Hello everyone, some of you may remember me and remember that I left the game quite suddenly and without explanation. Well, it's been 6 months since I quit and recently I have caught myself thinking about ffxi again. I miss the people I met, the friends I made and the fun and joy that the game can bring; crafting the first ever +1 on the AH, getting an awesome party that kicks *** and is also FUN to be in, exploring and helping your friends, the list goes on. I miss the game and I want to come back.
Now, here's the sad part and the warning I want to give to you all. When I quit ffxi, I literally snapped the discs in half, deleted the files from my PC, threw out all my crafting lists, renkei charts etc because it was ruining my life. I only ever got just enough sleep to get me through the next day because I wanted to get that level, to claim that NM, to farm 500k worth of sh*t. There was never a time when I didn't "have" to do something. I started to put the game before my wife although I would never have admitted it at the time, (she used to play before I got to spending all my free time and then some playing - she ended up hating the game).
And despite knowing all of this, still I want to play again. I tell myself that it would be different this time, that I would limit myself to two hours a day and maybe a bit more on a weekend, that I would still do all the things I've enjoyed doing since leaving. But in the end, I know I'm lying to myself.
I miss Final Fantasy and I miss the people I met and the fun I had. I hate the fact that I still think about it with longing. I hate the fact that I am so ambivalent. Now I have an addictive personality and am not surprised by the fact I was so bad with this game, but I am not naive enough to think I'm the only one or that there are a hundred thousand people like me.
So why did I write this? I don't know for sure. Because I'm tired and bored? Probably. Because I needed closure? Probably. Because I wanted to give a warning? Well, that's the only one I'm sure about. You guys know who you are, the ones who've missed days of school or work to play (even though you tell yourself it's for other reasons,) the ones who don't speak to their friends or find excuses not to hang out because your LS needs you. Please don't think I'm trying to condemn or look down my nose because I've done these things and more. All I guess I really wanted to say to those people is stop for a minute and think. Is it really that important? Is it worth losing your job or your friends or getting bad grades over? The simple answer is, it ain't.
To all those who aren't addicted to this game and can walk outside and do "RL" stuff without a second thought, I salute you and I wish I was one of you, but I wasn't. So this is my final goodbye to FFXI. Thankyou for the good times, thankyou for the opportunity to meet good people and I hope I never log on again.
Peace~
Gunslingerx
"There are other worlds than these." ~ Jake Chambers, The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Edited, Jan 1st 2007 4:35am by Gunslingerxxx
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Do I want to come back to FFXI?Follow
Scholar
27 posts
First off, Welcome back to the forums!
You've got a tough decision friend. FFXI is indeed a great and amazing game, but when it does start affecting real life is when it becomes dangerous. No one can really tell you whether you should come back, except you.
Will you have enough willpower to stop playing when required?
Have you talked to your wife about this? -- Seems she probably has her opinion on the matter too.
Will you stick to your promise of playtime amounts? -- The game (atleast for me) makes 3 hours seem like 20 minutes. Damn Einstein and his relativity.
It all comes back to you and these answers to these questions. While we do want you to come back, and enjoy yourself and be with friends again, undoubtedly these same friends dont want to see your real life suffer as an end result to that.
Hope my input helps or is in any way useful, and hope you manage to come to a decision with good results ^.^/
--Lord Yoh
You've got a tough decision friend. FFXI is indeed a great and amazing game, but when it does start affecting real life is when it becomes dangerous. No one can really tell you whether you should come back, except you.
Will you have enough willpower to stop playing when required?
Have you talked to your wife about this? -- Seems she probably has her opinion on the matter too.
Will you stick to your promise of playtime amounts? -- The game (atleast for me) makes 3 hours seem like 20 minutes. Damn Einstein and his relativity.
It all comes back to you and these answers to these questions. While we do want you to come back, and enjoy yourself and be with friends again, undoubtedly these same friends dont want to see your real life suffer as an end result to that.
Hope my input helps or is in any way useful, and hope you manage to come to a decision with good results ^.^/
--Lord Yoh
Because I recently left the game for the fourth and finally FINAL time, my knee jerk recationary statement is to tell you to run away from this game at best speed. But I'm talking to someone who loves and probably dislikes the game in ways as much as I did. And if you're anything like me, you'll quit a hundred times and resuscribe a hundred times.
