"I want to quit World Of Warcraft"

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Josh Strife Says is the official Twitch clips/Highlights channel for Josh Strife Hayes. This channel features Best Moments of Josh Strife Hayes, Best of Tangent Tavern Podcast with Callum Upton and sometimes clips from Session Zero DND Group which Josh DM's (Dungeonmaster) for players RageDarling, BillieTrixx and Callum Upton. Josh often talks about multiple MMORPGS like World of Warcraft (WoW), Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV), Guild Wars 2 (GW2), Runescape (RS3), Old School Runescape (OSRS), New World, Diablo, Path of Exile, Tera, Otherland and other games such as Skyrim, Oblivion, Dragon Age. Some of the best content of Josh Strife Hayes is his React videos with Asmongold reacts and Zepla.
Visit Josh's Main channel for "The Worst MMO Ever"-series and second channel for "Was it good?"-series
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[@civilian4live]

"I want to quit WoW but i feel like I will let my raid team down" Here is the reality, they will find someone else.

[@chancewestonjordan]

Not only that, but the chances of the other raiders remembering you as a friend is close to zero.

[@yulkas42]

Has the same energy as "I want to quit my job but I dont know how my coworkers will manage without me".

[@crysosisback7115]

Or they won't, and they'll change servers, then they will What happened to mine And they still can't fucking clear the last boss in heroic Raiding is just too time consuming in a generic guild environment, that's what i realised and i threw that game away for good.

[@holysecret2]

@@chancewestonjordan Why be so cynical? You have a shared passion in raiding, maybe you have been doing it for years together. A) there is simply no telling how or if you will be remembered, you don't know the specific relationship. B) it's a good thing to care for your mates and want to be there for them. But ultimately, like Josh said, this is supposed to be fun and fulfilling, and if you aren't feeling it anymore, it's better to move on rather than forcing yourself to continue. People will respect that, and in the end it's best for everyone when the entire raid is motivated, rather than some people only forcing themselves to do the minimum. And of course it's best for yourself as well. If they are truly compassionate and they respect you they will appreciate the honesty. Maybe you can help out for 1-2 weeks until they find a replacement. And if they don't care for your circumstances or feelings, then they don't deserve your care either.

[@OlmanWillo]

@@chancewestonjordan I've raided with the same guild since TBC. We know about eachother's family lives etc. Sometimes people quit and come back years later and are warmly welcomed back and appreciated. I generally quit for about 6 months per xpac but sometimes as long as a year and they always remember. It just depends on how tight knit your guild is. Luckily I have a guild where I feel no guilt when it's time to take a break I just take it.

[@skidrat55]

I think part of the problem for some people is that they use the game almost exclusively to forget the problems going on in their life and when the game stops doing that for them they become depressed.

[@dadmom9816]

That is true but the other aspect to me is I don't have another game that I am eager to jump into. I am often waiting for that next experience full of dopamine hits but I haven't found it yet and I feel like thats why most people sit with wow

[@skidrat55]

@@dadmom9816 I have the same issue. Not necessarily with wow ive never really played wow past getting to maybe lvl 20 but other games I've been hooked on and finding those games that give you the dopamine hit that you're looking for seem to be harder and harder to find the older I get.

[@claytonmurrayguitar]

I feel like this is exactly where I'm at. I'm almost 28 and have wasted so much time on this game and now can't bring myself to do anything else for some reason.

[@mattt6201]

It's the dopamine. Using the games to escape reality just delays the inevitable. The real world will slam you down, face first, and games won't be there to help.

[@patryk3883]

"Play another game" This man is a menace

[@crysosisback7115]

You'd be surprised as to how many times i needed to "justify" to some people playing wow, why i "wasn't online in wow" "I'm just playing something else"... "because i want to play something else" that and "I'm still the top 3 dps of the guild, while not needing to overgear and play 50 hours a week", so why would i bother playing more than i want to ?

[@Thanaroa]

@@crysosisback7115 Thats one of the 3 reasons i quit in 2021. I was one of the highest parsing ret paladin in tbc classic in the early days, and my guild leader had the audacity to ask why i wasnt doing better. This was the same guild leader that begged my not to play Ret Paladin because it was "useless". I then proceeded to stomp every warlock and most hunters every single raid night (none of which performed badly, then were all excellent players). That guild leader drained the life out of the game for me. Also ofc the controversy, i didnt feel comfortable giving money to blizz anymore, which is also why i didnt buy d2 remaster even though i want to. Plus i graduated college. I love that i get to explore not only so many new games but new hobbies now that i quit wow.

[@jasonhubsmith]

@@Thanaroa Good shit bro

[@cattysplat]

How many more MMOs must Josh kill until his evil questline is complete? Us devoted fan(atics) must stay the course. We must not let WoW die so Bobby gets another yacht.

[@exvex5108]

Me with 800 steam games... still not feeling single one of them anymore, Dubt thats an game problem

[@frizzman1991]

I would love for Josh to have a chat with Dr. K about game addiction. As a natural story-teller with a deep immersion into the MMO space, Josh would probably have a lot of interesting things to say about the eternal grind.

[@MsAliceWinchester]

Dr. K + Josh would be the most ultimate life-changing collab ever

[@sunbleachedangel]

Man, I would love that

[@lethargictunes1289]

That would be so cool to watch

[@AhamkaraMommy]

I couldn't agree more, with so many games being made to be addictive, it'd be nice to teach people how to leave it behind.

[@Viskymi]

@@AhamkaraMommy what's the difference between something being addictive vs very fun and enjoyable? If someone spends 12-15 hours a day on a game but has fun the entire time is that really addictive?

[@stephanosphilippides6380]

I think it’s also important to note that if you do tell your friends you’re not having fun and their reaction is to be mad at you then you probably need better friends

[@kohlicoide2258]

True, after i leave my static in FF14 because i didnt enjoy the game anymore the static/fc leader talk to me and thanks me for the great time and that i can stay in the fc as "inactive member" if one day i want to go back, in my other wow guild the guildleads ignore me and i have often the feeling i was just the idiot how gets invited for the dps because i was by far the _best_ dps in the raid (logs dont lie) i leave over night without saying anything to the most people and i never heard of them anyway.. im glad i did the step

[@ZugzugZugzugson]

nobody gets mad at their friends for quitting, but in my experience people get really annoyed by it. "oh you remember how he raidlogged 2 weeks before quitting and got [BIS ITEM] and then stopped playing!?" i have heard this line paraphrased more than 30 times these past 3 years since wow classic vanilla. and to be honest, if you are looking to quit, you shouldn't make it a last minute thing with no word to any officer/raid leader and only 15 minutes before big raid night is supposed to start... if you want to quit, you let everyone know at a proper time so they can adjust to the change, such as the literal minute after completing the weekly raid(s).

[@chrisasfha1497]

Me telling my War Thunder friends who have Stockholm Syndrome to stop playing the game lmao

[@Nempo13]

@@ZugzugZugzugson If you are thinking of quitting, don't roll on any gear either. Leave it for those who will use it.

