Ok - first up - I am an oldie, with wife and kids and a well paid job. Guild Wars is an addiction for me - and my hour countage over the past 22 months is 4,500 hours - the vast amount of that on my title chasing Ranger.
I know many of you will have a "get a life" opinion and the younger, more fickle observers simply wont understand - but I feel an impending sense of doom regarding the permancy of my chars.
My guild has a core of oldies who play too much and maybe rely on the guild as a way of social interaction - some of us oldies have expressed the same fears -
the day they turn the servers off and our chars vanish off to the great server in the sky.
I completely understand this is wrapped up with other serious issues such as video game addiction - and who knows maybe other issues related to mortality - but for me it is very real. And with the recent announcement (albeit on a third party website and may only be rumour), this has made this feeling grow stronger - leading me here to a hopefully sympathetic (I am so naive) community.
This could be the begining of a new genuine pyschological condition within online gaming communities - as on line gaming continues to grow and where people aren't playing games for fun anymore, but their avatars are filling a void. The success of games like Second Life is an example of this - where kudos is key. The game Entropia - a guy spent $26,500 on some virtual land - and it has a real world cash economy. Extreme - but not as extreme as the guy from China who actually murdered somebody who scammed him in-game!
Just wondering how deep this feeling is across the community - or am I a lone saddo? Thats the point of this thread:
How do you feel about the day they switch it off?
Sad I know.....but I fear my char going to the great server in the sky
brave bern
Tetris L
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Originally Posted by brave bern
the day they turn the servers off
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arcanemacabre
It will be as a pet goldfish dieing... sad and mourned for an hour or two, then flush it and move on with life.
zakaria
Don't worry friend..we will sue their asses if they did that 
EPO Bot
I think GW will bleed dry of players quickly after GW 2 comes out. It will be the spiritual end of my favorite game, even if they leave it on for ten more years.
Undressed
Your friends and the social interaction should not be tied to the sphere itself (pardon my English), as you can always move to another place and take your friends along, no matter on what platform, environment. That's the most important thing. A soul can move and not lose its value while (physical/visual) attractivity dies off over time.
Etta
First of all to the OP, I'm in my late 20th with a full time job & a serious relationship, I've got rent, bills, taxes and other real life junks to deal with as well.
Like many here I played games just because they're fun and sometime I don't have to think about real life issues while I'm playing them. I also used online games to help me keep in touch with old friends from college/uni, who in some case live in a different part of the world now.
As for you fear of GW server closing, it will happen at some point in the future. But you and your guildies can always move on to the different game as a group, be it GW2 or any other games.
Ps: 4,500 hours in 22 months! wow, I only have 1,458 hours in 14 months
Like many here I played games just because they're fun and sometime I don't have to think about real life issues while I'm playing them. I also used online games to help me keep in touch with old friends from college/uni, who in some case live in a different part of the world now.
As for you fear of GW server closing, it will happen at some point in the future. But you and your guildies can always move on to the different game as a group, be it GW2 or any other games.
Ps: 4,500 hours in 22 months! wow, I only have 1,458 hours in 14 months
Xenrath
Really now what's up with all the posts about characters lasting "forever" - end of the day large numbers of games are like that: you can put thousands of hours into one and then the sequels usually do not let you move characters into them forever, if even at all!
I've put more hours than I care into remember into a few games, which eventually end up at the end of their lifetime (for me) and then can be looked back on as good times, sure it would have been nice to have another go or three but that's life - it has a beginning, middle bit and end You'll make new characters, have new adventures etc. and if you don't like it (for example I didn't like NWN2 compared to NWN - I can't remember if it let you bring old NWN chars in, didn't even try) well then again, find something else to do... it's not the end of the world either way.
I've put more hours than I care into remember into a few games, which eventually end up at the end of their lifetime (for me) and then can be looked back on as good times, sure it would have been nice to have another go or three but that's life - it has a beginning, middle bit and end
You'll make new characters, have new adventures etc. and if you don't like it (for example I didn't like NWN2 compared to NWN - I can't remember if it let you bring old NWN chars in, didn't even try) well then again, find something else to do... it's not the end of the world either way.
Agyar
There's really no difference for me between the hypothetical 'Guild Wars ending' or the release of something which I think will entertain me more. Whichever comes first, the motivation will be finding whatever gives me my online entertainment fix. The only negative thing the sudden removal of Guild Wars could spark would be the disconnection from friends I play with (and know only through the game).
To address the 'Online gaming addiction' topic, it's all dependent on the person. People just need to try and find moderation and balance in it, like all things. Sure, some of us fail at times but life goes on.
