|
Starcraft 1 & 2 are very time-consuming.
TL is full of smart kids who have lots of possibilities in life.
Once you're out of high school, the way you spend your time is critical in regards to your future.
Video games often are an obsessive hobby.
There are many, many amazing video games to play, past and future.
I have a lot of free time on my hands right now. This means I can play a lot of Starcraft! Well...
I will try to enter a prestigious school in two years, and should probably prepare for that. I have two choices ahead: game design or political science. I will need to teach myself some programming languages AND basic economics alongs with some basic knowledge of the business world (I've studied mostly art, history, philosophy and literature so far). Not only that, but I also need to improve my english, my spanish, and my german to be able to pass some exams and have a paper that officially says that I'm quadrilingual (nowadays pretty much anyone says they speak at least 3 languages, even though it's not true most of the time).
Edit: Reading this I realize it sounds like bragging, but let's make it clear, my spanish is meh; my english full of flaws and my german is terribad. I don't know anything about the business world, nor economics, nor programming. In short, those things I listed are things I need to start from scratch or seriously work on.
So this is quite a lot, and it's only the serious part.
See, my girlfriend bought me the game Xenogears and a book called "Philosophy of videogames". Fun stuff to do! I'd also like to play FF7 again, hell, I'd like to play FF6, 8 and 9 too. I want to play Chrono Trigger, Baldur's Gate 1, Diablo 1, Tomb Raider, Abe's Odyssey, Gemini Rue, Braid, The Witcher, Skyrim... so many games! And I'm not even counting movies and books!
I think that my point is quite clear by now: while there are many beautiful, amazing, necessary and useful things to do, I spend most of that time laddering in Starcraft. I was on the verge to Masters, but couldn't get in, then switched to Zerg, but playing team games to learn the mechanics kind of took the fun out of it. It's just ladder-ladder-ladder, when I could be improving myself at so many things, discovering so many new songs, new movies, new games, new books.
I think I'm getting closer to the point where I just want to shout "screw this shit" and uninstall the game altogether. But stopping before Masters feels like a failure, and seems and odd conclusion to simply randomly stop even though I still want crave more games. What do you think? Should I just leave the game, or try some more? Have you already stopped playing, or considered doing so? Thanks in advance.
Sincerely,
Some random newb
 
|
I agree on the part that us college should spend more time (generally speaking) studying rather than watching/playing starcraft. I find doing like 90% of my studying AT school, and playing games when I get home at night. As for starcraft being a very time consuming game, it isn't for me as it is very stressful, so I like to do things like ski/drink/hang out with friends too.
|
I am a high school student from Canada, and I see you are French.
The difference between a North American high school and a European high school is ridiculous. I get marks between 80-90% with MAYBE 2 hours of studying per week. I play some music, so that is 30 hours per week total. I sleep around 8 hours a day. So I get roughly 90 hours that I feel obliged to spend living, and the rest of the 170 hours (I'm not good at math, it must be close to that number) playing video games and having fun.
All you need to know is how much you can afford to play, and once you know how much you can play you can have fun.
|
A lot of people will say you're retarded and most likely give this one star. Not a single fuck should be given because what you describe is actually the better life. You have access to throngs of countries and their economies with language, and you have access to pseudo-acceptance at Blizzcon with more laddering. The best thing Starcraft has ever given me is friends--ones that I talk with regularly and have had amazing times with. Unless this is your first passion in life, do what you know is right, especially while you are younger.
|
There are certain lessons about psychology, what kind of attitude to have in what situation, about the true values of talent and effort, about making your best shot but sometimes falling short still just because shit happens, that are better to learn in BW than say an embarrassing way in real life with the loss of a job or lack of direction your entire life. tl;dr: Starcraft is actually a better path to maturity than other things you do in your youth.
|
It's not really a high school schedule, since I'm in University and here you're supposed to do 10x more work at home. You can skip on studying at all and still pass, or work your ass off and pass too. But it will make a difference later!
French high schools can be heavy, but don't worry, they're still pretty laid back in comparison to other models (the Korean one for example).
As for SC being stressful, I had an idea that I never tried: play an hour of SC, and do some stretching and exercices right away. It could be a solution, all ina very competitve mindset. 
|
On January 24 2012 10:01 oBlade wrote:
There are certain lessons about psychology, what kind of attitude to have in what situation, about the true values of talent and effort, about making your best shot but sometimes falling short still just because shit happens, that are better to learn in BW than say an embarrassing way in real life with the loss of a job or lack of direction your entire life. tl;dr: Starcraft is actually a better path to maturity than other things you do in your youth.
