Games and health.

[Dis]

Originally posted by child of Thor
I think the key ingredients that got me hooked to gaming in 1980 were:

1.Fun
2.Educational/(sharpens the mind)
3.Interactive
4.You could make them yourself

Are gamers geeks(ref pathetic lives)? well i certainly know a few that fit that sterotype, but its not an exclusive requirement imho.

Balance is probably a good thing to aim for, somehow i managed to fit in a social life around my heavy gaming habits, but i did loose a girlfriend once - so gaming is not an easy ship to sail in

I find the exercise of the mind the most useful thing that games have brought to me, its a good way to simulate and solve problems.

On the physical side they definately are a bad thing so you need to compensate for this by making sure you give yourself time to do something active.

that's why I masturbate to stay active.

[Carolus Rex]

Originally posted by lord of the mark

Trebizond from EU2. Or actually from a SHWI what if based on EU2, one of the things that really got me interested in that game.

[All-these-new-abbreviations-are-killing-me-mode]SHWI?[/All-these-new-abbreviations-are-killing-me-mode]

Carolus

[Carolus Rex]

Originally posted by Dissident

that's why I masturbate to stay active.

Adding pains to that poor mouse arm?

Carolus

[Skanky Burns]

He uses his keyboard-hand.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Carolus Rex


[All-these-new-abbreviations-are-killing-me-mode]SHWI?[/All-these-new-abbreviations-are-killing-me-mode]

Carolus

Soc.history.what-if

Actually a usenet newsgroup, one of the last such to still be useful. Definitely one of the best, most rigourous alternative history discussions on the internet. NOT a games site, but games come up every now and then, and when they do the site is pretty insightful.

Go to Google, groups, and search on Shwi.

[DrSpike]

Takes away gaming time though.

[Skanky Burns]

Playing games or talking about games. Such a harsh trade-off.

[child of Thor]

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
Playing games or talking about games. Such a harsh trade-off.

At work i talk about it(on poly) - at home i play

And Dis, just make sure to alternate between both hands from time to time, to avoid any wear and tear to vital computer playing extremities

[Carolus Rex]

Originally posted by child of Thor

And Dis, just make sure to alternate between both hands from time to time, to avoid any wear and tear to vital computer playing extremities

Or, better yet, find someone else who does it for you!

Back on-topic... I'm currently on a Deus Ex trip that illuminates the negative relationship between gaming and health (both physical and pshycological)...

I play late and do not sleep well... I stay away from work to play (today) and when at work I do nothing useful... Just think about going home and continue playing... This starts to wear on me...

Carolus

[DrSpike]

Welcome to gaming addiction.

[Carolus Rex]

Thanks...

Actually, I'm nowhere near my Civ 2 addiction... Don't know if I should put a or a to accompany that last sentence, though...

Carolus

[DrSpike]

Both.

[child of Thor]

Originally posted by Carolus Rex

edit.......

I play late and do not sleep well... I stay away from work to play (today) and when at work I do nothing useful... Just think about going home and continue playing... This starts to wear on me...

Carolus

Yes its one of the banes of growing up and needing to work - it gets in the way of gaming

Still, if your lucky you can find yourself a much more flexible job and avoid taking days off(i've found this can be a slippery slope that leads to firing!).

My one-sitting gaming sessions are mostly pretty weak these days, maybe 5hrs at a time or so.
Still in a full working week i can fit in 30hrs quite comfortably, which is nearly enough to cover all the games i'm currently playing; while not being so much that i can't find time for RL stuff i need to do.

And with my cycling to work and weekend runs in the park, i can stay healthy to carry on gaming into my OAP years

[DrSpike]

You manage 30 hrs?

These days with work and living with my gf I manage around 15 per week.

[Carolus Rex]

Originally posted by DrSpike

These days with work and living with my gf I manage around 15 per week.

Ah, work and girlfriend... The gamer's worst enemies... (Apologies to those who have neither, but seek both )

I suspect that the nails in the coffin are spelled c-h-i-l-d-r-e-n... But then again, once they reach gaming age... Daddy will buy all the latest hard- and software and set up a family LAN... Maybe that's why it's called the "second age"...

Have you left Academia and have a job in the real world?

child of Tor,

I have a very flexible "job"... That's part of the problem, though, as my discipline is so weak... Presently I game too much and work too little (heresy!) and I can't reverse the trend...

Carolus