Am I the only one who intentionally avoids buying games?
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I was watching The Guild a while back (web series) and part of the back story is that Felicia Day wrote it after a two year WoW addiction. While I tire of the medical industry defining a gazillion "addictions" so that they can bill your insurance company to treat them, this one struck home. Back in ancient times, before Windows ruled the earth, I encountered a primitive DOS based game called Digger. I recall going several nights without sleep, hammering away at the game. Just one more round! You know the story. Sometime thereafter, I realized that any cool game was going to be trouble in this fashion and ever since I have studiously avoided buying any computer or console games to keep my life from disappearing down that particular little rabbit hole. Of course, I don't know how much good that did me since immediately after that first gaming encounter I became a programmer. :rolleyes: Hey, one out of two ain't bad. Anyone else avoid games because you know they'd suck too many hours out of your lives?
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help.modified on Friday, December 31, 2010 4:09 PM
Actually I find most all of the games boring. Of course I rarely watch TV, either. I find TV and computer games to be a waste of time better spent actually doing something.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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The fight with the compiler is FAR more virtuous. (virtuous is a word, right?) Yeah, I'm same as you. I spent plenty of quarters back in the 80s. But now adays, I just watch my son play em. With much disgust. He could be fighting the compiler instead of wasting his life. At least with compiler fighting, you're building some THING. There's a .exe - it may not do everything you want, but it probably will before you die. I just joined FRC (high school robot club). Even if my son drops, I can still be a "mentor". (That is, get to play with 150 pound robots:) I'm hoping he'll YET catch the bug. But it's kinda lookin like this gig is not his bug. Maybe the 3d printer will get his attention. FIGHT THE COMPILER !!
Oh, man, I forgot about all those quarters. I remember playing the bars in New York back in the 80s and plugging most of what I earned for the gig into the Centipedes machine (I kept a private stock of scotch in the dressing room so I wouldn't spend it all at the bar).
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help. -
I intentionally avoid buying games quite simply because I am crap at them.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
That's a life saving gift from the binary gods. Rejoice. :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help. -
Pualee wrote:
Claiming a 2 year WoW addiction and writing a book is like snorting pixie stick powder and writing a book on how to quit hard drugs.
Maybe, but The Guild is a really good series, if you're enough of a gamer to get the jokes :) That, and Felicia Day is... well... she's almost on my list.
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)The Guild is a really good series even if you're not a gamer. It's also what inspired us to do the web series that we start casting for in January. Oddly enough, Felicia Day is the biological and personality mashup of two girls I knew over the years, each with their own unique appeal. But I watch the series anyway. :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help. -
One word: Doom
Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.
Yeah, I worked very hard to avoid that one, even when guys at the office were playing over the LAN on lunch breaks!
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help. -
The only games I ever played with something resembling regularity was Papyrus Nascar Racing (in it's many iterations), and Valve's Day Of Defeat. Papyrus went out of business, and Valve refuses to update DoD (last update - other than some minor bug fixes - was more than three years ago). I haven't played anything more impressive than Windows Spider Solitaire since 2007. I don't own any game consoles (and never have).
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997I can understand why you don't have consoles. That would get expensive. I have a visual of you losing a game, calmly picking up your .45, and filling it full of holes. :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help. -
Yeah, I worked very hard to avoid that one, even when guys at the office were playing over the LAN on lunch breaks!
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help.It ate soooo much of my life for a few years - I think it actually allowed my liver to recover! :laugh: You even got the DoomDreams™ after a while...
Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.
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Oh, man, I forgot about all those quarters. I remember playing the bars in New York back in the 80s and plugging most of what I earned for the gig into the Centipedes machine (I kept a private stock of scotch in the dressing room so I wouldn't spend it all at the bar).
