Exploring MMORPGs: Benefits & Risks for Players

  • Thread starter tmyer2107
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In summary, an mmorpg such as FFXI can be fun for some people, but it can also be a waste of time for others.
  • #1
tmyer2107
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I was wondering what everyone thought about MMORPG's such as FFXI, WoW, etc. I don't want to start a discussion about what people think the best MMORPG is so try not to move the thread in that direction. I want to talk about what people gain and lose by playing an mmorpg and if they think it benefits them or someone else or hurts them. I had a discussion on the topic with a friend of mine yesterday. We talked about how it could hurt the social development of teenagers since they don't interact with people in real life as much when they play the game. We asked ourselves what we would think if our kids started playing mmorpgs. I'll start by giving my opinion on the matter.

I know a few people that play or use to play mmorpgs way too much that they missed out on a lot of things in high school / college that they now regret. I use to play FFXI a lot but quit 3 years ago. I enjoyed it a lot and thought it was a great learning experience. I led an endgame linkshell and learned a lot about leadership and conflict resolution. Some of the experiences I had playing the game have definitely benefitted me in real life. I had a pretty good balance between playing FFXI and hanging out with my friends so I didn't really feel like I missed out on much. Many people don't have this balance though and play way too much.

Overall, I think if you can maintain a good balance and not play too much playing an mmorpg is fine and doesn't hurt the social development of people playing the game. This may not be a very hot topic but I have some free time at work and decided to see if anyone had any strong opinions on the matter.
 
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  • #2
mmorpgs=evil.

i am a recovering runescape addict. luckily i haven't logged in, nor thought of logging in in over 6 months now. it took over my life. its far more addicting than any drug I've tried. all i thought, slept, ate, drank, and crapped was runescape. i wish i never started.

By the way, if anybody here is addicted to this evil game, who wants to buy my account containing over 100million gp, contact me and we can talk. USD only!
 
  • #3
I think they're a huge waste of time, and they're not even that fun. I hear people talk about how they have to grind to get levels or items. For the layman, "grinding" is doing something repetative or tedious, in other words, something not fun. They grind so that they may later reap the rewards, which is being able to fight a high level boss. You have to do a bunch of unfun stuff before you can get to the fun stuff. I don't see the point. And they say they "have to", as if it's a deadline set by their boss. Then you have guilds that can pressure somebody to play even more than they normally would, even though they're already playing half the day. You can look at how many hours you've logged on WOW by typing /played. Some people have played several months. Not just over the course of several months, but they've been logged into that character for several months worth of time.
Furthermore, I don't see any "skills" you can learn from them that are applicable to real life. And even if there are, they're on a minute scale and better learned in a real life situation.
 
  • #4
My kid is now playing AION which is the new MMORPG crack. I personally have wiped my hands clean of these types of games. I enjoy the detail of the virtual world but the time required to play in that world is totally unreasonable for what I want from them.

I enjoy limited and quick gameplay like Call of Duty as an example because I can just log in, play for 20 minutes and not feel like I need to spend 5 minutes slaying a single monster, or waiting hours in an instance where we keep wiping.

Fun, but limited game time only for me. Life is to short to be stuck in front of a game console.
 
  • #5
QuantumDream said:
Fun, but limited game time only for me. Life is to short to be stuck in front of a game console.

Agreed. I used to be a big gamer. Loved WoW, but stopped after level 57. Anyway, I also slowly came to the conclusion that while it was fun, it was ultimately a great waste of time. One of my recent fav games is Plants vs Zombies. It's so much fun and games can last only 10-20 minutes.
 
  • #6
okkvlt said:
mmorpgs=evil.

i am a recovering runescape addict. luckily i haven't logged in, nor thought of logging in in over 6 months now. it took over my life. its far more addicting than any drug I've tried. all i thought, slept, ate, drank, and crapped was runescape. i wish i never started.

By the way, if anybody here is addicted to this evil game, who wants to buy my account containing over 100million gp, contact me and we can talk. USD only!