[@daleodorito]

Man, if I need a team and one of my friends in the team decides to leave cause they are not having fun, I would definitely be mad at them. They are ruining the fun of everyone else for a selfish reason, that's totally a reason to be mad

[@CocoPopsOnFire]

Josh always managed to perfectly describe very vague feelings

[@ootdega]

He should be a therapist

[@joostverweij5440]

@@ootdega I'd be... distracted...

[@SaltSpirits]

It’s not a vague feeling, it’s called burnout, and most people just don’t know how to manage it. If you start to feel like things that used to be fun are chores, you just need to stop doing them, but most people won’t do that because of the sunk cost fallacy.

[@courtingdeath3364]

@@joostverweij5440 Gay

[@ultimaxkom8728]

@@courtingdeath3364 Guy In Real Life, and no other possibility.

[@renata6002]

The moment the game starts to feel like a chore, is the moment to quit or take a looooong break.

[@CombatMedic1O]

Yeh nothing wrong with that, but people should give their raid team/ guild a 2 week notice, Since you did take some of the gear and are a link in their chain. It's only respectful to others. You can always be replaced. Just giving em a heads up is the human thing to do. I very much dislike it when people just disappear. It really brings down the moral of leadership.

[@harrylane4]

@@CombatMedic1O it’s respectful, and if you can manage another week, sure, but you are under no obligation to. It is a hobby.

[@Bogglemanify]

2:52 this reminds me of the "Click on door 430 five times" achievement in The Stanly Parable where it makes fun of the checklist style of easy achievements and the narrator tries to make it more fun and rewarding to get the achievement.

[@Mortvent]

The reason I quit all mmorpgs with a subscription was the feeling I needed to play, to get my money's worth out of the subscription. They felt more like an obligation due to the money spent. And then most free ones I quit because I had the same feeling of having put in all the work, I really needed to "finish" them. With offline games I can sit back and go "it's not fun, right now so I'll come back down the road to the save" and go play something else instead

[@sunbleachedangel]

Absolutely the same for me, I really don't want my leisure time to become a second job

[@carlwernergrossl344]

Play gw2, its the best MMORPG

[@TheAkashicTraveller]

I just give them money and not play.

[@cattysplat]

Goes even deeper than that. You can't pause the game so there's an anxiety something might happen whilst AFK, so people hold off doing basic things like saying hi to family, go to toilet and eating. You have online "friends" asking (demanding) you play with them and will guilt trip you into saying yes, 24/7 there is no escape in modern world. Then you have feeling you are outside of the fun party, everyone is doing stuff whilst you are sad and alone, so feel compelled to return to the social space. Some people become so needy on MMOs they base their life around it and expect others to also do so.

[@SaveMeXenu]

And how much do you think you need to play to get 15$ worth? I've never understood this mentality, I have so many friends who think that they need to have like an hours - $$$ ratio. If they buy a game and they love it but it's not an hour for every dollar they spend, they think they wasted their money. For me, as long as I'm enjoying the time I spent, I don't care how long a game is. Elden Ring took me over 100 hours to complete and I was miserable the whole time (I've 100%ed every FromSoft game, this is not a skill issue, I just hate sandboxes), yet from their perspective I should have got my money's worth. Conversely, I bought and really enjoyed the Resident Evil 3 remake even though I finished it on Hardcore in one sitting, though I wasn't a fan of the original because I felt that it was worse than 2 in every way, so maybe I'm less biased against it than others are.

[@trevorromney3589]

Josh you pointed out the real problem that a lot of people are dealing with. I used to play a large variety of games over a dozen consoles and systems, but somewhere along the line publically-acknowledged achievement became a thing that for some reason I cared about. Once I realized just how much this one thing was preventing me from doing (and not just on the MMO front, but even things like XBL or Steam acknowledgement), and forced myself to play some old emulator titles I had been keeping, or some DRM free titles that I wasn't getting public credit for; it was like the world opened back up for me. For those struggling to break away from MMOs or feeling stuck in a gaming rut... I recommend blasting through some indie titles. Play a Point and Click Adventure! Play a Metroidvania, play a Tactical RPG with some great story to it, something with music and scenery that stirs something inside you! Whatever the thing may be. Spending 12 hours on a game and feeling satisfied and accomplished in its completion, and moving on to something different is SUCH A GOOD FEELING. The Steam Deck actually really helped me get back into smaller titles, since I didn't have to sit in my designated computer area to play something with slower gameplay. If gaming is still a hobby you want to enjoy, just get out and enjoy it! If you'd like a list of really cool games to get you back on that journey, just ask!

[@I-hear-voices]

"I don't want to let my raid team down." They know that if they quit, no one on the raid team will keep being their "friend". If they are honest with themselves that is why they won't quit. They are lonely and need that feeble connection to others in games.

[@lens_hunter]

This video made me cry. I've been feeling bored of games for six months, maybe even longer, but how do I move on from a hobby I've had for thirty years? It's practically a part of my identity.

[@mattt6201]

It can stay a part of your identity. I rarely play video games now, but it's still a huge part of my childhood and the friends that I've had since then. I've actually connected with people at work over a Zelda tattoo or the Mario movie that just dropped, even though I don't play either of them and haven't for a long time. For example, I love playing baseball but haven't actually played the sport since high school nor do I really care to, but it's still a part of my identity (always in a team ball cap) and something that makes me smile when I think back on it. It could be that you've already moved on but just don't realize it yet. It's ok, time will work its magic.

[@KumoGoesFast]

the same way a professional athlete can retire and then still be involved heavily with the game, you can do the same with video games (athletes retire and become a coach, analyst, commentator, reporter, interviewer, etc)

[@marc-andrelandreville3359]

I started playing board games, warhammer 40k, met a bunch of new people, made some new friends. Some of em were military, learned that i like hunting and fishing, met even more people in those new hobbies, things i would never dare to try before.

[@ohwowitsthatguy9154]

We may be what we do, but we decide what we do. So what you choose to do, you shall become.

[@harrylane4]

If part of your identity is skiing, are you no longer worthy of being called a skier during your 7+ month break between seasons? Is a retired actor no longer worthy of calling themselves an actor because they stepped away from the craft? You can keep an interest in games and take some time off. Id argue that a lot of us, myself included, probably should. I won’t though I am like lv94 slayer rn

[@TheOriginalLokisam]

As someone who has long passed the 10k hour mark in world of Warcraft, I feel this whole video more and more by the day.

[@The_Gryph]

Then I wholeheartedly recommend that, equipped with the knowledge that you have the ability to commit 10,000 hours of your spare time to something - you take that ability and do something awesome with it. :D That's just short of two medical degrees. :) So in theory you could just do one :P I put down games in the main and now I make music for documentaries, have learned to sail and have started a YT presence on military history, which was piqued through playing Wargame Red Dragon. I've a few more skills I need to spec into but sometime in the next few years I'm gonna take all those skills, buy a boat and sail it to new shores... and nerd out there. :P

[@Viskymi]

I mean awesome is a very subjective statement. Someone could find that 10k hours in a game is awesome for them and that is not any less valueable for that person.

[@SaveMeXenu]

That must be so terrible my dude. I'm at 9000 hours in FFXIV and I drink up new content like plants after a long drought. I'm still in love with and am so passionate about the game 9000 hours in. The community on the other hand... Is something I'm a little less in love with and passionate about as somebody who fancies themself a hardcore raider.

