A lot of good games came out last year, but for whatever reason, none of them gave me the same sorts of joy that the previous year brought, with its *Prince of Persia* and *Beyond Good & Evil*. And yet, even though I'm not getting that joy, I keep playing. Grinding. I am like the addict, who keeps on taking coke, hoping for the hit that will feel like the first time.
The answer? Detox. Stop playing for a while. Maybe a month. That's how long they go in moderation management.
I started last week; Oasis was the last videogame I played. (It was quite pleasant, by the way. Now that they're finaling, I recommend it. That is, unless you're trying to forgo videogames for a month.)
I can chronicle my withdrawal symptoms, such as they are, here. The first symptom is that every now and then I'm actually bored for a moment. Then I play with Sofi or find something to read or to do on the web and everything's fine.
The temptation that's tough to resist: my brother sent me a copy of *Halo* for Christmas. It arrived last week. (You think that's bad; he hasn't gotten my Christmas present yet.) *Halo* is just sitting there on the wet bar. Waiting. Such an attractive package.
It's just videogames, by the way: boardgames are still in bounds. Scrabble with the wife. Citadels or Diceland or Lord of the Rings or whatever at the Wednesday boardgame lunch. Maybe some Go with Mark if I can talk him into it. (Monday Go lunch?) And, well, better keep playing DDR, that's good exercise. And if I have to play an hour or so of something at work for "research purposes" here and there...
No, I've quit, really!
With my school schedule (20+ credits per quarter for the past two years), I have very little time to play games. I can hardly remember the last game I finished ... it was probably The Wind Waker, though. It doesn't help that as much as I love games, I'm really not that good at them. DDR is still a staple, though. Spent $300 on a CobaltFlux for DDR and haven't looked back. :)
Posted by: Rob Stevens | March 18, 2005 at 10:13 PM
Man, only 20 credits per semester? Most games in the arcade take at least 2 credits per game. That's only 10 games per... oh, you're talking about your classes! :)
But yeah, last year I remember playing PoP, Indiana Jones and LoK:Defiance at the same time and just being in 3rd Person heaven. Last night I just finished Robots, for Chrissake. That's how desperate I am.
That Lego Star Wars game looks surprisingly cool though. Oh sorry, I shouldn't be tempting you!
Posted by: Mr. Falcon | March 19, 2005 at 02:26 PM
I went through the same thing you did. I used to play quake 3 for about 8 hours a day, and then I got addicted to Lineage for awhile. I have dabbled in a little game development in my spare time, but I have been "clean" for over a year now. And believe me, its changed my life. Giving up video games is worth it.
Posted by: the_rooster | April 04, 2005 at 08:06 PM
Well, hey, I'm not giving up completely. That would be hypocritcal. To quote Trainspotting, "Ye hud tae go a wee bit further up the ladder before ye found a dealer whae didnae use."
Posted by: Jamie Fristrom | April 04, 2005 at 09:09 PM