An Important Topic for Gamers - Burnout (Full Version)

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Wild Bill -> An Important Topic for Gamers - Burnout (7/14/2003 10:32:27 PM)

I would like to recommend the article in History Meets Wargaming where the timely but ominous theme of burnout is discussed. I would like to hear your thoughts on it.

http://www.wargamer.com/articles/gaming_meets_history_3/

WB



Jim1954 -> (7/15/2003 12:33:44 AM)

Good article Bill. While I'm not burned, sometimes I get a little charred around the edges. Usually a weekend away will fix it, like this last one. No MC battles to test, so what did I do? Caught up on my PBEMs , of course.

;)



Wild Bill -> (7/15/2003 3:20:49 AM)

That has since changed, my friend. Grab your gun and your gear. You are going back into action.

WB



Supervisor -> (7/15/2003 5:32:14 AM)

I wonder who he had in mind??????



Capt Chris -> (7/15/2003 6:04:30 AM)

Great article WB. I know exactly what this article is talking about. This exact thing has happened to me only in a different context.

Before my IT career began I had an un-dying love for computers. I was the guy EVERYONE would call for advice, help, etc. when it came to their computer woes. I loved being able to help and was more than eager.

Unfortnately, sitting behind my monitor 8 hours a day for the past 5 or 6 years has turned me into Mr Hyde when it comes to helping friends and family with pc problems. I just don't want to talk about computers anymore.

Dreading what you once loved is a sure sign of burnout. What have I done to help myself? I don't take on side jobs anymore and if I do, I make it well worth my while. :D I don't "tinker" with my pc anymore (I just want it to run). And the #1 thing is that I don't spend as much time behind the keyboard as I used to.

I just got done playing with my 1 y/o daughter in her kiddie pool. What a blast that was! :D



Wild Bill -> (7/15/2003 7:30:11 AM)

Just so you know, the article had been written over two months ago, my friend. And even so, you are no different from any of the rest of us at one point in time or another.

Your experiences are our experiences. They have just taken place in othe moments.

I based the article as you probably noticed on what I had been through. I think this is really more of a my own testimonial of wha happened to me and how I dealt with it.

So if I had anyone in mind, it was me, believe it or not.

Right now, I'm "burned out" on marriage. I'm sure that will change too ;)

And playing with your kids is a great catharsis, Chris. Enjoy them. Mine are all grown, scattered over the US and I rarely get a chance to see my Grandkids.

Do I remember groveling in the dirt, being shot by a tyke behind a tree with a plastic six shooter, or carefully forming mudpies with my daughter, or climbing a tree to help down one of my little stranded ones, or being ducked and splashed incessantly from all sides, or..well the memories are here and quite enjoyable.

WB



Supervisor -> (7/15/2003 8:36:53 AM)

I only wish I had seen this article about 2 months ago, then maybe I wouldn't have suken so deeply. Maybe I should start calling WB instead of my shrinks, he seems to have most of the answers to the questions I didn't know.

It's well written as expected, but it very close to home on some aspects it's frightening. I guess I'm only human after all.

P.S. I start my new meds tomorrow Zoloft, we'll see how that works out for me. I'm recoverying from the surgery pretty well, I should be pain free completely in the next few days ( I hope).:rolleyes:



Orzel Bialy -> Another Good Article... (7/15/2003 8:49:15 AM)

Kunel,

That piece was another great article on a subject nearly everyone here can relate to...especially myself at this point in time.

I arrived at SPWAW (and PC games in general) burnout about this time last year...and took a 10 day or so break from almost all my games just to break the cycle. It was both hard to do in one sense...but much needed...and did me well in retrospect.

I even stopped my Forum Forays" and only dropped in here maybe once every two or three days...just to see what was new...but stayed away from getting deeply involved in any threads.

The funny thing (to me at least) was that I was going to take another 10-14 break during my July vacation (which just ended) but the opportunity to work on the MC presented itself and I wasn't going to pass that up for the world. (no regrets there either...though my wife might have a different opinion...lol)

However, since I have been feeling this touch of burnout lately I have managed to stay away from any Pbem's and 1 - 1's and the forum in general (I'm not ignoring you guys!...;) )... I just don't have the desire to engage in any of them at this time...a sure sign right?!?!?!?

Thus I do plan on taking my "R&R" once my MC duties are complete...and the job is 100% finished. I think I will need the break even more by then! LMAO! :D ;) :p



Wild Bill -> (7/15/2003 9:19:08 AM)

Two true friends. Thanks.

Yes, you should do that, Orzel. I'm feeling what you are feeling. I'm sorry to put this pressure on you.

