eFilmCritic

[natasha_theobald]

For his birthday, May 6 - less than a month ago, I purchased for my best friend, who I happen to have married, the Final Fantasy game that you play online with other people. Nearly a month later, I might not be able to give an accurate description of him if he went missing. Actually, he has gone missing. I have not seen him for days! The thing I hate most about this game, other than it replacing his real life with me, is that he seems unable to click pause. Pause would be useful to me. Even though he would still be spending far too much time on his computer, I would be able to have him every so often for whatever purpose is useful to me. No pause = unhappy me.

So, explain to me, if you can, the joy of this game. Tell me, if you can, why it is so great. I'll wait, because I have had a month to learn a special brand of patience and delayed gratification.

[Lurk]

Boys! They are all the same no matter what age.

My roommate too. Fortunately this situation works out well for me as he is on the computer 24/7 in his room leaving me with his gi-normous entertainment system to play with. Before he was glued to the TV all the time and now I get the TV, two DVD players, and a truly kick ass stereo system with a gazillion CD's of his and mine. And he still cooks dinner for me and pays the rent and bills promptly on time. So I say, fry your brain with my blessing buddy.

I have every sympathy for you though. I have some friends who work at E.A. here in Vancouver, so I could probably find out some technical dorky explanation for you. Not that that would help.

Why don't you ask him about the concept of "aversion therapy" (he's a psych guy) and how you could implement a test program of after three hours straight on the computer, his lovely and friendly, but not amused wife gets to come in and sock him in the nose?

Just a thought.

[jt]

ok here's the deal. it is a mmorpg, which means you interact with players across the globe. i was very apprehensive about liking it at first, but it really has grown on me. admittedly, though, i have spent a lot of time on it recently and have neglected my familial duties. what i would like to do is set up an agreeable schedule for all of us. honey, would it be fine with you if i played after the little one is asleep, or is there another time that would be more preferable. all i ask is that i get about two hours. and the lack of a pause option does suck, but with people teaming up and relying on each other for help if one quits right in the middle, well......

[natasha_theobald]

Aversion therapy is a good thought. But, shouldn't not being with me more be punishment enough to change his ways?

jt - As I am not your mother or a cruise director, I will not be scheduling your activities for you. I will count on you to make better choices in the future, though. Thanks for stopping by.

[Lurk]

[jt]

i get it ad nauseum you are not my mother/cruise director. you are my partner and your complaint is important to me. instead of ignoring your request, i am merely trying to find an amicable solution. take it as you will, i am done posting about it. lets talk about this at home.

[y2mckay]

this is why I don't play on-line games. Single-player games provide far too much time suckage as it is.
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I shouldn't get high to come up with ideas. I should come up with ideas, and THEN get high, to reward myself!

[SpasticLemur]

I used to play Everquest. I had 6 characters, and the levels at the time I started only went to 50, but with expansions, they increased levels to 65.

MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) are quite addictive. I was glued to the monitor trying to level my character up and get better equipment. Other fun was that as stated earlier, you get to interact with people all over the world.

Trouble is, as you get higher in level (especially with Everquest, or Evercrack as we call it) you MUST group with people to advance. Some mobs (bad guys) take as many as 50 plus people to bring them down, all working together. So as you progress, the politics involved of dividing up the loot gets nasty, one reason why I quit. Trying having say 65 people attend a killing, you have maybe 5 to 10 people that can use one thing that the bad guy gives up as loot. Those 5 to 10 can really get into some ugly arguments as to why whom should get what.

The other reason I quit, there is a command in EQ called /played. When typed, this gives you the exact amount of time that you have sat in front of the computer playing the game or advancing your character. I was astounded:

/played

Your current playtime on Aaldolur is 83 days, 16 hours, 20 minutes

Meaning that for the year that I played EQ, I sat in front of my computer screen for 83 TWENTY FOUR HOUR DAYS. I just had a hard time comprehending that I could sit at my computer for almost 3 full months out of a year playing a game. That's why it's called Evercrack.

My better half at the time was also a gaming widow, but then again, i can't stand to watch Lifetime on the TV 24 hours a day

Lemur
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Scientists are complaining that the new Dinosaur movie shows dinosaurs with lemurs, who didn't evolve for another million years. What about the fact that the dinosaurs are singing and dancing?
--Jay Leno

[Lurk]

Oh My Lord 83 Days!!!

Well I can't say too much because I spend about four or five days a week on the ball field, but at least that's with "real" people.

[y2mckay]

and at least you're getting some exercise and sunshine

you all heard about that Asian kid who keeled over dead at an on-line cafe' after playing Evercrack for four days straight? drugs are baaaaad
_________________
I shouldn't get high to come up with ideas. I should come up with ideas, and THEN get high, to reward myself!

[Oz]

Maybe he got pulled into the game itself and is presently throwing discs at a glowing red dude in a game of life and death.

[natasha_theobald]

Now that would be interesting.

[the Grinch]

Evercrack!

They call it Final Fantasy, because it's the last game you'll ever play. See ya. Video games are a drug

[the Grinch]

[f*r*o*s*t*y]

[natasha_theobald]

YES!!!

I missed your post, probably in the midst of the move. Here we are in a whole new place with boundless adventures awaiting us just outside the front freakin' door, and STILL Final Fantasy gets priority. I hate this game!! I begged. I said - Please give it away. Let it ruin someone else's marriage. AAARRRGH!

[y2mckay]

Hah. Wait until Halo 2 comes out.
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I shouldn't get high to come up with ideas. I should come up with ideas, and THEN get high, to reward myself!

[Maegs]

Sounds like it's time to:

A.) Put the PS2 into the microwave or melt the memory cards

B.) Mysteriously choose to revert to dial-up.



As any good pinko, I'm all about sabotage.

-M
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One should always aim at being interesting rather than exact

-V

[Oz]

Withhold sex. Trust me, it works.

[natasha_theobald]

But why should I be punished? Withholding only causes additional pain and suffering. I shouldn't have to sacrifice more due to his insanity....

Sabotage may work, but it might end up costing too much - money to replace the item, withering stares at my audacity, etc.

[Maegs]

Refuse to replace it...then again, it may only work if you're the only one who knows where the bank is.



-M
_________________
One should always aim at being interesting rather than exact

-V

[the Grinch]

Friends don't let friends play Evercrack. Same goes for FF online.