This player would tell you to just not bother. He would tell you that the game is dying a very slow death and will one day simply just sputter out without nearly any fanfare at all. Others will tell you the game is still going perfectly strong and will be around for years and years to come. They will argue nothing is wrong with the game.
In truth, there simply are not nearly as many new players as they're used to be. So all the people are now in end-game towns and dungeons instead of the Dunes or starting city leveling grounds. Nearly everyone is shifting to end-game activity. And it has left places like the Dunes or Qufim Island a ghost town, sotospeak. The game is no being repleneshed with new players at such a healthy rate as to keep the lifeblood of the game at beginning stages fresh enough to take the game's pulse. It's too weak and beginning stage activities have been at a snail's pace for some time.
You will still find enjoyment in FFXI. It's still the most well thought out and most beautiful game ever made. But the game, despite an ongoing and fervent argument, is dying. What you won't find is the same environment as when you last left. The 3 starting cities are practically ghost towns now. And it is quite difficult to not notice the near absence of new life in the game right now. The game does not have the wonderful atmosphere it used to have in the days of cities bustling with newbies begging for Gil and PTs.
I would urge you to play another MMO, more rich with life. But I love FFXI. Even in its death throwes.
This player would tell you to just not bother. He would tell you that the game is dying a very slow death and will one day simply just sputter out without nearly any fanfare at all. Others will tell you the game is still going perfectly strong and will be around for years and years to come. They will argue nothing is wrong with the game.
In truth, there simply are not nearly as many new players as they're used to be. So all the people are now in end-game towns and dungeons instead of the Dunes or starting city leveling grounds. Nearly everyone is shifting to end-game activity. And it has left places like the Dunes or Qufim Island a ghost town, sotospeak. The game is no being repleneshed with new players at such a healthy rate as to keep the lifeblood of the game at beginning stages fresh enough to take the game's pulse. It's too weak and beginning stage activities have been at a snail's pace for some time.
You will still find enjoyment in FFXI. It's still the most well thought out and most beautiful game ever made. But the game, despite an ongoing and fervent argument, is dying. What you won't find is the same environment as when you last left. The 3 starting cities are practically ghost towns now. And it is quite difficult to not notice the near absence of new life in the game right now. The game does not have the wonderful atmosphere it used to have in the days of cities bustling with newbies begging for Gil and PTs.
I would urge you to play another MMO, more rich with life. But I love FFXI. Even in its death throwes.
I do sympathize with the pain and the longing that you have to go through.
When i recieved feedback that i was obsessed with FFXI, I had to think hard and be honest to myself and consider the feedback that i am recieving from my siblings, parents about me and FFXI. I had to also deal with my issues of being too emotionally caught up with the game and the people whom i have made friends with (which lead me to ***** up some friendships ingame).
I also have a friend who happens to somehow be in the same shoes like you had been and i do get worried over him.
But i personally feel that your actions taken to stop playing the game (breaking the game disc, uninstalling the game from your computer, etc) somehow is not really an effective solution to your problem.
I dealt with my addiction/problem by contemplating honestly about how this game has been making me slowly become something that i am not. I believe that when it comes to issues like this, the most effective solution is to look into yourself and deal with the problem honestly.
My problem with FFXI is that i do tend to get emotionally attached to the people i meet ingame. I can get worked up when it comes to things like this. Now i am not so emotionally attached anymore, though sometimes i do long for a little reassurance and a meaningful conversation ingame with some good friends.
Hmmmmmmm.
I would like to remind all FFXI players not to let your friendships ingame go to waste. Let FFXI be a medium to make friends so that one day in real life, you'll meet up and form a long lasting sincere friendship that you'll enjoy for many years to come.
When i recieved feedback that i was obsessed with FFXI, I had to think hard and be honest to myself and consider the feedback that i am recieving from my siblings, parents about me and FFXI. I had to also deal with my issues of being too emotionally caught up with the game and the people whom i have made friends with (which lead me to ***** up some friendships ingame).
