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"The Anxiety of it All"

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Thu 20/12/01 at 13:51
Regular
Posts: 787
My name is Paul Bourne, and yes, I am a gamer. There, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?

*Sigh*

The thing is, most of the time, gaming isn’t always LAN parties, Clan matches, Newbie and Regular bashings, because always, at some point, we have to remember that we live in the pseudo reality that is...The real world.

I can guess by now, readers, you are reeling back in shock, “But you can live without that aspect!” you cry at your computer screens, tears rolling down your faces as you type frantic flames on your keyboards, clicking like maniac crickets on your mice. It seems that a lot of the time, to live a great life, you have to set and divide your time between gaming and socializing. Most of you readers may be already comfortable with your current states, working from home, ordering food on the net and phone, completely self-contained and in a state of solitude if not for the occasional e-mail or chat-line. But, if you’re like me, dividing computer usage between friends, family and a relationship, you seem to have to slot in gaming at really weird times.

Times like the hours between 12 and 4am, when the only people on in your country are UNI students, the un-employed, and the psychos. And you, of course. Like between meals. (Dinner in 10 mins! = Yes! Two rounds of CS!). After and before outings. (Hmmm I think I can arrange that Deathmatch so I can get X kills in Y hours!). The ad breaks in TV shows. (If some guys can steal a friggin’ car in 60 seconds, I can take out some terrorists!). The list goes on. But you also have to draw a line SOMEWHERE! Like spending £40 on 3 months UO time isn’t going to make your partner extremely happy when you’ve wasted the money you’ve spent on that romantic dinner to finally take out that damn red dragon who has been senselessly roasting villagers. She won’t understand. Believe me.

Your family hates gaming. When I used to live with my mother a few years ago she could never understand the point of Half-life. Why did those aliens have to be violent, and not passive? Because mother, then they wouldn’t be half as much fun to kill! She’d complain about tying up the phone line to “Play that damn quake game”, and tell me to concentrate on studying. Toss my sister into the mix. When I bought “The Sims” (my first mistake), my sister asked me every 10 minutes whether she could grace the computer chair in which I sat up to, I quote, “Play God”. Eventually I gave in, thinking “How much could a simple hour of play do?”. Alas. The effects were devastating. She got more addicted to those little idiot people then a GP Staff member to Coca Cola.

The only various (and few) moments I received in which to use my computer was when it amassed a virus and I pretended to be “fixing” it, when, in reality, I was shoving in a few custom matches of Starcraft. No remorse. You really can’t win with siblings and gaming. They either completely loathe the concept completely, incredibly adore it, or are encompassed with using your new 2Ghz AMD Athlon to play Solitaire on. And, people, don’t try to explain the incredible power of your GeForce to them, they’ll just think its some kind of jet.

Your friends don’t understand your addiction to this hobby either. Unless you already have a group of die-hard FPS clan-mates that you regularly frag with, the majority of your buddies will not be 311t3 [That’s “elite” to other normal people]. Generally, to these unknowns, there is no visible difference between Q3A and Counter-strike to their newbie eyes. They assume the form of human, but have no knowledge whatsoever of gaming and hardware concepts. Try to explain Anti-Aliasing to a friend and watch the drool dribble down the ends of their mouth as they strain to grasp the concept.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though my friends. These gamer-newbies are able, and sometimes willing to be taught, by a mentor such as yourself. Unfortunately though, it IS a long, grueling, and embarrassing (for both parties) process that may cause you to lose what is left of your self-respect and dignity. I might tell you about it in a future post :).

Gaming is a growing hobby that has become much easier to become interested in during the past few years in particular. With the price, availability and ease-of-use in most console and brand bought PCs, anyone with half an interest or brain can pick up a joypad (or mouse) and play. But for the majority of us hardcore players, it can get pretty tough when trying to adjust in a world that ridicules and abandons us while trying to support and keep a secondary life. But always remember, stay cool, stay alert, and keep on fragging!

- Pob : - The leader of the ones to be lead.

Thanks for Reading,

o(^_^)O
Thu 20/12/01 at 13:57
Regular
"bearded n dangerous"
Posts: 754
Aye, you're right there, boss.

Since becoming single again a couple of months ago, my gaming has shot through the roof, and it's great.