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help. -
I was watching The Guild a while back (web series) and part of the back story is that Felicia Day wrote it after a two year WoW addiction. While I tire of the medical industry defining a gazillion "addictions" so that they can bill your insurance company to treat them, this one struck home. Back in ancient times, before Windows ruled the earth, I encountered a primitive DOS based game called Digger. I recall going several nights without sleep, hammering away at the game. Just one more round! You know the story. Sometime thereafter, I realized that any cool game was going to be trouble in this fashion and ever since I have studiously avoided buying any computer or console games to keep my life from disappearing down that particular little rabbit hole. Of course, I don't know how much good that did me since immediately after that first gaming encounter I became a programmer. :rolleyes: Hey, one out of two ain't bad. Anyone else avoid games because you know they'd suck too many hours out of your lives?
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help.modified on Friday, December 31, 2010 4:09 PM
Christopher Duncan wrote:
Anyone else avoid games because you know they'd suck too many hours out of your lives?
Yeah. Also I'm happy with games like Monopoly, Poker. Also I'll play Road rash always till lose a match. Recent days I'm playing his[^] games.
thatraja
Brainbench certifications
My Dad had a Heart Attack on this day so don't... -
I intentionally avoid buying games quite simply because I am crap at them.
Henry Minute Do not read medical books! You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain Girl: (staring) "Why do you need an icy cucumber?" “I want to report a fraud. The government is lying to us all.”
Spider solitaire is my speed. You screw-up you do not have to take days to get back where you were. :)
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I was watching The Guild a while back (web series) and part of the back story is that Felicia Day wrote it after a two year WoW addiction. While I tire of the medical industry defining a gazillion "addictions" so that they can bill your insurance company to treat them, this one struck home. Back in ancient times, before Windows ruled the earth, I encountered a primitive DOS based game called Digger. I recall going several nights without sleep, hammering away at the game. Just one more round! You know the story. Sometime thereafter, I realized that any cool game was going to be trouble in this fashion and ever since I have studiously avoided buying any computer or console games to keep my life from disappearing down that particular little rabbit hole. Of course, I don't know how much good that did me since immediately after that first gaming encounter I became a programmer. :rolleyes: Hey, one out of two ain't bad. Anyone else avoid games because you know they'd suck too many hours out of your lives?
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help.modified on Friday, December 31, 2010 4:09 PM
I have a long love / hate history with games. Most recently, I intentionally avoided Modern Warfare 2 when it came out. Then my brother bought it for me so I could join him and his friends. Bad move. And now I have Call of Duty: BlackOps, which I play more than I should, but it's a controllable amount that only eats up a couple of hours on my days off. Or an hour or 2 if work frustrated me. The good thing is my girlfriend can play along side me with the split screen online multiplayer option, instead of threatening to destroy the game. (This is not an empty threat; she has destroyed games).
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I can understand why you don't have consoles. That would get expensive. I have a visual of you losing a game, calmly picking up your .45, and filling it full of holes. :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help.That image gives a whole new meaning to "first person shooter"... :-D
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The only games I ever played with something resembling regularity was Papyrus Nascar Racing (in it's many iterations), and Valve's Day Of Defeat. Papyrus went out of business, and Valve refuses to update DoD (last update - other than some minor bug fixes - was more than three years ago). I haven't played anything more impressive than Windows Spider Solitaire since 2007. I don't own any game consoles (and never have).
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
-----
You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
-----
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997You may want to take a look at “Arma II” and honor your new PC. I got it yesterday from Steam and I have to say I’ve never played more realistic military SIM/a way too realistic for my taste/ and I’d played them all.
There is only one Ashley Judd and Salma Hayek is her prophet! Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
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I can understand why you don't have consoles. That would get expensive. I have a visual of you losing a game, calmly picking up your .45, and filling it full of holes. :)
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help.Then Sony will hit the market with a new product: “PlayStation Disposable” or PSD™.
There is only one Ashley Judd and Salma Hayek is her prophet! Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
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Actually I find most all of the games boring. Of course I rarely watch TV, either. I find TV and computer games to be a waste of time better spent actually doing something.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
I find doing something to be a waste of time better spent playing games.
