Life

[Garple]

Yeah, I can understand why someone born in the 30s would have trouble understanding "what is game?"

[Sombre]

I didn't know people still played Animal Crossing.

I need a soulless void to throw my destitute life into now that I'm bored of WoW. This scratches the same itch, only with fruit and funny hats.

[Garple]

Haha. I've never heard Animal Crossing compared to WoW, but it certainly fits. I like that.

[James]

Does anyone else have any stories about gaming with their parents?

My dad got a bit obsessed with trying to beat Lost Caves on the Amstrad CPC he bought me one Christmas. There was no save function, so we left it on over several nights. We never did beat it in the end. It was always interesting to see him get into games, because he didn't usually pay them much attention, but when he did he got quite focused. He got very into Tetris at one point, but that wasn't as communal an activity. I think that's when I learnt the phrase "to cut one's losses", though (in reference to not waiting forever for one of the I-shaped blocks). Anyway, he couldn't manage the shift to 3D, and found it so baffling that he once asked whether I'd considered being a pilot, so apparently advanced was my hand-eye co-ordination. I can assure you that my hand-eye co-ordination is not at all out of the ordinary. In fact, I think it may be worse than the average gamer's. But once you reach the realm of 3D gaming I think it's all equally confusing and impossible for my dad.

He also recounted a few experiences from before I was born to me. He got somewhat addicted to Space Invaders on arcade machines, and was serious enough about text adventures to try to look through the code for verbs (I don't know how that would work if they were compiled; perhaps it wasn't a very fruitful search).

Anyway, now his attitude is, "You're not still playing those games, are you?"

[Nicholololas]

I didn't know people still played Animal Crossing.

Also: Guys I'm trying to quit drinking, or at least drinking alone and then being a dork on the internet. I've posted here many times under the influence over the past few months, so I apologize if I've been dumb, obnoxious or annoying at any point. I need to find a more constructive way to deal with my loneliness. Does anyone else have experience with this issue?

Consider smoking weed instead. Seriously though, drinking owns but it's not really constructive behaviour, especially alone. You've probably heard it a billion times already, but generally if you're unhappy with your life, try improving on it by seeking new experiences and people, instead of replacing it with a reality you can tolerate. I don't really know your overall situation but if your work/school schedule allows it, see if there are any social activities happening in your area you could consider taking part in. I'm just out of school myself and it's funny how much social interaction you get used to, even if it's just saying hi to people in the hall or exchanging a few sentences in class. If you're having real, actual problems with quitting the drinking in itself I'm a little out of my element, but it sounds like you're at least taking the problem seriously which is good. I come from a long line of alcoholics and it's something that becomes incredibly damaging, both for yourself and those around you. Good luck either way, I'm sure you'll figure something out.

On a lighter note, the only games I ever really played with my dad was stuff like Gran Turismo (which he was rubbish at, but he's way into cars). He bought a wheel and stuff for our PS1 though which was awesome.

[brkl]

I've been having fun with applying for jobs. Surprising, I know. I've basically been applying for stuff I don't expect to get, so I've been relaxed about it. I don't have to stress and then be disappointed for lack of response. I applied for a Finnish-English translator position for an IT company in Lithuania, and I applied for a position in the Finnish embassy in Hanoi. Applying for jobs is a horrible pain, but I recommend doing this especially if it's hard for you. It's good practice.

[Roderick]

I may or may not be flying to London today to have a meeting with Ian Livingstone tomorrow. Awesome things may or may not happen.

The month is May March.

[Roderick]

So now it turns out, Ian Livingstone is not only the friendliest person in the world, he also has regular gaming nights with his buddy Steve Jackson and Peter Molyneux, where they play anything from Settlers to Ticket to Ride. That is amazing.

[Sleepdance]

So the subject of this thread is Life? Fine I'll tell you about life. There is going to be a CHARITY concert for raising money to get our fans to support our football(soccer for you crazy americans) team to WC in South Africa.I mean, WHAT THE ***(FUCK)!?!?

