm not really into much lmao.
But I play games in my free time.
In my other time, I hang out with the one firned I have since I effing moved my senoir year so I have no friends in this state.
So I skipped school for like a month and blah blah, I was pretty down in the poo.
But yeah.
Life is short, but I don't care <-"Emo" me.
But I say enjoy those days your friends invite you out.
Don't cancel on them or say no because of a game.
That's what REALLY bad. xD

[Neutral]

what's the point in playing any video games? for entertainment don't lecture us about what we do either because it's our lives and we can waste our time if we want to

theres no point in doing anything else either because after 80 or so years your gonna die anyway and what good is guitar playing when your dead 6 feet underground

[Warlordrody]

I agree with you. but alot of things are just a big waste of time in the end.

@Neutral

He is only giving his opinion, no one says you need to follow it.

[Godyofwar]

Because we are gamers and its fun, its like watching TV

[Ranzell]

what's the point in playing any video games? for entertainment don't lecture us about what we do either because it's our lives and we can waste our time if we want to

theres no point in doing anything else either because after 80 or so years your gonna die anyway and what good is guitar playing when your dead 6 feet underground

In no way was I trying to lecture anyone. I was just sharing my opinion on the matter and how I now feel about it.

To be honest, thinking there is no point in doing anything else is the worst possible thing you could do. The point of learning guitar is to express yourself through music. The point of learning to write is to express yourself in words. These things then define you as a person, separate from all the billions of other people in the world.

If you honestly have the most fun in life playing games then please, continue to play games. All I know is I used to think that's where I had the most fun and i've come to realize that, while I dont regret the time I spent online, it made me who I am, I do wish I had spent more time learning more in preparation of real life.

[Neutral]

@Neutral

He is only giving his opinion, no one says you need to follow it.

yeah i know but it seems like everyone and their grandma is trying to get me off of gaming lately

@Ranzell- the point i was making is that theres no point in expressing yourself or defining yourself or anything because eventually your gonna die

even if you get famous and make a ton of money it wont matter because eventually you'll die and so will everyone else. i just dont see the point in doing something like that unless it's something you honestly like doing

[Elegance]

Gaming is my hobby. MMO or otherwise. It's just what I like to do. That's all.

[hian]

I guess I failed to make a point of just doing what you truly love, what really makes you happy. If playing guitar makes you happy then it was never a waste of time. Even if it doesn't make you happy, but you learn regardless, can you say that playing for other people and making them happy in the process isn't fulfilling in its own right? Life shouldn't be based around what brings you the most benefits, it should be based around what makes you the happiest and leaves you on your death bed with no regrets. And if you know guitar and date a girl who knows piano, doesn't that simply mean you could make music together? Neither of you will think having learned guitar was a waste when you hear the two instruments combined.

While it may be true that one's future will have nothing to do with what they've learned here and now do you really have to reap rewards for bettering yourself, or is learning the reward in itself?

That's true and you won't find me disagreeing anywhere, however the premiss for your previous post as a criticism of MMORPG had to do with benefits. This post conflicts with the premiss of your previous post

If like you say, it's about doing things you like, then MMORPG's can just as easily satisfy that requirement as playing the guitar or writing a book. People are different, and some might find it enjoying and gratefying to play MMORPG's.

So no matter how you view it, you cannot say that MMORPG's is a definate waste of time. From a loss-gain mindframe(benefit), anything including MMORPG's can be considered a waste of time. From an emotional gratification fram of mind, MMORPG's can be considered just as usefull as any other medium.

My girl/piano example, was just that, an example. It was only to illustrate the fact that whether or not MMORPG's are usefull or waste of time is completely dependant on perspective: Whether you view waste of time in the light of factual benefits, or in the light of what feels good.

[Jrgsubzero]

It's a fantasy. I can't don snazzy armor in real life, afford or much less find a sword that will last more than 5 swings, and go kill random things as I please.

Whereas, playing RF online, picturing me sitting on top of a turret while it blasts heads off of Robots and Elves makes me happy inside.

[TheKingOfMMO]

You're going to die in the end anyway. Be it in 80 years or tomorrow. So it doesn't matter what you do anyway. Noone cares, really. You're only one of the billions of people on Earth.

[Neutral]

You're going to die in the end anyway. Be it in 80 years or tomorrow. So it doesn't matter what you do anyway. Noone cares, really. You're only one of the billions of people on Earth.

thank you, thats what im saying

[QuakeStriker]

If you don't want to read this wall of text read this:
on the side learn a skill, be it an instrument or how to draw, write, act or sing.

That sounds worse then playing MMORPG's.

[camel01]

Well well, aren't you a philosophical one

I don't care what anyone says but what you wrote is inspiring if you want to make an effort to change. I want to change, i dont want to spend hours on my pc with virtual friends that i probably won't meet, and even if i did meet them then it would be oh so awkward as i have met a guy off the internet who i knew for 7 years and it was awkward.

Thanks! I am glad i read this, i always wanted to play the guitar, i would love to learn french or german as i want to be a chef and cooking in france is a dream for me. I want to be more social, i want to do so much but wasting away on MMO's, which aren't truely satisfying and end up getting me stressed is not the way to go.

