Gamer's Suicide...

[Whirliebird]

I don't know if anyone spotted this yet... or if there's another thread covering this story but I thought I'd post it as a sort-of reality check in case there isn't. While I don't know if this acceptable or not, I going to post the link to the Yahoo story because I think that reading the story would be wise for everyone:

 

 

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060512/ap_ ... ne_suicide

 

 

 

I know how it works... and I 've done it myself many times... played online games or video/computer games until my eyeballs were fried. From 3:00 in the afternoon on Friday until sun up the next day... so I know how addicting games can be... and I while I've never considered myself to have a problem or be a total "addict", I also know that there are addicts out there in the world and that they do have a "problem". People blow grades in school, lose jobs, get into trouble with their parents, etc-etc-etc simply because they cannot regulate their impulses to play games. Sometimes worse things happen... yes, blowing a grade or losing an afterschool job can be bad but there is far worse: divorce, child neglect, spousal abuse and even death.

 

 

 

If the story is true as it was posted on the news wires (where Yahoo picked it up), someone killed themself because of a game. Let me repeat that: SOMEONE DIED BECAUSE OF A GAME. I'll put it another way to provoke some thought as well as for emphasis: SOMEONE KILLED THEMSELF BECAUSE OF A TOTALLY MEANINGLESS, STUPID AND MORE OR LESS POINTLESS GAME! Sure, games are fun to play... playing with your friends can be a blast. The unity of team play or the victory of one on one combat can be sweet... sure, games can even improve hand/eye co-ordination and can even help you get smarter by making you problem solve (IOW's "think" & use your skills to reason & process thoughts) but at the end of the day, we don't actually NEED games to do that and there are far more effective ways to improve your skills other than to play games. There are also far more effective ways to whoop it up with your friends while making real life bonds that will last forever. And aside from the few positive aspects of game playing or the minor detriments such as developing calouses & carpal tunnel syndrome, there is also the mental aspect of game playing.... which can lead to an addiction that can be very, VERY unhealthy and this is where the trouble starts. So, do yourself a favor and read the article. Think about your own life and how much time you spend playing games. Be realistic about it and consider whether or not your game time is crowding out other, far more important aspects of life. Consider whether or not you are leading a well rounded and healthy life... a life that includes a lot of time spent with your family and friends. A life that includes many other activities such as sports, maybe a job, some educational opportunities, religious activities, time spent volunteering your life to help people out like at a library, food bank or homeless shelter. Think about your hobbies or the lack thereof... especially if you ceased all other activities since you started playing games online.

 

 

 

What's the bottom line here? Many of us spend way too much time online... and not enough time pursuing things that are far, far more important in life and that which will have a far greater impact on our lives. After all, if your game playing leads you to believe that there is nothing else in life as important as the game itself then your life is worth less than the game... and that's sad because the game is truly meaningless in comparison to life. Not to steal a catchphrase.... but I'll say it anyway: choose life. Read a book, goto church, make new friends, ask a girl out on a date. Pitch woo then get married and have 2.5 fat, yet cute as a button little babies. Live life... don't throw it away. Don't be a fool and let a game consume you to such an extent that you pitch yourself off a balcony to your death because you "think" you have nothing left to live for or simply because you have failed to differentiate between what is real and what is not. A game is not reality... it's fantasy... and while it's healthy and OK to have fantasies, don't live the fantasy or live FOR the fantasy. Stay grounded in reality... and to sign off for now, I'll sign off with this. It has been said before and I'll say it again: the best fantasy is reality!

[my_pet_worm]

Games may only be a fake world, but say you've played RS for 5 years and you account is hacked of everything, you would fell they just killed the last 5years of your life. and of course there are us who wouldn't ever suide over something like this, (I would take it as a hint to quit) but people suicide over there life being torn apart form a game.

[Whirliebird]

Games may only be a fake world, but say you've played RS for 5 years and you account is hacked of everything, you would fell they just killed the last 5years of your life.