[Hermie]

Gaming with dads: My dad gave me Ocarina of Time for christmas the year it came out. He beat it before me.So I would ask him to help out at the most annoying parts. xD

He also got me The Longest Journey, where he would also help me occasionally. =)

(He couldn't figure out the blow-up duck + clamp + band-aid puzzle, though. Nobody could.)

[gdf]

My dad always took some kind of interest in gaming. He had a Spectrum at some point and apparently played the shit out of Sabre Wulf. Dabbled in some of my SNES platformers and later attempted to play Ocarina of Time, but struggled to get further than the first dungeon. Though he never finished them, he liked Banjo and Mario. He got really into Doom 64, played some Goldeneye with me and played a bunch more shooters when we got a PS2. I'm pretty sure the only lengthy game he's ever beaten is TimeSplitters 2. We got Turok: Evolution because he'd enjoyed the N64 games, and he got stuck on one of the shitty flight levels. He got so frustrated, it was pretty hilarious. Since then he's not played a lot, but he's really into film and art so is interested in some indie games and stuff that I show him. He always makes an effort to read my articles as well.

My mum doesn't actively dislike gaming, but she's not terribly interested in it either. She does like SingStar and The Beatles: Rock Band though.

GrouchoClub, I hope you're alright. I'm 18 so only really started drinking a couple of years ago and on a regular basis in the last twelve months, but I've made a conscious effort not to drink alone. Partly because of something Sterling said on Mad Men, partly because last Summer one of my friends became scarily close to alcoholic. He'd just become the legal age and went crazy - he was drinking every single day, mostly alone or with his twin brother. The latter was probably going too far as well but nothing like his bro. We got seriously concerned about him, it was all he wanted to do. He actually stopped going out so he could sit alone to drink and watch films. Obviously his tolerance shot up, and it was getting to the point that he could do half a dozen pints in about an hour and be virtually unaffected. Thankfully his dad threatened him enough that he stopped. Now he recognises that he was putting his own health and wellbeing at risk, never mind his family's. I don't know your situation, hopefully you're nowhere near this level, but it is possible to pull back at any time. Nothing wrong with enjoying a beer or cider with a game or film, but getting binned alone is dangerous. Don't know if this is encouraging or horrible or even relevant, but know that we're here for you

[Garple]

Thanks so much gdf. That really means a lot to me to have your support. Also, your dad sounds awesome. How old is he and what is his history with games prior to the stuff you talked about (was he into them before you were?), if you don't mind my asking?

Edit: This (by which I mean gdf expressing concern about my alcohol problem) is why Thumbs is so awesome and why after briefly switching my forum of choice to selectbutton.net I came back here. You guys are all genuinely good people and this forum is one of a kind. It's the only video game forum with no flame wars, at which all discussion is polite, civilized and intelligent. Idle Thumbs is a bastion of all that is positive about the video-gaming community.

Edited March 24, 2010 by GrouchoClub

[Armchair General]

...Also: Guys I'm trying to quit drinking, or at least drinking alone and then being a dork on the internet. I've posted here many times under the influence over the past few months, so I apologize if I've been dumb, obnoxious or annoying at any point. I need to find a more constructive way to deal with my loneliness. Does anyone else have experience with this issue?...

Hey Groucho,

being the forum Bones McCoy, I feel I should post and give you some support/advice (in a non patronising way). Ask yourself these questions, they are called the CAGE questions but don't google them before you answer them. Just jot down whether your answer is yes or no, it's quite simple.

Ready? Here goes:

Have you ever felt that you should cut down on your drinking?

Have you ever felt angry or annoyed if people are critical of your drinking?

Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking?

Do you need a drink first thing in the morning; an eye opener so to speak?

Check your answers here:

http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=-1389035520&linkID=962&cook=no

You don't have to tell anyone your answers (feel free to PM me though if you need to talk about it).

The questionnaire is designed to identify if a person has a problem and act as a prompt to seek help. I don't know how old you are or the amount of units you are consuming, but I have seen many, many patients who have drank heavily and trust me, you do not want to go there. The first step is identifying a problem, you may have just made it.

[Garple]

Thank you...are you a psychologist or therapist or something like that?

[Patters]

Thank you...are you a psychologist or therapist or something like that?

