(edited by Kal.4987)
Ele pet appearance toggle for arachnophobes?
One of the people I play with is/was terrified of sharks. In the betas we just went and stood around in shark free water so she could get used to that first. She could barely get in the water if she knew sharks were in there and she had to get out of the water if she saw one in the distance. But she didn’t let this phobia stop her. She continued to try and then started attacking them. If it got to be too much we went to shore and tried again a later time. She now is able to get on the water and take on veteran sharks. She hasn’t said anything lately about her phobia. I’m sure it’s still there to some extent but not near as bad.
People who help others keep their problems are called enablers. You are not helping him by enabling him to remain afraid of a harmless image. You don’t help people with phobias by helping them avoid the phobia. Especially phobias that involve harmless pixels on a screen. If you really wanted to help him you would work with him on desensitizing him. Have him bring up the air elemental for one minute in LA then remove it by waypointing to the mists and back till he can stand seeing it. Then 2 minutes, then 3.
(edited by Astral Projections.7320)
Wait, the spark’s a spider? It’s got like 4 legs though.
Btw, there is the possibility of using that skill (or the other one) in a different attunement which gives a different pet. No,i’m not being helpful as i’ve got very little to add after Astral’s amazing post.
I want to sympathize, I once unintentionally sent an arachnophob into a panic attack talking about spider. But really this is such a 1st world problem…
I agree with above speaker, let him use the game to gradually overcome his fear, support him/her!
Tell your friend to not use that skill. I don’t ever use the pets on my ele. There are other useful skills.
People who help others keep their problems are called enablers. You are not helping him by enabling him to remain afraid of a harmless image. You don’t help people with phobias by helping them avoid the phobia. Especially phobias that involve harmless pixels on a screen. If you really wanted to help him you would work with him on desensitizing him. Have him bring up the air elemental for one minute in LA then remove it by waypointing to the mists and back till he can stand seeing it. Then 2 minutes, then 3.
A phobia doesn’t necessarily make sense, nor can they all be dealt with in the same way. By “severe arachnophobia,” I mean “hyperventilates, has a panic attack, screams and throws computer across the room.” No, I’m not kidding. :/ Telling him “it’s just harmless pixels on a screen” is akin to telling him that the giant, venomous spider snoozing on his bedroom wall is harmless just because the wall is across the room from where he is. I know you mean well, but he literally cannot do what you suggested, and yes, he has tried a number of things in an effort to move past it; if it were this simple, rest assured he would have done it already. Whether the spider is virtual or not, the trigger is very real, and phrases like Zorby’s “this is such a 1st world problem” come across as very demeaning to the person who has to live with it.
Wait, the spark’s a spider? It’s got like 4 legs though.
I know. It’s not the number of legs that triggers him; it’s the very realistic way they move. When he played WoW, there were some spiders outside the city of Shattrath that triggered him so badly that, when he had to kill them for a quest, he had his ghoul pet beat on the things while he looked at the ceiling and occasionally peeked at his ghoul’s health bar to keep it topped up.
Wait, the spark’s a spider? It’s got like 4 legs though.
Btw, there is the possibility of using that skill (or the other one) in a different attunement which gives a different pet. No,i’m not being helpful as i’ve got very little to add after Astral’s amazing post.
To me, it looks like it has 4 legs, 2 pincers and a tail. That’d be a scorpion of sorts. Wiki seems to agree that it’s a devourer.
I liked how the original air ele looked and don’t really care for the new one. So I’d love to see a toggle for it.
I don’t even understand why it was changed to a spider in the first place, were there even any complaints about it?
I’m certainly not afraid of it or anything. I just MUCH prefer the old look. It was a great mini for my Mesmer… looked sorta like a floating crystal ball. When they turned it into a bug, I sold my mini.
Why take an Air Elemental out of the air and make him ground-bound? Still doesn’t make any sense to me.
Set a man on fire, and he’ll be warm the rest of his life.
– Unknown Fire Elementalist
[…]and phrases like Zorby’s “this is such a 1st world problem” come across as very demeaning to the person who has to live with it.
I feel I should clear something up. It’s not the phobia I’m calling a 1st world problem, I know what a phobia is. I was referring to this suggestion of making the game “phobia friendly”. Seriously, in the end it’s only a game, it’s not something he has to live with. There are also other phobias. Bees, Snakes, Water, etc. Quickly gets out of hand…
While not an expert on phobias, what I do know is the more the person “respects” the phobia instead of confronting it, the more room it takes from the person’s life and the worse they become. They’re kinda like bullies that way. I’ve never read of phobias being untreatable. Severe maybe. Difficult to treat maybe. But not untreatable. And the core way to treat them is through desensitization.
