Alarms for the Addicted

[Mr. Blonde]

Although I am addicted I don´t need an alarm as I usually stop CIV when my other addictions call for attention.

On a more serious note: I stop the moment when fatigue hits, my concentration suffers and I am begnning to make mistakes. These days watching football in pubs overrules my desire to play computergames.
I would also NEVER use an alarm unless I have to get up for something really important, I am too easily annoyed by alarms to use them as tools for everday life.

 

[The Tyrant]

Do you guys use any kind of alarm (the built-in or other) to stop yourself from playing too much?

The question assumes there is such a thing as "playing too much." No such thing. When you wake up at the computer you know you must have played until you passed out, but now that you're awake you can pick up where you left off.

 

[Minmaster]

when i used to play a lot, my alarm was my stomach begging for food...

it was such a hassle to eat so that i can keep functioning and playing civ

 

[Clownfish]

The question assumes there is such a thing as "playing too much." No such thing. When you wake up at the computer you know you must have played until you passed out, but now that you're awake you can pick up where you left off.

Yes, I must confess, I did assume that! And from your description of your playing habits, I got even more convinced. Of course, it is a quite relative and subjective thing, and I guess that if you don't suffer any social, mental or physical damage from your exessive Civing, then it's perhaps not too much...

But I guess the worst addicts are those claiming that they're just happy with their way of life, despite the "abuse"!...

When I play too much, I : 1) clash with my girlfriend who think it's sick and perverse to play that much (even though "much" is nothing, compared to how much some of you guys play!), 2) loose time I could also spend on my other interests, 3) loose valuable sleep, 4) when I sleep, sometimes it's really affected by the goals and efforts in civ, making my dreams a little feverish...

Basically, my girlfriend is my most effective alarmclock...

 

[The Tyrant]

Yes, I must confess, I did assume that! And from your description of your playing habits, I got even more convinced.

LOL! What's sad is that I've done that. Woken up at the computer, realized that if I woke up there then I must have fallen asleep there, and gone right back to playing.

 

[Clownfish]

hehe, roughly 30% of the people polled claim to NOT have an addiction problem.... Now, is that a good or bad number?...

 

[GIO888]

There IS no addiction!

Civ is GOOD.

Just say YES!

 

[Furiey]

I don't use it. I generally stop playing when it starts getting light outside and i realise I've got to go to work in 3 hours.

Glad I'm not the only one that does this....

 

[XxtraLarGe]

How many of you here have ever called in sick to work because you were up too late from playing Civ? I used to have two other roommates and all of us were addicted to Civilization. We'd end up taking "Civ" days (instead of "sick" days ) to get some sleep, then wake up and repeat.

One of them was actually out of work at one point, and he would play Civ 1 all night on my computer while I was away at work. He didn't work the whole summer and collected unemployment while playing Civ!

I haven't done that in quite some time, but I've come pretty close now with Civ 4. Only 30 years until retirement, then I can play all the Civ I want

 

[flytyer]

I haven't before but I'll give it a try on my next game to see if it would help me get a life...HA!!

 

[Drakan]

Do you guys use any kind of alarm (the built-in or other) to stop yourself from playing too much?

Yes, it's called wife.

 

[Grohan]

I always forget to use it

 

[Equisilus]

Yep. Anytime I play I set the in-game alarm (and if I forget I'll be in trouble). Time seems to whip on by.

 

[kristopherb]

what is a builit in clock please tell me

 

[Elmstr]

I only use alarms to wake up, but i usualy fall asleep because of much civing