Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Feeling the Blues

Was my day off from work today. Tried to play some WoW. Logged in for a while, just stared into the Mailbox, AH, and the Bank for what seem to be forever doing stuff. Emptying my mail box of sold stuff, listed some more stuff on AH. Dealt with some guild stuff, a little player drama and somehow that just seemed to stretch the time out from there. I tried but just didn't feel like questing either.

I don't know what it is lately that seem to be afflicting me on a mental level playing the game of its really the game itself at all. But playing WoW has been a daily event for me. As of today I've played WoW everyday for 6 months straight, with the exception of that one week in April I had to go to Florida for a conference for several days. Everyday I've completed a few quests, some days it was a level or two. Much of WoW I've played as a ghost or in the Dark Matter of WoW. Just playing the game but never really seen or heard. Someone playing in plain sight of others but yet your don't seem to be there. Your just cruising through the game almost unseen with exception to the time you intervene and save someone only to disappear back into the shadows moments later. Playing a game that's a multiplayer game and for all you know often you seem to be the only player in the game as you know it. A purple popup message or a quick trip to a major city often confirms that you not alone in this game and that your not a ghost. Such had been the tales of that long 6 months of playing WoW.

leveling to 70 has been a long haul, almost there. Has been fun the whole way. But I don't know if its just me, the last few days or I'm just feeling tired. Not tired of the game, just tired of the everyday effort just playing the game. Physically or Mentally tired. Maybe I need a vacation from work, a vacation from life as i know it maybe, maybe its the guild that's wearing on me putting in the effort there. Hell knows it can be a headache to deal with. I do have other things to do or can do. But I've been playing WoW mentally at work! I'm thinking of it all the time. I'm usually not sleeping well and in my sleep I'm dreaming actually playing WoW. Let alone playing the game itself. Maybe I'm having a WoW overload.

I've missed watching a bit of History Channel or Discovery Channel or reading a book. My X-Box and PlayStation has been on deep freeze. These days I just read blogs mostly. Sometimes its a fun as learning and playing the game to read stuff in blogs. 5 more levels and I can say I did it, i've reached the elusive level cap and didn't take me 2 years playing around with Alts. Yet it seems like forever to get there. But somehow I know I'm feeling the Blues and not sure why!

12 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm feeling this as well, but, it's more related to my paladin. I've been prot spec since lvl 35 or so, and while the AOE grind was a blessing in the 40's and 50's, where you could gather a group of undead around you and bring down the hammer of light in any number of ways.

But now there is outlands. The mobs hit harder, and are spaced out, now requiring hammering on just a few at a time. The awesome gear requires much more grinding to get than before. The rep grinds are something I don't even want to contemplate.

I'm now 65 and hating it. I've picked up the Terrokar quests to wage war against the Akkorra (sp?) and the thought of running back and forth killing them chashed me to an alt.

But I've begun to realize that it's the end-game that is the real issue. I've decided that being a tankadin for raids is not in my plans. So, that leaves healing. Or?.. Perhaps a shockadin. I think that will be the next thing to try. If you aren't a tank in the end-game as a pally, you need to heal, but perhaps shockadin might be a route that would allow much better healing, but not totally gimp solo play.

Peter said...

Hi Galo,

Sometimes I find myself staring at the screen and wondering what to do. At these times I just take a break, spend an evening with the family. Keeps my wife happy too.

I wake up before 6am every morning and as soon as I wake I can't sleep and want to play WoW. I have black rings round my eyes like a panda. I'm tired all the time and either playing WoW or wanting to be playing it. But I don't feel like stopping...

Stick in there but don't let it drive you crazy: it's only a game.

Anonymous said...

I recognise what you are going through, I had that at certain levels whilst levelling up and also since hitting 70 there has been a lot of times when I have just been so tiered of the game and everything to do with it. The lack of sleep, the social life getting a knock back and the awful WoW dreams that wake you up in the middle of the night. It gets even worse when you are in the upper tier of a guild, as you then also have to ensure that a lot of other players are happy and it wears you down even more.
My one and only advice to you when you feel like this is simple, press enter, type: /afk and go watch a movie for a while, play some mind numbing playstation or x-box game or just lie down on the sofa and read a comic book. Honestly this helps, I love this game, I hate having so many other things that takes time out of my day when I could go online and have fun playing WoW, but when you get the WOW blues you do stupid things in game, my one and only advice is: don’t. Just log out, sometimes all you need is an hour or two taking your mind off of it, it really really helps.

megan said...

I suggest you all watch Lost in Translation! Should highlight the mood incredibly well, Bill Murray's a genius too.

But yah, breaks and downtime are good for the soul, and not just for WoW, anything in life.

Anonymous said...

Wow.. I wonder if it's just level 65 :)

Last night I felt the blahs.. logged off and went to bed at 11!