 

 

 

If you've "lived" for RS for 5 years.... you are long past the point of needing help :roll: Your statement in and of itself strongly suggests that you've done little but play RS this whole time... no, there's nothing wrong with playing RS on and off for 5 years but you did say "killed the last 5 years of your life" which to me seriously means that you need to get off RS for quite a while and unplug! Log off, take a few steps back and evaluate your life man.... that was what I would hope that you would do after reading the articles :wink:

 

 

 

 

 

...and of course there are us who wouldn't ever suide over something like this, (I would take it as a hint to quit).

 

 

 

You would quit a game that you like that much because you got "hacked"?? No offense but that is one of the lamest things I've ever heard. Don't let someone stop you from doing something that you enjoy because they would choose to steal something from you like your items or cash. You still have your character... and that's worth a lot! To me, my stats are worth far more than my "stuff". Yes, I am saying that anyone's millions (or even billions) and all their rares including the PHATs (even 500 PHATs) don't mean jack to me. Everyone seems to forget that PHAT's were FREE back in the day when they came out and it literally took nothing to attain them... as I understand it, you could be a level 1 nooblet or a level 126er and get them all the same other than having to be online while they were available. In fact, I suspect that if Jagex knew what was going to happen with them and the money involved, they would have made them untradeable to keep the money situation out of it just like they did with future items. After all, aren't all they are now nothing more than some sort of status symbol? Isn't flaunting one the same as boasting about having more money than someone else? As far as I'm concerned, you can take your money and cram it where the sun doesn't shine if you're going to be a stuck up pig!! No, that doesn't mean I instantly despise people who wear them, saw one earlier today in fact, but if I hear someone bragging about it, I will not hesitate to call tham a total snob :x As for stats... I will, however, be far more impressed by the time that you spent training... there is no denying the time put into 99's as long as cheating wasn't involved in attaining them. Just be careful of that real world addiction thing while you attain those 99's though!

 

 

 

As for getting "hacked", just make sure that nobody (and I mean NOBODY!) can ever learn your password because they find it written down somewhere and make sure that it isn't easily guessed either. I cannot count the number of times someone has claimed that they got "hacked" when what really happened is that someone else around them at school or a so called "friend" that came over to their house literally saw their password firsthand because it was written down somewhere... or because they saw it get typed into the computer. Or because someone guessed the first person's password based on what the "friend" knew about that person. IOW's, do NOT use the password of "Detroit" if you are a huge Detroit Pistons fan and all of your friends know it! DUH!!! The translation on my speel is that you should make your password a kind of "code" with letters and numbers that cannot be guessed by anyone for any reason... and never, ever use that same code for any other game, forum, website or anything else. Also make sure that you set your recovery questions and bank PIN. If you follow my advice, you will NOT lose your account, find anything mysteriously missing or get "hacked"... man I hate that word! Not only is it totally overused, it's also wrongly used and it's such a lame excuse for the general stupidity of people! :evil:

 

 

 

...but people suicide over there life being torn apart form a game.

 

 

 

If your devotion to any game is so great that it causes you distress for more than about 5 minutes, you are probably overly focused on RS and/or you might be an addict and you should STOP PLAYING THE GAME! Yes, it's normal to be PO'd if you lose an expensive or rare item... but the game is still just a GAME! Get angry, shrug it off and move on. Log out for a while or a day if you need to and focus on real life stuff. (Now back off the soapbox!) :D

[my_pet_worm]

1: did you think i had played the game for 5 years? I started a year and a half ago and only play to talk to friends over it. I'm more of a zezima, he doesn't play his life on it but is good at it. People like n0valyfe who spend 12 hours a day playing on it need to find something called a 'life'.

 

 

 

2:When I say hacking, I mean give me your I.P address and my friend will get int your comp and key logg you, thats what i mean by hacking. Not in the context you were meaning.

 

 

 

3:A lvl 126 on Rs was hacked, and he suicided. If that happened you me, I would quit. I would get on with life, not try to fix a fake life that was ruined. So yea, I would quit over something like that.

