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Once a somebody, now a nobody: Starcraft 2 has destroyed my life

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Re: Once a somebody, now a nobody: Starcraft 2 has destroyed my life

#61

Post by jfb »

LoganCale wrote: post #33
klochner wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure the whole thing is a fabrication - the details all sound like what you hear from a bad liar: - 1% body fat - ran 12 miles and got bored (so he walked home??) - 20 one-handed push-ups on either side (but only 100 combined??) - became a monk - shrank an inch in a year do to inactivity

24 miles in a day is a long day but feasible. I've done 18 miles walking, starting mid-morning and ending early afternoon. Running one way would shorten the time needed (though would also cause faster exhaustion, I presume). The other sounds less likely...

For someone who runs distance seriously, 24 miles is pretty normal. This is not to say that the OP is on the level -- I'm also skeptical of the martial arts claims, among others. If the kid has a real problem with video games (and with the family life he sketches out, anybody would have some problems), sure, OK. But the whole thing reeks of fabulist nonsense.

Re: Once a somebody, now a nobody: Starcraft 2 has destroyed my life

#62

Post by theorique »

klochner wrote: post #23
Claudus wrote: post #16

It seems like he was already screwing up his life pretty well before SC2 was released: "Fast forward to summer '10. By now I had moved out of three apartments with my friends. I lost three jobs. I tried being a drywaller, and a welder twice. In between my friends and I would do odd-jobs that lasted a week at a time then would get paid one large sum, then blow it all on alcohol and marijuana. Living literally off of p…

I'm pretty sure the whole thing is a fabrication - the details all sound like what you hear from a bad liar: - 1% body fat - ran 12 miles and got bored (so he walked home??) - 20 one-handed push-ups on either side (but only 100 combined??) - became a monk - shrank an inch in a year do to inactivity

It's easy enough for a person in very good shape to run 12 miles. Some marathon runners cover >100 miles per week in training (in their case, of course that is their main training activity).

All together, though, those bragging points add up to something implausible.

Re: Once a somebody, now a nobody: Starcraft 2 has destroyed my life

#63

Post by mrbonner »

tomku wrote: post #12

As somebody who went through nearly the exact same experience with a different game several years ago, it's really disappointing (and unhelpful) to see so much emphasis put on the game. Starcraft 2 didn't destroy his life, his lack of self-control did. There are millions of people playing Starcraft 2 worldwide who did not do what he did. Taking action to overcome the Starcraft addiction is a good first step, but it w…

How in the world, somebody with that kind of martial arts training, got in the best fitness of his life became addict to alcohol and weed and games? Doesn't martial arts requires tons of disciplines?

Re: Once a somebody, now a nobody: Starcraft 2 has destroyed my life

#64

Post by mechanical_fish »

tomku wrote: post #12

As somebody who went through nearly the exact same experience with a different game several years ago, it's really disappointing (and unhelpful) to see so much emphasis put on the game. Starcraft 2 didn't destroy his life, his lack of self-control did. There are millions of people playing Starcraft 2 worldwide who did not do what he did. Taking action to overcome the Starcraft addiction is a good first step, but it w…

This kind of thing is way older than Starcraft, or electronic games for that matter.

One of my physics professors apparently had a similar experience with bridge. If I remember correctly, his bio said that he was a Life Master at age 21. You apparently have to play one hell of a lot of bridge hands to become a Life Master, and keep in mind that this was before the internet. When I asked him, he reported that basically bridge took over his whole life for several years.

And then he recovered and apparently had a pleasant career and got tenure and everything.

And now I must control my essay-writing addiction and go build some software. ;)

Re: Once a somebody, now a nobody: Starcraft 2 has destroyed my life

#65

Post by CarlTheAwesome »

potatolicious wrote: post #49
dredmorbius wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could make the same argument that a lack of self-control destroys the lives of heroin addicts. That self-control is based, however, on biological and physiological pathways. Dopamine receptors, and anomalies with the dopamine system, in particular, can leave people vulnerable to various addictive habits: http://www.people.co.uk/lifestyle/real-life/2010/10/03/ms-tu...

The difference between Starcraft and heroin is that the vast majority of Starcraft users do not become addicts. In fact, only a very, very small portion of users do - heroin has no claims to the same. This also brings social gaming in as a concern - what is the moral stance on games what have been specifically and deliberately engineered with said biological and psychological pathways in mind, with addiction as an in…

It's morally wrong to trick someone biological and psychological in order for them to play games in order to generate income for a game company. But I think there's a way to balance between making users like the game thus generate income for the company and making users biologically and psychologically rely on the game.

Re: Once a somebody, now a nobody: Starcraft 2 has destroyed my life

#66

Post by mechanical_fish »

alttab wrote: post #52
tomrod wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>What pushed me to quitting wasn't any sudden realization, but just a slow-building frustration with the whole idea of MMORPGs Same thing built up with Minecraft for me. What a lost amount of time :/. So fun at the time, but there is only so many Legos I can afford to spend time on.

