Gaming Addictions

…You got any more of them missions?

 

noun 1. the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity. “he commit the offence to finance his game addiction”

I think we are all a bit guilty of getting a new game and playing it religiously until we beat it and never look at it again. Sometimes though you get them gems which no matter what – you can’t seem to resist their call. For me right now it is definitely “The Division” and “Trackmania Turbo”, but I do have previous…

 

“Kal Vas Flam!”

I think my first gaming addiction was probably with what I am going to call my favourite game of all time “Ultima Online”. MrLuvvaLuvva picked it up from a game store back when I was probably about 10 years old, maybe a bit younger and I watched him play it for a bit. Watching him run about that OSI server was pretty special. Back then there wasn’t really anything like it that I had saw. Thousands of players running around the same world all doing different things and having quite a profound effect on each others game play. Some would choose to go out into the wilderness and vanquish all the many beasts which roamed the forests and dwelled in the cave systems. Others would live a more peaceful life style, making clothes and taming animals to sell to other people. A small select few would just kill you just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Personally I became a bit addicted at becoming a Grandmaster in Magery. In Ultima Online you had a skill book which didn’t go up with experience, it went up depending how much you used a particular skill. You were just as likely to gain 0.1% to your total knowledge of that skill by conjuring some bread as you were by conjuring some Blade Spirits to kill some skeletons up in the graveyard. So, I found myself making macros to call fireball on myself and heal myself while I slept and while I went to school. This games claws went very deep.
After playing UO for what felt like forever, the fan server we played on eventually dwindled and I moved on.

I spent a few years in gaming wildnerness looking for that next addiction – a game I could depend upon. In the summer of ’04 I found it! “World of Warcraft” was released and I once again found myself at it’s mercy. Although jumping from a game like UO to WoW was quite a learning experience. No longer did I need to go out in search of reagents for my spells, I just had to manage my mana bar. While I did have an amazing time with WoW, I found myself at the time – just like I do now, longing for a game like UO to come back.

A game where it doesn’t hold your hand and there is no real “quest” system. Just a giant sandbox where the players create their own stories, create their own economy systems and basically just get lost in it. At this moment I am looking at Richard Garriott’s new baby “The Shroud of the Avatar” but it is still in early access and I just can’t bring myself to play it knowing my characters progress will just be wiped. Whats the point? Here is a special treat, my favourite track from the UO OST – “Stones.”

Ever found yourself addicted to a game?

Has any other game been able to ignite that spark again?

Let us know in the comments!