Fuck. There was a time when I could down two bottles of wine and that would be just to get the party started. That's slightly exaggerated, but I wasn't exactly shy when it came to boozing. Those days seem to be over as well.
Today, I brought home a bottle of cheap (very cheap) wine and I had two or three glasses around dinnertime. I'm now sitting here wincing every time I look up at the screen and hoping the headache is going to fade soon. I'm getting old it seems. Or maybe just older.
When I would be asked to choose between the two I'd go for gaming over alcohol, so I might as well drop this forgotten habit now that I'm at it anyway. Speaking of gaming, why are other games to so fucking boring compared to WoW? I bought Forza 2 today, since racing games were always my big favourite but it could hardly hold my attention for more than thirty minutes.
WoW-wise, the cravings are pretty much gone. I miss looking at Wraaks big...umm...mace or Vandobben's sexay ass (male belflol ftw) from time to time but it's under control. I can do without the game and, like yesterday, I got more other stuff done. I swapped my Sons of Hodir for Cleaning the Kitty Litter, and I farmed the supermarket instead of the saronite.
Ok, it's not like I didn't go to the supermarket when I was still playing. But at least now I take the time, instead of squeezing it in while travelling between two flight points. That was kinda sick when I look back on it. In fact, it's amazing I almost always came back with the right stuff.
But now, it's saturday night, the kids are asleep and the house is cleaned up. NOW I'd love to log on and pug something, or grind some rep, or level some alt. I think I will, too, after this month is over. Maybe I should try a month with WoW after this month, keeping in mind to do all the RL stuff that's going so well at the moment before logging on.
This is getting scientific.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
The storm settles
Hi guise, welcome to day 5 of the program. Today I want to address a number of things, each of about equal importance, depending on your point of view. See what I did there? Yes indeed, I didn't say shit. It's awesome to recover your higher brain functions after occupying them for years with just e-peen fantasies about engineering vehicles and ueber epix.
First thing I want to do is thank Sis/Radagaest of Turalyon EU for his mention of my blog somewhere on Serenity's guildforum. It's really cool to know that people read the stuff I wrote. Sis also deserves a mention for his bold statement that "Real men play female night elves." Even though his hunter is a fat dorf.
Sis says "sometimes wow feels like an addiction, that takes far too much time, but I always compare to people who watch the tv all evening, any morpg will beat that imo."
The key to this statement, for me, is not the comparison between tv and mmo-gaming, because I feel the same about that. Tv is overrated crap, best used to pacify my daughter. Mmo gaming is more social, more interactive and above all, it doesn't shut down your brain, it activates it.
The downside is that I can turn off the tv after watching two shows. I've hardly ever watched tv for more than three hours, and I'm pretty damn sure most of us have spent double, possibly triple that time (AV WEEKEND BITCHEZZ) playing WoW. Which brings me to the key of Sis' statement: the time spent on WoW. Somehow this game manages to convince you that you have time for just one more heroic, or one more daily, or one more try on that boss.
I'm going to be simpel about this: don't hate the game, hate the playa. Every human being is responsible for his/her own actions and, adults that we are, lolol, we should be able to manage our own time, right? I'm gonna leave it at this, love to pick it up later and have some other peoples' views on this.
Point two: after a week of not playing I can safely say that playing WoW has no influence whatsoever on domestic peace and quiet. I came home today and found one wife, up to her neck in dinner preparations, one baby wrapped closely around her, screaming her lungs out (the baby, not my wife), and one toddler trying to outdps the baby, volume-wise. So WoW or no WoW, kids will be kids and have their days. And, mor noticeably, their off-days.
What WAS different was my response. Instead of my usual sighs and self-pity (omg I've worked for hours why can't I come home to a NICE place blabla) I just came in, parked my bike, made my way to the kitchen, said hi to my woman, picked up the eldest and started playing with her, ending her assault on our senses in around five minutes. Booyah! I rock at parenting.
Not having the pressure of doing dailies or being online on time for a raid helps me when it comes to stuff like that, I think.
Point number three: I finally managed to memorize my new mobile phone number, that I have only had for like two years. Whether this is related to the aforementioned recovery of higher brain functions is open to debate.
I'd like to end this post with a honourable mention for my lovely wife. She has quit the game as well leaving behind two lovely shamans and a seriously hot dwarf hunter babe. No matter what I do, she has my back, and realizing that just makes so goddamn proud of all we've done together the last few years.
I'm off to enjoy my family, seeya!
First thing I want to do is thank Sis/Radagaest of Turalyon EU for his mention of my blog somewhere on Serenity's guildforum. It's really cool to know that people read the stuff I wrote. Sis also deserves a mention for his bold statement that "Real men play female night elves." Even though his hunter is a fat dorf.