He's nearly a doctor.

[Armchair General]

He's nearly a doctor.

+1

(2 months til qualification YIKES! but that's another story!)

[Garple]

well congrats on your upcoming doctorization!

[Lu]

After he graduates we will call him Doctor General. Oh, Armchair, the Doctor related puns and humor I have in store for you.

[Hermie]

"What's your specialization?"

"Wizardry"

"..."

"What?"

[Scrobbs]

I hope you will be come the Ben Goldacre type of doctor.

[Garple]

Ugh...stupidly drank last night and drank too much...felt quite sick afterward. I will try to remember that feeling every time I want a drink. That will be the positive side of my lapse. Saw a Coors Light truck today and felt nauseous. I think I'm done for a while. Anyway, Just Cause 2 is a good substitute for drinking...just as fun and silly without any bad side effects. I should join in some of the online Thumb gaming so I feel less lonely, but I'm really shy about that stuff and embarrassed about being really bad at video games.

[James]

Armchair General Practitioner?

Now I feel a bit shitty for not being more supportive earlier on. Groucho, you are a cool and well-adjusted guy. I respect you for being bold and insightful enough to question your own behaviour, and confident enough to post about it here. I'm sure you will find a situation or approach or whatever that you feel comfortable with. Sorry I can't offer anything especially concrete or practical. I have fairly intimate experience of alcoholism (not myself, but someone close), but it's left me with nothing but a cautionary tale. The upshot is that, given time, alcoholism can interfere with your mental health in some pretty alarming ways. I'm not a medical professional, so I don't know if it actually causes psychosis or merely provokes and exacerbates existing conditions, but I've seen someone whose intellect and skepticism I'd respected start coming out with all sorts of paranoid supernatural nonsense. The intelligence is still there, as is the person I know, but now it has company, and that company is a stranger to me.

I'm rambling unhelpfully. Bad stuff can happen, but I'm sure you're a million miles from that and walking the opposite direction. I hope I'm not bringing the thread down or dwelling too much or making anyone self-conscious or anything.

In closing, I make awful posts when stone-cold-sober, so I wouldn't worry about that side of things.

EDIT: That last post wasn't there when I wrote this. You should definitely join in stuff if self-consciousness is all that's holding you back. AS FAR AS I'M AWARE nobody's judging anyone or anything. A lot of us suck pretty bad at the games we play, or at least think we do, and some of us sound like godawful nerds over voice chat while doing so, so I wouldn't worry about any of that stuff. It's probably all part of the fun or something. The more the merrier and so on.

[Armchair General]

Ugh...stupidly drank last night and drank too much...felt quite sick afterward. I will try to remember that feeling every time I want a drink. That will be the positive side of my lapse. Saw a Coors Light truck today and felt nauseous. I think I'm done for a while. Anyway, Just Cause 2 is a good substitute for drinking...just as fun and silly without any bad side effects. I should join in some of the online Thumb gaming so I feel less lonely, but I'm really shy about that stuff and embarrassed about being really bad at video games.

Hell yeah! Get in on some Battlefield or Left for Dead 2 action fo' shizzle! There's DoW2 also, less of us play that, but still good though.

Post your Steam ID and let us know your Skype name and you can join in. Don't worry about being shy or whatever, we don't bite!

If you haven't got any of these games but want to, I would probably suggest getting Battlefield, as right now, this is what we are mostly playing. However, any of those will get you some Thumbs action on PC. Someone will apprise you of the console gaming that goes on if you are a console gamer. I have a proper gaming platform and thus have no knowledge of grey boxes etc

Don't delay, sign up today!

[Patters]

I should join in some of the online Thumb gaming so I feel less lonely, but I'm really shy about that stuff and embarrassed about being really bad at video games.

Yeah, no don't worry about that, most of what we play doesn't require skill to enjoy. GTA is easily the easiest to get into, we just blow stuff up. Trash talk happens, though in a fairly friendly way.

[James]

Groucho has played GTA with us before, and in doing so made no egregious transgressions and is therefore many furlongs less tragic than my dear friend Patters here, so he has nothing to worry about. JOIN US if you want.