To address the 'Online gaming addiction' topic, it's all dependent on the person. People just need to try and find moderation and balance in it, like all things. Sure, some of us fail at times but life goes on.
Poison Ivy
Your making this way too complicated.
Anything we invest a mass amount of time on (GW in this case), we will care for just as much as anything else, like your career, relationships, etc.
Simply balance that "care" towards other things, and give less care to the game, and put more care towards other healthy things.
So no, there's really no "beginning of some new genuine psychological condition".
Anything we invest a mass amount of time on (GW in this case), we will care for just as much as anything else, like your career, relationships, etc.
Simply balance that "care" towards other things, and give less care to the game, and put more care towards other healthy things.
So no, there's really no "beginning of some new genuine psychological condition".
cyberjanet
I'm also an oldie and I've played quite a few RPGs. I also get very fond of my characters. I've played about 1058 hours in seven months, so uh...
But new characters do take the place of old ones. I've already forgotten the name of my favourite character in Baldursgate...
But new characters do take the place of old ones. I've already forgotten the name of my favourite character in Baldursgate...
Ares Moonlight
I don't know..There are many old games that are still running online.And GW is no where near getting old.
fgarvin
I really won't miss my character..for some reason, simply re-using the name in other games is good enough for me. It's the guys on Vent that I will miss the most as we leave for newer games, hobbies or whatever...
Desbreko
If I'm still playing when it comes time for Guild Wars to end it'll be a little sad to have to quit the game, but I won't mind my characters disappearing. Because my characters aren't exclusive to GW; rather, I create a character in my mind and then fit them into the game I'm playing. There've been many incarnations of my primary character Arik Desbreko across a number of games I've played and, if there's a place for them, I'm sure other favorites that I've come up with for GW will find themselves reborn elsewhere. The servers may shut down, but any characters I really care about will live on in my mind.
Darcy
It won't be pretty when the servers go down (hopefully in the far distant future). ANet's update system will keep the game alive longer than most as you never have outdated content, but someday the profits will disappear and so will the game.
What will I do? I can only hope that as when a favorite author dies and his/her series comes to an unfinished end, I will eventually find a replacement. It will not be easy to replace the community or friends.
By the way, I've played about 2k hours in one year and do not consider myself addicted. What would I do with that time if I didn't play games? I already go out with friends and family, and read several books a week. What's left? Watch TV? Now there's a stupid addiction.
What will I do? I can only hope that as when a favorite author dies and his/her series comes to an unfinished end, I will eventually find a replacement. It will not be easy to replace the community or friends.
By the way, I've played about 2k hours in one year and do not consider myself addicted. What would I do with that time if I didn't play games? I already go out with friends and family, and read several books a week. What's left? Watch TV? Now there's a stupid addiction.
NeHoMaR
Another doomsday thread? OMG. That rumor, yes RUMOR about GW end, is making me sick. Why the heck is GW ending? mmm? WHY? because some stupid website (or player) say GW2 is in development? mmm? or C4 will be the final chapter? ah? I DON'T see that info in the official website, do you?
Mournblade
I am my character. I persist across many different game worlds. Closing the servers of GW will just force me to focus my attention on another game world. (A perfect example of this would be Michael Moorcocks Eternal Champion series of books - the same 'concsiousness' inhabits multiple bodies across multiple worlds)
As for friends. If I truly desire their company outside of the game, then I will communicate with them and coordinate the migration to a new game.
So real world example - I played EverQuest for three years. When it came time to go, I told the people I cared about that I was going to start playing Neverwinter Nights. We kept in touch via email, or would occasionally game together. Eventually Neverwinter Nights got old and we moved on to GuildWars where we still play together and chat.
Not that difficult. (And I say this because the OP expressed a concern over social aspects of the game, not over losing his gear or gold)
As for friends. If I truly desire their company outside of the game, then I will communicate with them and coordinate the migration to a new game.
So real world example - I played EverQuest for three years. When it came time to go, I told the people I cared about that I was going to start playing Neverwinter Nights. We kept in touch via email, or would occasionally game together. Eventually Neverwinter Nights got old and we moved on to GuildWars where we still play together and chat.
Not that difficult. (And I say this because the OP expressed a concern over social aspects of the game, not over losing his gear or gold)
Keithark
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Originally Posted by brave bern
the guy from China who actually murdered somebody who scammed him in-game!
