i used to never really get MMOs and was a hardcore consloe gamer and then i heard of a simulated MMO called dot hack, and when i finished it i wanted to try EQ because my mom got it for me for this past christmas(by that time i had heard about CoH and liked it).
since i started playing CoH/V i find it more fun all around than going from one mish to another just to get armor and having to buy the expansions so i got rid of my high elf pali for a grav/emp troller.
for my grandparents it's "just another waste of my money" but i tell everyone i know about it and they seem to want to try it too. my family though just doesn't care unless i pull an all nighter especially on saturdays, so i just highlight what i like about the game including buying both in the same month and regestering /upgrading them and there's 2 months free so you're paying $10 for a game in the end and after the 2 months it's only $15 a month with free expansions
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I love playing this game, but I often get strange reactions from people when I tell them I play MMO's. How do you guys justify/explain playing the game/use of the game?
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I tell them I'm a stereotypical geek, and this is what we like to do for fun.
The people who know me say, "Oh, yeah, that makes sense..." and I go back to working on the wiki I've specifically set up for this game.
We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.
(If you love this game as much as I do, please read that post.)
Justify? Don't know. Most people I associate with play MMOs. I've never actually been in a situation where I felt I had to justify reading comics, playing video games, watching cartoons, etc.
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Well first question is, do the know what an MMO is?
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This was the first thing that crossed my mind on reading the OP. Most of the people I encounter (for me, that's basically family and work colleagues) are unfamiliar with gaming in general, much less the specifics of MMO gaming. Some of them might have played some games on a younger relative's gameboy or something. One or two might even have owned a console at some point. They may be vaguely aware that people can play games over the internet. But generally the world of gaming is a mystery to them.
I my experience there's two basic types of questioning in this area though:
The first is the ignorant dismissive type that goes along the lines of "why do you spend so much time on something like that?" - the same type of person that couldn't understand why anyone would like a non-mainstream genre of music, or don't want to watch Big Brother, or whatever. The sort of person that just can't grasp the idea of other people liking things they don't, especially things that aren't considered the norm in society. For them, I'd not bother trying to justify myself beyond "I enjoy it", or *maybe* point out how much entertainment time I get for what they spend on one night out binge drinking.
The second (which thankfully I encounter more often these days) is just genuine curiosity. They honestly want to know about it - probably not because they're interested in trying it themselves (and probably not in too much detail), but they're just showing an interest in something unfamiliar to them (or just showing an interest in you as a person). So for them I'm faced with the task of explaining an MMO game and its merits to someone with little knowledge of gaming, online or off.
edit: only just noticed this is a resurrected old thread..
Wow, where did we dig up this thread? Posting dates jump from January to August.
@IronHoss
@Payamma Gurl
I'm sorry that your crew was stupid enough to fire on a station filled with a quarter million civilians, including your own people. And I'm sorry I waited as long as I did before I blew them all straight to hell. ~Sheridan, The Fall of Night
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I love playing this game, but I often get strange reactions from people when I tell them I play MMO's. How do you guys justify/explain playing the game/use of the game?
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You can't justify it cause its deviant behavior. And you all are deviants for playing. And you are a bad person. I can only hope that I am not in line of sight when you eventually snap and go on a tri-state killing spree with a chain saw.
BTW Anyone have SG I can join?
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Wow, where did we dig up this thread? Posting dates jump from January to August.
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Kinda wondering that myself...
Especially when I noticed posts from Craban and actually checked post dates... 
"A good Defender is the battle hardened Corpsman who will kill a Nazi with a tongue depressor while putting a splint on your leg, then hand you a fresh clip of ammo." ~Jock_Thompson
Repeat Offenders, TNT Profile, My little hero
Not that long ago (I'm still young enough), I kept my gaming to just my time. With some guy friends at school, sure, but it wasn't a conversation topic with (most) girls.
Then I went to college and found, wow, people who are proud of it and really don't care. It was a nice break. And then I got on CoH. And these forums. You guys are great. I mean, what better way to help your confidence as regards these hobbies as people who take very seriously a discussion about who would win between Batman and Captain America?
Anyway, at this point in time, I'm quite proud of it as a hobby. I feel like gaming and comics are misunderstood, and shouldn't need justification. It's a common misconception that it's just for kids (something I still need to tell my parents) but it's just as much a hobby as anything else, and probably more fulfilling than looking up the latest news about celebrities.
When someone asks me, I reply, "Why do you watch American Idol? ..... There ya go."
Diff'rent strokes, right?
--NT
They all laughed at me when I said I wanted to be a comedian.
But I showed them, and nobody's laughing at me now!
If I became a red name, I would be all "and what would you mere mortals like to entertain me with today, mu hu ha ha ha!" ~Arcanaville
Fun.
Community of Like-Minded People (in the main).
The day I have to justify what I do for my own personal entertainment is the day I sell my catsui.....erm......well, lets go back to Fun!
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Well thats not really fair. Going on a date can have a much bigger "payoff"
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Yeah, you get married, and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new house, dining room furniture you seldom use, bathroom renovations, kids and minivans, and when it's all over, you get divorced and end up with none of it.
MMO's seem *way* cheaper