Your most hour-logged games

[BoneSnapDeez]

Yeah that blows my mind too.

My brother and a good friend of mine both have more than 1 year each logged into WoW. As it was explained to me, they essentially dedicated 1/5th of each day to WoW... for five years.

My friend would play from about 7 PM - 1 AM Monday through Thursday. He'd stay up later Friday night, maybe until 3 or so. Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to 12 hour binges.

My father almost kicked my brother out of the house because he did nothing but play WoW. It almost killed a marriage too.

My username "BoneSnapDeez" was initially used as the name for my one and only WoW character. I was an orc hunter, reached level 10. Quit, and never played again. This was back in '09 or so. It just didn't hold my interest. I think this idea of a "never-ending game" also creates a sense of existential dread, at least for me.

[MrPopo]

WoW - 12,000+ hours lol, probably more if i counted other characters.

I had to do the math 12.000 hours is 500 days witch is 1 year 4 months 5 days. How does MMO players do that?!

You know that time you spend not playing MMOs? That's when MMO players play.

I definitely had over 100 days in WoW before I quit midway through the first expansion (then spent a little time with the second expansion before quitting again).

[BogusMeatFactory]

Yeah that blows my mind too.

My brother and a good friend of mine both have more than 1 year each logged into WoW. As it was explained to me, they essentially dedicated 1/5th of each day to WoW... for five years.

My friend would play from about 7 PM - 1 AM Monday through Thursday. He'd stay up later Friday night, maybe until 3 or so. Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to 12 hour binges.

My father almost kicked my brother out of the house because he did nothing but play WoW. It almost killed a marriage too.

My username "BoneSnapDeez" was initially used as the name for my one and only WoW character. I was an orc hunter, reached level 10. Quit, and never played again. This was back in '09 or so. It just didn't hold my interest. I think this idea of a "never-ending game" also creates a sense of existential dread, at least for me.

At a point in time, the work they have put towards their character will cease to exist. This is why I gave up on MMOs. You can play a game with the MMO style of gameplay in a single/small scale multiplayer game and still have your character and experience regardless. The characters you leveled up in Phantasy Star Online is still there even after the servers closed. Asheron's Call 2....not so much.

[MrPopo]

Don't try to think about it like having saved progress. Rather, think of MMOs like you would other activities you engage in. If you meet some personal physical challenge, like running a 5k or climbing a mountain then you know you achieved it. You don't need a record of it. And there's a big social aspect of spending time with your guildmates. Do you consider hanging with friends lost time because there's no save file? Of course not.

The characters in MMOs should not be compared to your Final Fantasy party.

[isiolia]

And there's a big social aspect of spending time with your guildmates. Do you consider hanging with friends lost time because there's no save file? Of course not.

The characters in MMOs should not be compared to your Final Fantasy party.

A lot of that, and a lot of changes over time. Grinding to beat some extra challenges in an offline game is one thing - in an online game, you're just better prepared for what comes next. Then part of the fun/challenge is adapting to it.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Don't try to think about it like having saved progress. Rather, think of MMOs like you would other activities you engage in. If you meet some personal physical challenge, like running a 5k or climbing a mountain then you know you achieved it. You don't need a record of it. And there's a big social aspect of spending time with your guildmates. Do you consider hanging with friends lost time because there's no save file? Of course not.

The characters in MMOs should not be compared to your Final Fantasy party.

It may be because most of my MMO experiences end in misery. The groups of people I would come across would impose huge social pressure to play more and more and to obligate me into activity. At no point could I just log in, play around for a few hours and log off. It was, "Good! Your Here! You are our time for the next 8 hours!" Also, drama ensued everywhere. If you weren't dramatic or put up with childish, petty mind games, you were ostracized.

Again...I was probably playing with the wrong people.

When playing solo, you are doomed to failure and can't experience the full game experience. At that point, play a single player game and not pay a monthly fee.

[Damm64]

If you mean the psychology of how to get players coming back for thousands upon thousands of hours, eh, might vary from person to person. XI is very different from WoW or most post-WoW games, and most of those don't stay interesting to me. I'd say the level of horizontal progression in XI is the big thing, outside of social aspects.

I know the games had a "end" i mean in WoW you can finish the story of the expansion i think (for example the wrath of the linch king has you fighting Arthas) but that gives players a sense of closure like other games do? Could be also the fact since they invested several hours/days/weeks/months/years into a character they feel they would "throw" all that work away? Or maybe they just enjoy the social aspect? Many factors into it.

You know that time you spend not playing MMOs? That's when MMO players play.

You mean sleeping, eating, doing college work?

[casterofdreams]

470+ hours on Phantasy Star Online for the Cube

350 hours on Skyrim on PC

200+ hours on Pokemon Ruby on the GBA

220 hours on New Vegas on PC and 360

150 hours on Fallout 3 on the PC and 360

100+ hours on GTA IV on PC and 360

149 hours on Borderlands 2 on PC

600+ hours on Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer for the 360 (holy shit!)

I need to go out more. But that's not a fair statement to make. I don't watch TV. I don't watch sports (2 hour sport events like baseball and multiply that by dozens of games per season; role into TV category). I barely watch movies. It all equals out. In other words, my skin isn't pale so to speak.

[BoneSnapDeez]

I freakin' love PSO but someone please explain how 100s of hours can be sunk into it.

The game world isn't exactly huge. Are you grinding? Playing through every difficultly level? Playing it again and again with different people?

[BogusMeatFactory]

I freakin' love PSO but someone please explain how 100s of hours can be sunk into it.

The game world isn't exactly huge. Are you grinding? Playing through every difficultly level? Playing it again and again with different people?

Yeah , there are unique items and a lot of content that can't really be effective unless on the higher levels. Plus lots of unique gear that adds a lot of variety.