I think I'm going to quit.

[Evion]

Hello Everyone,

As many of you are, I've been addicted to FFXI for a long time. I do believe it really is an addiction too. Because of my personal life, I've had to put the game down for over 3 weeks without any play time. My grandfather died amongst many other things. I FINALLY feel like I don't NEED it anymore. I used to get withdrawals if I didn't play for a couple of days. I don't even think about it anymore. Now, when I think about starting it up again, I can only think about all the time I'd still have to put into it. I've seen the long term affects this game has had on friends and family. My Fiancee isn't angry about my amount of gaming either. I've seen this game take over lives... but I still love it.

My real fear is this: If I quit now I loose 8 months of work/FFXI/Life/ETC. I will never be able to justify getting back into it after loosing that time. Is there some way to suspend an account for some amount of time? I don't want to get back into it now, but I may want to in the future. I would REALLY like the feedback of people who have quit and rejoined or didn't rejoin. Thank you all for your understanding.

Regards,

Evion of Hades

[Feba]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

Who are you?

Also, content ID screen, cancel them, leave characters and POL ID intact. Later, if you decide to come back, just go to content ID screen and reactivate.

Most people who can put it down and not feel any desire to come back don't, but there's no sense deleting your character if you might want to.

[DakAttack]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

Who are you?

Regards,

Evion of Hades

I thought we were familiar with Evion, even if he didn't sign his posts?

Anyways, I stopped playing because my time was over. I came, I saw, I had a lot of fun with friends, but we've all moved on. There isn't much the game offers me anymore except a few memories here and there... like kiting Ouryu and taking less than 50 damage from his magic-based aerial attack. Or roundly whooping ass in Promyvion Vahzl. Nothing of that caliber will ever happen again, and playing feels extremely empty.

And now that I no longer play I can publicly recount the memory of watching a party member cheat to beat the first battle with the mammets. I remember arguing with the rest of the party about whether or not it was lag, but the whole time we continued fighting as if it didn't matter.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

Well, my first MMO I became really addicted to. I was so wrapped up in the escapism and hated my real life so much that I wanted to do nothing but play that MMO. It was my first MMO, too. As I approached the endgame of this MMO, I rapidly say all my friends within said game become somewhat twisted.

Particularly, I had watched one couple of friends become an item. The guy actually moved from his home state of Texas to be with her in Canada. He'd go out each day looking for a job to support them while she just sat and played all day. I was in a high level guild with them and our leader had a thing for the chick, too. He booted my friend from the guild and she actually chose the guild over him. Even while living together.

It blew my mind. Furthermore, the guild leader said he would kick anyone he caught talking to the guy. So here I was not only watching two friends get torn apart by a game, but I had done so much to ensure I could keep playing it. And for what.

So, I decided to quit. My mistake was, however, that I decided I didn't want the character to go to waste. All that work for nothing if I did. But I was really bent on quitting and my means of doing so weren't quite rational. I actually ended up making things worse, I passed on the account to the guild leader (which he paid for). At the time, I felt getting the money out of him was satisfying revenge enough (my character wasn't that impressive, an Enchanter about 6-8 levels below cap).

But then he turned around and gave my account as a gift to the chick. So yeah, maybe just quitting would have been the best idea, as opposed to the route I took. I made things worse by leaving when I could have just plain left.

But just quitting felt good and I promised myself when I picked up another MMO that I would not get so wrapped up in the fantasy and also be very cautious about endgame. I've taken FFXI very, very slow over these last few years. I've watched some of the same things happen, I've dealt with the drama from social LSes to endgame LSes.

I treat FFXI's endgame as the "sidequest" content of other FF games. All that stuff with the bigger challenges that you don't exactly have to do after finishing the main story, but can sometimes be fun to do anyway. This is my means of distancing myself from the addictive quality of the game - by viewing the content for what it is - optional. I get around the peer pressure element this way, I don't make being 75 and doing endgame the "point" of playing FFXI.

I've heard lots of people tell me endgame is the whole point of FFXI and I couldn't disagree more. FFXI has a ton of casual player elements at so many levels of the game. Games within the game. What you persue as your goal here is your own. Maybe you just want to level a craft and be a master chocobo breeder. Maybe you like doing all the quests, maybe you like levelling all the jobs.

One big reason I moved from Titan was the whole mentality there was "if you don't do endgame and don't make it your priority, you fail." Well, I'd like to have a life and a fun in-game experience, I'm sorry if I don't log in at Dragon's Aery right after each maitenence, I'd like the enjoy my life or check out new content first.

And I think the endgame structure that has come out of, Limbus, ToA and WotG is extremely commendable work by SE. They realized thier mistakes with RoZ endgame content and have since made other endgame content that is more accessable to players.

Anyway, I say its all up to you. Maybe the best thing is to quit the game. If and when I do quit FFXI, this time my characters will go with me, never to return.

But if you don't quit, just think of ways to distance yourself from the potentially addictive elements. Biggest trap to avoid is the "If I'm not doing endgame/high level stuff, I did nothing today" kind of thinking. It is that sort of thinking that drives addicition. There's plenty to accomplish and feel accomplished about in FFXI, make your own goals, persue them and you will find satisfaction.

[Mhurron]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

If I quit now I loose 8 months of work/FFXI/Life/ETC.

No you won't. FFXI is a game, it is entertainment. You 'got back' the reward for the 'work' you put into it already.