I sold my FFXI account when I quit, got $1500 for the account and about $1600 for all the gil I had. Put a downpayment on a new car with it. It's crazy how much some people will pay for these things.

Greg Bernhardt said:
Agreed. I used to be a big gamer. Loved WoW, but stopped after level 57. Anyway, I also slowly came to the conclusion that while it was fun, it was ultimately a great waste of time.

Thats one of the reasons I quit FFXI, realized that it was ultimately a waste of time. I couldn't imagine playing now, with the amount of free time I have it would take me years to get to the max level.

leroyjenkens said:
Furthermore, I don't see any "skills" you can learn from them that are applicable to real life. And even if there are, they're on a minute scale and better learned in a real life situation.

I agree here. While I definitely sharpened my leadership skills leading a linkshell in FFXI, the improvement wasn't much compared to what I've learned by leading clubs or being captains of sport teams.

I have a more neutral feeling towards them. Like I said before, if you don't over do it they can be great, but so many people don't know when to stop.
 
  • #7
The cafe where I hang out has it's share of hardcore addicts who sit glued to their laptops completely missing the opportunity for social interactions all around them.
 
  • #8
zoobyshoe said:
The cafe where I hang out has it's share of hardcore addicts who sit glued to their laptops completely missing the opportunity for social interactions all around them.

Yea, I've seen my fair share of hardcore addicts. A guy in one of my physics lectures would always be playing WoW during the lecture. Attendance wasn't mandatory, I always wondered why he didn't just stay in his dorm.
 
  • #9
tmyer2107 said:
Yea, I've seen my fair share of hardcore addicts. A guy in one of my physics lectures would always be playing WoW during the lecture. Attendance wasn't mandatory, I always wondered why he didn't just stay in his dorm.

They clog up the good tables at the cafe: one person playing wow taking up a 4 person table where I want to sit and draw with my friends.
 
  • #10
if you'll google fantastic contraption you'll find a fun non-mmo relative to this board theme
 
  • #11
tmyer2107 said:
I sold my FFXI account when I quit, got $1500 for the account and about $1600 for all the gil I had. Put a downpayment on a new car with it. It's crazy how much some people will pay for these things.



Thats one of the reasons I quit FFXI, realized that it was ultimately a waste of time. I couldn't imagine playing now, with the amount of free time I have it would take me years to get to the max level.



I agree here. While I definitely sharpened my leadership skills leading a linkshell in FFXI, the improvement wasn't much compared to what I've learned by leading clubs or being captains of sport teams.

I have a more neutral feeling towards them. Like I said before, if you don't over do it they can be great, but so many people don't know when to stop.

I always wonder who is on the other side of these transactions. What do they do after they basically have everything that you have to work for?
 
  • #12
whs said:
I always wonder who is on the other side of these transactions. What do they do after they basically have everything that you have to work for?

The guy I sold the account to was a person I knew in game and the only reason he bought it was because he wanted to use my crafting skill. He was a rich college kid that did nothing but play FFXI so he didn't mind paying that much. The gil I sold to a few people I knew in game and then the rest to ige.com.

The grind to 75 in FFXI was tough at times and you really wouldn't miss much if you just purchased a lvl 75 account. I think that's why the market was so good for them.
 
  • #13
I've heard stories of WOW characters being sold for a thousand or more dollars, but I've never seen any proof of it. Every time I've looked on ebay, they sell for a lot lower, and auctions that are that high don't get bid on.
 
  • #14
WoW characters never really sold for that much since the game is a lot easier to lvl in than FFXI and most of the gear wasn't as rare or hard to get. After I quit FFXI when I got bored I took a few characters in WoW to 45 and then would sell them for $50.
 
  • #15
I've been playing MMORPGs on and off for the past 10 years. Started with EverQuest in October 1999. For me, I use MMORPGs instead of drugs and alcohol. It's escapism. While I'm playing such a game, my sense of real life becomes diminished, and I'm mentally "living" in the game world.

Some people get the same effect from heroin, or excessive alcohol, I'd imagine.
 
