Sheep mentality in the gaming community

[qaerst]

So i was deleting some older games i had on my computer to focus more on my fastlane journey,
And i stumbled on one of my friends profile where you can see how many hours someone spent on a
video-game.

3,568 hrs on record - three-thousand five hundred and sixty eight F*cking hours

I'm not gonna lie , i used to admire people who spent so many hours in a video game.
But my whole perspective changed after reading MJ DeMarco's books.
So i asked him how he felt about the fact that he could've spent +3k hours on a valuable skill.
His response? "Lol , no F*ck that i want to have fun in life why should i struggle to chase a dream."


It hit me , the things that MJ mentioned in his books.
The sheep mentality , the hive mind mentality , dead zombies living a scripted life.
So i just wished him the best of lucks and went on deleting other games.

I'm so grateful that i'm not living a comfortable lie.

Thanks MJ.

 

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[qaerst]

I'm young and have a lot to learn.
But i've already started to kick all the bad habits out and only be in contact with the people that have a positive effect on my life.

My question is how did your social circle change after you decided to live an UNSCRIPTED life?

 

[Artemisia]

As an ex gamer myself I understand how you feel. Gaming is a form of escapism for a lot of people, it makes you feel rewarded and important while in truth you are just rooted to a chair ruining your health and wasting your life away.

MMO are the worst thing you could possibly do to your self as a young person who cares about their future.
Some of my old gamer friends are spending countless hours over decades! building their characters up in a fake world. They feel important there, but what will happen when the game company pulls the plug?

You can make real life your game, your business as your exp grind. Once you start "leveling up", seeing results, you will get a thrill games can never match.

This doesn't mean completely giving up on games, once you are stable you can play a few hours for fun.

A new awesome game you have been waiting for comes out? No problem, just take a couple of days off and play. There will be no boss to ask for permission to and the money will keep pouring in as you sit comfortably on your couch. And believe me it feels great!

As for your friend, you can try to point him in the right direction but remember that people only change when they are ready to. The best way to influence people in your life is by example.

 

[qaerst]

As an ex gamer myself I understand how you feel. Gaming is a form of escapism for a lot of people, it makes you feel rewarded and important while in truth you are just rooted to a chair ruining your health and wasting your life away.

MMO are the worst thing you could possibly do to your self as a young person who cares about their future.
Some of my old gamer friends are spending countless hours over decades! building their characters up in a fake world. They feel important there, but what will happen when the game company pulls the plug?

You can make real life your game, your business as your exp grind. Once you start "leveling up", seeing results, you will get a thrill games can never match.

This doesn't mean completely giving up on games, once you are stable you can play a few hours for fun.

A new awesome game you have been waiting for comes out? No problem, just take a couple of days off and play. There will be no boss to ask for permission to and the money will keep pouring in as you sit comfortably on your couch. And believe me it feels great!

As for your friend, you can try to point him in the right direction but remember that people only change when they are ready to. The best way to influence people in your life is by example.

What i've noticed is that if you confront someone about their video-game habits that they'll start being hostile and usually respond with the classic:
"It's my life i can do whatever i want!"

I wish there was a pill that could literally wake up people and make them realize that sitting for 8 hrs straight trying to kill a boss in WoW won't affect your life at all and it's all just some colors on a screen with a false feeling of satisfaction.

 

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[coder4life]

That is just sad. That translates into 148 days spent on gaming! I guess a lot of people simply do not want to live a productive life.

 

[qaerst]

That is just sad. That translates into 148 days spent on gaming! I guess a lot of people simply do not want to live a productive life.

Even if my "friend" had a shitty job at some burger place for 13/hr he'd have $46,384 more in his pocket.
Instead people rather spend thousands of dollars on virtual items to impress other sheeples in the game.
Mind blowing if you think about it.

 

[Arevico]

191 Days Clean

 

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[cutthroughstatic]

Gaming is one example, but there are so many. If Netflix or Facebook kept timers on the site and showed the world how much time people spent on there, I'm sure the number would be ludicrous.

We are programmed by society to consume. Goods, entertainment, whatever it is. Keeping the masses in a state of consumption is good for business.

 

[TheRegalMachine]

A part of me wants to believe that maybe he left the game idle but I know that ain't true.
I love video games. But I don't love them that much that I want to spend hours upon hours of my life dedicated to them.
I started to ease up on gaming first due to the money that goes into them. 40 to 50 buck for a game felt like a waste when I could use that towards something more constructive. Then there's the time. When I see 20 hours log on a game I get this feeling of disgust in myself for spending that much time. So if I don't beat a game after a certain point I abandon it. Now adays I don't buy triple A titles anymore. I'll usually buy an indy game digitally when they're on sell below 5 bucks. I choose games where I can casually spend maybe 30 minutes if that playing. I've also gotten into playing old games via emulators. I'll play just to get the edge off them go do something else more beneficial.