Sis says "sometimes wow feels like an addiction, that takes far too much time, but I always compare to people who watch the tv all evening, any morpg will beat that imo."
The key to this statement, for me, is not the comparison between tv and mmo-gaming, because I feel the same about that. Tv is overrated crap, best used to pacify my daughter. Mmo gaming is more social, more interactive and above all, it doesn't shut down your brain, it activates it.
The downside is that I can turn off the tv after watching two shows. I've hardly ever watched tv for more than three hours, and I'm pretty damn sure most of us have spent double, possibly triple that time (AV WEEKEND BITCHEZZ) playing WoW. Which brings me to the key of Sis' statement: the time spent on WoW. Somehow this game manages to convince you that you have time for just one more heroic, or one more daily, or one more try on that boss.
I'm going to be simpel about this: don't hate the game, hate the playa. Every human being is responsible for his/her own actions and, adults that we are, lolol, we should be able to manage our own time, right? I'm gonna leave it at this, love to pick it up later and have some other peoples' views on this.
Point two: after a week of not playing I can safely say that playing WoW has no influence whatsoever on domestic peace and quiet. I came home today and found one wife, up to her neck in dinner preparations, one baby wrapped closely around her, screaming her lungs out (the baby, not my wife), and one toddler trying to outdps the baby, volume-wise. So WoW or no WoW, kids will be kids and have their days. And, mor noticeably, their off-days.
What WAS different was my response. Instead of my usual sighs and self-pity (omg I've worked for hours why can't I come home to a NICE place blabla) I just came in, parked my bike, made my way to the kitchen, said hi to my woman, picked up the eldest and started playing with her, ending her assault on our senses in around five minutes. Booyah! I rock at parenting.
Not having the pressure of doing dailies or being online on time for a raid helps me when it comes to stuff like that, I think.
Point number three: I finally managed to memorize my new mobile phone number, that I have only had for like two years. Whether this is related to the aforementioned recovery of higher brain functions is open to debate.
I'd like to end this post with a honourable mention for my lovely wife. She has quit the game as well leaving behind two lovely shamans and a seriously hot dwarf hunter babe. No matter what I do, she has my back, and realizing that just makes so goddamn proud of all we've done together the last few years.
I'm off to enjoy my family, seeya!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
GNGHHHHHGHHGGNNGHH
Ok voor alle nederlands lezenden; JAMMER JOH, ik ga verder in het engels want de cravings are getting worse and worse and fucking worse.
Yesterday I was like: "well ok I can sit this month out, there's plenty of time to make up my mind about whether I should get back to the game". But yesterdays comment kinda stuck. Best. Game. Ever. S'true, you know. It is. Not as in most innovative, nooo. But looking at the sheer size of the game and the amount of (repetitive) things to do, it's a goddamn behemoth of complete fucking epic size. This is Oblivion on viagra and you fucking know it.
One more interesting fact me and the missus found out over the years; the game's areas are so well designed that you know precisely where you are after a while, just by looking at your surroundings. And I don't mean in what area, I mean in what specific sub-area in that area. Non-believers will scoff at this statement or claim that other games do this too.
SURE
Name me one open world free roaming rpg that delivers the goods better. EVE? Hell no, looks the same everwhere and all that changes graphically is your dick - sorry spaceship. Same star systems over and over. And the fact that all interaction looks like a MOTHERFUCKING EXCEL FILE ain't helping either. Let the cocksuckers at SA / Goonswarm rub their peens against their massive titanium hulls, you're not impressing me.
So, let's have a look at fantasy based rivals. LOTRO? Never played it. Tell me why I should and I'll get back to you. I'll leave it open for now but the fact i couldnt be arsed to even trial it says something i guess.
CONAN? umm, they're merging servers as we speak. Word to the fucking wise:
JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF LOUD MOUTHED MORONS ON BLIZZARD FORAMZ SAY WOW SUCKS AND IS HALF BAKED DOESNT MAKE A GAME WITHOUT ENDGAME OR CHALLENGES A COMPETITOR TO THE NUMBER ONE.
WARHAMMER then. I played it, it's pretty good BUT.I needed a fatter pc to get some frames out of it and I dont want a fatter pc so i turned down the graphics and I got caught up in a sort of brown grey land of flakes and umm..stuff. The game itself was basically wow so that was good. RvR was a good addition to the game, so were the area objectives or whatever they where called; I even think the areas were phased like Blizz did in WotLK. Awesome game but no more so than the big W. And I have no time for one mmorpg, let alone two.