I also have a friend who happens to somehow be in the same shoes like you had been and i do get worried over him.
But i personally feel that your actions taken to stop playing the game (breaking the game disc, uninstalling the game from your computer, etc) somehow is not really an effective solution to your problem.
I dealt with my addiction/problem by contemplating honestly about how this game has been making me slowly become something that i am not. I believe that when it comes to issues like this, the most effective solution is to look into yourself and deal with the problem honestly.
My problem with FFXI is that i do tend to get emotionally attached to the people i meet ingame. I can get worked up when it comes to things like this. Now i am not so emotionally attached anymore, though sometimes i do long for a little reassurance and a meaningful conversation ingame with some good friends.
Quote:
To all those who aren't addicted to this game and can walk outside and do "RL" stuff without a second thought, I salute you and I wish I was one of you, but I wasn't. So this is my final goodbye to FFXI. Thankyou for the good times, thankyou for the opportunity to meet good people and I hope I never log on again.
Hmmmmmmm.
I would like to remind all FFXI players not to let your friendships ingame go to waste. Let FFXI be a medium to make friends so that one day in real life, you'll meet up and form a long lasting sincere friendship that you'll enjoy for many years to come.
Quote:
Do I want to come back to FFXI?
For anyone that didnt bother to read the post it is one of those warning posts aimed to people who are asking this question. He isnt actually asking if "he" should come back more saying that anyone thinking of doing that should read his post and take it into account. Its like some chain smoker making a post on a smoking forum saying "should I keep on smoking", then come out with this long winded story about getting cancer and it ruining his life or w/e..
Although I'm sure your "warning" post was meant well it is really pretty pointless, the game is very addictive but it only really holds onto people long-term if they have little else. People with partners or other RL intrests that get overly addicted usually drift away once they see how bad they are, and to the ones that dont have these things the game can actually be a good thing. People that quit and come back fit into the same category, nothing else going on in there life and so FFXI would actually probably be a good thing. There is a reason people leave WoW once they max out on it, it just isnt deep enough to get addicted to in the way you can with FFXI.
Although I'm sure your "warning" post was meant well it is really pretty pointless, the game is very addictive but it only really holds onto people long-term if they have little else. People with partners or other RL intrests that get overly addicted usually drift away once they see how bad they are, and to the ones that dont have these things the game can actually be a good thing. People that quit and come back fit into the same category, nothing else going on in there life and so FFXI would actually probably be a good thing. There is a reason people leave WoW once they max out on it, it just isnt deep enough to get addicted to in the way you can with FFXI.
Scholar
39 posts
Yes come back I hate to see people leave this game it is truly the greatest of all MMO's
Maddcow wrote:
Yes come back I hate to see people leave this game it is truly the greatest of all MMO's
Could someone please try to teach my hubby the joys of punctuation?
Ive been playing the game for about 3 yrs now and have gone through varying degrees of addiction. Joining a HNMLS for the first time really took over with my life consisting of Work > Play > Sleep. Being in the UK I often found my Friday and Saturday nights taking me up until 4am in the morning.
I also had an in-game relationship which turned into a RL relationship (although thats over now).
Once that relationship ended I found myself somewhat drifting away from the game but because it had taken up so much of my free time I felt somewhat lost not playing it. I dabbled in End game stuff once again but my heart just wasnt in it. Building up points and lots of hours of play just in the hope of lotting for that item so I can hit a little harder just didnt seem to float my boat anymore
I decided to lvl up a craft in an attempt to respark my interest, so I have very quickly taken cooking from 0-94 however with 95-100 seeming to be a money sink and a bit of a waste here I am wondering whats next.
I dont have "uber" gear however my gear is perfectly acceptable IMO and does the job quite nicely.
So now I'm at the point where I still want to enjoy the game and It has a lot to offer but not sure I want/have the time to commit.
If I want to join an end game ls I have to have the time to commit and be "available" whenever I'm online. The alternative is join a social ls where I get to Re-do Zilart 1-14 every few weeks and go on hundreds of coffer key hunts or Avatar fights.