[Necromagus]

The parents of a 13-year-old Chinese boy who they say jumped to his death from a tall building after playing one of the popular "Warcraft" online games for 36 hours straight are suing its Chinese distributor, a news report said Friday.

36 hours. A day and a half. At least four to six meals. I sincerely doubt it's the game's fault as much as his parents'. At his age it can sometimes be difficult to stop doing something you like, and your parents are supposed to be there for you to tell you when enough is enough. If I was his father I'd have dragged him down by the hair long before he missed a second meal. Also:

Zhang Xiaoyi died on Dec. 27, 2004, leaving behind a suicide note saying he wanted "to join the heroes of the game he worshipped," the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

I'm no psychiatrist, but the kid was obviously dilusional. He couldn't tell the difference between the game and the real world anymore. That's the difference between 99,9% of all RS players and this kid. Mental health. You can come down from your soap box now, we'll end up just fine without your guidance.

[jak722]

I doubt they'll win...

 

 

 

:?

[Whirliebird]

did you think i had played the game for 5 years?

 

 

 

Not necessarily... you insinuated that you did more than you did not by your wording... still it's more directly my fault for assuming that you had played on the original RS without being more concrete with the facts. My bad, my bad. It doesn't really matter whether or not someone plays 3 months or 5 years and 3 months though... addiction is addiction.

 

 

 

I started a year and a half ago and only play to talk to friends over it...

 

 

 

Gee, wouldn't a regular chat room be a far better choice for yakking than being on RS?!? JMHO. If all you are doing is yakking, thanks for doing nothing but soaking up RS bandwidth to yak and not play... Grrrr :shock:

 

 

 

I'm more of a zezima, he doesn't play his life on it but is good at it.

 

 

 

Well, not to get another whole thread started on that issue... yes, I've already read a lot of the other topics regarding Zezima, N0valyfe, TheOldNite and a slew of other players who seemingly spend 24 hours a day playing RS... but I think the difference between the top 1000 to 5000 ranked players and the rest of us is probably more often due to the fact that they have been playing the majority of the time RS has been available to the public... which means they have been going at it for around 5 to 5 1/2 years now (IIRC). If I continue to play up to 5 years from the time I started, I will easily peg out all my skills at all 99s too. Geez, any sensible yet hardcore player that spends 6 hours a day playing can go from level 1 to almost all level 99's in 3 1/2 to 4 years in my estimation so lets not assume that all the top players do is play for 12 to 16 hours a day. I could, just as an example, easily take a new F2P character from a noob fresh off Tutorial Island to all 33's in a measily 3 days... and all 60's in 3-4 months. After that, it starts getting tougher to level up in a hurry. As has been noted elsewhere in the forums, a huge amount of cash also vastly decreases the time that it takes to level up some of the skills... so if some of the top players sold some PHATs or other rares along the way after the prices skyrocketed, they could have easily went from level 50 to level 99 in many skills very, very quickly. The Crafting skill would be an example of that... all it takes is a great big pile of hides and the devotion to sew them all up into armor.

 

 

 

People like n0valyfe who spend 12 hours a day playing on it need to find something called a 'life'.

 

 

 

I think that it's sometimes easy to pick on someone who plays a lot... even more if they admit it. The thing to consider though is their situation in life. What I mean is that maybe they play that much not only because they freely can... but also maybe because their life situation dictates that they either don't lead what we often refer to as a more "normal" life or they're limited in some way and that allows them to play that much. Two examples I'll share of two real life people that I met online:

 

 

 

A) I know someone who is bedridden because they are essentially a quadrapelegic. They have some feeling in their hands but cannot lift their arms and thay can barely move their head around more than their hands. So, all they do is read, watch programming on the monitors and be online. Online games for them is a great freedom... and they happen to play RS a lot since they cannot literally get out of bed!