Of course, but what if you have an obsessive personality and mild success in the game?
I mean I love the game but damn I can spend 5 hours straight laddering and it hasn't led me anywhere! I haven't made a single new friend and I'm stuck in Diamond both with Zerg and Terran.
|
Just play the game less?
Focus on other things and play team games with friends.
|
The problem is that you're assuming that we can all function at 100% when we're not gaming. I don't game when I'm at 100%, I game to recharge and relax.
Trust me, I gave up on online games long ago, but playing games keeps me sane.
|
quite true. I guess there's a certain point where you stop learning things you can apply to other parts of your life, but there is some merit to exploring games for cognitive purposes. The reason you crave more games is probably just from the fact that you've played a lot of games over time in your life, and have learned to use them as entertainment. So it could take a while to "get off" games, a weird way to put it. If you really feel like you need to invest in some other activity, you should probably stop playing and just immerse yourself in that thing, be it books, music etc...See how you like it after a while.
I know I'm going to lessen my playing over school periods and come back to it during breaks, but I know there's something more that I can explore in life. I've just gotta step outside the box and try it.
|
i always wonder where i would be now if i hadnt picked up sc:bw in '98. maybe president.... then again, i may be dead from a heart attack. sc has always been my stress reliever. i agree everything should be done in moderation, sc:bw included.
|
At first, I only played the game to get better at BW and try to become one of the better players. Then one day, I realized: wtf am I doing, putting school before videogames?
There are times that I still put videogames before schoolwork, but it has gotten better since. Instead of playing the game, however, I try to think about contributions to the community. For example, translations, video making for ISL, confirming/denying rumors in BW forums etc. etc.
In the end, TL is just a video game community, and you won't make something out of it unless you start taking an initiative. Some people try to take a step back and start playing the game more casually, while others try to better the community by doing community-related projects/works.
TBH, I know my translations still suck, but it has gotten much better since I joined TL.
|
On January 24 2012 10:07 IntoTheheart wrote:
The problem is that you're assuming that we can all function at 100% when we're not gaming. I don't game when I'm at 100%, I game to recharge and relax.
Trust me, I gave up on online games long ago, but playing games keeps me sane.
Yeah, you should play games to unwind or relieve stress because imo the time you spend playing actually becomes productive that way because it's not really important but provides you with entertainment and enjoyment. Then you can spend your actual productive time working on learning languages/ programming.
Also your English is very good; don't worry about that. I didn't find any glaring issues besides mixing up an/and.
|
On January 24 2012 10:21 Chocolate wrote:Show nested quote +On January 24 2012 10:07 IntoTheheart wrote:
The problem is that you're assuming that we can all function at 100% when we're not gaming. I don't game when I'm at 100%, I game to recharge and relax.
Trust me, I gave up on online games long ago, but playing games keeps me sane. Yeah, you should play games to unwind or relieve stress because imo the time you spend playing actually becomes productive that way because it's not really important but provides you with entertainment and enjoyment. Then you can spend your actual productive time working on learning languages/ programming. Also your English is very good; don't worry about that. I didn't find any glaring issues besides mixing up an/and.
I agree with the first point.
And for the second point, I believe that you've got me mixed up with the OP. Thanks for complementing my English though, feels nice, I've gotta say.
|
I think you should first ask yourself what you will be doing with your time without starcraft.
If you will replace it with more study and more productive activities then yes you totally should reduce or even eliminate the time you spend on sc2.
If however, you are going to procrastinate and end up wasting your time anyway then you should stick with sc2. I don't know about you, but I for one prefer spending my time playing starcraft than checking facebook incessantly and waiting for someone to post in the funny pics thread.
|
Time management will set you free. As long as you properly budget your time there is no reason you can't play videogames, do well in school and pick up a few extra-curricular activities.
|
Hey man i'm way ahead of you i just browse TL, but i must say i've been doing much better without SC grade/life quality wise. But i replaced SC2 with study/ learning to play bass. Although i do miss SC2 i knew i wasn't going pro and i was painfully addicted to sometimes you gotta stop. If you can play part time good for you if not well then at least you got your values straight good luck!
if you want i also made a blog on this same topic
|
If you haven't gotten into master league yet, I would just give up if I were you
|
<3 Xenogears, I need to go buy a Ps1 and that game so I can play it again. BTW very time consuming game.
|
|
|
On January 24 2012 10:16 Roe wrote:
quite true. I guess there's a certain point where you stop learning things you can apply to other parts of your life, but there is some merit to exploring games for cognitive purposes. The reason you crave more games is probably just from the fact that you've played a lot of games over time in your life, and have learned to use them as entertainment. So it could take a while to "get off" games, a weird way to put it. If you really feel like you need to invest in some other activity, you should probably stop playing and just immerse yourself in that thing, be it books, music etc...See how you like it after a while.