A lot of my long time friends are gone now and have moved on and as a result I have become somewhat of a lone cooker^^. Its as though Kamarth has gone through his hay day fighting big mobs and is now retired making food to keep himself occupied :)
I suppose what I am ultimalty wondering is "Am I now playing just for the sake of playing?"
Mindless babble but hell Its my first day back at work and its going sooooooo slowly :)
Thanks for reading.
I also had an in-game relationship which turned into a RL relationship (although thats over now).
Once that relationship ended I found myself somewhat drifting away from the game but because it had taken up so much of my free time I felt somewhat lost not playing it. I dabbled in End game stuff once again but my heart just wasnt in it. Building up points and lots of hours of play just in the hope of lotting for that item so I can hit a little harder just didnt seem to float my boat anymore
I decided to lvl up a craft in an attempt to respark my interest, so I have very quickly taken cooking from 0-94 however with 95-100 seeming to be a money sink and a bit of a waste here I am wondering whats next.
I dont have "uber" gear however my gear is perfectly acceptable IMO and does the job quite nicely.
So now I'm at the point where I still want to enjoy the game and It has a lot to offer but not sure I want/have the time to commit.
If I want to join an end game ls I have to have the time to commit and be "available" whenever I'm online. The alternative is join a social ls where I get to Re-do Zilart 1-14 every few weeks and go on hundreds of coffer key hunts or Avatar fights.
A lot of my long time friends are gone now and have moved on and as a result I have become somewhat of a lone cooker^^. Its as though Kamarth has gone through his hay day fighting big mobs and is now retired making food to keep himself occupied :)
I suppose what I am ultimalty wondering is "Am I now playing just for the sake of playing?"
Mindless babble but hell Its my first day back at work and its going sooooooo slowly :)
Thanks for reading.
The Growlingbunny of Doom wrote:
Maddcow wrote:
Yes come back I hate to see people leave this game it is truly the greatest of all MMO's
Could someone please try to teach my hubby the joys of punctuation?
Use negative reinforcement. Try slapping him in the back of the head every time he fails to use punctuation. Eventually he'll use it all the time as his head will be hurting too much to desire to get slapped again. Then again, maybe he likes that type of play and would do it on purpose.
Gunslingerxxx wrote:
Hello everyone, some of you may remember me and remember that I left the game quite suddenly and without explanation. Well, it's been 6 months since I quit and recently I have caught myself thinking about ffxi again. I miss the people I met, the friends I made and the fun and joy that the game can bring; crafting the first ever +1 on the AH, getting an awesome party that kicks *** and is also FUN to be in, exploring and helping your friends, the list goes on. I miss the game and I want to come back.
Now, here's the sad part and the warning I want to give to you all. When I quit ffxi, I literally snapped the discs in half, deleted the files from my PC, threw out all my crafting lists, renkei charts etc because it was ruining my life. I only ever got just enough sleep to get me through the next day because I wanted to get that level, to claim that NM, to farm 500k worth of sh*t. There was never a time when I didn't "have" to do something. I started to put the game before my wife although I would never have admitted it at the time, (she used to play before I got to spending all my free time and then some playing - she ended up hating the game).
And despite knowing all of this, still I want to play again. I tell myself that it would be different this time, that I would limit myself to two hours a day and maybe a bit more on a weekend, that I would still do all the things I've enjoyed doing since leaving. But in the end, I know I'm lying to myself.
I miss Final Fantasy and I miss the people I met and the fun I had. I hate the fact that I still think about it with longing. I hate the fact that I am so ambivalent. Now I have an addictive personality and am not surprised by the fact I was so bad with this game, but I am not naive enough to think I'm the only one or that there are a hundred thousand people like me.
So why did I write this? I don't know for sure. Because I'm tired and bored? Probably. Because I needed closure? Probably. Because I wanted to give a warning? Well, that's the only one I'm sure about. You guys know who you are, the ones who've missed days of school or work to play (even though you tell yourself it's for other reasons,) the ones who don't speak to their friends or find excuses not to hang out because your LS needs you. Please don't think I'm trying to condemn or look down my nose because I've done these things and more. All I guess I really wanted to say to those people is stop for a minute and think. Is it really that important? Is it worth losing your job or your friends or getting bad grades over? The simple answer is, it ain't.
