Potvin Update!

[Potvin/Timion]

Just wanted to stop by and say hello to my fellow guildmates, and to formally announce my retirement from MMO gaming.

I don't anticipate this being permanent...but I do expect it to last at least another year, at least.

Family life (specifically, baby life) is just too all consuming.

I've been an MMORPG gamer all my life until he was born.   Dating women and doing it was no problem. Heck, living with a woman actually improved my online gaming time, as we could spend a good chunk of the day together on a weekend, then in the evening have plenty of time for myself while my wife/past girlfriend never felt neglected.

I was even able to play LOTRO after Elliott was born, for a while. When I was a stay at home dad (FMLA) it was easy, because I had his nap times to play, and a wife who was kind enough to take him off of my hands for most of the night every night.

Since I went back to work in May though, everything has changed.  Now, 4 months later, I fully realize that it will be a looong time before any adequate MMO time will be around for me again.

I have plenty of 30-60 minute periods of free time every night to do 'fun' things.  Sometimes even 90 minutes   That's not enough for an MMO, which by its primary purpose acts as a massive timesink for those who have the free time. Hell, it's an amazingly cost-efficient time sink. Even if you choose to 'spend outside money' on it (those that do) when you evaluate money spent/hours of entertainment, not much else entertainment wise compares for value.

So, until a point in time comes when I can have free time in 2-3 hour increments, at least a couple days a week steadily, I'm going to cancel my LOTRO subscription, and stop telling myself I'll 'find time' to play it because it's a good game.  The time simply isn't there.

For the most part, this is awesome!   but admittedly, a small part of me wishes I didn't have to give up gaming in this capacity.

Anyway, that about wraps this post. I'll endeavor to not be a stranger, and rest assured at whatever point I find myself able to dedicate a reasonable amount of time to LOTRO or whatever MMORPG (Hellgate has my interest also), I'll be looking back for reactivation (if I'm put into retirement mode here).

Best wishes to all.

Potvin 

[Meepichi]

Totally understandable Potvin.  Be assured we'll still be here if you do find the time to come back.  We'll look forward to that day, and enjoy your time with the little one, before you know it he'll be all grown up!

[Kaivic]

Be sure to hang around the site buddy, or your avatar will surely be missed... er, you will be missed.. hehe...  Ride it!

And may Hellgate bring you back to us...

[Entdaddy]

Best of luck Potvin, we will miss you during your continued absence.  Be sure to stop by once in a while and visit us.  Some people are ok with playing less than an hour a night (myself included), but if that does not suite you, there is no need to keeping paying for the subscription. 

Wii is a good way to keep up computer gaming and the whole family seems to like playing it.  My father, a man enjoying some well deserved retirement, got one for his birthday from my mother.  These are people who haven't played a video game since Pong came out ... well maybe not that long ago, but they sure are not gamers.

My best to the family.  Wait until you have two kids.  You do not yet know the meaning of "I have no spare time."   

[Potvin/Timion]

Best of luck Potvin, we will miss you during your continued absence.  Be sure to stop by once in a while and visit us.  Some people are ok with playing less than an hour a night (myself included), but if that does not suite you, there is no need to keeping paying for the subscription. 

Wii is a good way to keep up computer gaming and the whole family seems to like playing it.  My father, a man enjoying some well deserved retirement, got one for his birthday from my mother.  These are people who haven't played a video game since Pong came out ... well maybe not that long ago, but they sure are not gamers.

My best to the family.  Wait until you have two kids.  You do not yet know the meaning of "I have no spare time."   

Re: your first paragraph - I just don't know how you can get 'anything' done in LOTRO in under an hour.  I mean, you can do solo quests if you have them, but group quests eventually bog down in your quest log, and doing them (including getting a group, etc) takes more then an hour.

My daily schedule is as much the dilemna as anything. I cannot stay up later then 10pm, because I get up in the 5am-5:30am range every morning.  I just can't afford to burn the candle at both ends during the week anymore, because I no longer have the weekends to catch up lol.

[Entdaddy]

Hmmm...

Crafting/gathering crafting materials.  Reputation quests.  Deeds.  That's all I can think of atm.

These do not appeal to very many people, but that is what I usually do when I only have a half hour or so to play.  I usually go to bed around 10:00pm.  That's the target anyway.  I usually can't get logged in until 9:00pm give or take a half hour.  I wake up at 4:30am to get my work day started.  On the weekends I can't sleep any later than 7:00am because the boys wake up early, so I usually don't get too much more sleep then either.

Now that I'm looking at it ... no wonder why I'm so tired.  I thought I was just getting old.

[Potvin/Timion]

Hmmm...

Crafting/gathering crafting materials.  Reputation quests.  Deeds.  That's all I can think of atm.

These do not appeal to very many people, but that is what I usually do when I only have a half hour or so to play.  I usually go to bed around 10:00pm.  That's the target anyway.  I usually can't get logged in until 9:00pm give or take a half hour.  I wake up at 4:30am to get my work day started.  On the weekends I can't sleep any later than 7:00am because the boys wake up early, so I usually don't get too much more sleep then either.

Now that I'm looking at it ... no wonder why I'm so tired.  I thought I was just getting old.