[@erichall090909]

I stepped away for a while and now im back. its great right now but ill probably take anothejr break later and im sure ill come back again. People need to understand that you can take breaks. you dont have to play the same game forever.

[@Viskymi]

@@erichall090909 that and if you really want to have fun in a specific game but feel bored try finding other areas of the game that you have not tried yet such as pvp, gathering, or even a social guild that has random fun community made events in game.

[@axe6279]

The whole achievement part hit home for me. I play City of Heroes and its achievement system is these badges you collect. Even if it bores the hell out of me at times I still badge hunt. There's something about that 'bling!' sound and a shiny new badge that appeals to me.

[@SignoftheMagi]

Not only that, but some of the achievements have real in-game benefits like titles and permanent buffs.

[@IRMentat]

Also certain badge combos gave you specific meta game boosts/buffs to the point where your entire character levelling process would be pre arranged lest your build be less than it could be. CoV had a weird system where you could actually out level questlines and never go back to it even with the time travel mode it added later. I still miss playing the game tho, mastermind remains the best pet class in any game ever and while the knockdown/knockback was annoying it wasn’t outright stun locks like DC:UO and the power sets/advancement system was unique if odd.

[@minevere]

My friend, where do you play CoH? :O

[@d.ink3d]

@@minevere there are private servers like city of heroes homecoming

[@Matuse]

Go. Hunt. Kill skulz.

[@Caliban_80]

That's how daily quests make me feel. I recently quit a game (EQ2) because of the daily quests. It felt like a chore every day before I could go have fun.

[@ChristopherGamington]

This becomes more and more true as I get older.. I’m 31 now and I just don’t feel that pull in games like I used to, unless I’m genuinely in the mood to play said game.

[@trucid2]

It's your brain telling you you should be focusing on something else.

[@powerdude_dk]

Yup. Same here. I'm 33 and had that feeling for years where I ask myself: I could really spend my time better elsewhere... And yet I feel bad for all the great games I have, that I haven't completed, or even played yet...

[@jaredsmith112]

Me too, games are really boring

[@Prawnsacrifice]

​@Lemon Party maybe your right....

[@powerdude_dk]

@@Prawnsacrifice sounds pretty legit. It's the same feeling I get. But it's not like my games aren't fun. I just don't want to spend so much time on gaming anymore. But when I finally DO sit down to game a bit.... Most of the time I don't even start the game. I end up watching KZbin instead... Sort of waiting for the right moment to start the game. But then the evening passes, and I didn't start the game, but neither did I think I wasted my time because I enjoyed what I watched (no I don't watch useless dopamine kicking videos like those on TikTok). So am I just losing interest in gaming? Yes, as my main form of entertainment, but when I find a game I really enjoy, I can play it for days on end. But it rarely happens anymore. But by listening to what I really want to spend my time on, I won't regret it later.

[@Dantyx1]

WoW is where I made a most of my friends. I've already quit it as it stopped being fun as a game, but as someone with social anxiety I did enjoy the social space. It was the place where I found it easiest to just talk to people randomly and I don't really know where to make friends without it.

[@renanvicenzotti4490]

I can relate that, its the same for me

[@Bottlecap0]

Yeah me too

[@mattt6201]

Thanks to how prevelant Discord has become, I guarantee you can find social spaces far better that can have absolutely nothing to do with WoW or video games in general. You can even start by just joining the channel of a content creator you enjoy and go from there. Just a suggestion ;)

[@matiasstrzys2272]

I know where you come from, I was socially anxious too when I was younger. Then I started not giving a f*** and I never looked back. For me every person I do not know (yet) in real-life is a generic NPC, I am the main character and I am exploring this insane game called real life. It doesn't matter if you talk to people online or in real life, it's absolutely the same thing. Of course this real life game has different rules, talking shit to someone can have negative physical consequences. Or you become the new alpha, who knows, try it out. Driving the bus and feeling watched? Look around, nobody cares you are even there. And if someone watches you, watch back. If they don't look away, start a staring contest. Or a conversation. Who cares what he or she thinks? Chances are, you will never see this person again. And should this person drive the bus with you every day, start a staring contest every day. Maybe it's a lunatic like you and you find a friend. Now you can stare at people together. Do you feel too fat/too small/not dressed good enough or whatever you compare yourself to? Change what can be changed, if you wish too. Otherwise embrace your weakness and wear it proudly, no reason to feel bad because you look different, except when you look unhealthy and do nothing to change it. There is no happiness in realization, followed by passivity and apathy instead of determination and activity. Finding friends in real life is as easy as online, just do things that you love to do or try new things out? Love doing drugs? Talk to your local crackhead, he might be a chill dude haha Problem nowadays is more that most people have no interests left that do NOT include a technical device in front of their face. We move to a world where everybody is socially anxious. Except the crackheads.

[@NTJedi]

In most cases having friends results with more pain and life trouble as compared to less pain and life trouble. I've had friends from every race and multiple career backgrounds yet in most cases they either want your money, want your stuff, want you as slave labor or want your woman. They will ask to borrow money or your belongings or want your time for moving something or will fail trying to pursue your woman behind your back.

[@barbe00brune]

I do have gaming addiction and especially mmo addiction. What helped me to be able to focus on other games is that I was becoming very unhealthy. I started cleaning my appartment, and started keto meanning no more ordering food and stuff. Im feeling better and thats what motivate me, gaming is still my main focus but im not playing all day anymore. And its weird but for mmo its either I dedicate 100% of my time or else I play other games. You just need to find it in you, its not any different than stop smoking or whatever, you just need to find that motivation and timing in you

[@Kameeho]

"I dont want to let my guid mates down" Good friends and a healthy guild community is one thats able to do things outside the game itself. Me and my friends have slowly buildt up a small community of people we have simply met randomly along the journey of the multitudes of games we play. Where we play all sorts of different games togheter. Sure not all is within everyones interest, but there is enough commonality among us that we always find stuff to do togheter. Be it jumping on to a new game. Set up a tabletop adventure or simply just sharing hobbies and interests aswell as discussions. What i also feel especially from the mmorpg community of people fail to make actual friendships within the guild. And when the day comes the guild disbands you are only left with the nostalgic sadness of what was once was and missing the companionship, adventure and achievement you were able to pull through togheter. Failing to have made those bonds that lasts outside the game itself. Missing the oppertunity to recreate it with the very same people but on a different platform. To tunnel visioned to realise there a vast world out there and you dont have to explore it alone if you dont want to. The group of peoole im playing with come from many different games. From WoW to Planetside 2 to warthunder to age of empires, niche games like Last Oasis and so forth. And we have been playing with each other for more than 10 whole years now if not more. Many things have changed but our passion has not. And the beat of all are the annual social gatherings we try to pull off. As we have people from all corners of the world, we try to sometimes arrange a meet up. Dosnt always manage to bring everyone. But there is always a next time. My biggest highlight was my wedding. It was hastly put togheter low budget wedding, but i did send out a invite to all my friends, including the online ones. And when many of them showed up for it, it was the greatest thing ever. This would have never happened if i were still stuck in early addiction of hardcore raiding. Games should be a hobby. Not a all consuming time beast. And ill be honest, this pretty much applies to anything in life.