That means WoW wins. WoW is the game that took me by the balls and refuses to let go. It's the MMO rottweiler, if you will. I miss my toons, my auctions, the torchfire in IF or the mindless "Anal" spammage in /2. I miss boosting mates, pugging raids and hanging out in Ironforge/Shattrah/Dalaran talking shit to people I don't know.
Just 19 more days, and then I can get back to my second life.
Oh yeah I missed that one. Ok here goes:
SECOND LIFE
LOL
Yesterday I was like: "well ok I can sit this month out, there's plenty of time to make up my mind about whether I should get back to the game". But yesterdays comment kinda stuck. Best. Game. Ever. S'true, you know. It is. Not as in most innovative, nooo. But looking at the sheer size of the game and the amount of (repetitive) things to do, it's a goddamn behemoth of complete fucking epic size. This is Oblivion on viagra and you fucking know it.
One more interesting fact me and the missus found out over the years; the game's areas are so well designed that you know precisely where you are after a while, just by looking at your surroundings. And I don't mean in what area, I mean in what specific sub-area in that area. Non-believers will scoff at this statement or claim that other games do this too.
SURE
Name me one open world free roaming rpg that delivers the goods better. EVE? Hell no, looks the same everwhere and all that changes graphically is your dick - sorry spaceship. Same star systems over and over. And the fact that all interaction looks like a MOTHERFUCKING EXCEL FILE ain't helping either. Let the cocksuckers at SA / Goonswarm rub their peens against their massive titanium hulls, you're not impressing me.
So, let's have a look at fantasy based rivals. LOTRO? Never played it. Tell me why I should and I'll get back to you. I'll leave it open for now but the fact i couldnt be arsed to even trial it says something i guess.
CONAN? umm, they're merging servers as we speak. Word to the fucking wise:
JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF LOUD MOUTHED MORONS ON BLIZZARD FORAMZ SAY WOW SUCKS AND IS HALF BAKED DOESNT MAKE A GAME WITHOUT ENDGAME OR CHALLENGES A COMPETITOR TO THE NUMBER ONE.
WARHAMMER then. I played it, it's pretty good BUT.I needed a fatter pc to get some frames out of it and I dont want a fatter pc so i turned down the graphics and I got caught up in a sort of brown grey land of flakes and umm..stuff. The game itself was basically wow so that was good. RvR was a good addition to the game, so were the area objectives or whatever they where called; I even think the areas were phased like Blizz did in WotLK. Awesome game but no more so than the big W. And I have no time for one mmorpg, let alone two.
That means WoW wins. WoW is the game that took me by the balls and refuses to let go. It's the MMO rottweiler, if you will. I miss my toons, my auctions, the torchfire in IF or the mindless "Anal" spammage in /2. I miss boosting mates, pugging raids and hanging out in Ironforge/Shattrah/Dalaran talking shit to people I don't know.
Just 19 more days, and then I can get back to my second life.
Oh yeah I missed that one. Ok here goes:
SECOND LIFE
LOL
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Baby come back
Als ik geen afspraak met mezelf had gemaakt was ik nu mijn Deathknight aan het levelen geweest. 4 dagen zijn pas verstreken en de nood is hoog. Maar goed, dit is ook nog geen onbekend terrein. Twee of drie keer eerder heb ik op dit punt de handdoek in de ring gegooid.
Ik ga nu door, in de wetenschap dat ik 24 februari, onherroepelijk, mijn account weer ga verlengen.
Ik ga nu door, in de wetenschap dat ik 24 februari, onherroepelijk, mijn account weer ga verlengen.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
3 dagen verder
En het begint alweer te komen. Ik herken dit van vorige pauzes die ik heb genomen. De eerste dagen denk je; "ach wat leuk, nu kan ik weer eens aan de slag met GTA4 of iets dergelijks." Na een paar dagen begin je je characters te missen. Van Panzerbeaver tot Shelby tot Vandobben, het zijn allemaal toch een soort tamagochis, met hun eigen doeleinden ingame. Farmalts en bankalts, raiding mains met bankslots vol offspec gear, als je het optelt lijkt het net alsof je een heel leven weggooit.
Tbh, als je drie jaar bijna al je vrije tijd in hetzelfde steekt is dat misschien ook wel zo. Maar uiteindelijk is dat geen reden om te stoppen met stoppen met WoW. De teruggewonnen vrijheid uit zich nu vooral in verveling en films kijken. Dat levert wel resultaat op als het gaat om de sfeer thuis. We zijn toch wat ontspannener, bijna opgeluchter, alsof we eindelijk een alternatief hebben gevonden voor die zware baan.
Dat is belachelijk misschien, maar dingen groeien wel vake belachelijk. En ze zijn hoe ze zijn, niet hoe ze zouden moeten zijn. Dus als ik drie jaar teveel nadruk op Warcraft heb gelegd, jammer fucking dan.