Once you have those maps done, take it easy. I'll leave you in peace for a little while.

I'd rather lose anyone from one project or for a short period of time than see them go altogether.

Mike, I'm always here. Been there done that, and I'm trying to keep from it happening again.

You know where to find me, guys!

WB



Wild Bill -> (7/15/2003 9:21:44 AM)

Let me add one thing.

Burnout is NO SIGN of weakness in an individual. It is actually the product of a person's passion for something. Passion in life is a good thing. It is itself its own flame and it can burn so brightly sometimes that it short circuits the system.

But never, never take burnout as one being lesser than the other. As the old saying:

"I'd rather burn out than rust out."

Actually I'm not keen on either but the former is a better choice than sitting there rotting away in your mind and body.

So let the flame cool a bit and then back at it...WB



Capt. Pixel -> (7/15/2003 9:50:40 AM)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Capt Chris
[B]Great article WB. I know exactly what this article is talking about. This exact thing has happened to me only in a different context.

Before my IT career began I had an un-dying love for computers. I was the guy EVERYONE would call for advice, help, etc. when it came to their computer woes. I loved being able to help and was more than eager.

Unfortnately, sitting behind my monitor 8 hours a day for the past 5 or 6 years has turned me into Mr Hyde when it comes to helping friends and family with pc problems. I just don't want to talk about computers anymore.

Dreading what you once loved is a sure sign of burnout. What have I done to help myself? I don't take on side jobs anymore and if I do, I make it well worth my while. :D I don't "tinker" with my pc anymore (I just want it to run). And the #1 thing is that I don't spend as much time behind the keyboard as I used to.

I just got done playing with my 1 y/o daughter in her kiddie pool. What a blast that was! :D [/B][/QUOTE]

Whoa! This reads like my biography. Almost to the 'T'.

I'm firmly convinced that what you enjoy as a hobby should stay a hobby and not become your vocation. Unless you have a wide variety of diversions to replace your lost 'love', you're going to be in a world of hurt without that diversion.

People always say if you want to be happy working, do what you love to do. But I say take care not to let these two aspects of your life overlap. A healthy mind needs a place to hide once in a while. :cool:



mandreads -> Anonymous wargamers... (7/15/2003 4:17:39 PM)

I read Capt Chris' text and felt just like Capt Pixel after reading it. :)

It has been very reliefing reading these posts. Phew, I am not the only person who is going nuts. :D

I noticed that I use games as an escape point to get rid of overall stress (two kids, another is just a few monts old, work, marriage). It only works the opposite way... it increases the burden. It just is so hard to grasp the things that are the real reasons for stress.

The posts few weeks back at this forum helped me to notice that something was wrong... Before that I was quite lost, I was wondering what had happened, why did I lose the passion to do just about anything.

So I guess that forums are not THAT bad after all... :p



Charles2222 -> (7/15/2003 9:06:57 PM)

Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm.

Each and every week (vacations excepting) you give up computer gaming for a day. I know most of us, especially on a long weekend day, find it necessary for sanity and other reasons to break from gaming here and there, but the passion is the enemy from my standpoint. You cool it's jets by giving it up on a regular basis like that. In my particular case two times a week is too much, but everybody has their limits. We therefore put the "passion that is controlling us" on the backburner and show it just who's in charge. This does lead to 'somewhat' of a lesser passion for the object desired, but it also doesn't contribute to these ideas of running away from it for what I've heard, long periods of time, like 10 days or a month, or even more. With a steady rhythm you achieve more control and not so much distraught over how much you hate your predominant spare tiem passion. I'll tell you, with my actually doing the system I suggest over a period of time, though it be in a religious context in my case, I have got 'bored' with gaming, a day or two outside my abstaination day, tops, but I'd never say I hated it. I'd hate it too if it had me by the throat.



Capt Chris -> (7/15/2003 11:09:29 PM)

It's really kind of strange if you really think about it. The object of you passion turns into the object of your agression. I guess over-indulgence in anything could do this to you. As mandreads pointed out, sometimes what you think may be helping you relieve your stress is actually one of the major causes of it.

FUBAR!

At least I know I'm not alone. I can go tell that monkey to get the hell off my back now! :D



Wild Bill -> (7/16/2003 2:15:33 AM)

So that's where that little chimp went. Don't send him back...please! :eek:

WB



AbsntMndedProf -> (7/16/2003 7:21:40 AM)

I've gotten close to burnout on several occasions. I find that just setting whatever game I'm getting close to burnout with and doing other things for a while usually allows the embers of burnout to die off and the tender new growth of interest to flourish into renewed fervor for gaming. (Some times this can take longer than others.)

