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Red Dead Redemption 2 fan with 6k hours on Stadia begs for character transfer

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Re: Red Dead Redemption 2 fan with 6k hours on Stadia begs for character transfer

#201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can probably figure it out, but I use Linux for servers only. I’d have to jump through some hoops to get it running. The lifestyle changes I mentioned have displaced gaming in my dopamine system. I also never want to get sucked in again. That is my main defence.

Just interested but could I get a list of those things you used? I don't want a divorce myself.

Exercise is the main one for me. Pick something progressive and addictive, like weightlifting or distance running. You’ll get hooked but there’s a built-in limit to how much you can do per day and per week.

I try to get out of the house on various adventures or even regular walks at every opportunity now.

Also I took up some hobbies like reading and photography. Some people golf fanatically and they seem to be better off for it.

At first, I unconsciously replaced game time with social media time, doomscrolling, news. Don’t do this. Be conscious and deliberate about subbing in quality leisure time.

The main thing is to treat games like a serious addiction if it is one, and replace it with a full and rich life. This is obviously not easy, but that is, in part, the point.

Re: Red Dead Redemption 2 fan with 6k hours on Stadia begs for character transfer

#202
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't measure an addiction just by total hours invested in something. That equals 2.4hrs/day, 16hrs/week since the game was released, which might be more indicative but still depends on the reset of their life obligations and what else they seek value from.

RDR2 was released on Stadia on November 19, 2019, which was 1046 days ago. 5,907 hours over 1046 days is around 5.65hrs/day, 39.55hrs/week.

That’s essentially all of his free time after subtracting time for sleep, work, commute times and taking care of basic needs like eating and hygiene.

Re: Red Dead Redemption 2 fan with 6k hours on Stadia begs for character transfer

#203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At what point does a hobby turn into an addition? People who have spent 6k hours in a casino, for example, would probably be happier if they could figure out why they're doing it, and find a more productive way to address that need. Same might be true of someone who has spent 6k hours in a single video game. [I've spent 450 hours in Factorio, but stopped soon after my partner nick named it Divorcio.]

Would you say the same about a 6k hour investment coding a game? This "if it isn't productive it isn't worthwhile" attitude is toxic.

Why is it toxic? Throwing all your time into frivolous activity like video games is what I would say is toxic. This individual has been averaging 40 hours a week on this game since it was released.

In fact, building a valuable set of useful skills seems like the precise opposite of toxicity. Rather, it improves and adds value to your life.

Re: Red Dead Redemption 2 fan with 6k hours on Stadia begs for character transfer

#204

Although the angle of: Losing his characters is the best thing that's happening for him due to wasting a very significant part of his life in video games has some merit (but could be worded differently), this is yet another example on why you shouldn't depend on these platforms for anything of value, specially Google. The immense pressure to transform/re-frame everything as a service, aka: "You'll own nothing and be…

> The immense pressure to transform/re-frame everything as a service, aka: "You'll own nothing and be happy" leads to these situations. Now it's "just a video game", but this is starting to happen to most walks of life.

"Welcome to 2030. I own nothing, have no privacy, and life has never been better"

That's an actual quote from a member of parliament and posted by the World Economic Forum.

https://twitter.com/wef/status/808328302213689344

Re: Red Dead Redemption 2 fan with 6k hours on Stadia begs for character transfer

#205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve probably logged in thousands of hours watching, discussing, analyzing sports (not playing - that’s a separate metric) Most older people have likely spent even more hours than this. Yet spending 2 hours watching football, then another hour watching a bunch of talking heads discuss the game, is somehow considered “normal”. I’m not a gamer, but what about this hobby is any different from any other passive sedentary…

Games aren't a passive hobby, there's an active component of feedback. This a higher dopamine response compared to "passive" activities like watching sports or reading; arguably that's the only real difference. They are capable of creating addictive tendencies as any other substance using the same dopamine reward would for certain individuals. That and video games being a much younger medium and therefore a waste of…

I see you've never watched a group of people scream at the television when someone fumbles the ball.

Re: Red Dead Redemption 2 fan with 6k hours on Stadia begs for character transfer

#206
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Although the angle of: Losing his characters is the best thing that's happening for him due to wasting a very significant part of his life in video games has some merit It has no merit. Do you look at your hobbies as wasting your life? I certainty don't. My alone time playing video games is just as important to me as when I'm going hiking or camping with friends.

At what point does a hobby turn into an addition? People who have spent 6k hours in a casino, for example, would probably be happier if they could figure out why they're doing it, and find a more productive way to address that need. Same might be true of someone who has spent 6k hours in a single video game. [I've spent 450 hours in Factorio, but stopped soon after my partner nick named it Divorcio.]

> At what point does a hobby turn into an addition?

When it negatively affects your life outside of that activity.

We're also talking about someone who is apparently a steamer or YouTuber.

Re: Red Dead Redemption 2 fan with 6k hours on Stadia begs for character transfer

#207
post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for the context. Imagine being criticized for spending 6000 hours in Visual Studio.

>Imagine being criticized for spending 6000 hours in Visual Studio. But have never made anything, just played with the menus they put there for you.

If you can get paid to livestream twiddling with Visual Studio menus then more power to you.

Re: Red Dead Redemption 2 fan with 6k hours on Stadia begs for character transfer

#208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Making those kinds of value judgements usually suggests the person making the judgement has some work to do on themselves. The real question is: Is that person happy/content/comfortable. That's what matters, however they get there.

Is short lived feel good chemicals all that matters? Doesn't sound like a healthy life philosophy to live by.

Nobody is prescribing this lifestyle for you, so feel free to return the favor and let them live theirs.

It's one thing to talk like this to somebody you know, but randomly speculating about how somebody you'll never meet might be living a lifestyle that you don't approve of is without question a less worthwhile activity than playing video games.

Re: Red Dead Redemption 2 fan with 6k hours on Stadia begs for character transfer

#209
post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you say the same about a 6k hour investment coding a game? This "if it isn't productive it isn't worthwhile" attitude is toxic.

Sometimes yes. Side projects can be toxic if they leave little time for anything outside of them and work. The old idea that “nobody on their deathbed wished they spent more time at work” can easily apply to your side hustle.

Your deathbed mindset is a pretty short time to have to endure to optimize your entire life around. Especially compared to the hundred or so years you have to live through.

Re: Red Dead Redemption 2 fan with 6k hours on Stadia begs for character transfer

#210
I'm honestly very surprised Rockstar doesn't provide a way to migrate your story/online character between platforms. At least when I upgraded Xbox versions of GTAV, there was a process to save to Rockstar's servers and then re-load from them, and it worked like a charm. Migrating consoles/platforms is such a common thing to do -- so this is really a Rockstar problem, not a Google one.

(I mean purely financially it seems like a no-brainer -- it incentivizes people to buy a new copy of the game, and keep playing to keep those microtransactions rolling in...)

On the other hand, if this was a professional gamer, I'm truly confused as to why they sunk 6K hours into the Stadia version? Seems like they'd want to run it locally on an Xbox/PS/PC simply for performance -- and the guarantee that it couldn't be shut down. I always thought Stadia was meant for more casual gamers, and everybody knew Stadia always had the risk it might be shut down, so I really do wonder what this gamer was thinking...?

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