[@parthon]

"People are motivated by extrinsic goals." This hit me hard, because I'm the kind of person who sets personal goals, and then goes and achieves them, getting a better dopamine hit than seeing a game achievement pop up. Sure those pops are great, but nothing like setting your own goal and achieving it. That doesn't rely on any one but you. Those external pop ups are arbitrary a lot of the time and lose their luster quickly. But this hit me hard because I feel this is an analogy for life. In life, a LOT of people are always waiting for an extrinsic goal to appear and motivate them to achieve it. But your goals in life are personal to you. There's no kind of extrinsic goal that can give you that sense of self satisfaction. Which is why so many people when they achieve the social success that they think they want, they feel empty inside, because they are.

[@Konpekikaminari]

I often get this feeling when I do something else that _isn't_ gaming Like, I'd spend alot of time focusing on work or homework- to the point it has become routine, and when I finally have the time to actually play something (or something else like read a book), I'd be hit with that "I'm not feeling it right now" I believe it all comes down to some form of mental fatigue

[@mattt6201]

Absolutely a part of life. Some days, course work or career work can use all of the energy you have, making anything other than sitting back and putting on background noise feel daunting. It's OK though, you've earned that time to do absolutely nothing. Don't try to force anything when you feel that way, trust me...I've been there.

[@MisogynyMan]

"You were already entertained for 5000 hours". More like a fifth of that time.

[@Edzter]

"we'll still be here when you come back" hahahhaa

[@andrewhickman-moore7646]

I find this most common with MMOs and MOBAs, you’ll queue into a match or a M+ and you’ll find people who aren’t having fun and are only playing because they feel like they need to for some reason other than enjoyment. It would be like going to a martial arts class and the people there are miserable and hate doing martial arts but they just want a purple belt for a transmog

[@gabrielf86]

Feeling obligated to play a game has been a very real experience for me the past couple years. It's a tiny quiet thought along the lines of "I have the time. I have the game. Therefore the time needs to be spent playing the game, or it (game or time) is being wasted." If I am not having fun I remind myself of the times I had fun before and tell myself it's just a matter of grinding away to find that fun again and I owe it to myself to be miserable until then. Kind of fascinating to unpack when I am not in the middle of it, and good to hear people challenging that kind of narrative. If I can catch it happening and very consciously remind myself of the things I enjoy about the game, instead of taking them for granted, I usually start enjoying the game again. If not, it's time to uninstall. Thanks for posting this clip.

[@smallpiper2]

If you feel a connection with them enough not to want to let them down, you should be able to tell them your heart isn't in it anymore.

[@ekki1993]

I'm sure this happens for a lot of reasons and Josh covers a couple of them, but I personally find my problem is lack of motivation to do something else. It's not too different from browsing social media. I'd rather do the comfy boring thing and lose the 4 free hours of my day there than put in effort to start doing something new or productive. I'd cut cold turkey, uninstalling all of my comfy games and deleting most social media and will still end up browsing Facebook for hours, which I won't delete because it's the only way I can communicate with some of my friends. I'm out of the loop now because I started game development as a hobby, but there's really not an easy way out without some good motivation. And I can understand the MMO idealist drive to wait in the comfy MMO until the perfect one appears, I know I did it with Mu Online, but sometimes the best way is to just jump to something else. I'm sure most people in this position have a long Steam catalogue. A good first step is to make a list. Open a notepad, list all of the games you want to play, sort them into categories ("play ASAP", "interesting for later", "not a priority" worked for me) and try to come up with an order to play them in. Doing that will trick your brain into feeling productive and you'll have a list to stick to when you manage to see an opening out of the loop.

[@keskes1338]

The most fun I ever had in WoW was when a group of friends and myself started doing regular skydiving competitions in Nagrand, just near the tail end of the Lich King xpac. We'd pick a goal on the ground and see who could land on it the closest and safest, parachute cloaks optional. This was my first big hint that the game wasn't doing it for me anymore.

[@Arrusoh]

Not having achievements is part of why I love the Switch Also feeling like you have to do something in a game is a sign that you either need to quit or take a break. a game should be something you want to do, not feel forced to do

[@rosemccartney1538]

This is the feeling i have when i log into Runescape. I just stand there 2 minutes and just quit the game.

[@harox77]

I had that exact same feeling a year and a half ago when I quit RS. I realized the best game is real life.

[@sleepyz2z2]

I think the happiest I was as an MMO player was when I would play a different MMO every other month and quit randomly, usually before endgame, to move onto the next one. Any time I got sucked into just a single MMO for thousands of hours I realized it was mostly there for me to kill time and numb my brain with a relaxing grind.

[@zanec14]

that's rather similar to how korean players tend to play MMOs around there

[@justaweeb14688]

Dude I have not felt like being on my - is anyone else like this? Like the past like two months man I dont wanna be on my computer ever. Like Im so over the computer.

[@CapitalMort]

I learnt to stay the hell away from mmo's a long time ago and im happier for it.

[@Maourin]

No I don't want that. finding another mmo..?! I want to keep playing my old mmo and no other game for the rest of my gaming life. Even after I quit gaming I want to keep thinking about my old mmo for a while! Ten years at least!!

[@predictorbibulous3327]

I played WoW for years and about 4 years ago I went through this exact experience. So I started going back and playing through all the games I missed while I was playing WoW. I've had a great time and the second that game isn't doing it for me, I get another one that does. Yakuza Like a Dragon, Divinity Original Sin 2, Gunfire reborn, Titanfall 2, these are just a few of the games I've played through and really enjoyed.

[@slimebuck]

quitting wow was the best thing I have ever done in my life, aside from meeting my wife and having my daughter... which both would not have happened if I was still playing wow.

[@samnieves8158]

The worst part about the w.o.w. horror stories was that they were very real and sometimes were happening right in front of you. Saw lots of people lose their careers and wives over it.

[@Fabriciod_Crv]

@@samnieves8158 they got no one to blame but themselves though. Same thing would've happened with these people if they were a gym monkey that only cares about getting jacked and ignore everyone and everything around them

[@d.ink3d]

@@Fabriciod_Crv But If ur addicted to the gym youre not there 24/7 and nobody quits their job to workout, Gaming is really a special kind of addictive, if you dont watch out it can destroy your whole life. But those are rare cases, 98% of people are fine.

[@evage99]

And I became friends with my now-husband by playing WoW, and we still game together sometimes! (...not on WoW xD) The key is recognizing addiction, and finding strength to leave it behind.

[@sacer666]

"I want to quit WoW but i feel like I will let my raid team down" Hoobooy do I recognise that feeling

[@kelathos]

I felt that from 8.2 until I quit at the end of 9.0.

[@cattysplat]

"You are an indispensable employee and a reliable friend. Can you work the weekend?" Next day. "You are 5 minutes late. You will be written up for this indiscretion. There are no excuses. Don't let it happen again. Now get out of my office."

[@sacer666]

@@cattysplat Not at all what I was getting at. If it had been like that, I would have quit on the spot without any doubt.