Although I realise to the innocent bystander that it looks pathetic, I'm actually having a great time, so balls to the rest of 'em.

Anyway, when my other hobbies in juggling, skydiving and obscure electronic music, I'm used to nobody else 'getting it'
Thu 20/12/01 at 13:51
Regular
"pob, the originator"
Posts: 131
My name is Paul Bourne, and yes, I am a gamer. There, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?

*Sigh*

The thing is, most of the time, gaming isn’t always LAN parties, Clan matches, Newbie and Regular bashings, because always, at some point, we have to remember that we live in the pseudo reality that is...The real world.

I can guess by now, readers, you are reeling back in shock, “But you can live without that aspect!” you cry at your computer screens, tears rolling down your faces as you type frantic flames on your keyboards, clicking like maniac crickets on your mice. It seems that a lot of the time, to live a great life, you have to set and divide your time between gaming and socializing. Most of you readers may be already comfortable with your current states, working from home, ordering food on the net and phone, completely self-contained and in a state of solitude if not for the occasional e-mail or chat-line. But, if you’re like me, dividing computer usage between friends, family and a relationship, you seem to have to slot in gaming at really weird times.

Times like the hours between 12 and 4am, when the only people on in your country are UNI students, the un-employed, and the psychos. And you, of course. Like between meals. (Dinner in 10 mins! = Yes! Two rounds of CS!). After and before outings. (Hmmm I think I can arrange that Deathmatch so I can get X kills in Y hours!). The ad breaks in TV shows. (If some guys can steal a friggin’ car in 60 seconds, I can take out some terrorists!). The list goes on. But you also have to draw a line SOMEWHERE! Like spending £40 on 3 months UO time isn’t going to make your partner extremely happy when you’ve wasted the money you’ve spent on that romantic dinner to finally take out that damn red dragon who has been senselessly roasting villagers. She won’t understand. Believe me.

Your family hates gaming. When I used to live with my mother a few years ago she could never understand the point of Half-life. Why did those aliens have to be violent, and not passive? Because mother, then they wouldn’t be half as much fun to kill! She’d complain about tying up the phone line to “Play that damn quake game”, and tell me to concentrate on studying. Toss my sister into the mix. When I bought “The Sims” (my first mistake), my sister asked me every 10 minutes whether she could grace the computer chair in which I sat up to, I quote, “Play God”. Eventually I gave in, thinking “How much could a simple hour of play do?”. Alas. The effects were devastating. She got more addicted to those little idiot people then a GP Staff member to Coca Cola.

The only various (and few) moments I received in which to use my computer was when it amassed a virus and I pretended to be “fixing” it, when, in reality, I was shoving in a few custom matches of Starcraft. No remorse. You really can’t win with siblings and gaming. They either completely loathe the concept completely, incredibly adore it, or are encompassed with using your new 2Ghz AMD Athlon to play Solitaire on. And, people, don’t try to explain the incredible power of your GeForce to them, they’ll just think its some kind of jet.

Your friends don’t understand your addiction to this hobby either. Unless you already have a group of die-hard FPS clan-mates that you regularly frag with, the majority of your buddies will not be 311t3 [That’s “elite” to other normal people]. Generally, to these unknowns, there is no visible difference between Q3A and Counter-strike to their newbie eyes. They assume the form of human, but have no knowledge whatsoever of gaming and hardware concepts. Try to explain Anti-Aliasing to a friend and watch the drool dribble down the ends of their mouth as they strain to grasp the concept.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though my friends. These gamer-newbies are able, and sometimes willing to be taught, by a mentor such as yourself. Unfortunately though, it IS a long, grueling, and embarrassing (for both parties) process that may cause you to lose what is left of your self-respect and dignity. I might tell you about it in a future post :).

Gaming is a growing hobby that has become much easier to become interested in during the past few years in particular. With the price, availability and ease-of-use in most console and brand bought PCs, anyone with half an interest or brain can pick up a joypad (or mouse) and play. But for the majority of us hardcore players, it can get pretty tough when trying to adjust in a world that ridicules and abandons us while trying to support and keep a secondary life. But always remember, stay cool, stay alert, and keep on fragging!

- Pob : - The leader of the ones to be lead.

Thanks for Reading,

o(^_^)O

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