I will only play console games from now i guess as they are stress free, and its instant action. I will try to live life to the fullest, be the best i can be Thanks again by the way.


If you do not understand what he is talking about fully, it is fine. If you want to spend your days on MMO's then i won't judge, its your decision, and if it satisfies you then happy days! But yeah... I have played my fair share of games and have quit each and every one of them, and what did i get out of them? Was i satisfied of my achievements knowing i will never be able to use them again? No i was not. If i learned guitar then i could join a band, impress a girl, play for fun, try just rockin out at home when im bored, i could do alot!

Well thanks again

[EpicPhail]

It's a fantasy. I can't don snazzy armor in real life, afford or much less find a sword that will last more than 5 swings, and go kill random things as I please.

Whereas, playing RF online, picturing me sitting on top of a turret while it blasts heads off of Robots and Elves makes me happy inside.

Violence ftw!

And king just made me cry.No one cares? REALLY ONRPG?

[Ranzell]

Mmkay.
Do you intend to quit all MMOs though?
Just wondering.
Because you do understand you can play in moderacy right?
That isnt a word is it?

Well, moderation is the word your looking for i think lol. I have to admit that when the day comes that an mmorpg really catches my attention I'll certainly try it out. I did grow up on games and I'm by no means quiting them for good. I'm just going to try and fill my life with other pleasures as well, as opposed to my pleasures almost solely coming from videogames. It's all about discipline; as you said, enjoying things in moderation.

[color]

whats the point of this thread?
this is a gaming forum

[Ranzell]

whats the point of this thread?
this is a gaming forum

The thread is based almost entirely around gaming, last I checked.

[[o.o]]

Yeah.
I'm not too sure how most people game here but humans should have the common sense to understand that they are indeed acting non-normal from what statistics say are normal.
I've just recently realized something in my life that really had to be pushed into my face for me to understand. And it seems that's what happened to you. May not be. I don't know but yeah anyways.
This is a gaming forum.
So if you're intention is to post about stopping gaming or trying to see if this affects other people, I don't really think OnRPG is the best place to say it xD

[BaronisHappy]

People may have noticed another thread pop up very similar to mine While that wasn't planned it's been to my benefit, and i posted something there that I want to repost here:

I realize now I was harsh in saying it was a waste of time, multiple people have hit on that. What I was trying to get across is that I, personally, thought I was happy playing video games all the time only to realize that this was never the really the case. I've realized now that I'm poorer for not spending my time in other ventures.

What I wanted to get across didn't come out as planned, but what's done is done. If you're happy playing games then play on. I just wanted to let people, who may think they have nothing better to do, know that there are lots of options and it's a big world.

That's truly what I meant in my post and hian has been right in calling me contradictory.

Edit:

QuakeStriker, if by "do something horrible" you mean "been enlightened" then you're right. I've recently just had life shout at me, tell me to start doing things other than video games, and I'm doing my best to listen. I just felt like writing out this epiphany somewhere, and this is the only board I post on heh.

Ranzell, I do agree with you. I have played mmorpg's as something to submerge myself in that I enjoyed to escape the system ( school ) at first. Now adays my " Guitar " (metaphorically) is studying and applying spirituality. As well as studying society, history, and philosophy of life.

The average person, loses 15 years of his life watching television -proven (the avg mmorpger wastes more) and if you look into who controls the media, you'll be surprised to know, everyone is being influenced by the worst of the worst. The world is going through a huge cycle right now and if you don't drop all that is artificial in this world, and connect to what is natural, you're truly missing out on life and not connecting with your purpose here, you're being assembly produced, hence mob mentality of society, which isn't creating positive change, instead it's creating sheep who wonder why the world is the way it is, but yet don't want to live in it or face it, but replace it with artificial substitutes (mmorpg's for us).

Grind to help others and influence this world... wasted lives, stop being non-integrated souls. Einstein always said imagination is the most important thing, I agree with him and our generation simply does not use it, we do not creatively create a greater essence and way of living in this world, we rely on others to do the right thing for us(& think for us), when in fact that allows others to control that very weakness in us. The time for the human race to put its head in the sand is finished and over the next few years, drama's and world events, play out, many will break free from there " wasted " cycles, such as computer time or t.v. time, to explore themselves inwardly and see the world for what it is, that's when we'll all have the choice for positive change within action.

as far as mmorpg's go, things we consider luxuries are more cancerous to the human soul than we understand. We are the only ones to blame for putting up walls against life, by not facing it and creatively figuring out what we want to do outside the boxes we put ourselves in, where we can grow and find those things we love to do that can also influence others in a positive direction and bring healthy joy to others naturally, as we should live naturally.