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Jeremy Untouchable
Omg, kinda a sad thought, Its true thou, i spent hours and hours on baldurs gate as well as morrowind and those toons are forgotten, The thrill of the next new game will make you forget,
PS: does that chinese guy work for ectos, i have a scammer or two.............j/k
PS: does that chinese guy work for ectos, i have a scammer or two.............j/k
zwei2stein
GW server structure has one beautifull thing - the less people are playing the less servers are needed to handle instances and such.
Thus, in far future anet/ncsoft can turn of vast majority servers and your precious GW will still work.
It can eventually end up on one forgotten server in closed somewhere giving last 100 diehard fans their daily fix of gw.
Thus, in far future anet/ncsoft can turn of vast majority servers and your precious GW will still work.
It can eventually end up on one forgotten server in closed somewhere giving last 100 diehard fans their daily fix of gw.
KiyaKoreena
3140 over the last 21 months for me so far. Yes, I might be a bit sad when the servers eventually go off. Then again that should be a long time for now and I may have already burnt out before it ends. I can only liken it to finishing school: you miss the good times and are a bit sad for a while but eventually find something else to fill the void. Before GW ends my kids will both be fully talking and even more demanding and they get higher priority anyhow so my playing time is going downhill by the day.
HalPlantagenet
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Originally Posted by Poison Ivy
Your making this way too complicated.
Anything we invest a mass amount of time on (GW in this case), we will care for just as much as anything else, like your career, relationships, etc. Simply balance that "care" towards other things, and give less care to the game, and put more care towards other healthy things. So no, there's really no "beginning of some new genuine psychological condition". |
There are a couple of things Arenanet may want to consider that I think may not be unique to me. First, I seriously engage imaginatively and intellectually with one MMO at a time. After I left COH, all the emails and special offers were wasted effort: I was in the Guild Wars world. Others apparently felt the same considering COH/COV's revenue numbers and what others have told me about the empty areas, in spite of some interesting innovations. A player community is a precious and delicate resource.
I'm sad every time I finish reading all of Shakespeare's English history plays, even though I know I"ll go back. MMOs are different. Once I've finished I've finished. Ironically, the grief one feels for the end of the experience is very much like real life. And that probably is not such a bad thing.
wsmcasey
Diablo 1 was released in late 1996 and still has servers up.............Diablo 2 even more so..............Warcraft 3 does also..........etc....
As long as Guildwars remains free-to-play it will be around for a long long time.
Do you seriously still want to be playing the same game 10 years from now?
All good things come to an end, but as one door closes another door opens to new experiences. Take your friends with you.
If you really want a character that will stay with you till the day you die, then work on the real life character known as "yourself".
You have a storage = your bank account
You can farm = get paid at your job
You kill bosses = not suggested unless you what to become a prison biatch
You can level your character to 100 = whens your next birthday?
You can get new armor = go shopping in the mall
You can learn new skills = community college?
You can improve your Guild = Your wife and kids are the best Guild you will ever have.
The list goes on and on.
As long as Guildwars remains free-to-play it will be around for a long long time.
Do you seriously still want to be playing the same game 10 years from now?
All good things come to an end, but as one door closes another door opens to new experiences. Take your friends with you.
If you really want a character that will stay with you till the day you die, then work on the real life character known as "yourself".
You have a storage = your bank account
You can farm = get paid at your job
You kill bosses = not suggested unless you what to become a prison biatch
You can level your character to 100 = whens your next birthday?
You can get new armor = go shopping in the mall
You can learn new skills = community college?
You can improve your Guild = Your wife and kids are the best Guild you will ever have.
The list goes on and on.
zwei2stein
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Originally Posted by wsmcasey
Diablo 1 was released in late 1996 and still has servers up.............Diablo 2 even more so..............Warcraft 3 does also..........etc....
As long as Guildwars remains free-to-play it will be around for a long long time. Do you seriously still want to be playing the same game 10 years from now? All good things come to an end, but as one door closes another door opens to new experiences. Take your friends with you. |
Its awesome stress relief when you take one of your old characters and chain lighting towards diablo :-).
I would welcome being able to pop gw one rainy afternoon after couple of years just to finish odd quests or do odd mission... or maybe check out and go hold halls with heroes/henches as i would skip directly there thanks to noone playing anymore ;p.
Mister Overhill
This is kindergarten. In twenty years (probably way less), with the exponential increase of technology (think headsets, and possibly neural implants -- not joking), you won't be able to tell real life and virtual reality apart. That's when the real fun --and the nightmare, begins.
Darksun
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Originally Posted by Poison Ivy
So no, there's really no "beginning of some new genuine psychological condition".
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Sujoy
why are you all mourning now??