 

 

 

&

 

 

 

B) I met a guy on RS that sits for 12 hours a day/4 days a week as a guard in a high security building (meaning it contains very valuable and secret items, yes... he works for a government). So, what does he do all that time? When he doesn't actually have to be checking anything, doing inventory or some other job related function, he reads books, watches movies & shows on the satellite TV, does the same thing on the tape & DVD players, plays RS along with many other online games and does other stuff online like surf, research his family tree and do his e-mail. He cannot leave the building... but doesn't have much interaction with anyone else either because of what he does. More or less, he gets paid to be a pseudo prisoner while "guarding" stuff. Some might laugh say that he also gets paid to read, surf the web, watch stuff and play games too while kicking back but it isn't quite that simple. If something happens, he's also responsible for his partners, the building and everything in it and he also packs a firearm which means he'll be required to shoot to kill if it comes to that. So, while he's responsible, it's easy for him to play RS for up to maybe 10 hours a day while he's at work! Think about it though before you hope for a job like that... it's really easy to be bored out of your skull according to him.... and you cannot leave or go outside once you get there until the next shift shows up! I also have an RS friend who told me that he knows another player that's just totally rich... so all they do is sit around doing whatever all day long... including play tons of RS. While I wouldn't consider playing RS to be a worthwhile life pursuit, if I was totally rich and would never have to work, I might spend more time playing too :P

 

 

 

When I say hacking, I mean give me your IP address and my friend will get int your comp and key logg you, thats what i mean by hacking. Not in the context you were meaning..

 

 

 

Yes, I understand what you mean... but what you are suggesting is highly unlikely to happen these days and most people who have account problems on RS do NOT have problems such as this. The majority unwittingly either get their password spotted by someone around them, give away their password to an outside person or website because they are stupid enough to believe that they'll get something or be leveled up (or made a member... yeah good one sucker!) or because they download software that acts as a logger, trojan or worm. Again, that's because they are stupid! No apologies from me here in my harshness... if you do those things, you deserve to lose your account and have a full blown meltdown of your PC :shock: Anyway, I'd love to see your friends try to "hack" me :twisted:

 

 

 

A lvl 126 on Rs was hacked, and he suicided. If that happened you me, I would quit. I would get on with life, not try to fix a fake life that was ruined. So yea, I would quit over something like that.

 

 

 

That would be a shame if you did... and it would be a shame for anyone to suicide it over RS :cry: Still, it's your life so do as you choose to do... but weigh your options carefully 8-)

[my_pet_worm]

why not use a chat room? well maybe because my friends play this game. alot less hassle.

 

 

 

about those people you talked about playing for 12hours a day etc, n0valyfe has none of these disablities, he just left school to live with his parents so he could play the game.

 

 

 

My bro got hacked in this way, and we have AVG etc on his comp. It happens man, and obviously alot more than you know. Don't try my friend, he knows everything there is to know about hacking

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure it would be a better idea to quit than play again. whats the point in living if your life is a game?

[my_pet_worm]

36 hours. A day and a half. At least four to six meals. I sincerely doubt it's the game's fault as much as his parents'. At his age it can sometimes be difficult to stop doing something you like, and your parents are supposed to be there for you to tell you when enough is enough. If I was his father I'd have dragged him down by the hair long before he missed a second meal. Also:

 

 

 

Yea exactly on the dot. It's like people complaining that Mcdonalds is making them fat, well ffs who the hell went down there, purchased it and ate it?. It's not the companys fault, is the persons fault who used it wrong.