Wat ik wel ga missen, als "gamer" zijnde, is het feit dat je echt leuke chicks kon maken in wow. Er is geen enkel spel dat ik ken dat dezelfde grafische heerlijkheid heeft. Dat is ook de reden waarom ik eerder terug ben gegaan, en waarom ik na deze maand misschien weer terug ga. Er is nog steeds niets beters.
Tbh, als je drie jaar bijna al je vrije tijd in hetzelfde steekt is dat misschien ook wel zo. Maar uiteindelijk is dat geen reden om te stoppen met stoppen met WoW. De teruggewonnen vrijheid uit zich nu vooral in verveling en films kijken. Dat levert wel resultaat op als het gaat om de sfeer thuis. We zijn toch wat ontspannener, bijna opgeluchter, alsof we eindelijk een alternatief hebben gevonden voor die zware baan.
Dat is belachelijk misschien, maar dingen groeien wel vake belachelijk. En ze zijn hoe ze zijn, niet hoe ze zouden moeten zijn. Dus als ik drie jaar teveel nadruk op Warcraft heb gelegd, jammer fucking dan.
Wat ik wel ga missen, als "gamer" zijnde, is het feit dat je echt leuke chicks kon maken in wow. Er is geen enkel spel dat ik ken dat dezelfde grafische heerlijkheid heeft. Dat is ook de reden waarom ik eerder terug ben gegaan, en waarom ik na deze maand misschien weer terug ga. Er is nog steeds niets beters.
Monday, January 26, 2009
De 24e Januari 2009
Afgelopen zaterdag, 24 januari 2009, verliep mijn ruim drie jaar oude World of Warcraft account. Ik wil het niet hebben over de hoeveelheid vrije tijd die ik nu heb, of hoe het toch kan dat een persoon zoveel tijd aan een spel kan besteden. Dat zijn zaken voor wetenschappers. Ik weet alleen dat ik sinds afgelopen Zaterdag het idee heb dat ik meer tijd heb, en veel minder moet. Dat kan nooit slecht zijn.
Dus heb ik de volgende afspraak met mezelf gemaakt:
minimaal 1 maand.
Eén maand lang speel ik geen WoW. Daarna zou het zomaar kunnen dat ik weer verder ga, maar een maand lang gebeurt er helemaal niets. Iedere dag houd ik hier de stand bij van het afkickproces. Gisterenavond wist ik het al zeker; ik zou nooit meer beginnen. Vanochtend twijfelde ik, en vanavond moet ik mijn arm er misschien vanaf bijten om te voorkomen dat ik in een van de spaarzame momenten dat Blizzards' Account management pagina niet offline is weer een betaling doe.
Ik moet deze maand volhouden. Ik moet weten hoe het was voor die tijd, want ik weet het echt niet meer. Ik was een jonge gozer met een nieuwe vriendin die al mijn dromen deed uitkomen, drie jaar later ben ik getrouwd en heb ik twee kinderen en is mijn inkomen verdubbeld.
(Als je het zo bekijkt kan ik misschien beter blijven doorspelen.)
Maar goed, hier gaat het dus de komende tijd gebeuren. En hier ga je ook, 24 februari, lezen wat de einduitslag is. Je kunt niet smsen, je kunt ook niet surfen naar een hippe site om daar je stem uit te brengen.
Het is helemaal aan mij. Hoe stoer.
Dus heb ik de volgende afspraak met mezelf gemaakt:
minimaal 1 maand.
Eén maand lang speel ik geen WoW. Daarna zou het zomaar kunnen dat ik weer verder ga, maar een maand lang gebeurt er helemaal niets. Iedere dag houd ik hier de stand bij van het afkickproces. Gisterenavond wist ik het al zeker; ik zou nooit meer beginnen. Vanochtend twijfelde ik, en vanavond moet ik mijn arm er misschien vanaf bijten om te voorkomen dat ik in een van de spaarzame momenten dat Blizzards' Account management pagina niet offline is weer een betaling doe.
Ik moet deze maand volhouden. Ik moet weten hoe het was voor die tijd, want ik weet het echt niet meer. Ik was een jonge gozer met een nieuwe vriendin die al mijn dromen deed uitkomen, drie jaar later ben ik getrouwd en heb ik twee kinderen en is mijn inkomen verdubbeld.
(Als je het zo bekijkt kan ik misschien beter blijven doorspelen.)
Maar goed, hier gaat het dus de komende tijd gebeuren. En hier ga je ook, 24 februari, lezen wat de einduitslag is. Je kunt niet smsen, je kunt ook niet surfen naar een hippe site om daar je stem uit te brengen.
Het is helemaal aan mij. Hoe stoer.
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