Keep your tears for later, when the time will come. I'm only 16, so maybe I dont share the same mentality as you older folks, but honestly, what good does it do thinking and looking at the ticking time bomb... why don't you enjoy it now and remember it later.
I don't take myself as a hardcore GW player, I only have 350 hours in the past 9 months, but I've got alot other things to occupy. I can't play GW more then 2 hours cause I get a massive headache. Some say I read guildWiki more then I play Guild Wars.
I, for one, think that Guild Wars is one of the best MMOs out there, maybe THE best, and I encourage everyone to play it. But please stop flooding the forums with these threads... its all rumours, don't get carried away. Mourn later, enjoy it while it last.
Keep your tears for later, when the time will come. I'm only 16, so maybe I dont share the same mentality as you older folks, but honestly, what good does it do thinking and looking at the ticking time bomb... why don't you enjoy it now and remember it later.
I don't take myself as a hardcore GW player, I only have 350 hours in the past 9 months, but I've got alot other things to occupy. I can't play GW more then 2 hours cause I get a massive headache. Some say I read guildWiki more then I play Guild Wars.
I, for one, think that Guild Wars is one of the best MMOs out there, maybe THE best, and I encourage everyone to play it. But please stop flooding the forums with these threads... its all rumours, don't get carried away. Mourn later, enjoy it while it last.
Rashkasha
It can eventually end up on one forgotten server in closed somewhere giving last 100 diehard fans their daily fix of gw.[/QUOTE]
That is very true. In the far future, the one lonely GW server will still operate, giving the pleasure to the hard core players...
22 months 4.500 hours, good quota, I am still on 4 months 2.220 hours
That is very true. In the far future, the one lonely GW server will still operate, giving the pleasure to the hard core players...
22 months 4.500 hours, good quota, I am still on 4 months 2.220 hours
Inde
What I think this might be for a lot of players is not the "missing/death of a character" but I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's the time spent that is now null and void. There's no record of it, no more accomplishment, nothing tangible to show for it.
Of course, I say this from personal experience. When a beloved MMOG suddenly loses your interest, closes, etc. there's a sense of "what did I do with that time". Hundreds and thousands of hours. Days, months, years dedicated to a game that you can now look back on and realize that there is nothing to show for that effort. No one will care in 3 months what you did, what false sense of accomplishment you attained, the community that you once shared and once developed relationships in is now completely gone. This might be the root of it for a lot of players.
Of course, I say this from personal experience. When a beloved MMOG suddenly loses your interest, closes, etc. there's a sense of "what did I do with that time". Hundreds and thousands of hours. Days, months, years dedicated to a game that you can now look back on and realize that there is nothing to show for that effort. No one will care in 3 months what you did, what false sense of accomplishment you attained, the community that you once shared and once developed relationships in is now completely gone. This might be the root of it for a lot of players.
dmndidjit
NCSoft's forthcoming cross game communication ftw. If some of your guild move on to GW2 they will be able to voice chat with you about how l33t it is until you finally break down and get it.
I believe the devs have also stated that should they ever choose to shut the game down, they would release the server code so players could still run the game. Though I'm not sure how likely that is, considering how many fingers there are in the pie. NCSoft might have something to say about it.
Regardless, if GW2 does well, then the lights are bound to stay on for a while. However, I would suggest that you gather your red iris flowers while you may and ask not for whom the ping tolls.
I believe the devs have also stated that should they ever choose to shut the game down, they would release the server code so players could still run the game. Though I'm not sure how likely that is, considering how many fingers there are in the pie. NCSoft might have something to say about it.
Regardless, if GW2 does well, then the lights are bound to stay on for a while. However, I would suggest that you gather your red iris flowers while you may and ask not for whom the ping tolls.
Tingi
wow so many comments on GW:2 crap. Please stop, it is JUST A RUMOR! The auther of the article said he got the info for it from Anet - but they claimed they never spoke to him about it.
I for one will not believe anything until it is OFFICIALLY confirmed. Until that point I will say that there is not going to be a GW:2.
I for one will not believe anything until it is OFFICIALLY confirmed. Until that point I will say that there is not going to be a GW:2.
Inde
Tan, speculation is allowed on a Guild Wars fansite. Whether it be for a want such as a concept class, a desired fix for a mission, new ideas for lore, speculation on upcoming skill balances or chapters, discussion on where the game is going, or a rumor such as GW2.
xxSilhouette
I would be very disappointed if at any point my characters were gone, So i know how you feel.
But I think that anet realizes how much people care about there characters, And i really don't think they will shut them down any time soon.
No worries!
