Posted by Proud Blade on April 12, 2000 at 19:07:48:
In Reply to: The problem is: posted by Deliverer of Harsh Reality on April 12, 2000 at 17:21:43:
> > If you cannot handle responsibly choosing an appropriate amount of time to play a game, then I commend you on your luck. I say this because it is clear that you have never had actual hardship in your life, and instead choose to claim that some evil computer program is making you log in and ruin your life, and this is the biggest hurdle you must overcome in your life. I play CF because I enjoy it. I am healthy, my social life is just fine, and I am doing quite well in my chosen trade. I enjoy the game and the forum. What is the problem?
>
> You cannot possibly tell me that you wouldn't be doing better in your 'chosen trade', you wouldn't have a more active social life, you wouldn't be healthier/fitter, you wouldn't have achieved more had you not spent hour upon hour on CF.
Actually, I can. For me, CF is a release of stress, an outlet for my creativity, and mentally quite stimulating. It requires that you think analytically at times, creatively at others, and quickly all the time. I'm a scientist- these are my lifeblood at work, much more so than physical exercise.
Yes, I would be better served by going back into lab and running more experiments..... until stress and burnout wore me out. All humans require rest, some more than others. CF is exercise for the mind, if you take advantage of the RP environment, puzzles, and strategy portions of the game.
> This goes for everyone. No matter how much you want to deny it,
Phrases like the above -might- suggest that you are not considering opinions other than your own. Might. *cough*
> CF is like a drug. It is addictive, people spent way too much time playing letting the rest of their lives sit in the background.
You obviously have not met people with true drug addictions. Playing CF is a preference, not a need. If my computer exploded tomorrow, I would miss CF, but I wouldn't go into convulsions, rob other people for their computers, or go to any great lengths. It might be a little incentive to quickly buy another computer, but I can do fine without playing, I assure you.
> Whether this happens to you to a very minor degree or a major degree, it doesn't matter, it happens. Denying it might make you and all the other players feel as though you are living to your potential, but you're not. I didn't choose this handle randomly, it's a fact of life. I'm not intentionally trying to put people down, I'm just explaining to them what they are missing out on; life (addicts to a greater degree). People say that they have a home, a wife, they should be allowed to waste X amount of hours on a text-based game. Sure. I merely am asking them that wouldn't it be healthier for all concerned to not do this, spending those hours with your wife, child, gardening, out in the sun, playing a sport (yes, actually expending some energy)?
Aren't those personal preferences? What if being outdoors isn't as appealing to me as being indoors? What if the wife and child are sleeping? Who cares what I do with my time then? What if I don't like sports? I could "expend energy" by moving big rocks around, but why would I want to? I prefer to exercise my mind. Games of all sorts are a great, fun way to do that for me. Many games are inherently quite social. (CF is social, for the same reason that roleplaying is used by psychologists. It gives me perspective to step out of my own shoes from time to time. It's a great creative outlet.)
Analogy: I write in my free time. Sometimes for pay (I have published journalistic works, scientific publications, and fiction.) Is this a bad hobby/side job? I don't talk to other people when I write. It's certainly not good exercise. I'm indoors. Is writing fiction evil?
> It comes down to this one question: Would you introduce your child to MUD's? If the answer is no then you know CF is not healthy, if the answer is yes, then I seriously worry about you.
If I had children, and they expressed interest in roleplaying games, I would introduce them to a MUD. Not CF (it's quite violent, complex, and adult-oriented), but I don't see anything inherently wrong with MUDs. If I had older children, I would have no problem with them playing CF. As long as they didn't kick my butt. =)