[@pm-5565]

MMOs also have this strong element of sunk cost fallacy to them when it comes to considering quitting them, RuneScape famously for it, and most of us embrace it saying stuff like "you never quit you just go on vacation for a while". I've probably played Rs2 and OSRS while not really feeling it that much for significantly longer than the time I have played when I did spend most of my hours away from the computer solely thinking about playing.

[@dschlie6669]

I experience this exact same problem with this exact same game. Sadly, Josh is right; I'll never get the feeling of playing the game after 1000s of hours that I did when I started. But I think coming back and retouching a past obsession to remind yourself of how it has and has not changed is important too. I'll probably never play retail again, but I sub maybe once or twice a year just to log in and observe the chaos. Then I'll just hop back on a classic toon and run some raids to relive those memories all over again.

[@BrainGodGenius]

I can't believe he started the video with an erobb copypasta I was not expecting that one bit

[@chiekokurokumo]

I recently reached out to my EE CEO and said, "I wanna shift and focus on FF14 more." His response: "Great! Our group is gonna get into other games. Maybe we can hang out there!" I think a sign of a good friend and mature, non-toxic person in your life is when they support you making changes when you need it.

[@pennym1056]

Agreed.

[@PyroManya77]

For the achievement argument, there are times in video games where it is welcomed. A vague example is achievements that are unique to complete or provide extra content you may have missed. However killing x amount of mobs is definitely just an achievement addiction more than fun.

[@aeo-gard]

I feel like I enjoyed 100%ing or getting the platinum trophies in certain games that made it really rewarding to do so, usually by engaging with all the content a game has to offer or making you consider alternative strategies or playstyles or challenges I'd never consider doing or would pass up on in normal playthroughs of some games. I put off 100%ing Bloodborne for years due to Chalice Dungeons, but when I finally went and engaged with that system and tried it for real I had a lot of fun going through them and fighting bosses I hadn't even seen in a normal playthrough of the game. So I appreciate when a game's 100% is less busywork/collecting literally everything vs just seeing all the game has to offer

[@PyroManya77]

@@aeo-gard Exactly the reason why I love achievements is the different playthroughs it suggests that you might not have done other wise. Heck even certain challenges you wouldn't think of doing. Then there are the secret unlockables that can come with achievements, which are cool. Agreed the fetch and collect achievements are pain. I did The Witcher 3 only for one of those type of achievements before discontinuing.

[@jolanar3]

Achievements should never do anything except guide you to different types of content inside the game.

[@vvillhelmzecheekclapper7984]

That hit different, personal experience i loved the game since vanilla played non stop like so many others lol. Finally achieved glad on my fire mage end half of cata then mop came around....yep I was done.

[@TheOrian34]

@@jolanar3 That's an important gamedev guideline that more devs should apply. Nothing worse than a game with terrible achievements like forced multiplayer grind (unless it's like, a multiplayer only game), ultra hardcore stuff and such.

[@hxppy_snek]

3:00 I literally just completed my stickerbook for the pillar of nirn set in ESO, just fake tanking with randoms over and over again, this fits so well rn you have no idea

[@onikoneko]

Note: If you feel this way about *all* games, that it's a chore, you may need actual therapy, because there is a chance this feeling of anhedonia extends beyond just games and you're suffering from depression.

[@Azuciea]

whats it called when youve been depressed for 10 years and you just stop caring about what othwrs think of you and about people alltogether

[@Simi20009]

@@Azuciea still depression. There’s levels of severity but it’s definitely depression.

[@layaboutlout]

This is easily the best piece of wisdom and insight content i've seen out of your channel for a little while. Well done to you, thanks for the time.

[@AGoldenBoon]

When I played WoW back in 2005 I did enjoy being forced to chat to find group members for dungeons though. It was an ice breaker and an excuse to start a conversation rather than just clicking a button to join a group and maybe saying ‘hey’ and nobody responds. Some people need that excuse to get a conversation started to potentially make a friend.

[@animusnocturnus7131]

Good achievements set up challanges that you enjoy to beat. I've experienced this more recently with Spider Man Remastered, where you get achievements for attacking enemies in specific ways, like evading an enemy attack towards a wall and countering with your own attack thereafter. It makes you change up and therefore spicing up your attack pattern, which enriches the game, because it looks cool and is also quite useful. A lot of achievements often feel like a chore and only make you play the game in ways you don't want to really, but there are good examples as well that enrich your experience.

[@FormalGibble]

The best achievements/trophies show you stuff you didn't even think possible and introduce you to new ways to play. One of my favorites is in assassin's Creed 2 where you have to kill an enemy with a broom. I was just like what? You can do that? That's how I learned you pick up things that enemies and NPCs drop and use those as weapons. This got me to experiment with enemy weapons in 2 and brotherhood.

[@Kayem237]

I quit WoW completely after Legion due to story issues. To make a long story short, WoW was always described by the developers as 'providing the world, and then you tell your own story through the adventures.' This worked out great in the past, I have many fond memories of the shenanigans we got up to, and as someone that likes to make characters to go on adventures with, my gameplay contributed greatly to the personality of that character. In Legion, Blizzard told me my character's motivations for killing Illidan in the Black Temple. This crossed the line for me and was a whiplash moment that made me rethink the narrative changes they had made since Wrath. I spent some time bouncing around between other games, trying to find another game to play. But then a combination happened. I tried Destiny 2, and was driven away from it when they announced sunsetting, and then shortly after that, I played Doom Eternal. Destiny 2 is a game entirely predicated on FOMO, entirely built around tricking you into continuing to play. Doom Eternal is just... A game, much like the old Doom games, you just get in and play it and have fun. I've also played FFXIV since 2016 ish. After I started doing some overtime at work, and started doing some online gunsmithing classes, I started to notice something. After working all day and coming home. If I play a game like Destiny, even FFXIV, I don't have the energy to do schoolwork. If I play a game like Doom Eternal, I feel satisfied and can focus BETTER on schoolwork. I realized what it was: The FOMO design of Destiny, and even the consistent 'log in to do your expert roulette' of FFXIV were draining from the same pool of willpower that I use to get through work every day. So I stopped playing it, I've started to recognize the difference between a game I can just sit down and enjoy, and a game that is attempting to get me to play, and just avoid them entirely.

[@IronicCliche]

Josh, that's depression

[@luislebronaponte2737]

Omg u right.

[@denholmpearson4346]

It's normal to want to mature into other things

[@highflame4984]

No it's not, getting bored of something isn't depression

[@James-pr4bf]

Depression makes me want to do nothing. Absolutely nothing.

[@luislebronaponte2737]

I think Jeremy is referring to 0:52-1:12. Sounds like depression to me.

[@Miyao05]

This is how I felt months ago, too much playing xiv burn me out so I stopped playing and began to play other games, and even began going to the gym. It has helped me GREATLY mental state. Now I feel like I can log in xiv for an hour and I feel great.

[@seabass6874]

love the mug btw! :D

[@Flashback2020]

This video was very enlightening and not at all what I thought it was going to be when I clicked on it. Thank you, Josh.

[@trancer03]

I felt real depression when I forced myself to quit world of warcraft hardcore raiding. Because it was consuming my life. I did it for like 10 years so it was really hard but I had to do it.

[@naltalah]

You're not alone on that one. I devoted my life to be "good" at WoW, yet still sucked while sinking countless days into it. When I quit, I felt like I lost a part of my identity. Really rough stuff.