[NicasinXS]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

Looks like you need a break. I don't think youll lose out on anything for quiting but you will gain some favorable attention from your woman thats for sure. POL or Square, they wont delete your character for about a year. I left once for 5months for similiar reasons that you have and I could still get back to my character when I returned. If character is not there when you return just call in and ask them to restore it or whatever, they want you to have a reason to return and they want your credit card plugged back in.

[Raydeus]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

No you won't. FFXI is a game, it is entertainment. You 'got back' the reward for the 'work' you put into it already.

For realz?

I've been playing all this time because I thought I'd get a testimonial or something.

In fact I was thinking about something on the lines of:

"This certifies that you have spent no less than <insert your playtime here> playing the game. Please spend your time in a manner more beneficial to society. Your achievement is noteworthy for its utter lack of meaning."

With heartfelt disapproval,
Raogrimm

Or something like that.

[Telera]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

I quit once and came back. The drive was still there to play, but slight, so eventually I got curious enough to reactivate shortly before WotG was released.

Two months into the game, I remembered why I'd given it up in the first place and dropped it again and haven't been back. All drive to go back is gone. I have zero desire to ever step foot into the game again.

For me, it wasn't so much the endgame mentality, as I never got to that point. It was the time-sinks, the asinine amounts of time it took to do anything. Farm, level, get certain NM drops. I just don't have time for it, I have too much going on in my real life anymore to play a game that needs that kind of dedication. And I really can't justify having to work for 3-4+ months at something that people with less demands on their time get in a couple weeks. Sure, it makes sense they'd do it faster, but it started getting on my fucking nerves. Very quickly.

My work schedule is too varying to be able to make a set 'schedule' to do events, BCNMs, Avatar runs, etc. So eventually I got to the point that I was getting nowhere, even when I set small goals, without hating every minute I was logged in. And at that point, I decided it was time to let the game go.

Your story sounds somewhat different. You don't have a dislike for the game, that I do. You seem to still like it, just not feel the draw to play it. Perhaps for you, just a few months' break is in order. Just cancel your content IDs, but don't delete your characters.

Even I didn't delete my characters, on the very remote outside chance that if I ever come back, I'm sure as hell not redoing all that asininely retarded 'level this to sub to the job you want to lvl as a sub so you can lvl your main finally' nonsense.

But I doubt I'm coming back. I've found casual MMOs that I can still achieve major things on, even with my more hectic schedule, without having to pay 3xs the months in sub fees to get to that point than others I know.

[Mhurron]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

I've been playing all this time because I thought I'd get a testimonial or something

You already had to pick one up to level past 70.

[rshermaniv]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

lol, good one.

[Ziero]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

If I quit now I loose 8 months of work/FFXI/Life/ETC. I will never be able to justify getting back into it after loosing that time.

Time wasted on enjoyment isn't wasted time at all.

If you play this game, you should do it because it's fun, and if you were having fun playing then you got more then your 'money's worth'. While I'll admit there's a lot of grinding and 'work' that you have to do to be the best at this game, the fact is you don't have to be the best. If you're not having fun with the game then it's time to hang up your hat, cancel your IDs and call it quits. You lose nothing because you already gained what you were paying for, hours of entertainment.

My only real advice, don't sell your account.

For realz?

I've been playing all this time because I thought I'd get a testimonial or something.

In fact I was thinking about something on the lines of:

"This certifies that you have spent no less than <insert your playtime here> playing the game. Please spend your time in a manner more beneficial to society. Your achievement is noteworthy for its utter lack of meaning."

With heartfelt disapproval,
Raogrimm

Or something like that.

Isn't that the description for the Lu Shangs plaque you get when you trade in 10,000 fish?

[Negklar]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

To everyone who starts talking like you are now, I always suggest cancelling the account, at least temporarily. You can always come back when/if the game becomes appealing to you in a fun way again. If not, there are plenty of other games/hobbies out there. I've played 4 major MMO's, quitting all of them at some point or another, coming back to 2 of them at other points. The one thing I've learned from these games and my time spent in them is that if you call your time in game "work" or compare your "achievements" to someone else, you're doing it wrong. There's nothing wrong with MMOG'ing as long as it stays in context of being a hobby, in your free time, as fun. If these adjectives don't constantly explain your playing experience, quit, now.

[Jarre]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

well theres a whole thread about why i quit, so i wont repeat, but I must say i am enjoying spending short amounts of time playing the stand alone FF's (currently lvl 50 and doing aload of hunts in FFXII and enjoying it) no need to try and plan 4 hours, and I am spending more time with er in doors which is certainly making me happy. i enjoyed the game while I played it, but that is all it was, a game, now i ahve mvoed on and found soemthing else just as enjoyable to pass the time.

Edit WOOOT MY 1000TH POST!!!!!!!

[Jaice]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

There's also the option of the "Return to previous addiction now that you've kicked it" event if your characters are lost to SE if you reactivate your account down the way - I had my acount inactive for 4 years or so and through the Return to FFXI promotion they were able to recover them. The addiction and frustration I had with this game is no longer there, it's just a lot of fun I have damn near no time to play the game so endgame things I will probably never see. And that's just fine, the game is played to be fun, not a life style choice. Good luck to ya matey! You can still pop by here and see how the game is leaning from time to time too ^_^b

[Murphie]

Re: I think I'm going to quit.

If you're genuinely addicted, then cutting the cord is a good idea. I think too many people use addiction to the game as a bit of a cop-out excuse, but I also know that I've been known to play it more than I probably should at times (certainly not lately).