 

[qaerst]

A part of me wants to believe that maybe he left the game idle but I know that ain't true.
I love video games. But I don't love them that much that I want to spend hours upon hours of my life dedicated to them.
I started to ease up on gaming first due to the money that goes into them. 40 to 50 buck for a game felt like a waste when I could use that towards something more constructive. Then there's the time. When I see 20 hours log on a game I get this feeling of disgust in myself for spending that much time. So if I don't beat a game after a certain point I abandon it. Now adays I don't buy triple A titles anymore. I'll usually buy an indy game digitally when they're on sell below 5 bucks. I choose games where I can casually spend maybe 30 minutes if that playing. I've also gotten into playing old games via emulators. I'll play just to get the edge off them go do something else more beneficial.

The sad thing is that people glorify hours on a game.
Just look at any review of a game where you can see people with +7000 hours in a game and people are getting compliments left right and center.
Lets hope we people wake up.

 

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[TheRegalMachine]

The sad thing is that people glorify hours on a game.
Just look at any review of a game where you can see people with +7000 hours in a game and people are getting compliments left right and center.
Lets hope we people wake up.

There are a lot of sad things in the gaming world.
When I listen to guys into speedrunning it's just disappointing to see young guys caring more about being on a leader board for beating an obscure Mighty Morphin Power Rangers video game in a short amount of time. That's what you want you legacy to be?
"I beat Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in under 3 minutes."
They literally throw fits of rage. Tears running down their face when they don't be XxxRattail009xxX's time.
These young men will become fathers at some point. I mean if they're lucky.

 

[Lafandriel]

What i've noticed is that if you confront someone about their video-game habits that they'll start being hostile and usually respond with the classic:
"It's my life i can do whatever i want!"

I wish there was a pill that could literally wake up people and make them realize that sitting for 8 hrs straight trying to kill a boss in WoW won't affect your life at all and it's all just some colors on a screen with a false feeling of satisfaction.

Every person is responsible for their own actions. I understand that you want to help your friends to get out and take responsibility for their lifes but no matter what you say... you won't change them. It has to make "click" in their brains so the best you can do is lead as a good example and maybe when they see your success they might change...

Now on the change of my social life ... there are a lot of people who are very important to me who won't stop telling me that I am doing a mistake ( to live unscripted ) even now that I am successfull... I try to reduce to meet them because it costs a lot of energy to always fight back or defend myself...
don't forget : what's right for you might be a waste of time for others

PS: I still play games ( as it relaxes me) but only for a couple of hours a week.
I think it is more important what you do than what you should not do ... so as long as you get your stuff done why not refill your energy with gaming or something else?

 

[Artemisia]

These young men will become fathers at some point. I mean if they're lucky.

Social media and game addiction is becoming a more and more popular reason for divorce, so even if they do become parents it might not last long with that attitude.

 

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[SquatchMan]

I only play the Game of Business.

It has been running 24 hours a day 7 days a week for a couple million years and it will probably never stop. I started playing a little over 20 years ago learning very basic skills and then (mostly) trading time for value points on a 1:1 ratio by being a member of other people's clans, but I finally got my own clan organized so I won't have to trade 1:1 for much longer.

There are much bigger clans than mine and people forming new clans everyday, so it's a highly competitive game and I can never really take too long of a break. Oh well I find it pretty fun and I can't figure out a way to play a different game.
----

For real though. Running a business is a million times more fun/rewarding than playing videogames. Just remember to have fun. It is all just a game anyway.

 

[qaerst]

I only play the Game of Business.

It has been running 24 hours a day 7 days a week for a couple million years and it will probably never stop. I started playing a little over 20 years ago learning very basic skills and then (mostly) trading time for value points on a 1:1 ratio by being a member of other people's clans, but I finally got my own clan organized so I won't have to trade 1:1 for much longer.

There are much bigger clans than mine and people forming new clans everyday, so it's a highly competitive game and I can never really take too long of a break. Oh well I find it pretty fun and I can't figure out a way to play a different game.
----

For real though. Running a business is a million times more fun/rewarding than playing videogames. Just remember to have fun. It is all just a game anyway.

Exactly.

The rewards of having a business and being successful in it vs Grinding levels on "runescape / Wow / any game" is unmatched.