[@trancer03]

@@naltalah I was actually really good at wow, i was in the top 5 on dps meters in the raid nearly every raid unless the fight was skewed against me mechanically, they would gear me up first because i was always there (99,5% of the time) and always performing very well... The reason why i had so much trouble quitting was the fact that it felt like i was letting people down. letting the team down.

[@VixYW]

"They should be your friends and they should understand..." As if that would ever happen.

[@Drakencrovax]

"Just play another game" this applies to more than games, but life as well, a lesion I learned over the pandemic I was into a couple hobby's outside of playing wow, and none of them were bringing me joy anymore, and I had that feeling of FOMO if I left any of them finally I put my happiness first, and now, I am much happier

[@AzzRushman]

Quitting MMOs you played for months or years can be tough for more than one reason. I'll share my story of how I quit League, because the root of the problem is the same: "Expand your gaming horizons. Don't look for the same experiences, instead try to find new ones!" - I remember being addict to League. I didn't have fun, I wanted to quit, but I kept playing. I would boot my PC, play League, and as soon as I had enough, I would ponder on what to do next. It was a time window I specifically wanted for gaming, so I kept doing what I knew, playing League. I couldn't have fun with other games because I needed a game "just that demanding". League kinda forces you to be on the edge for every little thing; farming CS, calculating skill reuse timers for you, your allies, and your enemies, and watch the map at all times, trying to predict everyone's reactions and strategies. Sometimes this 30-minute constant concentration paid off with nice, tight, challenging matches. Any game less demanding than that wasn't engaging enough to me. I had to learn to appreciate other games once again. At one point I honestly thought that I wasn't burned out of League, but of videogames in general. In order to fix the problem, I slowly mixed in a few kinda less focus-demanding games than MOBAs. Fast-paced roguelites/likes. But those games still lacked in something. I didn't have people watching, challenging and appreciating my "good plays". It was a bit lonely at first, but I learnt to enjoy challenging roguelites & roguelikes for the challenge alone. Later on I branched out into different genres one by one, slowly re-learning to appreciate them all. Finally I was able to have a whole month of gaming fun without League, and not only that, I also learnt to appreciate games in general much more than before.

[@cattysplat]

Addicted to the very intense highs and lows, not necessarily the game itself. But people really do get addicted to anything they get an emotional high out of.

[@younger544]

Some real "What do I do? I always feel sad." "Just stop." energy going on here.

[@Kamau1865]

I'm about 3,000 hours into a game that takes about 80 hours to complete. The game is Ghost Recon; Wildlands. I stopped playing video games from about 10 years and when I came back I was totally enticed by the open world.

[@Lindwurm_Nx]

I don´t want my MMOs to be like "back then" , I want the Feeling I had besides the game when it was "back then" . Being less burdened by life itself, coming home from school, not having to do taxes, chores or similar things, just do the things I want when I want to do them and feel at ease whilst doing them.

[@cyrusthevirus9878]

I actually just forced my self to delete everything and end up spending my time learning on the internet you would be amazed at what you can learn in the time you would have been playing the game.

[@justcus]

the games haven’t changed so much as the way we play them has. josh hit the nail on the head when he said it wouldn’t help by forcing social interaction. people approach mmos so differently now and that’s just the reality of it.

[@ZekeRaiden]

The problem of intrisic vs extrinsic motive. How do you get people to eagerly _want_ to play your game in the way you intend? How do you make the thought of doing something difficult compelling? How do you convince someone to participate in something that might use up a lot of their time and effort, but give them no significant rewards? There is no good answer. If anyone ever finds one, it would be one of the greatest and most dangerous discoveries in human history. You could *make* people WANT to do things!

[@TyrannosavageRekt]

Part of it is the monthly subscription fees. People feel like they have to be playing regularly in order to justify their spend. Part of it is that a lot of these games include time-gated exclusives (holiday & anniversary events, expansion launch events, ahead-of-the-curve & gladiator mounts etc. to talk about WoW specifically) that build FOMO. The game’s essentially punish you for not being “dedicated” enough.

[@davidlazerz8564]

The scariest thing for some people is realizing that the video games weren't their life, but really just passing time wasters. Thats why so many fight and fight and fight against anything negative said about "their game" or scream at the top of their lungs anytime anything goes wrong in "their game" because its easier to get mad at something else than to admit to themselves "none of this 'mattered' and I was always just 'wasting' my time." Nothing wrong with wasting your time if its fun, but what is unhealthy is pretending video games are anything but time wasters.

[@aeo-gard]

Although it isn't wasted if you truly enjoyed it, I think for a lot of MMO gamers specifically its not the enjoyment that each session of gameplay brings, but the build up of rewards/achievements over time that creates that sunk cost in a way other games rarely do, and thus are DOUBLY harmful to realize they may be a waste of someone's time in particular instead of engaging in more traditionally "productive" hobbies, if that makes sense. I admit I've kind of felt that way when it comes to wanting to pursue creative endeavors and wishing I spent more time drawing in the past vs dedicating so much of my time to MMOs and just wiling away the hours lol

[@mentalshatter]

Unless your on a pro esport team. Or a steamer. Or a KZbinr. Or a games journalist. Or a game reviewer. Or a game quality assurance tester. Or ...yeah I'm out. But no you're right.

[@synmad3638]

You're mostly right but video games, like any art medium, can be more than time wasters if you approach them correctly.

[@toastedt140]

I think in an ideal world you use them as a stress reliever/decompression tool for a few hours a week max. Unfortunately game design and life circumstances rarely favor that approach.

[@StinkyBuster]

It would feel odd to keep doing something if I viewed it as a waste of time. Are all leisure activities a waste of time? (Excepting things that include exercise obviously)

[@renalryan]

I love listening to Josh's mini Ted Talks, he can convey a point like no one else and do it in a way that's not judgmental or condescending

[@ViewTube_Emperor_of_Mankind]

I had this talk with myself during Battle for Azeroth Family and Friends Alpha.. lucky for me all my friends left too so it was a lot easier

[@erichall090909]

yeah last 2 xpacs were really rough. whileim glad they have turned it around with DF even someone likle me quit druing bfa and SL

[@LikesTheBacon]

Josh you hit the nail on the head with this one. I've caught myself forcing myself to play a game when I wasn't enjoying it. Especially as I'm an older gentleman now, I'm trying to ensure the little time/energy I do have to play a game is spent on something I'm having fun with.

[@justaweeb14688]

Are people seriously taking the erobb copy pasta seriously LOL

[@myopiniondoesntmatter7068]

Depressed people and. achievements are a dangerous mix. it took me years to understand why runescape grabbed me more than any other game and it just boiled down to having something to show for the time invested. other mmos do the periodic gear reset to allow new or returning players back in. but runescape.. progress was eternal, if you didnt start on day 1 you were permanently behind.

