What To Do When You Start To Feel The Burn (Out)

[Proe24]

Writer: Lawbringer
Guide name and Direct Link to Guide: What To Do When You Start To Feel The Burn (Out)
Guides From: Gavin Garrett: Dominate Your Server
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If The Game Is Getting Old, Here’s How To Restore Balance

WoW is all about Blizz trying to balance things. This spell against that spell. How classes work in PvP, how they perform in raids, keeping everyone (reasonably) happy (yes that is totally impossibly but we are willing to accept a certain level of overall customer satisfaction). And they have done such a good job of keeping the game engaging and fun that you might just find yourself at a point where you are spending WAAAAAYYY too much time in the game.

All your plants are dead, your dog is biting your leg, you girlfriend is long gone (probably with someone who doesn’t play WoW), and you haven’t eaten in three days. It’s fine, we’ve all been there. Well, not exactly there, but I have lost a plant or two over the last four years. Actually, I lose them all the time and it has probably nothing to do with WoW – or raiding – or dailies – or randoms – or working the ah – or . . .

There’s just too much to do. The game becomes a little life all it’s own. And as such, it comes with regular sorts of real life pressures. Your guildies expect you to show up just like your real friends. Your running buddy wants you to finish leveling up your alts. In my case, the wife needs another 3,000 gold for some crafted bracers or another (always shopping) and that’s before I spend one minute at the ah or anything else I like to do.

Now, I’m not one to just chuck the whole thing – which I have known people to do (cough you know who you are). But the one thing I refuse to do is feel guilt about a game. Honestly, its supposed to be fun and if I am having negative emotions about something that is supposed to make me feel good then something is way wrong. Actually any sort of guilt (real or just guilt feelings) is a bad sign, but we won’t go into psychology or the spiritual condition here.

But, suffice it to say that even though mild degrees of frustration can be healthy if they make you grow (like beating your face into Rotfaces’ face for three freaking weeks – then doing a serious fist pump routine when the sucker finally hits the floor) if you are feeling frustration and annoyance every day when you log in it’s time to re-evaluate . . . something.


Just start by taking a few days off here and there. Instead of raiding five nights a week until 4 am, why not just raid until 2 am two or three nights a week. You’ll feel much less like a zombie if you don’t keep those zombie hours.

Try a guild change if your current guild schedule is too demanding. Sure, you probably won’t hit all Best in Slot gear nearly as fast, but in the big scheme of things, who gives a crap?

Try to give up on just two things you have been trying to get. Maybe it’s an achievement or item. Been busting hump for a chopper or getting every single reputation achievement? Give it up for a while until you figure out just which parts of the game are causing you grief. You can always pick those back up again later.

Mostly, what getting mad at the game means is that you’re trying to do too much, too fast, too often. Just slow down a little bit and trim away activities until you feel like you are missing the game again. that’s always a good sign. When you get to the point where you’re not sure you want to play, just cut your time spent in half. If you spend half the time and begin to miss it, add a little back in. If you cut it in half and still feel like it’s a bother, keep cutting back until you hit a sweet spot. Oddly enough you might find the exercise of cutting back quite helpful in RL as well.

Yeah, I know it’s no big tip, but you might not be seeing the forest for the trees in this case. Maybe I just wanted to remind you that it’s a great game, and it should be a lot of fun. If it’s not a lot of fun right now, back off until it is again. You don’t have to play ten hours a day to Dominate.

Been a while since I've posted any guides from Dominate Your Server, but I'm back, maybe just for a little bit. Good guides are rare now and this probably isn't one of them, but I didn't write it so don't flame me.

I haven't played in six months, too lazy to level and I miss the old days of being a total noob. Where when you cast a spell and it hits someone across the field your were awestruck at your amazing feat and wanted to tell everyone. Now, at 74, there is nothing for me. Just the never changing scenery in Northrend and the knowing that I can still be pwnt by people even four levels below me. If it didn't take three damn days to level and the fact that they nerfed the f*ck out of us rogues to the point of being rather useless in solo-play (and group for that matter), then maybe, just maybe, I would start back up.

Anyways, not sure if you enjoyed it or I just wasted your time. But that is your time, not mine, so I don't really care.

[gippy]

Couldnt focus past the 3rd line.

was like climbing down a ladder when im scared of heights, i lost concentration and fell off :P

[late1]

Couldnt focus past the 3rd line.

was like climbing down a ladder when im scared of heights, i lost concentration and fell off :P

Exactly my thoughts.. could read a couple lines but then I just lost it :/

[Proe24]

Haha, don't worry. I didn't write it, the grey text at the bottom is from me. I read it and got a little confused as to how it totally went from quitting because you don't really like it anymore to quitting because you like it too much.

Not much of a burn out in my opinion, but I thought " Ah, what the hell, I'll post it anyways"

[ßetray]

Couldnt focus past the 3rd line.

was like climbing down a ladder when im scared of heights, i lost concentration and fell off :P

This, basically. I skimmed it (seriously.. just skimmed, like a couple words here and there.

A) Change the font. The current font is bad. Something more simple.

Times New Roman is a great font to use if your not going to use the default.

B) Change the color. Pure white burns everyone's eyes. Something like this color is soft on the eyes. Gray is boring and dull (and sometimes hard to read).

[wac]

I couldn't read it.

Too white, to centered and too annoying font.

[Monumental]

I read it. Really? It's too white and centered? If you can't read white font, you have a bigger problem than WoW burnout my friend.

[Roffle]

try a paragraph instead of a 1.5" column :|

[Mpidis]

Seriously. Blizzard should ban that "article".

[sid1488]

I could read it rlly easy. actually, i really like this font. what's the name of it?

[nialnees]

Please please please please at least make "guides" readable before you post them here... PLEASE!

[zaksterz]

i read like 30 lines and then scrolled down :<

[Proe24]

The font is Comic Sans MS, one of the most widely used and easy to read font's (if you can't read that, you seriously need something checked.)

White sticks out much better on here, and if it burns your eyes then go outside.

It is centered because it is proven that the smaller the width of a text line the easier it is to read and comprehend. It is also more stylish. If it was a just a long ass block of grey letters no one would read it, neither would I. (inb4 you didn't read it anyways)


I did not write it though, other than the grey part at the bottom, so don't flame me man.

Anyways, figured no one would enjoy it. But like I said at the bottom of it, It is your time, not mine, so I don't really care.

[Proe24]

try a paragraph instead of a 1.5" column :|

Have a bigger browser window.



That is what it is like for the rest of us.

[midnightzak]

Can I get a TLDR version pl0x?