But i guess people just want to have fun quickly without sweating tears.
Just like the lazy kind of people who want to get rich quick and fall in the "You can do whatever you want if you buy my eBook" guru trap.

 

[SirPsychoSexy]

Gaming is the poor man's lithium.

Exactly.

The rewards of having a business and being successful in it vs Grinding levels on "runescape / Wow / any game" is unmatched.

But i guess people just want to have fun quickly without sweating tears.
Just like the lazy kind of people who want to get rich quick and fall in the "You can do whatever you want if you buy my eBook" guru trap.

You are being a bit too simplistic in your generalization imo. World is a bit more complex than just "hustlers vs the lazy ones". Reading the thread, it feels like gamers are acting in a perfect reasonable manner and their habits are the result of a logical and thoughtful decision process. They are not and it's not. Someone mentioned speedrunning. Speedrunners didn't weight the pros and cons of creating a business vs. spending 1000+ hours on one video game, and then choose the second option. Gaming addiction is underestimated imo, and I feel that the reason why gaming is becoming so important is the same reason why you read TMF or Unscripted : to escape the script. So ok, maybe they are looking for a quick-fix instead of a deep change, but F*ck, I don't see the point of doing a last-ditch stand.

I mean we get it, you are now being part of the "HUSTLER" club and now you feel the need to beat a dead horse, but you know what I think? This is a reverse side-walker mentality. Shitting on side-walkers is just a reverse script. Some people don't want to become rich and wealthy, they just want to live a calm and stressless life. I don't see what's wrong with that. And remember that you'll become wealthy thanks to these people.

(Your friend spend 7k+ hours on one game; I see the glass half full, there are huge opportunities if you look at the why.)

 

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[Digamma]

To be honest, the main reason I do business is so I can afford more videogames.

 

[qaerst]

Some people don't want to become rich and wealthy, they just want to live a calm and stressless life. I don't see what's wrong with that.

You're right , i shouldn't be criticizing them if they want to play just to relax.

 

[qaerst]

To be honest, the main reason I do business is so I can afford more videogames.

That's awesome!

 

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[qaerst]

(a little off-topic)
Well i also have my own problems that i will have to deal with:
-I realize that i love showing off my accomplishments
-I love preaching about the entrepreneurial mindset but i still didn't do something major in my business.
-I admire people and just watch how they all become successful while i'm sitting there just watching them.

And many more problems..
But the first step is acknowledging my problems and trying to fix them step by step.

 

[Lex DeVille]

You're right , i shouldn't be criticizing them if they want to play just to relax.

Why criticize him at all? How much did your business grow in the time spent criticizing in this thread? Most people don't realize this, but the world isn't just expanding outward (i.e. going to mars, mining asteroids etc.). We're moving inward.

Pay attention to virtual reality and augmented reality. Infinite inner worlds like No Man's Sky .. Over the next 10 years we'll see immersive environments unlike anything imaginable today. Inside those environments, gaming will likely play a major role in how we approach life.

For an example, see this video:

View: https://vimeo.com/46304267


There are gamers today making a lot of money inside gaming worlds. This has been going on for 20+ years. I remember playing Diablo II as a kid and bartering online for gear. When I was a little older and had a credit card, I could buy gear with real money to get ahead.

There's also YouTubers who play games while talking about games and getting paid $2000+ donations in addition to ad revenue and massive sponsorships.

I don't know anything about your friend or his situation. And I'm not saying anyone should spend all their time gaming. But it's not exactly productive fuming over their choices, when the hours they're racking up might be what gives them an advantage over you in the not-so-distant future (or maybe even now).

Instead of letting gamer choices upset you, have you thought about how you could be valuable for them? What needs might they have that you could fulfill? They may be gamers but they're still people. They're still customers too.

 

[Andy Black]

I dread to think how many hours I've spent in this forum...

 

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[Lex DeVille]

I dread to think how many hours I've spent in this forum...

A digital forum in a zoned off section of the internet on a private server surrounded by other people connecting digitally all of which started at level 1 and some of which get addicted enough to go past level 2, 3, and 100 on a quest to become the hero of their own story.

Sounds kinda like a video game!

 

[Van Halen]

When you're shit at life and at the bottom, with a low rent job and no friends theres a simple pill you can take. A pill that'll make it all go away for an hour or three. You enter a world where you're a king, a world that keeps feeding you dopamine and makes you feel as if you're accomplishing something. Progressing and levelling, working towards a goal and improving in this world. A world where you don't have to be shy; be yourself, it doesn't matter! Say what you like! You fit in well to this world, a well respected veteran. Every point, kill, score whatever just feeds into your ego, you see how good you can become in this world. You believe in yourself. You've finally found something you're good at. The only problem is this world is temporary, you have to live in the actual world to get back to this one, coast through the day until 5 O'Clock when the bell rings, so you can plug out to plug back in.

