Quake - taking over people's lives

Polish

Folks

Before i start with the main content of this post some people will find it offensive I think. This is only my personal observations and opionoins.

I know its funny to comment on refering to the real world as another planet for most regular quake/irc/internet users. But does anyone actually stop to think hhhmmmm maybe I do spend to much time/money/effort on this online stuff? I'm not going to slag anyone off or anything like it. I know lots of people who play quake say "uh yeah i have a life i just play lots of quake". But i think becuase of the whole baggage that goes with playing quake seriously online I dont think its possible to have a normal life while playing seriously.

My reason for that comment is that I played quake seriously for 2 years and I was a total geek for that time. Not to point at anyone in particalular and scream nerd but I went along with a friend (doesnt play quake or regulary use computers) to nethouse on saturday to the Team.ie trials/practice (what was it exactly? Anyway Within 5mins of being in the place I suddenly realised how sad (in my eyes) the whole situation was. 10 blokes sitting around computer screens playing each other in a computer game. Only speaking in reference to the game "have quad" "yellow armor available" etc etc. Needless to say I only stayed for about 45mins (not playing helping someone getting glquake working at a playable speed). On our way home in the car. I apologised for dragging my friend to nethouse and how boring it was for him (and for me). As we drove back through the city centre past all the pubs and night clubs seeing all the people leaving them/ going in having lots of fun and the few lucky ones with their girlfriends/boyfriends.

I pose the question not as a term of abuse or anything like it but. Which would you rather on a saturday night.

Sitting in a cafe in front of a computer without any real comprehension of whats going on around you (becuase of headphones on and staring at a monitor)

-or-

going out to the pub/nightclub with a few mates and/or girlfriend/boyfriend and perhaps having a few beers and generally a sociable time? And most likely going home and having sex

To me seems like a no brainer

ChRoMe

WhiteWashMan

or maybe you cpould be like me and get yourself a girlfriend who appreciates the fact that while you can still go out and get drunk and have fun and do all the girlfried/boyfriend stuff together, but on the other hand that quake is a hobby and is fun for you/me.

its true, you can have your cake and still eat it. look at all the married people/people with girlfriends/boyfriends who still manage to have normal lives and still play quake.

i reckon youre just paranoid about being called a geek or a puter head or whatever by your peers. hey, if you enjoy something, why shouldnt you do it. i mean if you liked to skydive would you give it up, or would you continue coz people would think its 'cool'? just coz quake isnt 'cool' and is geeky, doesnt mean it not a decent passtime or pursuit.
anyway, if you dont like, bugger off.
white("say_team beer available in 60 seconds; play beertimer.wav")wash

ste

[LOL wman posted @ posted 22-06-99 07:30 PM while I was writing thi, sozzzz]

To First post ...
Nah ya do got a point, but there's nothing wrong with a bit of both ... ie. quake night one night, ****up another night. It's the same was anything, too much of it will turn it into a bad thing, but the way I look upon it is ... worse **** happens.

And why the **** is IOL FTP STILL down ?

[This message has been edited by ste (edited 22-06-99).]

Polish

point taken I am lucky nuff to have found a girl that understands (didnt say she liked it tho) that I have a strong interest in computers and work with them (thus sometimes keeping unsocible hours). This said I dont think its impossible to have both (to do it seriously i defo dont think its easy).

WWMAN: if i was paranoid about being called a geek I wouldnt let anyone know that i played quake and i defo wouldnt bring them to nethouse

STE: that is basickly the point. But what about the people who cant seem to find the balance?

BTW ftp is down i know i know but i got a mail saying that its being worked on and should be up soon. Heh just got a call about it

Eam0

ste

eamo head mail me at me home address

El_Presidente

Think i'd have to say that it is posible to play quake and have a resonabley normal life.

There will always be the exception of someone who is a little bit too into it but i like to think that most people I come in contact with in this "community" of ours are fairly normal.

El

Hobbes

The same argument could be applied to more or less anything. Soccer (watching or playing), bowling, paintball, drinking. It's only when it's taken to obsession then I'd start to worry.

People who do this seriously would no more have a normal life then anyone else. And your friend was just in a place he wasn't happy with (Try bringing a nerd to a soccer match ).

KinDreD

Its all about laughs at the end of the day....and quake is a laugh..so if someone enjoys it what the fuk....

Shinji

Oh for chrissake, not this crap again.

Look. There's a trick to this, and it's something most of us, I hope, have mastered.

DON'T GIVE A FLYING FU(K WHAT ANYONE ELSE THINKS.

It's good advice in life as in everything else.

Right, I spend a lot of time online, I love computers and games and all that, I wanna make a career of it, blah blah, I know how to program and so on... I am, in the general way of looking at it, a nerd. Pah. Who gives a sh1t? I enjoy it, anyone who has a problem with that can go commit a disgusting sexual act with a close female relative for all I care.