I know I'm going to lessen my playing over school periods and come back to it during breaks, but I know there's something more that I can explore in life. I've just gotta step outside the box and try it.
You have a point, I do have a "habit" of playing games quite simply, and a "habit" of playing Starcraft. I have very little self-discipline, which is definitely a problem...
On January 24 2012 10:07 IntoTheheart wrote:
The problem is that you're assuming that we can all function at 100% when we're not gaming. I don't game when I'm at 100%, I game to recharge and relax.
Trust me, I gave up on online games long ago, but playing games keeps me sane.
Of course, but there's a difference between working 100% and not working at all. I simply meant that I believe it is time for me to make a first step into adulthood, and start producing things instead of solely and compulsively consuming goods and entertainment. Wether it's mapmaking or studying, there's always a point when you need to think about creating something yourself...
And thanks for your support Quesadillas. I have to admit I was a bit sad when I had gotten no responses and a 1 star rating, but I guess that it's just people with a very different idea of life.
On January 24 2012 10:59 DreamChaser wrote:
Hey man i'm way ahead of you i just browse TL, but i must say i've been doing much better without SC grade/life quality wise. But i replaced SC2 with study/ learning to play bass. Although i do miss SC2 i knew i wasn't going pro and i was painfully addicted to sometimes you gotta stop. If you can play part time good for you if not well then at least you got your values straight good luck!
if you want i also made a blog on this same topic
Hey thanks! Will definitely check it out. I was actually expecting more responses like this, just to see how other peoples made it work out.
On January 24 2012 11:08 scarper65 wrote:
If you haven't gotten into master league yet, I would just give up if I were you
Heh, such is the hard truth of life...
|
"never give up, never surrender! " - quote good old toy story
|
I dislike the idea of having ambition for the purpose of ambition. Life is what you make of it. Sure you could spend years diligently working on your education and jobs skills to make lots of money and get tons of stuff. Then again, you may look back when you are much older and wish that you had spent much of that time having fun with friends and doing the things you enjoy. At the end of the day you have to pursue your ambition in life; if that is being great at business or whatever you choose for your career path then great; go after it. Otherwise don't spend all your time trying to prepare yourself to succeed in life, after all life it too terribly short.
As an aside, even if you hadn't mentioned it I think it would be terribly clear that you hadn't graduated college yet. Once you enter the (western) business world, you will come to realize that the smartest people with the best skills aren't always the ones to do advance up the ladder. In fact, you will come to realize that the business world mostly consists of people toiling away in their cubicles while being managed by blow hards who think they are brilliant business people. Actually, just read the American comic Dilbert, that does a pretty good job of explaining things.
|
On January 24 2012 11:30 TheToast wrote:
I dislike the idea of having ambition for the purpose of ambition. Life is what you make of it. Sure you could spend years diligently working on your education and jobs skills to make lots of money and get tons of stuff. Then again, you may look back when you are much older and wish that you had spent much of that time having fun with friends and doing the things you enjoy. At the end of the day you have to pursue your ambition in life; if that is being great at business or whatever you choose for your career path then great; go after it. Otherwise don't spend all your time trying to prepare yourself to succeed in life, after all life it too terribly short.
As an aside, even if you hadn't mentioned it I think it would be terribly clear that you hadn't graduated college yet. Once you enter the (western) business world, you will come to realize that the smartest people with the best skills aren't always the ones to do advance up the ladder. In fact, you will come to realize that the business world mostly consists of people toiling away in their cubicles while being managed by blow hards who think they are brilliant business people. Actually, just read the American comic Dilbert, that does a pretty good job of explaining things.
Don't worry, I'm not aiming for the business world, but I simply assumed I shouldn't be a business virgin in case I want to work independetly.
I actually come from an artistic backround, where you do fun stuff for very little money and lots of hours of work. I find this to be the best scenario for me, but you never know...
It's not really video games vs being a serious man, but more SC vs everything else I like and admire.
|
I think you should just learn to use your time better. Most people cant flip the switch over night and become successful right away, you will have to develop that skillset.
If you cant control yourself like you claim it doesnt really matter if you "decide" to stop playing. You will just waste your time with something else, like browsing your blog. 
|
If you're the kind of person who can only do one thing intensely, I'd agree.
