- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
After reading some of these posts, I can't help but imagine we're in Hrothgar's meadhall making drunken boasts about who is going to kill Grendel. Otakuman, I think I shall call you Unferth. . . that seems appropriate.
Anyway, winning tournaments and playing every weekend to prepare for clan battles doesn't really impress me much. Doing those things just means you're a robot. . . a mindless automaton of Halo that has ceased to enjoy the game. Trust me, I've met enough tournament players to know that they long ago sold their soul to Xbox-Satan and are boring as hell to play with. I've never played a "pro" team that seemed to have any personality. . . (or that superb of skill [for the majority]- it's all about timing yourself, whoring powerups and memorizing spawn locations). Really, when your best taunt is saying "oops, sorry" or "lightshow" and turning your flashlight on and off, you need help. . . desperately.
I mean, listen to yourself. Beat the game in less than 12 hours? First, so what if you play the game on easy/normal and avoid half the targets of opportunity and miss out on subtle hints in the plot? So what if you blow through the game and miss the story? If you aren't going to take it at a normal pace and enjoy the experience, why are you even playing in the first place? Isn't that the point? Enjoying the game? Remember? Oh wait, I forgot. Finishing in -12 hours proves that you're "godly," and that's what really counts in the end. Whover beats the game the fastest wins, and the winner gets. . . . I dunno. . . . something we all love and want. . . . don't they? Okay, go ahead, finish the game as fast as you can to prove something that nobody really cares about and takes away any enjoyment you might have gotten from playing like a sane person. Trust me, your way is MUCH better.
Furthermore, you seem to really fail to keep things in proper perspective; you play non-stop for what? Recognition as number 1? That's laughable; you'll find plenty of people who are better than you. . . some in almost all aspects of the game. Let us not forget, either, just how trivial respect in an online community is. Stuff like that comes and goes, and I don't think you'll find much long-term satisfaction in thoughts of burning hours and hours a day into a game when you could have spent that time with people you love. "And I spent atleast 3 hours a day playing Halo2 until XboxLive servers were shut down 12 years later" . . that'd be something to put down in the memiors.
You play for enjoyment? Hardly, marathoning games to the extent you need to be the best has never given me that much enjoyment. After a point, the frequency of my playing dulls the enjoyment I get out of it. Really, how much do you enjoy a food if you eat it every single day? I suppose I play more than I should, but I always try to quit before it starts to feel more like a job than a past time.
So what do you have to look foward to? Money? Even the best tournaments don't pay enough to eek out a comfortable living. . . at least, I've never heard of ones that did. Fame? Halo will be forgotten in 10 years, so how could top players retain their former recognition? Enjoyment? Not likely, and you'll only think of it as time wasted as you grow older. Health? You might get quick reflexes from excessive gaming, but I think the carpal tunnel and possible stroke from sitting in one place too long might outweigh that small and novel benefit. Women? You wouldn't have time, and I doubt you'd catch many prizes amongst women who find sitting on a couch and staring at a TV sexy. Good hunting.
Now, I ask you, Unferth, with all this in mind, why do you continue to treadmill like a Korean in an MMORPG? You lose all the things you could look foward to with more casual gaming and keep all the cons associated with heavier gaming. Life goes by fast; if you don't stop to look around, you might miss it. -famous and very true words-
Oh yes, I almost forgot it's mead-induced boasting time. I'll end up owning you online anyway. . . why not avoid the embarrassment by just not even playing Halo 2.
-mmm. . . that was nice and scathing. Sometimes I impress myself.
[Edited on 11/7/2004 10:35:13 PM]