O_Bruce
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What game are you currently playing?
- Thread starter Antimatter
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m7600
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cookiecup
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Remnant 2 on Nightmare with friends. This is the best game we have played this year. We're suffering but the game is fun! The Nightmare mode really pushes us to the point that we need to coordinate our moves and we feel that bosses are actually worth defeating. (Context: Nightmare is the highest difficulty available atm)
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Waiting for BG3 and being too otherwise busy to focus on continuing Like A Dragon, I used the free Plus membership trial and played Elder Scrolls Online again for 2 days, mainly to get some gear and skill points from regions that are only accessible with the subscription.
I was looking for armour sets to make my stamina based Nightblade better for solo play (it's a class with high damage output but needs to be finetuned for survivability) but realized that grinding for gear is just too tedious, as the gear pieces that can drop are just too many and from 3 possible sets, of which only one is of use to me, and then the wrong traits...
So I decided to simply go exploring, hunting for skill points and lorebooks, to improve my tactics to solo public dungeons without respawning, and to enjoy sightseeing in places that are usually paywalled.
It was nice and easily flowing, and I feel that game still has a lot of content to offer, my initial focus on grinding for better gear was a mistake as I don't need an optimized build, because world bosses etc aren't as interesting to me as all the regions and their stories.
However, now it's time to wait for 3rd August!
I was looking for armour sets to make my stamina based Nightblade better for solo play (it's a class with high damage output but needs to be finetuned for survivability) but realized that grinding for gear is just too tedious, as the gear pieces that can drop are just too many and from 3 possible sets, of which only one is of use to me, and then the wrong traits...
So I decided to simply go exploring, hunting for skill points and lorebooks, to improve my tactics to solo public dungeons without respawning, and to enjoy sightseeing in places that are usually paywalled.
It was nice and easily flowing, and I feel that game still has a lot of content to offer, my initial focus on grinding for better gear was a mistake as I don't need an optimized build, because world bosses etc aren't as interesting to me as all the regions and their stories.
However, now it's time to wait for 3rd August!
WarChiefZeke
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Leave me alone
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Sorry for maybe taking lighthearted jokes too seriously but as someone who has been fighting prejudice on that front for years I'd like to throw in that in Europe it's ridiculously difficult as a halfway functioning adult to get a badly needed prescription, and in the US I have personally heard from people who were diagnosed at age 12, had taken that stuff for more than a decade, had all the necessary data in written form and previous doctor contacts and yet were treated like drug addiction suspects when moving to another state and trying to get a follow-up prescription there that they badly needed to continue doing their job.
As for gaming performance, I personally never noticed a difference with or without, except for having to actively remember to eat, and of course the tendency not to get sleepy.
From my experience as a parent, a patient and a doctor, a much bigger problem leading to abuse of that stuff isn't easy access to prescription (might be different depending on where you live of course) but instead people with said prescription who casually share or outright sell their meds instead of taking them.
Alesia_BH
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Thank you for your perspective.
Our experiences differ in this regard, and I'll acknowledge that my experience may be dated, and or non-representative. I was referring to my time in law school, when students routinely used stimulants and getting a script was a simple matter of going to a sympathetic doctor. This was in the late 2000's.
Times have changed and scripts may be more tightly controlled now, even in the US. My understanding is that Ritalin use is still common in law school and similar venues, though.
I was assuming competitive gamers had similar ease of access. They may not.
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OrlonKronsteen
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Here in Canada, getting a scrip for any kind of opioids or controlled substances is nearly impossible. It's terribly unfortunate, in my opinion, as some people really need those medications and modern studies show that most people won't become addicted to them. As for those who do become addicted, how do you treat a problem by pushing it to the streets? To that end, you can always get the drugs from somewhere, scrip or no.
As for competitive gamers, that speedy stuff will catch up to you sooner rather than later.
As for competitive gamers, that speedy stuff will catch up to you sooner rather than later.