Thing is, I've been in similar situations as you, and now I'm in college, and now I have all this time because school's ezpz, I get my homework done days in advance (in fact, I've never done that before, but I would die if I procrastinated like I did even a semester before, college is hard yo)
And you know what, between hanging out with people downstairs and studying for physics and going to club meetings I can put a few hours a week into SC. (AND get 5-7 hours of sleep!)
|
yeah i quit playing sc2 b/c i wanted more time for exercise + school. I was high masters and I miss the game very much, but you gotta do what you gotta do...
|
I say get to masters then pursue everything else.
I felt exactly the same way you did, however i failed 3 subjects at university because of it...
Well I hate uni anyway, but sc2 gave me the excuse not to do any work. I wouldnt do MUCH work without sc2, but i'd maybe.. MAYBE would have passed, its hard to say.
However during this time in uni i was high diamond, and had invested so much into the game. If ur anything like I am, i NEEDED to get into masters to validate all the time spent on the game. Masters was the reward for playing so much (although it was purely recreational), no body wants to spend time on ANYTHING without some sort of reward.
Now that im in masters, i play the same amount, but care less, but i'm on university break so theres no real drive for me not to play.
When university starts, im certain ill stop playing as much because its gonna be a fucking hard semester...
So once i got in masters, i pretty much stopped caring so much. I play a lot of team games, and still 1v1 often, but at this point its so hard to improve and u have to care so much to get better (which i don't anymore).
I have terrible habits in general, and excessive video games is just one of them...
|
I think most of us can accomplish a lot more if quit sc2 (unless of course you just start playing a different game for the same amount of tiime/watch tv instead, etc.) This game has actually been extremely time consuming for me... but also i do genuinely enjoy playing sc2... i think in the long run sc2 is bad for you, but I guess so is breathing;)
|
I hit mid/high- masters and then I just quit. Improving further would just take too much time. Maybe I'll pick up sc2 again at some point, for now though I'm just going to stick to DotA2, because my skill doesn't deteriorate immediatly, if I stop playing for a few days. I also quit following the scene. It just isn't as interesting when you don't play. I have to say that all the time I spent on sc2 was worth it. It thought me a lot about the process of learning and getting better through repetition. It also gave me a new mentality on doing things efficiently.
|
Stop playing SC for as long as you need to. That might be a summer while you pound out some heavy academic studying, or during the school year to make sure you keep your grades really high and prep for tests. For me I don't have time to play SC during the school year. Last semester I had two jobs and 30 hours of class a week. It was crazy, and even when I was free I was too mentally exhausted for it. Instead I leave up streams in the background while I work (I'm an artist), and enjoy SC that way. Come summer time when I am just working, and I will have days I play 20-30 games straight, and eventually work my way back to my former skill level.
Also time management skills and the self-discipline to untilize them are more valuable to learn than anything you mentioned in the OP. :D
|
I haven't played sc2 competitively for almost a year. I realized it took too much of me, and it was more frustrating than joyful in the end.
If you enjoy playing, don't stop, but don't get obsessed with it either. It's not a big deal in the end if you never hit masters. It must be fun or it's not worth it. Taking a break can feel good.
I guess one could say the same about work or anything else too. You need some time off sometimes.
|
You just need to find a balance, I studied at Sciences-Po Paris and still played Starcraft. I also read books and watch movies, but I never overextend myself in my hobbies. Bonne Chance
|
i mean it comes down to it if u have the spare time why not play sc2 but school will alwayes be more important
|
On January 24 2012 11:42 icydergosu wrote:I think you should just learn to use your time better. Most people cant flip the switch over night and become successful right away, you will have to develop that skillset. If you cant control yourself like you claim it doesnt really matter if you "decide" to stop playing. You will just waste your time with something else, like browsing your blog.
Ouch.
On January 24 2012 11:44 Ktk wrote:
If you're the kind of person who can only do one thing intensely, I'd agree.
Thing is, I've been in similar situations as you, and now I'm in college, and now I have all this time because school's ezpz, I get my homework done days in advance (in fact, I've never done that before, but I would die if I procrastinated like I did even a semester before, college is hard yo)
And you know what, between hanging out with people downstairs and studying for physics and going to club meetings I can put a few hours a week into SC. (AND get 5-7 hours of sleep!)
Well I need at least 9 or 10 hours of sleep a night (my girlfriend hated me for this when we lived together) so I guess that those additional 3 hours are time that could've been spent laddering...
