From barely being tall enough to see what was happening on the Galaxians upright, to spending a week's allowance in an afternoon on Salamander,
to showing off Axelay to my Megadrive-adoring homies while we were supposed to be studying for exams, I've always required a good deal of fast-paced excitement in my video games.
Two years ago I've been diagnosed with ADHD - I guess that figures, shmups are just about the only games that stimulate and therefore entertain me.
Manic-Depression, I think. If I play shmups long enough I get depressed because they aren't in the American market much if at all and I'll be staring at, say, an awesome RPG at a gamestore and wanting it and wanting it, and then I sigh dejectedly because I really wanted something like ESPGaluda II or Homura and then I put the game down and walk away.
The world would be a better place if there were less shooters and more dot-eaters.
Jesus' BE ATTITUDE FOR GAINS:
1. Pure, Mournful, Humble Heart
2. Merciful Peacemaker
3. Suffer for Righteous Desire
Shmups make me want the best joystick, using the best cables and the best viewing experience possible.
Hey I'm just trying to make something beautiful EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL!
I also have a compulsive swearing disorder, wether it be from dying or just near missing everything and coming out unscathed... Every boss is a "bastard" past level 1, not because he's hard but because I get joy out of calling him a "bastard" everytime he spews his shit out at me. I'd be like "come get some!"
Actually, Shmups are the only genre of game that starts me shouting out my thoughts. Is there a medical term for this condition?
This industry has become 2 dimensional as it transcended into a 3D world.
Does being sick of the American gaming mainstream count as a disorder?
If not, I'd say it's a combination of ADD, OCD, and perhaps my depression plays a role but I dunno. ADD, definitely, since I have shootergasms in manic shmups, and OCD, because if I die before a certain point (like, say, stage 3 in ESPGaluda) I need to restart... like I know I can't Perfect my way through the game, but dammit, I need to have a good start! Perhaps depression, since getting insane scores is definitely a well-needed ego boost. ^__^
Last edited by Zweihander on Thu Apr 20, 2006 3:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Schrodinger's cat wrote:Yeah, "shmup" really sounds like a term a Jewish grandmother would insult you with.
Specineff wrote:Shmups have made me an elitist bastard.
Oh I can so relate to this one. Because of shmups and the general 1CC rule that applies to them, I rarely continue in any game that's not an adventure or RPG, be it Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts, Golden Axe, Journey to Silius, etc. Sometimes a continue is necessary and I''l accept the fact (I.E. Capcoms Knights of the Round, a real bitch to even consider 1CC'ing).
KotR have some trick with horse. If you know when and where to jump on horse you can earn some 1ups. I guess it was done intentionally so that 1cc could be possible;]
Short attention span, I guess. Fast and intense shooters are pretty much the the only type that entertains me for more than 10 minutes. Maybe I also suffer from ADD.
raiden wrote:what are all these abbreviations? ADD, OCD, ADHD? They keep appearing in here, but I could never gather their meaning.
I suppose I have strong tendencies to OCD and Asperger's, but nothing clinical-level. I like memorizing and understanding patterns. Maybe I should say "learning" patterns, that sounds nicer. Parsec47 caters to this really well -- while it's randomized, there are lots of fixed characteristics that one can learn (pattern components, enemy formations, etc.) -- and chasing down clouds of little green boxes never gets old for me. I find the game very relaxing, as long as I'm not dying too much in the first sequence. Grr.
"Can they really get inside my head?"
"As long as you keep an open mind."
I'm pretty sure I don't have ADHD or anything like that. I can play these shooters for hours and hours without losing interest. But the dedication and hoarding behaviour might be a bit OC..
I've taken a long look at the list of possible things to be diagnosed with, but I've decided none of them are for me, so I'll me making my own one up this year.
It seems any type of personality or behaviour that deviates marginally from the average is enough to count as a disorder, and get some fancy letters, and some cool drugs.
It seems any type of personality or behaviour that deviates marginally from the average is enough to count as a disorder, and get some fancy letters, and some cool drugs.
It seems any type of personality or behaviour that deviates marginally from the average is enough to count as a disorder, and get some fancy letters, and some cool drugs.
incredibly true.