Treating phobias is not a solitary situation. The person needs help to confront his fears. There have been people who have been so incapacitate by phobias that they are unable to work or leave their homes. Some people have lived for years in their houses, barricaded against what they fear. These people have been successfully treated. If he hasn’t tried desensitization he needs to try it under a doctors care. If his phobia is severe, treatment can start with pictures of the feared object. For example, he person has a picture of it and has it in the room. It can be way across the room. He starts by getting used to the picture across the room and then, by stages, gets closer to it. When it feels like its too much he backs away then tries again. If the phobia is severe enough, he has to start small. But the important thing is to try. If he tried it once and it didn’t work, then that does not mean another attempt won’t work.
People who help others keep their problems are called enablers. You are not helping him by enabling him to remain afraid of a harmless image. You don’t help people with phobias by helping them avoid the phobia. Especially phobias that involve harmless pixels on a screen. If you really wanted to help him you would work with him on desensitizing him. Have him bring up the air elemental for one minute in LA then remove it by waypointing to the mists and back till he can stand seeing it. Then 2 minutes, then 3.
A phobia doesn’t necessarily make sense, nor can they all be dealt with in the same way. By “severe arachnophobia,” I mean “hyperventilates, has a panic attack, screams and throws computer across the room.” No, I’m not kidding. :/ Telling him “it’s just harmless pixels on a screen” is akin to telling him that the giant, venomous spider snoozing on his bedroom wall is harmless just because the wall is across the room from where he is. I know you mean well, but he literally cannot do what you suggested, and yes, he has tried a number of things in an effort to move past it; if it were this simple, rest assured he would have done it already. Whether the spider is virtual or not, the trigger is very real, and phrases like Zorby’s “this is such a 1st world problem” come across as very demeaning to the person who has to live with it.
Wait, the spark’s a spider? It’s got like 4 legs though.
I know. It’s not the number of legs that triggers him; it’s the very realistic way they move. When he played WoW, there were some spiders outside the city of Shattrath that triggered him so badly that, when he had to kill them for a quest, he had his ghoul pet beat on the things while he looked at the ceiling and occasionally peeked at his ghoul’s health bar to keep it topped up.
Your friend is a danger to themselves and others… I think they need to stop playing GW2 and seek immediate psychiatry.
“That big kitten Norn with The Juggernaut”
@Wreckdum:
A danger to themselves and others is a medical term generally used for people who are so severely depressed or psychotic that they are liable to harm themselves or other. This term does not apply here.
He does not need to stop playing Guild Wars 2 or any other video game.
He does not have a psychiatric condition but rather a medical condition which is treated by desensitization therapy.
I can attest to Astral’s suggestion of desensitization working. After a near drowning experience when I was 5, I could not go near pools. Whenever I was forced, I had to grab the edge, and would panic so bad if I could not feel the bottom. It wasn’t until I was 22, and my wife promised me that I would swim before we were married.
She used desensitization therapy. We went to the public pool everyday, and I had to go deeper everyday. Eventually, I was floating, and by the end of summer, I was swimming, and never thought about being the bottom. Now, I realize for arachnophobia, it will be different, and may take longer. But all phobias are curable with time, patience, and help from friends and loved ones. While it is unfortunate how severe his phobia is, it is not beyond help.
Lets change the game for everyone’s phobias! Yay!
I really don’t want to sound insensitive at all. However, speaking for practicalities sake, there is a phobia for almost everything. And a-net catering to the phobia isn’t a help to anybody.
I really don’t want to sound insensitive at all. However, speaking for practicalities sake, there is a phobia for almost everything. And a-net catering to the phobia isn’t a help to anybody.
I agree.
I’ve actually seen on TV therapy using CGI spiders, his fear just got outta hand and he needs to get on top of it.
I have vertigo and when ever I used to fall in a game my heart got squeezed and I held my breath, not peasant.
Still happens some 50% of the time but I’ll just keep jumping and I know it might happen at any time.
I’m also afraid of really tight spots (like a pipe) but I don’t avoid them, and yes I used to flip out.
Bottom line, he shouldn’t avoid them.
If you give into the fear, the darkness comes
If a fear of something is crippling your ability to do or enjoy something you really like/love, it’s time to get help. Don’t ask people to cater to you (or in this case, your friend). I understand that phobias can be considered a disability, but they come in literally every shape and size. It’s only logical you seek help for your problem instead of asking others to change for you.
The devs don’t care about WvW so I’m gonna kill players in PvE!