11 I haven't been to bed that early since I started playing. Today I feel.. sorta refreshed.


I also compiled my list of things to do (posted on the blog) and realized I have more interesting things to do than just complete the next quest in Nagrand. It was kind of invigorating.

Take a break.. .. Try an alt. Or don't. It's a game. If you're not having fun.. then it may be time to re-examine the game.

Nibuca
http://warcraft.fibergeek.com/

Unknown said...

It could be 65...

In any event, I'm taking the plunge and respecced as a shockadin-type. For any of you thinking about this, the first thing you'll find is that there is little agreement over what it should look like. I looked at the forums yesterday, and saw at least 8 distinct different builds. You'll need to experiment and see what works for you.

65 might be a bit early to go shockadin, but I need something new. And, since I've decided I won't be tanking, there wasn't any future for prot spec anyway.

The one real bonus of going shockadin is that hopefully I won't need to carry quite as much gear. That will be really nice.

Rob said...

A break helps every so often. I've taken breaks from WoW almost every few months. Read a book. Go to bed early. Go see a movie or play a sport. (Ironically, I broke my foot playing basketball two weeks before I began playing WoW again.)

Now I'm back and already contemplating the future of my character and wondering if what little time I do devote to the game is even worth it.

Well, maybe it would be if I was a priest or a real tank...

Ardent Defender said...

Hey all thanks for all the wonderfull suggestions.

I'm sure everyone in WoW at some point gets a bit tired or burnt out a bit on the grind or just run low on energy or other things different to us all.

Haven't played WoW since tuesday, which almost seem so not normal not playing. Just been doing anything else but logging in and playing. Watched some TV, did some house stuff (Gots lots to do) cooked a bit. Amazing i haven't been cooking since i been playing WoW, that shocked me, because i actually like to for fun.

Will rent "Lost in Translation" somehow i never did see it though i know its good movie. I'ts friday night and not playing any WoW so will rent it for DVD. For the most part its a bit refreshing to feel like i have a few days off from WoW. WoW vacation, i guess it helps. For the most part though..... i just have been sleeping really allot and that helps. Most days i'm playing WoW tired on a full long day of work sleeping only 2-3 hours maybe. No Wonder some days i'm just staring at the screen unable to play yet having WoW nightmares.

Getting lost in the daily grind of leveling can wear at you and your mind and health. I guess a break does helps!

Tauhid Chappell said...

You sir are what I, and many others, can reference to the phrase "Burned Out" from WoW.

It's a natural thing many wow players get over excessive playing of the game. I made a little post about it

http://excaliber1.blogspot.com/search?q=Burned

After I hit 64 I literally fell apart from my main.

Suggestion:Take a week or 2 (or even longer!) from the game. Don't even log on, and do other things to keep your attention away. It may be hard, but it can be for the better of you.

OR

Create a new class, new server, new side? You never know.

Kinless said...

A break will do wonders.

And I can certainly understand your feelings at the moment. The game narrows down quite a bit towards the end there and you're left with 1) very little to do (raid Kara), and yet 2) too much to even really start and make progress against (all those unfinished quests in Netherstorm and Shadowmoon Valley, all the daily quests, Netherwing, Skyguards, Skettis, etc...).

Last few weeks I've been very goal oriented, and that's helped. That makes my time in-game very productive, and yet still only done in measured doses.

For example, I knew I wanted that Grom'tor's Charge, and the wife and I quested till we got it. There's been several more questable goals we've achieved as well.

And we've been going away every other weekend getting in the last of our European trips. (Brugges last weekend, Black Forest two before that. Bavaria before that.) And though the laptop can handle WoW I never even worried about internet connection in the hotels where we stayed. It was just time to sleep, read, vacation.

And while "Lost in Translation" really is a great movie, you might consider something a little more upbeat at the moment. A movie about a tired guy bored with things might not float the boat. Scarlett Johansson, though, might.

And the wife and I always enjoy dinner while watching a Lost or Reno 911 episode. Drama and/or comedy.

Kaziel said...

I'll just echo what everyone has said already: Taking a break is a very good and needed thing. I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't get burnt out on an MMO eventually.

The best "cure" is to just take a minimum of a two week break from the game. And don't take the two weeks as the mark of when you should come back. Just stop playing until you think to yourself "Man, I really want to play WoW."

Eventually the little things in a game wear at your desire to play while the fun aspects are overshadowed by said little things, then they suddenly aren't little things. But if you take an extended break from the game, the little things will slowly shrink back into little things to the point where the fun aspects which never diminished are back to being worth more than the occasional bit of trouble.

Keystone said...

I usually clean when I want a break from WoW. It gets things accomplished, and after a bit I'm tired of cleaning and ready to go back to WoW. I know, it's a vicious cycle, but without it I don't think I would leave the game, and my house would be a mess!