[fatbill]

well i see games as a way to escape pains from real life and when i started to play runescape i was depressed over some rl things, which is wy my rs name is what it is but i myself have never been upset over the game

[gonpost]

What's the bottom line here? Many of us spend way too much time online... and not enough time pursuing things that are far, far more important in life and that which will have a far greater impact on our lives. After all, if your game playing leads you to believe that there is nothing else in life as important as the game itself then your life is worth less than the game... and that's sad because the game is truly meaningless in comparison to life. Not to steal a catchphrase.... but I'll say it anyway: choose life. Read a book, goto church, make new friends, ask a girl out on a date. Pitch woo then get married and have 2.5 fat, yet cute as a button little babies. Live life... don't throw it away. Don't be a fool and let a game consume you to such an extent that you pitch yourself off a balcony to your death because you "think" you have nothing left to live for or simply because you have failed to differentiate between what is real and what is not. A game is not reality... it's fantasy... and while it's healthy and OK to have fantasies, don't live the fantasy or live FOR the fantasy. Stay grounded in reality... and to sign off for now, I'll sign off with this. It has been said before and I'll say it again: the best fantasy is reality!

 

 

 

And who's to say all reality isn't virtual? That this isn't all an illusion? Meh...I dunno. I'm not saying that I live for video games (that's not it in the least), I'm just saying that you might be a little too concreted into your opinion.

 

 

 

I agree with you only to the extent that games should be only one of many things in your life. Make life an adventure, perhaps? After all, your mind is all that you can take with you after death...although even that's arguable.

 

 

 

Oh, and your last line made me laugh. I've never heard anything more absurd.

[Whirliebird]

about those people you talked about playing for 12hours a day etc, n0valyfe has none of these disablities, he just left school to live with his parents so he could play the game.

 

 

 

Well... I don't know one way or the other about them specifically... but if that's true, they sure must have accomodating parents :roll: Even so, that's only 1 person out of the top 5000 & for the math impared, that's .0002% of the top 5K.

 

 

 

My bro got hacked in this way, and we have AVG etc on his comp. It happens man, and obviously alot more than you know. Don't try my friend, he knows everything there is to know about hacking

 

 

 

I won't even bother to smirk at this comment... anyone who knows anything about OS's & programming knows that NOBODY knows all there is to know... NOBODY. I've been at it since 1980 (started on the ancient 8-bit systems... anyone remember those?!?) and while I may be considered an "expert" by most people that I know & work with, I know the sheer ignorance in suggesting that I or anyone else knows close to everything... by the way, you could say that I know "a lot" too :P Obviously, either you yourself know little beyond knowing how to set up and use pre-programmed software on your system (whatever that may be) or your "friend" has you fooled into believing that they are closer to the almighty than the rest of us... and now let us progress back toward the original subject which was the seriousness of gaming addiction and suicide. Oddly enough, I forgot to mention that in the original article, the death apparently occured at the tail end of 2004... almost 1 1/2 years ago. I remember this striking me as odd at first... until I remembered that we're dealing with a story about someone in Communist China. That figures... government censorship at play with the news media I bet :evil:

[Whirliebird]

And who's to say all reality isn't virtual? That this isn't all an illusion? Meh...I dunno.

 

 

 

Gee, someone has been playing "The Matrix" trilogy DVDs too many times... just kidding. Seriously though, the lack of adherence to and/or skill in seperating fact from fiction and the truth from the lies has been what has gotten mankind into nothing but trouble in all of recorded history. Why is it that discernment has fallen by the wayside? Unless the basic facts regarding our planet, our nation and our very lives remain constant, we'll be open to complete and utter corruption and even death. Want reality? Take a pin and poke yourself in the arm... guess what? If you break the skin, you'll bleed and that's reality. Fling yourself off the 13th floor of a building toward the street, you'll most likely be dead when you hit the concrete, that's reality. Fling yourself off the 20th floor or higher and I know your survival rate is zero... that's reality. Barring divine intervention of course :wink:

 

 

 

I'm not saying that I live for video games (that's not it in the least), I'm just saying that you might be a little too concreted into your opinion.

 

 

 

Of course I'm firm in my opinion... I live by what I believe and know to be true based on my observations, experiments and education. Don't you? Or am I supposed to throw what I believe out the window just because someone else doesn't like it at any given time? Yes, I consider the statements, observations and comments of those I respect... or seek out for answers, coucil or advice but I also reject them if I know that what they state or propose is totally wrong. What's reality? If you believe in everything, you believe in nothing.

