Viewing Thread:
"Like The Marathon Monks Of Tibet"

I saw a TV programme a few years ago about these Zen Buddhist monks who every day leave the warmth and comfort of their isolated monastery in Tibet and stride up one side of a nearby mountain.
When they reach the high frosty peak, they pause for a brief prayer, then turn around and stride all the way back again.
The strenuous (and silent) trek lasts from the first glimmers of dawn till the smokey chill of dusk.
It is a kind of meditation in motion.

And this is how I prefer to play videogames.
This is how I get "the most" out of them.
In other words: I LIKE TO HAVE MARATHON GAMING SESSIONS.

Armed only with a flask of coffee, minimal food and several packets of cigarettes (*cough* bad habit I know), I recently completed Metal Gear Solid 2 in one mammoth session.
But I didn't rush through the game.
No sir.
I dived into its considerable depths in a wave of concetrated indulgence.
I paused only to stretch and to have the manditory slash.

For me, playing games in fits-and-starts does nothing but trivialize gameplay.
Every quality title needs to be treated with the respect it deserves, and I personally do this by putting aside one day a week for an intense gaming marathon.
Call it my gaming philosophy if you like.

Instead of interacting with a gameworld in a dislocated and giddy manner, I instead thrust myself into its virtual landscape and immerse myself in it totally.
I WEAVE MY MIND INTO THE VERY FABRIC OF ITS POLYGON BLOOM.
I become a Marathon Gaming Monk - "lost and yet found" within its virtual domain.
Too hardcore? - well perhaps, but this is how I drain every last drop of enjoyment out of those magical things called videogames.

Only during marathon gaming sessions can you experience the full range of emotions attached to the pastime.
-Frustration.
-Joy.
-Worry.
-Surprise.
-Panic.
-Confusion.
-Wonder.
-Excitement.
-Anger.
-Satisfaction.

So to get "the most" out of games and gameplay (especially adventures), my advice is to take a leaf out of the book of the Marathon Monks of Tibet and "revel" in your gameworld of choice in an excessive manner.

*PING*
Ring the bell.
Shave thine head brother.
Don the robe of many colours.
Meditate and indulge.
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.

THE ONLY WAY TO "FIND" ONESELF IS TO "LOSE" ONESELF COMPLETELY IN PLEASURE & PURPOSE.

Play and be wise.

Bingo!
This was unexpected, but a pleasant surprize all the same.
Thanks.

I think my best - or possibly worst - marathon gaming session was when I first got a PC, along with a copy of Civilization 2. Instead of doing all the sensible things (installing MS Office, updating drivers, putting the computer on a desk, surfing the net for porn) I sat in the middle of the floor building my Babylonian civilization into a horribly callous nuclear power. This lasted about eight hours, until I realised that I was ignoring the essentials of life - eating, drinking and surfing the net for porn.

Congrats on the GAD!

well done on the GAD

It's the fact that there's no end in sight, isn't it? In all seriousness, the game can be very dangerous to your health.

Seinfeld_Enthusiast wrote:
> For me, the definitive game to lose sense of time was any one of the Champ Man
> games. (etc, etc)

I know the feeling. On many occasions Championship Manager has made me physically ill. Just how many hours I used to spend hunched in front of the PC monitor staring at pages of stats saying to myself: "Just one more game then I'll stop", I dread to think.

For me, the definitive game to lose sense of time was any one of the Champ Man games. I actually became an insomniac (I hope that's right) over the summer of 1999. I found myself not going to sleep until 6am, easy. But then I couldn't sleep, thinking about it so much, the team, the formation, the strategy, who to buy, etc. So I would just get up and start playing again. At the peak of my condition, I had less than three hours actual sleep in four days. My parents had gone on holiday leaving the house to myself, so it wasn't until they actually returned that they took me to see someone. By then, I was on something like my 47th season with Citta di Palermo, some 5hit Italian club I made the usual rags-to-riches story with. My dad deleted the game, and I was given nytol by a doctor, which I had to take. That seemed to do it, and then I got a job and never looked back. The rest is history, and I haven't played champers since. Just as well, since I'm a bone-idle student watching David Dickinson repeats all day and arguing over which of Rainbow was the gayest, the usual student cr@p. So there.

It took me something like 15 hours to complete MGS2.
I think my "clear" time was 13:24.
I started about noon and finished at 3:00am.
I couldn't stop playing it.
I did turn it off a couple of times, but about five minutes later I was back on it again.
I took in the whole MGS2 gaming experience in one day.
Every now and then I like to do this with a game - try to take it ALL in one go.

So, did you complete MGS2 in day then?

Only, I played it about 3 hours the first night I got it, 5 hours the second night and 6 hours the third...

Done and dusted in 4 days, I think.

I thought you were goig to tell me about monks who refused to call them Snickers!

I saw a TV programme a few years ago about these Zen Buddhist monks who every day leave the warmth and comfort of their isolated monastery in Tibet and stride up one side of a nearby mountain.
When they reach the high frosty peak, they pause for a brief prayer, then turn around and stride all the way back again.
The strenuous (and silent) trek lasts from the first glimmers of dawn till the smokey chill of dusk.
It is a kind of meditation in motion.

And this is how I prefer to play videogames.
This is how I get "the most" out of them.
In other words: I LIKE TO HAVE MARATHON GAMING SESSIONS.

Armed only with a flask of coffee, minimal food and several packets of cigarettes (*cough* bad habit I know), I recently completed Metal Gear Solid 2 in one mammoth session.
But I didn't rush through the game.
No sir.
I dived into its considerable depths in a wave of concetrated indulgence.
I paused only to stretch and to have the manditory slash.

For me, playing games in fits-and-starts does nothing but trivialize gameplay.
Every quality title needs to be treated with the respect it deserves, and I personally do this by putting aside one day a week for an intense gaming marathon.
Call it my gaming philosophy if you like.

Instead of interacting with a gameworld in a dislocated and giddy manner, I instead thrust myself into its virtual landscape and immerse myself in it totally.
I WEAVE MY MIND INTO THE VERY FABRIC OF ITS POLYGON BLOOM.
I become a Marathon Gaming Monk - "lost and yet found" within its virtual domain.
Too hardcore? - well perhaps, but this is how I drain every last drop of enjoyment out of those magical things called videogames.

Only during marathon gaming sessions can you experience the full range of emotions attached to the pastime.
-Frustration.
-Joy.
-Worry.
-Surprise.
-Panic.
-Confusion.
-Wonder.
-Excitement.
-Anger.
-Satisfaction.

So to get "the most" out of games and gameplay (especially adventures), my advice is to take a leaf out of the book of the Marathon Monks of Tibet and "revel" in your gameworld of choice in an excessive manner.

*PING*
Ring the bell.
Shave thine head brother.
Don the robe of many colours.
Meditate and indulge.
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.

THE ONLY WAY TO "FIND" ONESELF IS TO "LOSE" ONESELF COMPLETELY IN PLEASURE & PURPOSE.

Play and be wise.