Now that it's over and done with, I must confess that during the opening days of MCLV, when the loop bug made playing the MC very frustrating, I came close to burnout. However, I just went back to playing MCNA and the regular SP:WaW campaigns, and once the patches for MCLV came out, I returned to it with renewed vigor.

Burnout can be a problem facing any gamer or hobbyist. Knowing when to put the game/hobby down and do something else for a while is a skill we should all work to develop. When a game/hobby starts to be a drudge, rather than a pleasure, it's time, IMHO!

Eric Maietta



Bernie -> (7/16/2003 10:59:26 AM)

For myself, it's pretty simple to know when I'm reaching "critical mass"...when aspects of something stop triggering my funnybone I figure it's time for a break.

EVERYTHING has a funny side, if you look at it the right way. But when it gets to the point where you can't see that funny side any longer, you're obviously getting overwhelmed by the negative, or the ordinary drudgery of it. Heck, all three of my ex wives say that they knew the marriage was over when I stopped making them laugh.

If I ever stop making you folks in here laugh, just come to my house and take away my computer for a week. I'll be fine after that. :)



AbsntMndedProf -> (7/16/2003 11:44:30 AM)

Bernie posted:

[QUOTE]Heck, all three of my ex wives say that they knew the marriage was over when I stopped making them laugh.[/QUOTE]

Shucks, every time I took my clothes off, my ex-g/f used to laugh, and laugh, and laugh! What did that mean???:rolleyes: :D

Eric Maietta



Capt. Pixel -> (7/16/2003 12:05:01 PM)

I like to counterpoise my playing of SPWaW against coming in and browsing these forums.

For me, this seems to be a nice combination that breaks from one and still allows me to enjoy other aspects of the gaming community. Not the least of which is the comradeship of fellow gamers.

Or if I tire of that, I can go beat the cr## out of the AI until I feel better. :cool:



Wild Bill -> (7/16/2003 12:16:25 PM)

Yes, shooting something (electronically, of course) can be reinvigorating guys.

I still have the old, old Wolfenstein on my computer. When my frustration level grows intolerable, I go to the castle and spill blood.

Just walk and shoot, guards, SS, dogs, doors, whatever comes in front of me.

There, I feel better :D



mandreads -> letting out the steam... (7/16/2003 12:47:51 PM)

Wild Bill wrote: "When my frustration level grows intolerable, I go to the castle and spill blood."

Reminds me of the days when I used to play Team Fortress Classic (3D first person shooter) in a clan.

Some time I told my wife that "Now I am going to have a nice and relaxing clan match with my on-line buddies, and also enjoy a cold beer". A moment after that I was grinning my teeth, swearing and cursing at the computer. And after the match when I got off the computer feeling rather agitated my wife would ask me if THAT was really the enjoyable relaxing match.

After few weeks I quit playing TFC, because it wasn't relaxing anymore. I started playing the nice and relaxing SP:WaW with my beers. ;)



Bernie -> (7/16/2003 1:40:20 PM)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AbsntMndedProf
[B]Bernie posted:



Shucks, every time I took my clothes off, my ex-g/f used to laugh, and laugh, and laugh! What did that mean???:rolleyes: :D

Eric Maietta [/B][/QUOTE]

That you needed to stop raiding her underwear drawer?



AbsntMndedProf -> (7/16/2003 7:30:28 PM)

Bernie posted:

[QUOTE]That you needed to stop raiding her underwear drawer?[/QUOTE]

Nah! I tried that once, but none of her undies fit! :D:D

Eric Maietta



KG Erwin -> The Burnout Issue (7/17/2003 4:01:31 AM)

I've felt that way about many things over the years, but two points immediately come to mind: (1) my band-playing days ended in 1997, after years of playing certain songs that I started dreading to play and performing at private-membership clubs named after animals and whose clientele was, to put it mildly, not too hip. The birth of my daughter also played a big part in my decision to abndon the weekend job. I rarely even pick up my bass anymore, but I still listen to the music I love. (2) my day job involves sitting in front of a PC in a cubicle for 8 hours, 5 days a week. I come home and end up spending the majority of my evening sitting in front of my PC at my desk in the kitchen, either on the forums, doing research & writing on my current assignment with the MC Team or occasionally even playing a game. Point 2 is the most relevant one, because before this summer is ended and school starts, my family and I have to get away for a few days. I haven't traveled out of town for nearly two years, so to Bill and the rest of the team, it's high time I took some R & R. I'll let you guys know via e-mail when this will happen. Glenn.



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