Online game helping with recouperation

Having suffered a (minor) stroke a few months ago, I was faced with a period of downtime while I worked myself back to reasonable health.

There's only so much rubbish daytime TV I can cope with, and I have found reading difficult to focus on. A friend recommended that I try playing games online, to help with concentration, coordination, etc. At first I was sceptical as I had heard that these games are just an excuse to extract cash from willing participants, but I tried anyway. I tried with the usual puzzle/problem type games like Candy crush, etc. but didn't get any real progress with those. Then I stumbled on a MMORPG game.

This game has really changed my perspective and really helped with relaxation, focus and concentration. It's also helped return some sense of achievement and progress.

The game itself is a MMORPG. Which means lots of people getting together in the same game world over the internet. On the surface it looks like one of those fantasy games where everyone is fighting monsters (or each other), but this game has much more to offer. Your character has several different areas where they can develop and progress.

As well as the fighting side, you can learn to craft items which you can then 'sell' to other players in the market; You can spend time collecting raw materials, and later refining those materials (again to sell in the marketplace); You can 'buy' a piece of land and farm all sorts of things from crops and herbs, to animal rearing; And you can build houses on the land and hire labourers to earn silver (the in-game currency) on your behalf while you're not playing. There's even a mini-game involving fishing - something I find enjoyable even though it's online.

The purpose is to develop your characters skills and fame, and to gain silver, which, unlike other games I have looked at, you can spend to buy "Premium" status for your character rather than spending real money! This is the only game I have found where your efforts in the game are rewarded in the real-world rather than you having to spend your own cash to get the extras.

Anyway, I highly recommend this game to everyone.
It's really helped improve my mental health.

I'm not sure what the rules are regarding outside links on this forum. If anyone is interested either message me and I'll send you a link to the game, or if someone can confirm that it's ok for me to post a link publicly then I'll follow this post with a link for others to follow.

Re: Online game helping with recouperation

Hi GrumpyBear

Glad you are managing to work through your health issues.

Various computer games are excellent for a wide variety of things.

Puzzle games, crosswords, scrabble type games, Sudoku's and the like all help keep your mind sharp and creative and logical.

Online Jigsaw games are relaxing, likely help with state of mind and are using visual shape and colour cognition.

The more gamey type of games are quite individual to different types of people I would think.

On a general basis, the MMORPG type games follow the same business strategy and create huge time draining portals for people. They are engrossing of course, full of detail and complexity but they follow a standard model.

That model is that the games tend to get you to invest 1000s of hours of your time as you "grind" your character or spaceship or whatever, spending many hours collecting or mining materials to make things or to sell things which will help advance your character's abilities and open up new areas of the game.

What happens though is you only get so far for free, AND THEN . . . . the game offers you all manner of add-ons and enhancements that you can buy. That's where the money comes in. They get you hooked with 1000s of hours of time invested and then you need to start paying for things to keep going.

No-one HAS to pay for stuff, but because those options exist for everyone else you end up playing in a computer world where everyone else HAS paid for enhancements and are thus massively advantaged over your character. Those paying customers also end up being able to pay new areas of the game that non-paying customers can't access.

There is one other fairly massive problem with all these MMORPG games and that is that there are always 100s of people who form groups and factions and cartels and all operate together and in so doing they take control of the games. Newcomers to the game are quickly dispatched by veterans who have already enhanced their characters or ships to the "max" and if you don't join a group or faction then you typically can't survive on your own, the groups have too much "resource" too much wealth to oppose.

I'm glad you are enjoying the game but I would council others to understand what MMORPGs are before investing too much time in them.

Re: Online game helping with recouperation

Hi Realist,

I agree with a lot of what you've posted.
I was quite sceptical when I first started looking.

However, the reason I like this particular game is because I can use silver that I've earned in game to access all the add-ons you mention.

You get offered 3 days free premium when you first start. Obviously this is an enticement to spend money on premium status on an ongoing basis, but the alternative of using in-game credit to pay for this instead of real money covers a lot of the points you raise.

So far, I paid for one month of premium (a total cost of £7) and this has helped me develop my character to the point where I am earning enough in-game silver to cover future premium status if I want it.

I'm careful about getting drawn into this sort of thing so I restrict myself to only playing for a few hours in the evenings.

That said, I can easily see how this could get someone hooked into spending hours and hours in the game, so I would caution people to use it sensibly and in moderation - as with all things.

Re: Online game helping with recouperation

Sounds like the game is based on human society as a whole
Grumpy! A bit like the old monopoly games we used to
play in the good old days!
You sound like you are enjoying it very much so l should
carry on playing!

Best Regards Donkeyman!

Re: Online game helping with recouperation

Hello GrumpyBear - Sounds like a good game.

I like to play a few computer games but generally of the solitary kind. 'Hidden Object' games (contains puzzles) and word games are favourites. I think computer games can help to exercise the mind although, in my case, they could be failing to do that.

The exception to playing alone is 'Word Chums'. This is like Scrabble and it can be played with others across the Internet. It runs on Android and Mac platforms but there is no Windows version. However, I read it can be played on Windows using a browser if you have a Facebook account (I don't).

I'm pleased the game is helping with your health issues. Keep up the good playing.

Re: Online game helping with recouperation

Hi grumpybear
I have been an avid gamer for many years, although the format I use is PS4, I play online, against others, mainly shooters like call of duty, or battlefield, I love em, although I’m mediocre at best, and continually have my ass handed to me, probably by some spotty teenager, , for me I find it stress relieving.