 

 

 

I agree with you only to the extent that games should be only one of many things in your life. Make life an adventure, perhaps? After all, your mind is all that you can take with you after death... although even that's arguable. Oh, and your last line made me laugh. I've never heard anything more absurd.

 

 

 

Absolutely! Live life to the fullest and utilize all the talents that you have. Challenge yourself, push yourself and be willing to be held accountable for your actions. Do all that you can that's healthy... grow & experience those things that are out there in the world to do. After all, most people don't believe that we were put on the planet to merely die but instead were put here to live life... and to live it to the fullest. Considering suicide, some psychologists have suggested that suicide can be thought of as merely an ultimate escape sought by those who refuse to grow up and deal with reality... to deal with life itself. While this may be true to a certain degree, I believe that there are many reasons for suicide but the bottom line is that successful suicide attempts bring death. Obviously... but that's not the point. The point is that death in and of itself is reality and that is irregardless of whether or not you believe in an afterlife... therein lies the tradgedy... what could have been can be no more. What could have been a much longer life can never be lived. No matter what.

 

 

 

While I think that it's odd that you thought the last line was funny (I didn't coin the phrase), I find it even more odd that you thought it was absurd. Without delving into the world of psychology, MHO is that everyone either deals with reality or they don't. The humorous denial phrase of "I deny your reality and substitute my own" will get a laugh out of me every time... but only because I know that the phrase in and of itself is worthless in spite of the fact that it's funny. So, you either live in reality or you don't... nobody can just make up whatever reality that they'd like at any given time. If you go outside in a blizzard with no clothes on, you'll soon be dead no matter what fantasy you're trying to live or believe in.

[Necromagus]

No matter how much you want it to, in the end this has nothing to do with any of us or our RS habbits (most people in Off Topic don't even play RS all that much anyway). First of all, the kid played for 36 hours straight. His parents didn't interfere with that. They were completely irresponsible and frankly don't really deserve to be parents if you ask me. Second of all, judging from the suicide note he left, the kid obviously didn't see the difference between WoW and reality anymore. If that isn't a clear sign of severe mental problems, I don't know what is.

 

 

 

99.9% of all RS players have parents who are responsible enough to step in when a child loses control of their hobby and/or are mentally healthy enough to know that what goes on in RS has nothing to do with real life. The Chinese kid has issues most of us don't have. Get off your soap box and save it for when you have something meaningful to say.

[Kwisatz]

The parents of a 13-year-old Chinese boy who they say jumped to his death from a tall building after playing one of the popular "Warcraft" online games for 36 hours straight are suing its Chinese distributor, a news report said Friday.

36 hours. A day and a half. At least four to six meals. I sincerely doubt it's the game's fault as much as his parents'. At his age it can sometimes be difficult to stop doing something you like, and your parents are supposed to be there for you to tell you when enough is enough. If I was his father I'd have dragged him down by the hair long before he missed a second meal. Also:

Zhang Xiaoyi died on Dec. 27, 2004, leaving behind a suicide note saying he wanted "to join the heroes of the game he worshipped," the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

I'm no psychiatrist, but the kid was obviously dilusional. He couldn't tell the difference between the game and the real world anymore. That's the difference between 99,9% of all RS players and this kid. Mental health. You can come down from your soap box now, we'll end up just fine without your guidance.

 

 

 

I concur. I believe in this nifty concept called "free will" - that is, unless somebody puts a gun to your head, knife to your throat or threatens to kill a kitten if you don't do something, you pretty much have the power to do or not do something. Similarly, if we apply this to World of Warcraft - the kid had the power to stop playing, and yet he was unwilling because he found it so fun. And the parents DO seem kind of ignorant - "oh he'll grow out of it!" NO. I know lots of kids who are total [wagon] because their parents thought that their kids would "grow out" of being jerks, and they never did. They are being lazy and spending away their children's college education on big-screen plasma televisions while their childrens' lives rot away in front of a computer screen on MySpace and on mediocre, overcompetitive sports teams. It's anybody's fault but Blizzard's. Think about it - do you sue Heckler und Koch if somebody uses an MP5 to kill somebody? HELL NO. You press charges against the killer and testify in court.