Really gaming feeds the same instincts as wanting to be an Entrepreneur: The desire to be great. To have notoriety from peers, be skilful and be a top performer. The key difference is gaming artificially feeds these. You aren't improving. There are no results, it's just pixels. The games are purposefully designed like that to keep you playing. Thats when habits are formed and your a$$ is set in concrete, thats how somebody plays for 3,000 hours.

edit: Not to mention gaming is about 10^10 times easier than business, seriously reading a cereal box is probably more mentally challenging.

 

[Mattie]

why should i struggle to chase a dream."

I think this is the common answer I've received from many individuals. What they don't realize is that life will catch up with them. I only played video games for a couple of years, and life hit hard. And it was just one game. Games are escapism. They don't want to deal with life. And sure it's pleasurable, fun, and time waster. Everyone I know seems to be all about having fun, pleasure, the five senses. It's our greatest weakness if we allow it to rule our lives. I get bored with games today. It served it's purpose when my son was younger, because I played the Play Station with him. And he also had learning games. I believe I didn't realize technology would be taking over the Millennials lives. Now I understand he's learned coding, scripting, servers, and some other stuff, because he loves creating and building the games. He's wired for electronics, technology, robotics, mechanical, math, and science.

It depends on the sheep. What kind of games? What are his natural gifts and talents? We live in an Addictive Culture and conditioned by society and human nature to be creatures of habit. The combination promotes the pleasure of the five senses. Where can I get my next dopamine fixation?

 

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[Chinobey]

So i was deleting some older games i had on my computer to focus more on my fastlane journey,
And i stumbled on one of my friends profile where you can see how many hours someone spent on a
video-game.

3,568 hrs on record - three-thousand five hundred and sixty eight F*cking hours

I'm not gonna lie , i used to admire people who spent so many hours in a video game.
But my whole perspective changed after reading MJ DeMarco's books.
So i asked him how he felt about the fact that he could've spent +3k hours on a valuable skill.
His response? "Lol , no F*ck that i want to have fun in life why should i struggle to chase a dream."


It hit me , the things that MJ mentioned in his books.
The sheep mentality , the hive mind mentality , dead zombies living a scripted life.
So i just wished him the best of lucks and went on deleting other games.
I'm so grateful that i'm not living a comfortable lie.

Thanks MJ.

3.5k jesus christ im still a gamer myself but if you added up all the games i've played it wouldn't even be that much good luck to your friend. Side note remember probably 500-1k of those hours are idle hours that is quite a common game to just leave running.

 

[Olimac21]

So i was deleting some older games i had on my computer to focus more on my fastlane journey,
And i stumbled on one of my friends profile where you can see how many hours someone spent on a
video-game.

3,568 hrs on record - three-thousand five hundred and sixty eight F*cking hours

I'm not gonna lie , i used to admire people who spent so many hours in a video game.
But my whole perspective changed after reading MJ DeMarco's books.
So i asked him how he felt about the fact that he could've spent +3k hours on a valuable skill.
His response? "Lol , no F*ck that i want to have fun in life why should i struggle to chase a dream."


It hit me , the things that MJ mentioned in his books.
The sheep mentality , the hive mind mentality , dead zombies living a scripted life.
So i just wished him the best of lucks and went on deleting other games.

I'm so grateful that i'm not living a comfortable lie.

Thanks MJ.

People are mentally wired to like games however +3k hours is too much. If you look around us, a lot of things are made to create the same kind of engagement i.e social media. I heard once that the average brazilian spent 7 hours on facebook per day, after hearing that I automatically thought about ways to avoid getting to that point one day.

At the end of the day time is all we have and we should not waste the majority of it in just entertaining.

 

[Pilot35]

Only 3k hours? This guy clocked over 27k hours! For just one game!

All those years, just for some stupid video game. The power of mindless entertainment is NEVER to be underestimated.

 

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[Chinobey]

Only 3k hours? This guy clocked over 27k hours! For just one game!

The power of mindless entertainment is NEVER to be underestimated.

3 years of his life that is ridiculous and he hasn't even got all the achievements wow....

 

[Millenial_Kid5K1]

I've got over 400 hours logged in Skyrim. I'm not really ashamed of it, I still get a chuckle now and then from some of the stuff I've done on there. Back then I had no clue there was another lane though, I thought it was just, "Work your a$$ off, spend as little as possible, so you can retire as early as possible." How depressing is that, I needed the escapism I got from video games.