I don't make any apologies for who I am or for my hobbies or for having some really great friends I met online. Any of my friends from "real life" who have difficulty with that... well, they aren't real friends. And hey - none of them do. They accept me for what I am, because they're perfectly aware that they aren't about to change me in a hurry...!

As for this whole thing with girlfriends... oh please. I'm actually considering putting my current relationship on hold over the summer, purely because I wanna get down to some work on websites and a few side projects I have. So I'll be going around without a girlfriend. Wowee, even more typical nerd behaviour! But the fact is, I'm secure enough in myself, and I think most of us here are, not to need to have a girlfriend as a "status symbol". End of story. Right now I'm more interested in my hobby/job.

And as for the issue of nethouse on a friday night.... How about this:

which would you prefer, standing around having a few drinks, crack and a laugh with some really great friends, maybe playing the odd game, and generally craicing away until all hours;

OR!

going to a nightclub, being unable to talk to anyone at all because of loud music, drinking too much to sick-inducing quantities, hurting your voice box roaring into the ear of some chick you never set eyes on in your life in the hope of getting some sordid one night stand out of her, and coming out with your ears ringing, sweating like a pig and drunk past the point of enjoyment?


No brainer, isn't it?

Now I'm not saying nightclubs are all like that, but your description of how we spend an evening in nethouse wasn't fair either.


To be honest, you come across as nothing other than a very insecure little boy. Which is fine, but don't try projecting your insecurities on other people. You should try being yourself for a while. Conformity isn't all it's cracked up to be, believe me, and in the long run people respect you more for being an individual and doing your own thing. Sounds like the crap advice your mammy probably gives you, but believe me, it's true, because I've been there, and not so long ago either.

Ja na,
Shin

FreaK_BrutheR

I go out about 4/5 nights a week average the rest i spend playing quake/****in about on the net. I don't think that anyone getting enjoyment from something and doing it is in any way a bad thing. If its your bag its your bag like. Excessive anything is a bad thing. Incessant chat about taking hash and skinning up and changing names constantly to FreaK_StoneD etc.... makes me feel people are sadder than them playing quake tbh. Then again who am I to stand in judgement ....I'm just Mark.

"If you've noithing nice to say, shut the **** up!" Ciaran Cullen (my da)

adra

to each their own....

ah it depends on the person, their situation etc etc

like i met the man of my dreams online and im marrying him next yr!

so i guess to me "quake-taking over peoples lives"
doesnt apply

like i said
to each their own
no one can turn around and say yee spend too much time online blah blah blah
U dont know what each person is doing online
sure they might be playing quake at the time, but after that game they could be d/l drivers for work.........doing programming stuff like that

maybe to you chrome it is...but u dont know what other people think or do
it's easy for you to say it....but then again it's easy to say that somethings simple if u havent done it.........

TwoShedsJackson

All things in moderation.

KinDreD

I reckon this whole post is ********...and should be deleted now.....

Ronin

OMG not another one of these silly posts...


chrome I`ve a few q's for you...

you say you work with comps and ahve unsocial hours..if you work a late shift your still finished at 9pm no matter what day you work?last time I checked pubs/clubs stayed open till 2:30-3am? or has this changed since last weekend?

Why do you keep changing you nicks? couldn`t you just stay with one like?

As to Q taken over lives, tis true it can happen, i`m and example as are alot of the TCD lads. I played quake made some cool mates in college went to the bar every night and had a laugh, quake is just something I do, well not so much no more...you smoke alot..so next you`ll tell us that your giving that up too...

I play games, my girl friend knows this, she accepts the fact that I play games, she knows its what I do. She doesn`t want to change me as she know I`d be unhappy if she tried to do this...same way I let her do her stuff, which i`m not too sure about it, but I am planning to join that too...she wants to play games and see what I find so addictive about them. I`ll be glad to help her enjoy games as much as I do.

When you went to nethouse what did you expect to find there? you`ve been at lans b4, you sat beside me at the IQCL finals when we played for GI and you enjoyed it. so when you where going to nethouse you knew what was gonna happen. For me playing games is like when I play a sport. I hate to watch and I love to partake in the game. I find it boring to watch other people do all the fun stuff when I can just as easily do it...

Freak is now a good mate of mine, whom I meet on the net. I can say mark drinkys tonight and he`ll be all for it, same as I can say to half a dozen other people that I know off the net. Thats one of the reasons why I like the net so much, cause I`ve made some cool real life mates. Greenbeans in my class in college. One of the soundest blokes you could meet. I met him over the net, even though we where in the same college...

so if you think its taking over your life get out, I thought you had ages ago like...

its all about being yourself not being what others expect you to be...thats why most of these people turn to the net, because its a chance to get away from all htat , oh there goes the computer nerd , type crap that alot of us have put up with over the years...

hehe some of the nerds even call me a super nerd which is funny ..

just take it as it comes and enjoy what you like to do, and don`t tell others what they should do..express your opinon fair enough..but don`t say something is bad just cause you think it is..I know smokens bad..don`t see me posting saying you should all stop it now and forvever...tis just something people do I accept it and move on...

try doing the same otherwise you`ll never fit in anywhere...

you got your job in iol cause you know someone off the net, same as me same as gb same as ste..