 

 

 

I wonder when the age of litigation in which we live will end. It now seems that courts do more damage than good.

[Phat_Stab]

I'll put it another way to provoke some thought as well as for emphasis: SOMEONE KILLED THEMSELF BECAUSE OF A TOTALLY MEANINGLESS, STUPID AND MORE OR LESS POINTLESS GAME!

 

Do you know why people would play a totally meaningless, stupid and more or less pointless game then? To gamers, games do mean something. If they would rather live in a virtual world, then it's a signal, a flag. It's to declare the insignificance of their life, about how they are not satisfied with the way things go. We need to answer to these problems, not to make them out as freaks.

 

 

 

at the end of the day, we don't actually NEED games to do that and there are far more effective ways to improve your skills other than to play games.

 

To some people, games are more effective for learning. That is because they enjoy it or it represents a significant role in what they are doing. Enjoying is generally a better state for learning.

 

 

 

there is also the mental aspect of game playing.... which can lead to an addiction that can be very, VERY unhealthy and this is where the trouble starts.

 

Mental illness leads a person into another state of consciousness, which we cannot experience normally. Have you ever questioned someone like that? Do you know what extent his/her thoughts have evolved to? For all we know, they could be much more observant that what we take for granted everyday. Not all mental states are unhealthy. Some changes our personality, some might actually cause damage. But not all of them are bad.

 

 

 

Consider whether or not you are leading a well rounded and healthy life... a life that includes a lot of time spent with your family and friends. A life that includes many other activities such as sports, maybe a job, some educational opportunities, religious activities, time spent volunteering your life to help people out like at a library, food bank or homeless shelter.

 

We all have a different opinion on what is a healthy life. For someone else, they may not need to be too social with others, they may not be that physical, some may not need a job/can't get one, some may not like to learn, some may be atheists and some may have different views on helping.

 

 

 

I don't find it healthy for people to judge what is good for others. If someone told you that they don't care about relationships with a girlfriend, people would automatically call him a nerd. Why not stop making judgments on others and just accept what they are? Leave people do as they please. If you start calling them no-life, you may actually do more harm than good.

 

 

 

After all, if your game playing leads you to believe that there is nothing else in life as important as the game itself then your life is worth less than the game... and that's sad because the game is truly meaningless in comparison to life.

 

If someone thinks a game life is better than real life, then society is worth less than the game, because a person is pleased with the by-products of the society, not the society itself. We need to correct the problems, not to isolate them.

 

 

 

It has been said before and I'll say it again: the best fantasy is reality!

 

So we are all living in a fantasy world? Can one return to the reality by dying in the 'fantasy' we all live in then?

[gonpost]

Hmm...alright fine...sometimes I just take the opposite side for fun :), and that part didn't work...so how about this...(to hear what you will say)

 

 

 

Why can't someone live in a virtual world? What's wrong with playing video games (even a good amount)?

 

 

 

Why does the "real" world matter so much more than my virtual world? It's like living in a fantasy for some. What's so wrong with that, eh?

 

 

 

Basically, who are you to say what is most important in my life. Justify "the game is truly meaningless in comparison to life".

 

 

 

Concerning the suicides, it's not uncommon at all for someone to comit suicide over enormous losses in real life. Isn't it a shame they commited suicide? In this situation you can't just switch over to "reality" and live a "real" life, because you already are. Isn't it a shame that these people don't switch over to a virtual reality to live, just as you advocate those living in a virtual reality to live in "reality"? It's all in perspective.

 

 

 

Take that in...