But I think that anet realizes how much people care about there characters, And i really don't think they will shut them down any time soon.
No worries!
Perkunas
I played Dungeon Siege before I played GW. It has free online servers as well. I had lots of hours and lead a huge clan/guild. DS released a DS2. It played too much like Diablo 2 for my taste, but a few from my clan did expand into it. Characters from DS could not be used in DS2, different game engine was used. Instead of up to 8 in a hosted game, your connection speed dicatated party size. Being on dialup, I could only be in a party of 2.
I stayed with DS until the GW bug bit me. I did name my first GW character after my DS character. The clan/guild did start out together in GW, but most have drifted into other guilds now.
I still once in a great while visit DS. Where once you could find several hundred games to join, there are maybe 10 to 15.
If and when this game fades into the sunset, and if I am still gaming, have been since "PONG" was the rage, I will move to the next game.
I stayed with DS until the GW bug bit me. I did name my first GW character after my DS character. The clan/guild did start out together in GW, but most have drifted into other guilds now.
I still once in a great while visit DS. Where once you could find several hundred games to join, there are maybe 10 to 15.
If and when this game fades into the sunset, and if I am still gaming, have been since "PONG" was the rage, I will move to the next game.
Alfrond
I think its important to remember that its the meaning that you gives things that matter in the end. While it may feel like you wasted time after GW is shut down, the memories you have and the accomplishments you made still exist with you. I feel that it matters more that you enjoyed yourself while you were able to then if you can still show of you FOW armor. If you can look back and say that you had a good time and that you are proud of what you accomplished, I don't think you should have any regrets.
HalPlantagenet
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Originally Posted by Alfrond
I think its important to remember that its the meaning that you gives things that matter in the end. While it may feel like you wasted time after GW is shut down, the memories you have and the accomplishments you made still exist with you. I feel that it matters more that you enjoyed yourself while you were able to then if you can still show of you FOW armor. If you can look back and say that you had a good time and that you are proud of what you accomplished, I don't think you should have any regrets.
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Gustin
They're not going to cut it off. Hell, look at Lineage and Lineage2. L2 has been out for a few years now, but the original Lineage is still running strong in a lot of places. They even still update it too.
I think the worst that might happen is they won't introduce any new expansions. They might do mini-updates and the likes but I don't see them completely just shutting it down if the player base is still there.
I think the worst that might happen is they won't introduce any new expansions. They might do mini-updates and the likes but I don't see them completely just shutting it down if the player base is still there.
captainccc
Ew, doomsday thread. When the server gets shut down (a while in the future) do you think you will still be playing? You'll burn out before then bro, trust me. You'll be on to the next game not even remembering guild wars. You'll meet new friends and think "damn its going to suck when I have to leave these guys" when you've forgotten about all the others. If you ARE still playing (which..i'm estimating 5 or 6 years? Thats a long time for one game...get some help) then it might hurt a little but you'll see a gaming magazine somewhere, see the latest MMO that came out, buy it, and enjoy the experience all over again.
Dont be afraid of the future, embrace it, for better things are to come.
Enjoy it while it lasts bro.
Have fun.
Dont be afraid of the future, embrace it, for better things are to come.
Enjoy it while it lasts bro.
Have fun.
Deadly SiNs
I think it would suck if anet shut down the server, but at the end of the day it's only a game, and surely ppl can just get on with their lives?
Kuldebar Valiturus
Interestingly, at least to me, the OP touches upon the death of a world, abeit a virtual one.
Dereth of Asheron's Call 2 was such a world.
An article in Wired gives a good feel for how it was to live in the last days of that community. A player documented in journalistic fashion the final moments leading up to the End of Times.
I played AC2 sporadically over a 2 year period. It has many parallels with Guild Wars, at least to me. In AC2 I faced a dearth of players to actually play with, that is much the case in GW, though for different reasons.
My point is not that Guild Wars is dying, it's far too successful for us to have that conversation, but the dissolution of worlds is an interesting discussion in and of itself.
Asheron's Call 2 - Wikipedia
Dereth of Asheron's Call 2 was such a world.
An article in Wired gives a good feel for how it was to live in the last days of that community. A player documented in journalistic fashion the final moments leading up to the End of Times.
I played AC2 sporadically over a 2 year period. It has many parallels with Guild Wars, at least to me. In AC2 I faced a dearth of players to actually play with, that is much the case in GW, though for different reasons.
My point is not that Guild Wars is dying, it's far too successful for us to have that conversation, but the dissolution of worlds is an interesting discussion in and of itself.
Asheron's Call 2 - Wikipedia