  • #16
The only time people will get exorbitant amounts of money for accounts is if they put exorbitant amounts of time into those accounts...

There are several accounts at several well known sites listed for $2000+ but only because they have multiple characters and many items that would take thousands of hours to get on your own...

As for MMORPG's themselves I think they are an interesting animal, but overall I think they control far too many people... very few can successfully "manage" balance in their lives while playing those games and even those that at first can eventually get stuck in that "just one more level mentality"...

I don't think MMORPG's are good for overall productivity or creativity as... at least in my opinion... many play the games just because its so "simple" to be the best... more time = better stuff... whereas in "real" life it is not as cut and dry...

But you do have to be careful...
 
  • #17
I have fun with an MMORPG for about two months, then I get easily bored.

Best I've played recently was EVE online.

You get your own spaceship! A spaceship!
 
  • #18
EVE Online is the one I'm currently playing. I like the open-ended nature of the game, where you can do almost anything to make ISK (which is the in-game currency.) For now, I'm making my isk by scanning down other pilots doing missions, salvaging the wrecks, and if I think I can get away with it, stealing their loot.

I also recently put out a fraudulent contract for some minerals, where in the "description" line I put in 10x the amount that was actually on the contract. Somebody read the description instead of the contract, and placed a bid based on that higher amount. So, I just sold 1 million isk worth of minerals for 10 million isk.

Best part is that it's all legal. None of what I mentioned is against the terms and conditions of the game.
 
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  • #19
Jack, your soo mean :)

I was thinking about getting EVE.

Right now i play Dragon Age: Origins, as its single player i don't feel as "addicted" to it as i would an MMO..
 
  • #20
If anyone's interested for curiousity's sake, or if you are an MMO player and play an awful lot, take a look at some of the blurbs over at http://www.wowdetox.com/"... sobering to say the least.

Say what you will about these people, but the sheer number of people who have had their lives negatively affected is staggering, to me at least.
 
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  • #21
Hi,

Coming from personal experience, I've had a negative experience with MMORPGs. I had a really bad addiction with games like Runescape, Guildwars, etc. I was already overweight, so that didn't exactly help my situation either. This went on for about 4 years, I had spent anywhere between 6-10 hours of time a day in front of the tube watching little men run around my screen. School wasn't much of a challenge to me, so I spent all my time playing on the computer instead of studying.

I've been clean for about a year now, and since then I have lost 30 pounds by running and proper dieting. I've also taken up other hobbies and joined some school clubs. I find that computer games are a colossal waste of time that could be spent doing something more constructive. My classes are getting a bit harder, but I study really hard now and my grades are even better than they were before!

The only thing I can say that I've learned from MMORPGs is how to type fast, lol. I wouldn't say that these games shouldn't be played at all, but please do everything in moderation!
 

1. What is an MMORPG?

An MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) is a type of video game that allows players to interact with each other and explore a virtual world in real-time. It typically involves creating a character, completing quests, and engaging in combat with other players or computer-controlled enemies.

2. What are the benefits of playing MMORPGs?

Playing MMORPGs can offer a range of benefits, including improving problem-solving skills, fostering teamwork and communication, and providing a sense of community and social interaction. They can also be a source of entertainment and stress relief.

3. What are the risks associated with playing MMORPGs?

Some potential risks of playing MMORPGs include addiction, excessive screen time, and exposure to inappropriate content. There is also a risk of social isolation if players become too immersed in the virtual world and neglect real-life relationships and responsibilities.

4. Can playing MMORPGs have a negative impact on mental health?

While there is no conclusive evidence that playing MMORPGs directly causes mental health issues, excessive gaming can contribute to or exacerbate existing mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. It is important for players to maintain a healthy balance and seek help if gaming begins to interfere with daily life.

5. Are there any age restrictions for playing MMORPGs?

Most MMORPGs have a recommended age rating, typically 13 or 18+, due to the potential for mature content and interactions with other players. However, it is ultimately up to the discretion of parents to monitor their child's gaming habits and determine if they are ready to play MMORPGs.

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