[dimillian]

Hey, +1000 for online gaming. I'm an moderate introvert with some greats friends. Nowadays I play a lot a certain MMO. I met some greats & awesome people, even had some meetup IRL.

I've met people working at Apple, Blizzard & more. We shared passion & experience, it got me some business opportunity too. The world is so small it's amazing.

[leaveyou]

-10000 for online gaming. You don't know it yet but online gaming can ruin your life. It's the most accessible, inoffensive looking, procrastination enhancing, important decision delaying, time wasting, addictive habit/hobby/relaxation.

[dimillian]

Yup, I agree with you on that point. You need some amount of self control. It's easy to just play and delay everything else. You need to know when it happens. But it's still good for meeting other people.

[icebraining]

Lots of things can ruin your life, including having friends IRL. It's a reason to be mindful, not to ban it from one's life.

[leaveyou]

I'm not for banning. I'm for actively discouraging people who "have nothing to do" with their time, from seeking refuge in something which is actively designed to captivate them and consume as much of their resources as possible. There are many addictive & destructive things, but few of them are legal and actively being evolved to enslave you at the same time.

[leaveyou]

@dimillian I can't give details. I'm too afraid to associate the enormous number of hours I wasted with online gaming even with this relatively anonymous nickname.

[dimillian]

You have such a dark view on online gaming. May ask you why? I'm sure you have an experience to share, and I can't wait to hear it!

[dimillian]

@leaveyou hey, I'm really interested by this subject, I can see why you don't want to speak about it here, you can drop me a mail at ricouard77[at]gmail[dot]com I would love to speak with you.

[icebraining]

Fair enough, I agree with that.

[jaekwon]

+1

[xxs]

No, online gaming is a bad idea for the person in question. I tell that having an online maxed out toons diablo II hardcore (if you die you lose your toon), maxed out toons (gear) in Linage2, Aion and Rift.

The escapism offered by the online gaming is a no substitute for real life. You're basically asking a person with no social life to become a true no-lifer.