Zer0 got a job with MP's place and is staying in carn's cause he knows them off the net..

the irish community is one tight club, once your in your in for life...but once your out, well only daa has managed that so far...


time for sleep...busy day in work taking calls that others should be taking..

oh and as for going to the pub/club instead of playing games...if you go to the pub every night you turn into nothing...I know I did it for over 4 months...played games all day then went to the bar and drank at night, everyday for over 4 months...it was fun and I wouldn`t change it if I could...but you need a break from drinking otherwise if F's you up alot...

oh long post ..

Ro.

---

Ro
ronin@qamex.com
www.qamex.com

WhiteWashMan

and not too many spelling mistakes either

shank

I dunno Shinji the nightclub sounds like the better bet

---

bstep@tinet.ie
news.quake.ie

ste

ah lads, don't start giving marathon replies to this.

Worse **** happens than becoming a big nerd

and being a nerd is a bit loike being a big GEY, some people think your GEY and some people think ur normal. It's all relative


jsysus eamo head ur having a bad influence on me

RasTa

Jesus Chirst eamo were did this come from?

ButcherOfNog

out of his arse?

Von

So Chrome was the deformed dwarf character lurking about. Face it. You are still a virgin because you are repulsive, not because you played a couple of hours of quake a week for a while.

Slosh

Nonsense Chrome!

That was prolly the gist of Ronins post too, but I havent got 17 hours free to read it

[This message has been edited by Slosh (edited 23-06-99).]

KinDreD

von's reply there is the funniest thing there ive ever read thats quake related.....this man should be given medals and currant buns
ok? btw chrome what a ****ing dumb statement...

Cheez

blah blah blah yakadee shmackadee blah blah blah

ste

Von Said:

"So Chrome was the deformed dwarf character lurking about. Face it. You are still a virgin because you are repulsive, not because you played a couple of hours of quake a week for a while."

I don't give a toss what he posted von, ur a fukking *******. Go jerk.

Shinji

Oh fu(k off Ste, just cos youre in the same boat....

and for the last time, no DAMMIT your hand does NOT count!

Bunny

We used to be slagged mercilessly for playing quake in Trinity....by bloody board gamers. I just block it out when I try to imagine what normal people think of us "beast, beast, the red armor is here!!" It's completely lame and nerdy, but in here, at least, there's safety in numbers, in here...we are safe.

And a big clap to polish for stating the obvious.

pox

polish lad dont let it worry you, some people
watch trains for a hobby.

Im a nerd and so is my invisible best
friend colin. say hello colin.

Hobbes

What's the difference between a geek and a nerd?

Don't know about nerd's but being a geek here is actually good for future prospects. Some fool even set up "Geek profiling" and "Geek management" courses to keep your geeks in line in work.

... and the Geek shall inherit the earth.

Shiminay

To be honest...

I couldn't be arsed reading all that

I must say that Polish has a point, but I also agree with Kindred - it's a laugh. I have only and will only ever play games for the laugh - this probably goes to explain why I am so rubbish

But, it is more than just a hobby to some people and what harm if it is. Fair play to yiz that are more than just fans - at least you're doing something non-violent (although I'm sure there's many a stupid American that'll disagree - with the exception of Rikers family - I'm not gonna start that again).

To those of you who have ladies and who are still ALLOWED to play - ye lucky gits This time, it'll be different...

---

All the best,

Dav
@B^)
homepage.tinet.ie/~davitt

<EDIT>Now that I've read all this post - Von - you da man!!!</EDIT>

[This message has been edited by Kharn (edited 23-06-99).]

Blade

Maybe Chrome is just asking a question in his post disguising it as a statement, "quake seems fun but it looks nerdy to other ppl, maybe they are right" I've asked myself that many times and indeed there are some nerds in our community but not all of them are, would u say chief looks like a nerd? and I'm certainly not a nerd or wimp either, the fact is that Internet is rapidly coming into everyones lives all over the world, at first yes it was all geeks and nerds but now "normal" ppl are using it everyday and a lot of them will get caught up in hobbies online but that doesn't make them nerds. Everything in moderation is ok that goes for drink too, being a complete drunken scobe who kicks his wife around everynight isn't my idea of being cool, if you go out and have a few pints a few nights a week thats ok but walking into the wrong house when your so ****ed isn't (sorry had to get that in)

Blaydo

Dexys_Midnight_Runners

*yawn*