Alesia_BH
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I'm glad you raised that, OrlonKronsteen.
For the record, I'm not in anyway recommending prescription stimulant use for healthy individuals seeking a competitive edge, in gaming or elsewhere. The data are mixed and the risks are considerable. It's a bad idea.
Caffeine, on the other hand, has a potentially favorable risk reward profile, although that, too, can be harmful. Eyes open, even in this case. Sleep disruption alone entails a significant cost.
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OrlonKronsteen
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Alesia_BH
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Lol. I've taken caffeine too far as an ultramarathoner and let me tell you it isn't pleasant.
Caffeine is massively helpful as an ultramarathoner since it blocks the systemic fatigue response and improves muscle endurance. The tendency is to limit test to see how far you can take it. My limit was 400mg every four hours via pill plus 50mg every hour via energy bar. Doing that over a 24hr period is way, way too much caffeine, but I felt like I could handle it. It became my routine.
On one occasion I tried upping my pill does to 600mg every four hours. I ended up ODed, with irregular heartbeat and light headedness, 30km from the nearest road. It was unfun, to say the least.
My cautionary tale is an extreme one, obviously. Nonetheless, the message is generalizable. Caffeine is ubiquitous in our society, but it is still a powerful substance that needs to be handled with caution and respect. There is such a thing as too much.
It's hard to OD with coffee but you can still mess up your sleep. The bedeviling thing is that caffeine users often don't make the connection between their substance use and sleep disruption, even when it would be obvious to an outsider. IMO, the best practice for a coffee drinker is to keep track of your dosing, both amount and time, while also maintaining a sleep journal. It's easier to notice patterns when they're on paper.
That said, I agree with Captain Janeway:
Caffeine is massively helpful as an ultramarathoner since it blocks the systemic fatigue response and improves muscle endurance. The tendency is to limit test to see how far you can take it. My limit was 400mg every four hours via pill plus 50mg every hour via energy bar. Doing that over a 24hr period is way, way too much caffeine, but I felt like I could handle it. It became my routine.
On one occasion I tried upping my pill does to 600mg every four hours. I ended up ODed, with irregular heartbeat and light headedness, 30km from the nearest road. It was unfun, to say the least.
My cautionary tale is an extreme one, obviously. Nonetheless, the message is generalizable. Caffeine is ubiquitous in our society, but it is still a powerful substance that needs to be handled with caution and respect. There is such a thing as too much.
It's hard to OD with coffee but you can still mess up your sleep. The bedeviling thing is that caffeine users often don't make the connection between their substance use and sleep disruption, even when it would be obvious to an outsider. IMO, the best practice for a coffee drinker is to keep track of your dosing, both amount and time, while also maintaining a sleep journal. It's easier to notice patterns when they're on paper.
That said, I agree with Captain Janeway:
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m7600
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OrlonKronsteen
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Do all marathoners (or ultramarathoners) use caffeine? I had never heard of this before.
WarChiefZeke
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I was a caffeine addict long before I became a competitive Injustice 2 player. But I do need to stop for my own health
OrlonKronsteen
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I’ve had problems, too. At one point, due to being trapped on a college campus with nothing to do, I was drinking 10+ cups of strong coffee a day. I finally got caffeine sick. It was REALLY awful. Otherwise I was a regular addict: 4-6 cups a day. Since 2014 I’ve been moderate, however. All good.
Alesia_BH
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It's definitely a thing in ultra running. Not everyone does it, but most do.
Marathoner almost certainly do it. I can't confirm that through personal experience, though.
Athletes in other sports use it too, but endurance athletes benefit the most.
Caffeine-Infused Sports Products Give Athletes an Edge
The banned-substances list grows longer for elite athletes, but one performance-enhancing substance remains curiously legal: caffeine. WSJ’s Rachel Bachman joins Lunch Break to discuss the impact of caffeine on athletes. Photo: Getty
www.wsj.com