 

 

 

Now...concerning your last sentence "the best fantasy is reality". I actually disagree with that (not taking the opposite side for kicks anymore). Few reasons. The entire reason that fantasy exists is to escape "reality". I see the lives of so many people in the world...and I wonder how your statement could ever be true. While it's a noble idea, it's simply not reality ;).

[Whirliebird]

No matter how much you want it to, in the end this has nothing to do with any of us or our RS habbits (most people in Off Topic don't even play RS all that much anyway).

 

 

 

Um... this has nothing to do with online gaming? What was that kid doing again?? PLAYING AN ONLINE GAME?? Isn't that what we do when we play RS??? :shock: And isn't it possible that any player who does play RS may develop an unhealthy addiction to it? Get real! :wall: The whole point in me bringing up that article was that I hoped we all as players might read it and reflect upon our own lives and how much time we devote to these games... or did you completely and utterly miss the point? I'm thinking a yes answer is forthcoming!!!!

 

 

 

First of all, the kid played for 36 hours straight. His parents didn't interfere with that. They were completely irresponsible and frankly don't really deserve to be parents if you ask me. Second of all, judging from the suicide note he left, the kid obviously didn't see the difference between WoW and reality anymore. If that isn't a clear sign of severe mental problems, I don't know what is.

 

 

 

You haven't heard me disagreeing with your assesment of the parents not keeping an eye on this kid's activities do you? Or of the fact that they may be bad parents? Not to mention that the kid undoubtedly had problems? Perhaps you might even be erroneously assuming that there was a "mental" problem versus an "addiction" and that may not be true? (yes, addictions fall into the general category of mental discrepancies when you're dealing with an individual that has a problem... but addictions are carefully and clearly defined on their own). In any case, none of that was ever an issue nor was it the point of my original topic. Besides... we don't even know the circumstances involving where the kid was at the time! For all we know, he was at a friend's house or with an incompetent grandparent due to their age! Your assumptions are dangerous... and I hope you know what happens when you start to assume something?

 

 

 

99.9% of all RS players have parents who are responsible enough to step in when a child loses control of their hobby and/or are mentally healthy enough to know that what goes on in RS has nothing to do with real life. The Chinese kid has issues most of us don't have.

 

 

 

You mean the Chinese kid "had" issues...? He's long dead and buried. The issue at hand was not who, what, when, where, why or how the kid took the drastic action that he did... again, the point was to acknowledge the incident and ponder on our own lives. At no point did I ever suggest that we as a group are addicts, have mental problems, are nerds with no lives or anything else... all I did was challenge us as a group to consider the possibilities! Gee, maybe I should go back and include a disclaimer?

 

 

 

Get off your soap box and save it for when you have something meaningful to say.

 

 

 

EXCUSE ME? EXCUSE ME??? Who are you to judge whether or not what I say has any meaning??? PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR BACKSIDE YOU IGNORANT LITTLE SNOT! If you don't like what I have to say then stop reading, grow up and bite your foul tongue... and learn some manners not to mention respect for other people! People like you are why we have laws ensuring that I (along with the rest of the populace) has the right to freedom of speech in this country that I live... or perhaps you don't live in the USA? Perhaps you're into telling people what they can or cannot say? Perhaps you're into Communism and oppression? Get a life and crawl back into your hole :evil: I can't believe you had the gaul to even write that little gem of sheer ignorance... but then again, your head may be so far up your rear end that you don't even know how ignorant it was. I must be dealing with a mind of Junior High proportion!

[knives669]

People put alot of emotions into games, just like someone would drink to drown their sorrows, one might play a game to help get their mind off their problems. Once you feel as though you've messed up in the game, or failed, things can come crashing down around you.

 

 

 

It's still sad that the poor soul was pushed that far. I hope they've found peace.

[ForsakenMage]

Topics like this have been posted over and over again... While not necessarily the same article, the general story is the same: Someone killed themselves supposedly for a game. I'm only bolding that in order to not take any sides in the matter.

 

 

 

If any such further topics come up again, let's cut the ad hominem and whatnot okay?