To all those who aren't addicted to this game and can walk outside and do "RL" stuff without a second thought, I salute you and I wish I was one of you, but I wasn't. So this is my final goodbye to FFXI. Thankyou for the good times, thankyou for the opportunity to meet good people and I hope I never log on again.
Peace~
Gunslingerx
"There are other worlds than these." ~ Jake Chambers, The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Edited, Jan 1st 2007 4:35am by Gunslingerxxx
Now, here's the sad part and the warning I want to give to you all. When I quit ffxi, I literally snapped the discs in half, deleted the files from my PC, threw out all my crafting lists, renkei charts etc because it was ruining my life. I only ever got just enough sleep to get me through the next day because I wanted to get that level, to claim that NM, to farm 500k worth of sh*t. There was never a time when I didn't "have" to do something. I started to put the game before my wife although I would never have admitted it at the time, (she used to play before I got to spending all my free time and then some playing - she ended up hating the game).
And despite knowing all of this, still I want to play again. I tell myself that it would be different this time, that I would limit myself to two hours a day and maybe a bit more on a weekend, that I would still do all the things I've enjoyed doing since leaving. But in the end, I know I'm lying to myself.
I miss Final Fantasy and I miss the people I met and the fun I had. I hate the fact that I still think about it with longing. I hate the fact that I am so ambivalent. Now I have an addictive personality and am not surprised by the fact I was so bad with this game, but I am not naive enough to think I'm the only one or that there are a hundred thousand people like me.
So why did I write this? I don't know for sure. Because I'm tired and bored? Probably. Because I needed closure? Probably. Because I wanted to give a warning? Well, that's the only one I'm sure about. You guys know who you are, the ones who've missed days of school or work to play (even though you tell yourself it's for other reasons,) the ones who don't speak to their friends or find excuses not to hang out because your LS needs you. Please don't think I'm trying to condemn or look down my nose because I've done these things and more. All I guess I really wanted to say to those people is stop for a minute and think. Is it really that important? Is it worth losing your job or your friends or getting bad grades over? The simple answer is, it ain't.
To all those who aren't addicted to this game and can walk outside and do "RL" stuff without a second thought, I salute you and I wish I was one of you, but I wasn't. So this is my final goodbye to FFXI. Thankyou for the good times, thankyou for the opportunity to meet good people and I hope I never log on again.
Peace~
Gunslingerx
"There are other worlds than these." ~ Jake Chambers, The Gunslinger by Stephen King
Edited, Jan 1st 2007 4:35am by Gunslingerxxx
Hmm, well lets think about it, you could just stick to FFXI, then when the day comes when you are on your deathbed, you can die alone, knowing you had no true meaning to your life
or you could stay with the one woman devoted her life to you with a vow, the one who would stay with you through thick and thin ('cept an MMORPG) and she is expecting YOU to do the same. DO NOT BETRAY HER!
"Shakes magic 8 Ball"
Signs Point to Maybe
THE ALMIGHTY 8 BALL HAS SPOKEN!
Signs Point to Maybe
THE ALMIGHTY 8 BALL HAS SPOKEN!
4 posts
This is one of the most interesting threads I've come across so far.
The game is like crack cocaine, or heroin.
I wake up in the morning at roughly 8:30am, get to work for 9am.
Yeah, I leave myself half an hour to do everything, and robotically I do it as fast as possible. Because I didn't get much sleep the night before.
I work until 5:30pm, and I come home and log on to the computer.
I have to eat dinner, otherwise I will not get a proper meal. I then go on FFXI from 6:00pm-4:30am. That's ten and a half hours. Every night.
At 4:30am I go to bed, and stay awake reading until 5am, and then go to sleep, and wake up at 8:30am to get ready for work.
It's been this way for half a year now.
I came back. I used to be on cerberus server a few years back. And it was (and did) ruined/ruin my course at college. I kept being late because of it. And I, like you, got rid of it all.
I thought nothing more of it, but there was one person from there who I'd hung around with more than anyone, her name was Whitefoxx.