You are getting old.  We both are.

We just can't hang with what we could 5 years ago, 10 years ago

Like most of you, I'm a night owl and force myself to bed between 10 and 10:30pm.  Elliott lately has started 'crashing' at 8:30pm, generally speaking.  This has very gradually gotten earlier and earlier - when he was an infant he's be up til 9:30pm or 10 before he'd sleep.   Maybe if that 8:30 becomes 8pm or earlier it might become viable again.

[Gren]

I know what you mean Potvin by not having the time to get anything done and that's one of the major reasons I had to leave DDO.  Between school, work, and my daughter there just wasn't enough time for me to enjoy the game, and by the time I could I just wasn't that interested in the way DDO was implemented.  I like LOTRO though, and there seems to be so much more to do, and even if I need to get up for a few minutes to help with dinner or do some daily chore there doesn't seem to be any problem.  With very young kids added though gaming becomes pretty much impossible.

Now that I don't have classes, and my daughter is a bit more self sufficient, I have much more time to do the things I enjoy, like gaming.  It'll take a while before you get to a more even schedule, but it will happen and we'll be here.

[Deltachi]

Good luck to you.

One of the reasons i think i have been able to continue playing WoW is the fact that i can log in and play for short or long chnunks of time without the need of a group, I love that recently I have been able to instance and do raids, but that was not the norm for me over the last year. 

I have a 2yr old and a 8 month old so i know what you are talking about.  Good Luck.

I think there is a book we used for both of them "healthy sleep habits for the happy child" or something like that.


Take care for now.

[Potvin/Timion]

I know what you mean Potvin by not having the time to get anything done and that's one of the major reasons I had to leave DDO.  Between school, work, and my daughter there just wasn't enough time for me to enjoy the game, and by the time I could I just wasn't that interested in the way DDO was implemented.  I like LOTRO though, and there seems to be so much more to do, and even if I need to get up for a few minutes to help with dinner or do some daily chore there doesn't seem to be any problem.  With very young kids added though gaming becomes pretty much impossible.

Now that I don't have classes, and my daughter is a bit more self sufficient, I have much more time to do the things I enjoy, like gaming.  It'll take a while before you get to a more even schedule, but it will happen and we'll be here.

Yeah, as much as I loved the combat in DDO, DDO is a permanent impossibility now. 

re: your last paragraph, yeah, this is what I totally figure will happen.  Some nights he's self sufficient, just playing in the corner while my wife and I have *gasp* a peaceful dinner. That happens like once a week  

little turkey is closing in on 10 months old now.

[Potvin/Timion]

I think I might have been a professional athlete in a previous life.

Because I logged into LOTRO today and played for an hour 

my 'retirement' upon further review of entdaddy's comments and thoughts might just be a touch premature ...

will try to log on later tonight with a Guinness 

[Halena]

Well Potvin, we'll be here when Elliott gets a little older and life gets a little calmer. Once a gamer always a gamer, and time will fly by and one day you will have time to play again. Until then we demand updated photos of Elliott because he is just too cute for words and I need my baby fix ;) and you must stop by and say hello now and then.

[Potvin/Timion]

Well Potvin, we'll be here when Elliott gets a little older and life gets a little calmer. Once a gamer always a gamer, and time will fly by and one day you will have time to play again. Until then we demand updated photos of Elliott because he is just too cute for words and I need my baby fix ;) and you must stop by and say hello now and then.

Ask, and you shall receive!



Elliott turns 10 months old Monday.

[Gren]

Great pic!  He's beautiful.

[Halena]

Thank you Pot He is cuter than ever!

[Deltachi]

Cute little baby! What a sweetheart!

[Entdaddy]

I think I might have been a professional athlete in a previous life.

Because I logged into LOTRO today and played for an hour 

my 'retirement' upon further review of entdaddy's comments and thoughts might just be a touch premature ...

will try to log on later tonight with a Guinness 

It's thr housing isn't it?     Great to see you're giving it a go.  I only go to play late at night on Friday and Saturday, so I didn't get to say hello.

He's a cutie (Elliot not Potvin).  Get that doughnut out of his hand and give him a rake!   

[Meepichi]

He's a cutie (Elliot not Potvin).  Get that doughnut out of his hand and give him a rake!   

LOL! Isn't that what kids are for? Put him to work asap!   Cute kid Pot, must take after the wife. 

[Potvin/Timion]

SO yeah, it's official, I'm back.

My wife is funny though, she complained about me wanting to play some LoTRo last night. Whining about not spending time with her (which is really false, seriously).

I was like, wait a second. All this non gaming time I was just blowing surfing the web, etc...and you don't say a thing, you just do your own thing, but now I start playing a game instead and you get into a tizzy.

haha, that set her back a bit. I don't think she really realized it until then.  It was all perception for her.

I told her she was welcome to play too. No bites though 

[Entdaddy]

I've noticed that.  I would almost imagine that some women have a real problem seeing their man playing any type of video game.  If I sit and watch TV or read a book, she's fine.  Once I turn on the computer, or open the cabinet the PS2 is in, I start catching hell.  That's why I have to play when she's sleeping (or in a REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY good mood).  It's kind of pathetic when I think about it.