[@potatofarmer2490]

thats true, but if you think of it in a nice way, you could do anything to pursue "achievements", maybe working out or doing something that might actually help with your depression, its harder to motivate yourself sure, but there's still that feeling of "something to show for the time invested" but with actual real life tanglible benefits

[@lilijagaming]

I've noticed the problem with quiting/taking a break was connected that I was not sure if people I leave behind will welcome me back when I'd like to come back. But recently I've been in a guild like that. And when I reached a moment that it wasn't fun anymore recently, I have talked with my GM about wanting to take a break/quit and made it a soft transition staying till the end of the last Mythic boss progress cause I have known we were on short schedule and anyone dropping could have been an issue. I have known when it ends, I fullfilled what I've felt was being ok to my guild mates, we killed the boss, I've said my goodbyes and now getting ready to get into D4 (which in the past did not feel that clingy so I know I have easier time stopping when I feel like). I still hang around guild discord for the jokes and memes. I've known that social aspect and mostly social stability... or lack of it... was the thing that kept me in. Now it felt just right. No guilt, no regret. For me WoW was a big part of my personal growth. It helped me with my social anxiety a lot. I have grown enough that I don't need it anymore. I've told this story of my cause I suspect there can be many people that have this strong connection to WoW or another mmo or a game or anything. It is a good thing to explore in your mind. Cause there is a reason you feel stuck there and it's a valid one. It's just hard to see.

[@fenggartv]

When it becomes an addiction and a lifestyle I can see it being hard to quit. I was even playing through the terrible expansions (such as BFA and SL) because I still found ways to have fun whether its RP/PvP/PvE. I finally quit during dragonflight because farming gold is BOOORING. These days I just play Elder Scrolls Online and Diablo 4 on my Playstation.

[@fenggartv]

And I guess struggling with disabilities also leaves me with a lot of free time.

[@aeo-gard]

As much as I adore FFXIV, and had enjoyed parts of Dragonflight too, I feel like I burnt myself out on MMOs lately. I think I have been feeling obligated to play them due to sunk cost vs actually enjoying every session I play. I played the launch of FFXIV 6.4 and did the main story, and for the first time in 4 years, I just... Didn't want to play anymore, even during a huge new content drop. (The huge bugs and issues I had that ruined my experience didn't help much either lol) Honestly, I've instead found myself getting obsessed with Street Fighter 6 and learning to play that instead. Not only was the single player a fun ride with lots to do, but learning a whole different genre of game and practicing/learning that for purely my own enjoyment and progression with no real external/extrinsic motivation has been exhilerating. Not to mention, SF6's social features and Battle Hub already has pseudo-mmo elements and online/social stuff that still makes me feel part of a community like MMOs did. I don't know how long I'll stick with it, but diving headlong into something new and fresh has reminded me I don't hate or am bored with games, I just needed a break from the ones I've put 10,000+ hours into lol.

[@ikeaira8701]

I'm right there with ya but instead of SF6(I do plan on buying that soon hopefully) I got into gardening, learning an instrument(piano), learning 3D art(sculpting), and diving into other MMORPGs & LoZ TotK. I've put 13years into XIV, around 45khrs now lol I just got tired of the community and the content being watered down slowly but surely(EW relic is a prime example of where XIV is headed with future content imo). So I bit the bullet and walked away as of 6.35. Will I come back to the game? Sure, but only for expansion launches just to do MSQ and that's it. Anyways, I'm glad you were able to find something you can invest that energy into. There's a lot of XIV players out there that are in the same predicament we were in and I hope they too can come to terms with themselves that it's okay to let go

[@aeo-gard]

@@ikeaira8701 Yeah not only have I obviously been binging SF6 hard because it's just released, but as of late I've been drawing a lot more, working out more, and even studying some Japanese, so I'm definitely making use of all the time I'd instead spend farming in MMOs lmao. It's a weird feeling and I miss playing them sometimes but I think it means I'm closer to making irl goals instead of virtual ones.

[@ikeaira8701]

@@aeo-gard hell yeah, I love to hear it. Also same, I sometimes find myself missing it too, kinda hard not to lol But these branching paths will def be more beneficial to us than any amount of hours dumped into a game. Best of luck to the us and the paths we have chosen o7

[@nairbgolden2008]

emoneySwag

[@airplane4470]

Swagoff are you serious

[@Christopher81820]

Brother i havent played osrs in a couple years but I'm still subscribed and watching people that going for 100% collection log. Though i dont play at the moment i love watching thwm use their time doing it

[@DominicGreene72]

Achievement hunting is a double edged sword. It’s led me to trying parts of a game I otherwise wouldn’t have and found something new and fun in the process but, as Josh mentioned, achievement hunting and pushing through things you’re not enjoying is a very real risk as well if you’re not aware you’re doing it

[@user-gm8gn4rq1k]

Ogre

[@KyloB]

This hit me, especially that achievement section. There are so many things I've done in FFXIV that, had it not been for the prestige and achievement of doing so, i never would have done. Deep dungeon solos, pvp title grinds, raids. I haven't played in a couple of months due to work obligations and very limited free time to split between hobbies, but despite having out 6500 hours into 14, I dont miss it.

[@Avatar_of_Chairness]

Two recent game accomplishments I have done that weren't linked to gaming trophies/achievements are: doing a complete Nail Bat run on Hard Mode in FF7R and 100% completion of the game (side missions, Espers, Tower, etc) on New Game Minus Mode in FF12. Both took close to two years each and offered difficult challenges. Did it for no reason other than 'Would it be possible to do so?'

[@camharkness]

I get the sadness and even hesitation for quiting a game, especially if its a game you've been playing since childhood. I used to play RuneScape with my brothers all the time when i was little, and i kept playing as i became an adult. It stopped being fun for me, but i kept trying to play it, trying to keep the spark i had for this game since i was like, 13 to 21 Alive, but it went out, and what was the nail in the coffin for me, was that riot over the pride event. The slurs, the threats, seeing it move into KZbin comments as well. Realizing i don't have fun with it anymore, and learning that, at least for a very very loud minority of people, i wasnt welcome to play it. I decided "fine." And stopped. And I did cry, because it was a game that i played with my brothers all the time. It was part of my childhood. Edit; since apparently people are too dumb to actually read. I did not cry because of the riots and all that. I cried because I left a game I had been playing with my brothers for so long. A part of my childhood. Please people. Learn to read. Also, everyone, the riots and threats weren't just "a few people disagreeing with gay people". Stop downplaying what happened. We have legit multiple videos proving that you are full of crap when you downplay it. Seriously. Stop.

[@XiaosaGaming]

its a saying really, don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened. You can move on with your life knowing the memories you shared with your brothers in your childhood.

[@twoshirts1842]

Thats really sad that you let a small minority of people on a 20 year old mmo make you cry. Dude the game itself was having a whole ass pride event to celebrate that you are a part of the community. Yet a small group of losers(because who tf has time to riot in an mmo about a gay scarf and halo?) who don't agree with you (totally their right) achieved exactly what they set out to do, because now there is one less, hell maybe way more, gay playing RS. You might need to work on getting slightly tougher skin, my guy.

[@twoshirts1842]

If you quit OSRS solely because you weren't having fun, then you didn't have to bring up the pride thing imo.

[@camharkness]

@@twoshirts1842 as I said, it was part of the reason. I'm sorry that bringing up the hatred that was the final nail in the coffin was a problem

[@camharkness]

@@twoshirts1842 also, I said what made me cry was leaving the game that I played since I was a kid with my brothers. Not those people. Maybw learn to read

[@gasser5001]

It's because people don't know how to find what they like to do... unless someone tells them to like it. They've never had to discover themselves because they've always been able to run away from it. Now they have to face the real world and that scares them.