On January 24 2012 16:21 sergedelacalle wrote:
You just need to find a balance, I studied at Sciences-Po Paris and still played Starcraft. I also read books and watch movies, but I never overextend myself in my hobbies. Bonne Chance
Haha nice man, this is one of the schools I was aiming for. A Master's degree from Sciences Po would look good on my resume, but seeing my to do list I sometimes come to think that it would be an unnecessary detour in my studies.
As many have said, having little self-discipline and time management is the biggest problem, but the question remains: how can you acquire such qualities?
Oh and I think it's fine to play a lot when you're 16, Preflect, you should actually enjoy your free time while it lasts! But don't dismiss the real world, it has pretty good graphics and mechanics yo.
|
Well personnally my goal on sc2 was to get into masters so as soon as i got into it I stopped playing, I feel like I know the game fully and i've seen everything it has to offer so I won't waste more time on sc2 until HotS comes out. (I still play very very casually with friends but no more ladder).
I recently stopped watching sc2 streams aswell and I've so much more free time for reading / trying other things it feels great!
I wouldn't have quit if I didn't get into masters I think but that's because I really wanted to be able to say I was master... talk about stupid ego ;p
Now it looks like you still enjoy a lot playing sc2 whereas myself i started to dislike the game more and more (15 min spent in a pvt macro game for a 5s fight where you can't micro isn't fun if you ask me :D).
If you still enjoy sc2 then have fun playing it ! Maybe spend less time watching streams (for me it was the most time consuming) and you could try to play like one ladder bo3 or bo5 each day then do something else.
Anyway days should last longer than 24 hours there are so many things to do T.T
|
|
|
Well... decision made! No more Starcraft for me!
I will buy The Witcher tomorrow. But at least it has a beginning and an end, unlike laddering.
|
Althought I agree with some of the things you said I think your conclusion is wrong.
If I follow your logic you it would be the "right time" to play Starcraft when you will retire from work.
Because the same arguments you are giving now (which are absolutely legit reasons), you will have the same in college or at work.
-- "I don't have time for Starcraft because I have to work a lot so that I get that raise" and so on.
In your situation, a cool way to achieve the goals you set yourself could be to find a german / spanish / english speaking gamers or even programmers and play with them. You'll learn much faster than any lessons you will take.
Traveling could be a great idea too. For example Luxembourg is a country where pretty much everyone talks (well) 4 languages (french, german, luxembourgish and english) so it's a good way to learn one language without being "lost" in a place where you don't understand anything (althought in my opinion it's the best way to learn).
|
most of my time is spent studing now in college. I am a junior and studing history education. lots of papers and reading. but you shouldn't give up what you like to do for fun because if you do that that can lead to extreme anxity and depression. mainly you really have to have disipline in college. Its a requirment and if you dont have it you will not succeed. just manage your time wisely and you will have time for a lot more than you think you will.
btw....Xenogears is and amazing game. played the junk outta that game as a kid.
|
Hey guys I'm not giving up on videogames. I'm giving up on Starcraft so I can study AND play all of the amazing video games that are out there.
I just want some diversity in my gaming life!
|
On January 25 2012 09:19 Kukaracha wrote:
Well... decision made! No more Starcraft for me!
I will buy The Witcher tomorrow. But at least it has a beginning and an end, unlike laddering.
First of all, good for you for making a solid decision for your own good.
I played SCBW for... countless years, including my years at university. It wasn't really super intense training or anything, I've hit C- with Protoss once and that was my best ever. I didn't really 'dedicate' a set number of hours on a regular basis to get better at it, but I did keep up with all the Korean eSports scene and stuff. Point is, I played the game at a level I was comfortable at and didn't feel the need to push myself into a new rank to feel better about it. It was usually a quick 3v3 during lunch, an empty time slot, or a bo5/bo7 against a friend in the weekend.
Games come and go, and that's the way they should be handled. There will be always too many 'good, attractive' games to play all at once, so you'll have to select a few from the list. Then you enjoy those games for whatever value they offer - the adrenaline rush of chopping heads (Skyrim, oh ho ho, how I love this game right now), the fuzzy feelings from corny romance plots in JRPG's, the accomplishment of pulling off a well-refined build order in RTS, or whatever else you find in a game. Once you get your enjoyment, it's time to snap back and live life off the monitor.
Enjoy playing The Witcher, and remember that you should be a master of games, not a slave.
|
My opinion is that your life's short so do everything to make it as fun as possible. If you consider that your life will be better if you study more and get a job that you prefer or pays more, then do that. If you can have fun now AND still get the job you want, then do that =)
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