I stay away from any game with "craft" in the name - knowing that I have a hard time not not playing video games with no end. Then very recently I had my second back surgery. I purchased Minecraft for Xbox 360 as I knew I'd be able to lay in bed and play for hours on end, which is what I'd have to do to recover anyway. Well, a week and a half later I pretty much mastered it, and purchased the PC version because it ha…

Sounds like an entirely appropriate use of the technology. It also sheds a completely different light on the analogy between addictive games and addictive painkillers. ;)

Re: Once a somebody, now a nobody: Starcraft 2 has destroyed my life

#67

Post by jaaron »

pixelbath wrote: post #31
luu wrote: post #18

This article has a lot of things which sound fake. Here's one: I was 6'2'', 168 lbs, 1% body fat When I was climbing competitively, I once had my bodyfat measured (by DEXA) as just under 3%. For climbing, pretty much any weight (even most muscle) is just dead weight, so climbers are as skinny and lean as any athletes out there, and I only very rarely ran into people as lean as me. I've known a lot of bodybuilders and…

This was my main problem with the article. While it's well-written, it has many details that (on the face) seem way too contrived. My friends even looked up to me, as they are monks who train Taoist Wudang Kung Fu in southwestern China. At one point I became a monk by my own right, and I was looked to for even spiritual advice. So you're such a badass that monks that train others in Kung Fu looked up to you at 18 yea…

I've had close friends and family members battle addiction of several kinds. With that in mind, this post sounds very typical of many addicts (drug, games, etc.). Likely several parts are extensively embellished, perhaps outright false.

As others have stated, the issue here is not starcraft or gaming in general, it's addiction. If the core roots of that aren't addressed, he'll likely move from one addiction to another until he fully hits rock bottom and gets the professional help he needs.

Re: Once a somebody, now a nobody: Starcraft 2 has destroyed my life

#68

Post by hosh »

CarlTheAwesome wrote: post #47
pixelbath wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was my main problem with the article. While it's well-written, it has many details that (on the face) seem way too contrived. My friends even looked up to me, as they are monks who train Taoist Wudang Kung Fu in southwestern China. At one point I became a monk by my own right, and I was looked to for even spiritual advice. So you're such a badass that monks that train others in Kung Fu looked up to you at 18 yea…

I'm Chinese, I never heard of monks of Taoism. Those people believe in Taoism philosophy deeply, call themselves Dao Shi. And only some of Dao Shi train Taichi(a slow sport to help find inner peace), not "Wudang Kung Fu". I'm just stating as far as I know. Maybe there're truly monks who practice "Wudang Kung Fu" and Taoism. But as far as I know, Taoism is about living peacefully and healthily and as long as possible,…

I am Chinese (Tawainese if you want to get picky) and grew up in America. "Wudang Kung Fu" is a fairly popular moniker, even for those who know better. My Northern Shaolin teacher will sometimes work up a rant about it from time to time, but few people outside the martial arts circle really care about it. Many non-martial-artist native Chinese don't really know the specialized jargon and distinctions in the martial arts world.

The arts passed down from Wudangshan is not exclusive to Tai Chi. Tai Chi has origin myths relating to Wudangshan, but I doubt taijiquan was the only thing they practiced. Taijiquan itself cannot be characterized as "a slow sport to help find inner peace". Well, you can, but that is like saying "Wudang Kung Fu".

There are definitely "Taoist monks". They have their own temples and do their own things. They have similar beggar-monk tradition as Buddhist beggar-monk traditions. At several points, Taoist monks cultivated within the same spaces as Buddhist monks. This is not surprising given that all religious wisdom springs from the same source.

One aspect of Tao-"ism" is about living peacefully and healthily and as long as possible ... but that's not really it at all. That's the popular religion. As Joseph Campbell noted, the most popular religion in the world worships the idols of Longevity, Prosperity, and Posterity. Pop Taoism is no exception.

After you shed the outer layer of pop Taoism, at Taoism's core, it shares the same underlying understanding of reality as Buddhism, Shinto, and even the obscure parts of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Its moral expression is uniquely Chinese.

As for "not about defeating your enemy", this goes into something very interesting, the role of violence and spiritual growth. Sun Tzu's Art of War is very much Taoist-flavored. It might be kept at its arm's length, but its far more obscure inspiration, Master of Demon Valley (鬼谷子) is acclaimed as part of the Taoist tradition, despite being heavily encrypted teachings about the shadow side, governance, and right action.

Re: Once a somebody, now a nobody: Starcraft 2 has destroyed my life

#69

Post by crgt »

lionhearted wrote: post #2

Sounds like he has the "rage to master" personality trait... very conducive to hardcore training and mastery in something like martial arts or a craft skill, or a discipline... also conducive to addiction or getting "way too into" hedonistic pursuits. I've got it too, and have made insane/amazing progress and gotten quite good at some skills, crafts, and disciplines in fast time. I've also burned many hours on someth…

Thanks for this.

Re: Once a somebody, now a nobody: Starcraft 2 has destroyed my life

#70

Post by tomku »

dredmorbius wrote: post #41
tomku wrote: post #12

As somebody who went through nearly the exact same experience with a different game several years ago, it's really disappointing (and unhelpful) to see so much emphasis put on the game. Starcraft 2 didn't destroy his life, his lack of self-control did. There are millions of people playing Starcraft 2 worldwide who did not do what he did. Taking action to overcome the Starcraft addiction is a good first step, but it w…

You could make the same argument that a lack of self-control destroys the lives of heroin addicts. That self-control is based, however, on biological and physiological pathways. Dopamine receptors, and anomalies with the dopamine system, in particular, can leave people vulnerable to various addictive habits: http://www.people.co.uk/lifestyle/real-life/2010/10/03/ms-tu...

I think that lack of self-control is a critical part in both heroin addicts and game addicts, but the heroin jump-starts the addictive cycle within your brain directly while the gaming takes a slower and more indirect route.
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