[@Warbay57]

Dude I have not felt like being on my- is anyone else like this? Like... the past like tw- the tw- last two months man I don't wanna be on my computer ever. Like I'm so over the computer.

[@TakeMyLunch]

Other MMO Player:"I wish people still did things for fun..." Me - playing both Runescapes for the first time in almost 10 years: "I AM RUNNING AROUND AND I DONT KNOW WHAT IM DOING!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

[@homerco213]

I've been playing Warhammer Online now for over a decade. From the live servers to Return of Reckoning. I still love logging on and playing because it's pvp focused.

[@TGCidolfus0830]

Had that lovely conversation in FFXIV yesterday, was doing old content (Bozja if you are curious) and it shows that I'm maxed out with that content when you look at my character. Someone asked me "dude why are you here?" I just replied "Because I'm having fun."

[@sandsand5483]

Achievements are cool for seeing what is left in a game that i havent seen or had forgotten about.

[@alecjasper]

I once felt empty and without motivation once I got into the capital in Elden Ring. I then did a break for two weeks and I started loving it again.

[@SethAlden1]

This is why ive been able to play FFXIV since ARR. When the relative lull in the middle of the expansion hits, I usually step away for a few months and let my enthusiasm renew itself, and then come back a month or two out from the next expansion. Aside from seasonal events nothing about the game makes me feel like ive missed out on anything that can't be caught up on with a few days of grinding, and all the social groups I'm in welcoke me back.

[@midnightbloomofeorzea7182]

Exactly this. I just took a few weeks break to play Zelda, and in general I play less of FF to get into other hobbies like reading and writing. I'm lucky in that I grew up with tons of games of different genres as well as a love of books, so I never got into the "only one game" mentality. In fact, outside of my short jaunt into Destiny 2, FFXIV is my only MMO. Doesn't help that I'm a console player so my choices in that genre are much more limited.

[@user-ee6ng4bb9l]

I have mostly stopped playing videogames, but I still find Josh very enjoyable to watch. These were my thoughts exactly why I stopped pursuing MMO's and games in general.

[@jakehr3]

I can definitely feel this. I took a break during Dragonflight and I realized 2 things: 1) I don't enjoy doing raids and M+ and keeping up with the top elite gear grind. I still enjoy seeing my name at the top of a dps meter, but doing all the work to get there is just not enjoyable. 2) I don't enjoy the class I had been playing for nearly 10 years. I have just been playing that class (rogue) because I used to play that class, and all the enjoyment I used to get from the way the class used to play is no longer there. So I switched to a new class. So in coming back to Dragonflight, I'll do LFR, but I'm not worried about clearing Normal or Heroic, I'll do heroic dungeons, and I don't really care or bother to do M+, and I'm just enjoying myself in setting my own goal of clearing out all quests on the map and I find that way more enjoyable. And in doing that I found a rep grind that I could possibly enjoy after I'm done with this goal I set for myself. I think I'm just starting to get more and more comfortable with being self-actualizing in terms of goals I set for myself and not being worried so much about what's meta, or what the latest end game systems are, or what achievements I could be getting for doing certain tasks.

[@HasPotato]

Totally agree about “forcing communication” issue, this is the bane of all noobs who decide to try an old MMO for the first time. Back in “the good old days” whenever a banger MMO released, during the first couple or more years of the game 99% of players where noobs, so you all communicated and it was great, now the communication is often negative because like 90% of players in most old MMO’s are people who have played for ten or more years and to them everything is about effiency. I remember when i started playing Wow regularly in october 2022, before having only played a couple of months back in wotlk in 2009, i was frustrated that every dungeon is just such a sprint when levelling, i could barely catch up as a new player. And like there is so many dungeons, so many different mechanics for a new player it is too much. Since i started playing during last months of shadowlands and to this day i have been playing almost daily and i still haven’t touched M+ dungeons and have been to raids like 4 times bc it can get so toxic.

[@TheFrantic5]

The most fun I had in WoW was figuring out a way to get to the Ironforge airport in vanilla.

[@WilliamHPastey]

the first time i really tried for an achievement was the lvl 1-10 speedrun on wow hardcore the other day. I got it in 1:40... then died within minutes doing some dumb shit on the way back to goldshire. i uninstalled this morning and am seriously questioning my goals and priorities at the age of 42

[@bsherman8236]

My best friend used to be addicted to wow, the only reason a lot of ppl still play is because they can't get out of their comfort zone by themselves and "lose" all the time invested, just get addicted to something else

[@critshowcritner9103]

Quitting wow has been one of the best things I’ve ever done for my life. I’m happy then ever and I play games now as a hobby not a “job”

[@someguy3508]

1:25 haven't felt that since 2016 (Overwatch and Legion)

[@ladyarmourlapras]

i actually did what josh said in this vid a couple weeks ago. ff14 wasnt really cutting it for me because i burnt myself out levelling crafting and gathering (not a thing i enjoy in games in general), so soon enough i wasnt playing it anymore and played path of exile + this one amazing indie roguelite on steam called gunfire reborn. im slowly getting the urge back to play ff14 again, especially to check out the new island content, but im going to let it simmer just a tad more

[@aradan3913]

The archivement hunting serves a different purpose in my opinion. I've sometimes played games and had fun after the 3rd-5th run, and then i decide to chase an archivement that forces me into an unusual, suboptimal or counterintuitive situation, build, path, etc; that I havent explored before, that i didnt think was posible or that i didnt notice was there or had a system around it. It's a way to force you out on to the wild and explore those things you may have not bothered because they were a bit out of the way or not in line with the way you like to play, and get a chance to have fun with that after you try it. The best example i have of this is the explosive reverse pickpocket in Fallout (Fallout 4 did a terrible take on it though), i didnt know it was posible and it was hilarious when i found out about it. Or ToA, where i always play a build that makes the game easy for me to do anything, and then i tried other builds and had to learn the fighting mechanics that came with that class' strengths. Or in Mount&Blade, where some archivements ask you to play as female, and i didnt know the game put you at a greater disadvantage if you were female. Had a different playthrough looking for the changes it made. In the end, this things dont double the game's fun or playtime. But if any of them show you a unique thing or extend it for an extra couple hours of fun, then it did the job.

[@SRFAA]

Your video reminded me of another topic on Reddit, but on the JRPG subreddit. It just feels like some people really can't realize that they're not chained to these games that they're playing, and are capable of doing something else. I have considered getting into serious raiding in FF14, but when I see requirements like, "7-10PM Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday", I just feel like it'd be better to wait an expansion and save the time since that's too much of an investment and wouldn't be fun anymore. I'll take the mickey achievement.

[@SilvarusLupus]

I quit WoW in the middle of BfA, went to FFXIV and didn't look back until Dragonflight where I played WoW for a month and then remembered why I dropped it lol I'm so happy XIV takes the stance that players are okay for taking a break. It really helps me not feel guilty if I want to go play another game for a while.

[@followingtheroe1952]

I've felt this about Factorio. People even joke about "the factory must grow"