Have you noticed how is that people which live far from the atlantic-western-anglosaxon world doesn't recognize these abbreviations often? Either we're all more healthy or...
Turrican wrote:Have you noticed how is that people which live far from the atlantic-western-anglosaxon world doesn't recognize these abbreviations often? Either we're all more healthy or...
You got it in one. The only disorder here is the inane desire to over analyse every 10 year old child who finds it too boring to sit still for 30 minutes at a time.
Back when I was a kid, if you weren't running around like a lunatic you were considered lazy. These days, sitting on your arse for hours on end is praised, and any form of activity is instantly slapped with a groovy acronym and a cocktail of multicoloured pills.
My 5 year old is completely nuts, totally hyperactive and always on the go. And I love her for it. Sure, she utterly knackers me out, but that's a good thing. I hope she stays that energetic and full of life until her last days on earth. And there ain't no way I'm ever getting her "treated" for it.
Turrican wrote:Have you noticed how is that people which live far from the atlantic-western-anglosaxon world doesn't recognize these abbreviations often? Either we're all more healthy or...
Turrican wrote:Have you noticed how is that people which live far from the atlantic-western-anglosaxon world doesn't recognize these abbreviations often? Either we're all more healthy or...
dude
they are english abbreviations
As an Englishman, I'd venture to suggest they are American abbreviations
It seems any type of personality or behaviour that deviates marginally from the average is enough to count as a disorder, and get some fancy letters, and some cool drugs.
incredibly true.
I thought a short attention span and wanting things to be 'perfect' were just different personallity traits. Labeling them as disorders makes people think there is something wrong with them.
GamerTag: TrevorMcFurr
"If she makes it, she should be a perfectly normal and healthy cat. Other than having two faces."
My father bought an Atari 2600 the same year I was born. I grew up with gaming.
And for some reason, I always enjoyed more games that were simple to learn, but required lots of skill to be played good enough, the old "Easy to learn, hard to master" motto. (That's still true today)
So, shmups became a natural choice.
Edit: Oh, and my girlfriend, who studied two periods of psychiatric also says I have one of those disorders with an acronym. Can't remember what it was now.
I agree there's a tendency to diagnose 'disorders' like these all too frequently. My life used to be a big, unorganised mess, but I've been on these 'cool drugs' for a while and they help really well.
It seems any type of personality or behaviour that deviates marginally from the average is enough to count as a disorder, and get some fancy letters, and some cool drugs.
incredibly true.
A valid point in many cases, but then there are the grown men who need to have every hair on the end of the rug straight...that's just sick.
I agree there's a tendency to diagnose 'disorders' like these all too frequently. My life used to be a big, unorganised mess, but I've been on these 'cool drugs' for a while and they help really well.
This sent a chill down my spine. I am a big, unorganised mess. That is who I am. I don't want someone feeding me pills to make me more like their ideal of human behaviour. Psychiatric help and medicine IMHO really ought to be reserved for those who are a danger or excessive nuisance to themselves or others. Not as someone suggested, a 10 year old kid who finds reading a book boring. Hello! Many things are boring if you're not interested in doing them.
I wonder in future years if some enterprising government will just dose the water instead
My 5 year old is completely nuts, totally hyperactive and always on the go. And I love her for it. Sure, she utterly knackers me out, but that's a good thing. I hope she stays that energetic and full of life until her last days on earth. And there ain't no way I'm ever getting her "treated" for it.
Good man. If only more parents recognised and actively combatted this horrible production line attitude towards educating and raising children...
Zweihander wrote:Does being sick of the American gaming mainstream count as a disorder?
I'm with you. Shmups opened me up to imports. I knew guys in college that imported DC stuff and I just didn't understand it. Now I know the truth.
I'd say Shmups have made me sort of ADD, when it comes to games. If I'm not hooked on a game in the first few minutes, I'm pretty much done. That's why mostly Shmups and Puzzlers stay in rotation.
bloodflowers wrote:I wonder in future years if some enterprising government will just dose the water instead
Seen the movie "Equilibrium"? Simliar ideas (gov. mandated drugs that keep society non-volitile).
-ud