There is only one Ashley Judd and Salma Hayek is her prophet! Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
-
I was watching The Guild a while back (web series) and part of the back story is that Felicia Day wrote it after a two year WoW addiction. While I tire of the medical industry defining a gazillion "addictions" so that they can bill your insurance company to treat them, this one struck home. Back in ancient times, before Windows ruled the earth, I encountered a primitive DOS based game called Digger. I recall going several nights without sleep, hammering away at the game. Just one more round! You know the story. Sometime thereafter, I realized that any cool game was going to be trouble in this fashion and ever since I have studiously avoided buying any computer or console games to keep my life from disappearing down that particular little rabbit hole. Of course, I don't know how much good that did me since immediately after that first gaming encounter I became a programmer. :rolleyes: Hey, one out of two ain't bad. Anyone else avoid games because you know they'd suck too many hours out of your lives?
Christopher Duncan
www.PracticalUSA.com
Author of The Career Programmer
Writing apps? Developing sites? Hate marketing? We can help.modified on Friday, December 31, 2010 4:09 PM
Some people like watching sports, others like doing puzzles or knitting, I like playing computer games. I'm fairly discriminatory with what I play. Lately I've played mainly FEAR sequels and Company of Heroes. There is more. I've connected with my boys through games. My oldest son pulled away from us as a teenager. At times, the only thing he and I could talk about was World of Warcraft. My youngest son has always enjoyed watching me play first person shooters--he's a weird kid, but notices the craziest little details. We often end up playing as a team, with me running the keyboard and him warning me I'm about to get shot. Just this week, my youngest son whipped through the original FEAR (Steam had it on sale) in a few hours. I was astonished and asked if he'd played on easy. He said no, he'd played it on normal mode. The student has become the master. Same with his older brother who can do things with WoW that make me shake my head. I look back with fondness at our Need for Speed rivalries. I delight in my youngest daughter teasing me about slaughtering my score in Mahjongg and how proud she was, especially because she knows I didn't hold back.
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I have a long love / hate history with games. Most recently, I intentionally avoided Modern Warfare 2 when it came out. Then my brother bought it for me so I could join him and his friends. Bad move. And now I have Call of Duty: BlackOps, which I play more than I should, but it's a controllable amount that only eats up a couple of hours on my days off. Or an hour or 2 if work frustrated me. The good thing is my girlfriend can play along side me with the split screen online multiplayer option, instead of threatening to destroy the game. (This is not an empty threat; she has destroyed games).
Which level? I started the prestige mode yesterday after work and I kind of sorry for this. I’m missing my weapons and I’m a little frustrated to be level one once again and to have everything reset.
There is only one Ashley Judd and Salma Hayek is her prophet! Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
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I find doing something to be a waste of time better spent playing games.
There is only one Ashley Judd and Salma Hayek is her prophet! Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
Well, I don't have enough time to do all the things I want to do. Congratulations! I'm glad someone has excess time on their hands! :laugh:
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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Well, I don't have enough time to do all the things I want to do. Congratulations! I'm glad someone has excess time on their hands! :laugh:
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E. Comport Computing Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
Walt Fair, Jr. wrote:
I'm glad someone has excess time on their hands!
My wife keeps telling me the same! :)
There is only one Ashley Judd and Salma Hayek is her prophet! Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
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Which level? I started the prestige mode yesterday after work and I kind of sorry for this. I’m missing my weapons and I’m a little frustrated to be level one once again and to have everything reset.
There is only one Ashley Judd and Salma Hayek is her prophet! Advertise here – minimum three posts per day are guaranteed.
I'm about to prestige a second time, probably over the weekend. I felt that way when I first prestige'd in MW2, but it keeps the game exciting. It's also real nice to get an additional custom class though each time. I did miss some guns, I hated waiting for the Stakeout, M60, Galil, and AK74. IMO, each of these is the best gun out in their class. Each time I prestige I try a different gametype / class style to focus on. I'll probably do running and sniping with capture the flag next time. If you're on xbox live, I have the same tag as here.