We put labels in life in all it's forms(You, Me, That, Thing, Tree, ect.), puting everything in a box, while live in a box(house), while looking at boxes(t.v./PC), work in a box, and drive in a box, knock all the labels and borrowed concepts down and you'll see the connection to all of life & yourself, among the connection of every soul/person and your own. :3

P.s. Also being one with nature is something everyone should explore a lot more There is much more to life than what society feeds you and it's essence is so healing that you'll question everything you've known, but connecting to what is natural comes first. I'm a future psychologist, I know the ego is artificial, and the ego needs to be taught how to let your true self flow from within you.

[Xenos123]

Ranzell, i really think that when i comes down to it, once people hit a certain age they can differentiate between time for games and time for an actual outside life. What you say is right, but the opinions of some people won't change until they hit that certain point in life (hopefully).

[Avarwen]

What's the point of having a hobby? I like to paint sometimes but it does not help others nor do I make money off of it. So it pretty much a useless skill. Most hobbies are like this hobbies are there to give people something to in their spare time. I could look back and say I wasted a lot of time reading, writing ,drawing and knitting. But I enjoyed doing these things and they make me happy. Not everything a person does is meant to be useful. Sometimes you just wanna have fun.

[Stranger]

I play because I feel like it, it's fun and I can do things I really couldn't do in reality.

But mostly I'm truely waiting for that first Virtual Reality game to make its way into existence, though, I'll probably be like 50 years old by the time any solid functioning one is made. (If that early)

[Kashis]

I do it the same reason I do anything else I like to do; it's fun and it keeps my mind off the fact I have to work to pay bills. I don't play mmo's to be any particular level or compete with anyone. To me what's fun is exploring worlds I could never imagine myself ganking monsters along the way.

I've been moving around the US and visiting other countries all my life (I went to a different high school every year) so by the OP's logic, would me spending time forming social bonds with people I can't keep in touch with be a waste of time because I don't have anything to show from past friendships? Gaming is a hobby that has kept millions connected for years, and you don't even really have to speak a lick of another language to enjoy playing a game in one with other players. Since a lot of things in gaming revolve around math and math is universally understood concept, pretty much all of us that do play games already have access to a community where the operator's skill is respected more than the operator themselves even if we can't understand the operator at all.

I think about all the times I've played with people who can barely speak english and yet they can grasp the same concepts that I can (and sometimes better just from a few simple explanations. I've seen communities of Spanish or Portuguese RO players for example and even though I don't know either language, I could follow what they were doing in game just by watching a video. Hell I've browsed various foreign forums look for info on games, and even though I don't know the language, I've been able to always tell when someone was talking about a stat build. The languages we use to understand mmos/games may be different but the the basics never change. A monster vulnerable to fire for an english player is still vulnerable to a Japanese player in the same game.

Am I the only one who find it interesting that we all can play the same game and be in a party with a player with doesn't speak a lick of english and he or she can still be a valuable asset to the team because they learned how to play thousands of miles away in another country? It's no different with music or sports, people can pick out when someone has hit a bad note or a ref has made a bad call no matter what language they speak. The very same applies to video games/mmos.

Don't get me wrong though, I've made friends everywhere I went, but the majority of them were due to video games/mmos so I not like I'm anti social or anything because of them. It's also one of the few things I can enjoy by myself that isn't self destructive. OF course I could be out drinking, getting high and having sex because that's what people my age do but that isn't as fun and carefree as TV makes it out to be to me. Plus, I have to work for a living so if I'm going to choose some form of entertainment it's going to be something that is going to keep my attention for more than a few hours. I've had a bunch of fun playing games by myself or with others, helping people out, etc. The friends I've made in real life have changed over the years and the majority I no longer keep in contact with or just have nothing in common, but ever since I started really getting into mmo's 4 or 5 years ago, i have more of the same friends now than compared to my RL ones and none of them live anywhere near me.

I have better memory, hand eye coordination, and reflexes from them (consoles more so than mmo's) and hopefully one day when I have kids, it'll be something I can use to stay connected to them. Those are the reasons I play games in general, which of course applies to mmos. there may very well come a time when we can play MMO's with people all over the world and language won't be a barrier between players because it's not needed to play. hell some games are already like that.

[sharps]

im sorry this is not a flame but i hear it all to much from individual real life friends and people on the internet who play mmo's or games.

This to me feels like you are expressing how much you are in need of a female touch. The friends and people i speak of i guess you could say have "their time of the month" where they think quitting everything they like and being fake gets girls, well infact your wrong and thats probably why most ppl like that dont have a girl friend is because you dont act yourself.

Myself i play games way to much, but you know its fun, i dont skip invites to go out with friends, i keep myself fresh, i make sure the clothes i wear look good, and i take very good care of my hair, youll be suprised how many girls youll meet just by making yourself look better, and to your suprise alot do not care that you play games or mmo's

sorry to everyone i know this is not about girls, but majority of the time it is, and alot of people dont need to hear it because there alot you can do to "make your life better" and continue to grind your *** on mmo's.

the comment with the guitar and music with a girl, that has nothing to do with anything, taking her out and making her feel like shes eveything to you is all they really want. Now let me ask you dont you wish you could have a life doing exactly what you love to do and spend it with another person you love? learning skills doesn't mean jack if its not a passion for you.

this is not a flame or anything just some advice some individuals need to read