One christmas at the end of 2005, she sends me a message, asking me to come back. I hadn't talked to her for over 6 months, and it triggered me thinking about FFXI again.
I didn't play any other computer games, so I had managed to not think about it.
But i remembered it all. All the good times. And how I could come back with the knowledge I had not had the first time around, and become an awesome character. resurrect myself. It all seemed exciting.
I couldn't get in contact with her again, and I haven't been able to since. She left the game, she thought I wasn't coming back, and for some other reason she had to leave but said she'd try to get it reactivated in the summer of 2006.
I never heard a word, so in Summer I decided that I was going back anyway.
I tried to reinstall it... and the disks didnt work. The codes rather.
I went to game, and they only made it for dvd-rom. I didn't have a dvd-rom drive, so i went home and ordered it online.
Then, in my impatience, I went out and bought a dvd-rom drive, the game, and the aht urghan expansion.
I installed it all, and have started becoming a living zombie once again.
I have a real life, a band, a job.
Luckily I found stems of reality in the game. People that I can communicate with in the real world too.
But yes, it is getting me nowhere, and I love it.
I love it like a mother loves her baby.
I don't want to go to bed at night. I want to stay on.
I don't want to go to work in the day, I want to stay at home.
I don't want to go out, I'm a hermit, a recluse.
The problem for me, and I can see it already, is I don't want to leave. I don't want it to go away. It's my drug of choice, and it makes me happy.
Your post enlightened me. It gave me a feeling of relief that people do quit and get cravings to come back, and can't control this.
I hope you are managing to control yours, for the sake of your relationship.
Nothing is better than a partner, no matter how inevitable addiction can become.
The game is like crack cocaine, or heroin.
I wake up in the morning at roughly 8:30am, get to work for 9am.
Yeah, I leave myself half an hour to do everything, and robotically I do it as fast as possible. Because I didn't get much sleep the night before.
I work until 5:30pm, and I come home and log on to the computer.
I have to eat dinner, otherwise I will not get a proper meal. I then go on FFXI from 6:00pm-4:30am. That's ten and a half hours. Every night.
At 4:30am I go to bed, and stay awake reading until 5am, and then go to sleep, and wake up at 8:30am to get ready for work.
It's been this way for half a year now.
I came back. I used to be on cerberus server a few years back. And it was (and did) ruined/ruin my course at college. I kept being late because of it. And I, like you, got rid of it all.
I thought nothing more of it, but there was one person from there who I'd hung around with more than anyone, her name was Whitefoxx.
One christmas at the end of 2005, she sends me a message, asking me to come back. I hadn't talked to her for over 6 months, and it triggered me thinking about FFXI again.
I didn't play any other computer games, so I had managed to not think about it.
But i remembered it all. All the good times. And how I could come back with the knowledge I had not had the first time around, and become an awesome character. resurrect myself. It all seemed exciting.
I couldn't get in contact with her again, and I haven't been able to since. She left the game, she thought I wasn't coming back, and for some other reason she had to leave but said she'd try to get it reactivated in the summer of 2006.
I never heard a word, so in Summer I decided that I was going back anyway.
I tried to reinstall it... and the disks didnt work. The codes rather.
I went to game, and they only made it for dvd-rom. I didn't have a dvd-rom drive, so i went home and ordered it online.
Then, in my impatience, I went out and bought a dvd-rom drive, the game, and the aht urghan expansion.
I installed it all, and have started becoming a living zombie once again.
I have a real life, a band, a job.
Luckily I found stems of reality in the game. People that I can communicate with in the real world too.
But yes, it is getting me nowhere, and I love it.
I love it like a mother loves her baby.
I don't want to go to bed at night. I want to stay on.
I don't want to go to work in the day, I want to stay at home.
I don't want to go out, I'm a hermit, a recluse.
The problem for me, and I can see it already, is I don't want to leave. I don't want it to go away. It's my drug of choice, and it makes me happy.
Your post enlightened me. It gave me a feeling of relief that people do quit and get cravings to come back, and can't control this.
I hope you are managing to control yours, for the sake of your relationship.
Nothing is better than a partner, no matter how inevitable addiction can become.
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