Gaming and Motivation

[Shanto94]

Sounds to me like you need to learn how to manage time.
I got a dog too, but I walk it before dinner (and our raid times used to be 19.00/20.00 where as dinner 18.00/18.30) and before I go to bed (usually around 23.30, which is after raid time).

Getting better grades is your own fault, my gf is doing uni and still finds some time to play WoW or Skyrim and gets good grades. But probably, unlike you, she does her school work FIRST and gaming SECOND. Not to mention she also walks the dog from time to time or we do it together.

I play games at night because I worked all day and wanna relax, have fun/socialize with RL friends that don't live next door etc. If there's a good film coming on, or my gf wants to watch one, I go watch TV instead of play WoW.

You're looking at this wrong or you're simply doing it wrong. Most people just play games because they enjoy it, a minority because they think or are addicted.

Well, some dogs got more need for being active than others. The dog I own needs to be way more active than before 18 to around 23-23:30. With a raids going from 19-23, I would walk him right before raid start but he would still need/want to go out again around 22:00. Also, I would usually ask for a break when he started to ask to go out, take a short walk with him and then go for a longer walk after the raid. But I hate to around 22:00, always have to ask for 10-15min break, and I did at some times not ask for it. (When we had multiple boss attempts at under 10%).

I can also give another example:
In LoL, games usually take 30-45min, sometimes they take more than 70min though. Planning 70min ahead might be hard, and dinner could go from not even being planned to be finished in that time. And then the game punish you for leaving a game. And it's quite offensive to not come to dinner when some1 else made it for you. That's the kind of problem I see. It encourages bad time managment.

Also, once again I probably worded myself bad. It's not like my grades are low, they are mainly B's - but they could be A's.

Why isn't video games benefical? during my time in wow i've learned to speak english quite well considering my age and nationality. I've been the GM of a few good raiding guilds so i've learned quite abit of how to take control and lead a group of people. Also video games is a very cheap hobby compared to other hobbys.

If you had been taking classes/courses for that, I still belive you could been even better, but this is hard to say without knowing how your skills are. Though it will be true in most cases. That's what I mean by it not being so beneficial.

[Adam Jensen]

I love that a culture that wastes time watching TV vilifies gaming . . .

Gaming is a hobby, like any other. If you enjoy it, it is not a waste of time. It can hurt you, but so can any other hobby if you do it to an extreme.

---------- Post added 2012-11-16 at 07:14 AM ----------

Although I agree with what you're saying, in your personal situation, there is more to think about.
Watching television is something what you can share with your family/friends while being physically near eachother. So there is interaction.
Being social in Wow means using chat or some voice-tool... sometimes also with people you've never met.
playing wow means not interacting with people surrounding you.... watching television together means gathering with people surrounding you and playing wow is the opposite: you have to get away from them and lock yourself into your pc/screen. So there is difference.

Basketball will do the same thing. I won't be able to do it alone... I need my friends to do it. Again: wow would mean going away from them and socialize with people you (sometimes) never met.

Socializing in wow misses a lot of stuff. You don't see them, you won't know what kind of emotions your words or actions cause.
So I don't find it a good comparison "watching television", "playing basket ball" and "playing a game".

Many people in WoW play with real life friends. Half my guildies do.
Many people play video games to socialize. You've never had a Halo party? A CoD party? Any other game with coop or perhaps competed with other friends?

You can also sit on your ass and watch tv alone too.

The problem with gaming, as with the problem with TV, is not a problem inherent to gaming, its a problem inherent to that one individual.

[Shanto94]

Also, this is turning into a discussion if, gaming is good or bad.
That's not the intention of this thread
The intention is - tell what keeps you gaming.
I gave some afterthoughts tyring to show I no longer understand what kept me gaming.

Thanks for keeping on topic