Guild Wars 2

Along with other words that describe my current GW2 mode, unmotivated seems to be a large one.

~I feel like there isn’t end game here.
I understand that we get Legendarys, WvW, and Ascended gear.. but that isn’t End Game for a casual player.

At 9 PM, I get off work. I come home, spend time with my girlfriend until she falls asleep, I silently slink off to the computer room and log on to Guild Wars and usually play around 3-4 hours before it is time for me to slink back to bed and slip, hopefully, unnoticed into bed and sleep again before I wake for class and work the next day.

3 hours a day is not a lot. I am a casual gamer at its finest. I hit level 80 on my Ranger, and played with it a little. I got bored and made a few other classes, only getting them to around 50 or 60. I ended up making a Mesmer and getting him to 80. This took me a long time. Now that I’m 80, again, I , once more, face my delima. I have nothing to work towards.

~Getting a legendary takes time, money, effort, dedication. Things I’m unable to do because of my title as a “casual” gamer. I refuse to log on and spend my 3 hours online running from tree to tree like some sort of cat. I want to log on and enjoy what I have accomplished.
~WvW is cool, but for someone who isn’t a PvP fan, nor someone who wants to get on RaidCall or TeamSpeak to coordinate with players, it isn’t a huge option. This sucks, because it seems this game completely revolves around WvW. When you talk about builds, 97% of the time people talk about, and refer to, WvW. When I first picked Mesmer and talked about builds, I had to stop people and tell them this is PvE ONLY so many times it wasn’t funny.
~Ascended gear, in my book, equates to obtaining a Legendary. It takes time, effort and dedication.

I’m really not sure what I’m looking for here. I guess some advice on what I can do, if anything, to relight the fire for this game. It is a beautiful game, the lore and graphics are stunning. I love my Sylvari, but, there isn’t much for me to do.. What do you guys do when you hit this slump? Do you force yourself into something? Do you go elsewhere and play something else? I need some tips, I guess.

If you don’t feel like playing the game. Don’t play the game.

Pretty simple.

I had my own slump, which was solved by finding challenges for myself, like the Legendary run. I try to explore new areas to keep dailies fresh.

Jumping puzzles? I know they can be painful at first.. but after a hundred times through borderlands… LOL..

Good work on spending time with your girl friend.

I switch to another character when I feel I need a change and go revisit different content. It’s a good as a holiday.

Maybe you just need to take a little break from the game? You could come back fresher with a few more ideas.

Edit: I agree with Allisa’s second post.

Anet isnt forcing people to get legendaries. its more comestic then anything else. if you think gw2 is getting stale try other stuff like dungeons, wvw, s/tpvp, jumping puzzle, meta events etc.

You sound like you are playing the game solo, which may be the reason of your current situation. Join a guild with like-minded individuals and just have fun.

Alot of players nowadays expect MMOs to have an “end game content”. There seriously isn’t any TBH. A good end game content IMO is the bond and friendships that you make with the community/guild, guys and gals that you look forward to logging in every night to chit chat with, run dungeons with etc. That alone beats the so-called “End Game Content” that everyone thinks they want.

I advise not to go rush for any “ingame goals”, crafting a legendary may be fine, but don’t let that consume your life. You’ll get burned out pretty quickly. Make more friends, change server if you have to, but somewhere out there, are some like-minded people like you just waiting for you to join them.

Ascended gear is pretty easy to get. Do at least 1 fractal run a day. (of course, do one that increases your level until you hit level 10). Once you hit level 10, keep doing level 10/12 until you get your desired ring or until you get enough pristine relics to exchange. This will take minimal daily time (as most fractals can be completed within an hour) but will take dedication (at least 10-20 days). Do take note that strategies from 1-9 will be somewhat different once you hit level 10+.

Also, one good way to reenergize yourself into playing the game is to not play the game for a day or two. You realize you set up some long-term goals for yourself (say, getting a whisperblade on your mesmer, or leveling an alt, etc). Then slowly but surely you spend 1hr/day doing fractals, and the other 2hr/day trying to achieve that goal. However, if you take a quick break, you begin to want it more, and it’ll help you play again.

Thanks Zenleto, I agree with you. +1 on girlfriend time

CobaltSixty. I guess I figured out how to get you riled up now, didn’t I? hahahahahahaha. I’m sorry that’s what your brain thinks I wrote. You might want to speak with a doctor about your condition.

I would suggest u do fractals, not for the grind of ascended items, its actually interesting and fun until frac 10 where it becomes a grind (imo). u can also do jumping puzzles and meta events like the dragons and the temples. its also fun to find someone to play with to explore and do events u havent done before. there is the living story also, which isnt alot of content (2-3 hours worth atm), but they r adding new content to it every month and hopefully it will grow into something pve players can do everyday, and get rewarded for doing so.

I agree, playing this game solo or trying to pug it is really much worse than finding a guild of like-minded players. Casual guilds are all over the place. Hell my guild is ultra casual but we have a lot of fun together.

It’s definitely better than just playing alone…particularly in this game.

So everything as the endgame for you is either too easy, or way too diffiuclt?

2-3 hours is more than enough time to run a fractals run and start getting ascended gear, while also doing your dailies and monthlies for ascended amulets and accessories. Ascended gear is nothing like a legendary, but you already seem to have written it off as such.

You say it takes time, effort, and dedication, and act like thats a bad thing. It really doesn’t take much time or effort at all, not even 1/20th of a legendary’s effort to get a few ascended pieces. Time, effort, and dedication aren’t a bad thing to have at end game, without them things are spoon fed to you, and thats hardly any fun at all.

Another one of those…

You’re welcome to message me (actually, message Cheri Wonderland, my main) if you need someone to run with.

I never really cared about any idea of an end game, I expect to be wandering around Tyria for years, just like I did in GW1. The real people are the end game, to me.

Even the trolls who use allcaps

21 hours a week is more than enough time to work your way towards something in this game. The problem you’re having is that you just don’t want to take the time to actually achieve it.

I think your girlfriend is taking up too much time so

tell her to leave.

Now with her out of the way you have more time to play GW2

Congratulations.

Maybe you just need a break from the game, I for one played since release, took a month break somewhere around December, came back and it felt like a new game. Take a break, come back, and level an alt. Also join a guild, usually the best guilds are the ones that don’t have 400+ members. Play some sPvP, try some builds out there, and try to find a casual guild to play with.

Good luck, hope all is well

Flamenco.3894:

I think your girlfriend is taking up too much time so

tell her to leave.

Now with her out of the way you have more time to play GW2

Congratulations.

This post delivers. Telling her to leave gains you time to achieve actually important things in life like a legendary weapon.

You are on a good track already: instead of sleeping with your girlfriend you actually rise from the bed to get your nightly 2-3 hours of grind. It’s hard for me to be understand how can you be unmotivated, though. After all, who wouldn’t want to work for additional 2-3hours in the game at night (for something actually meaningful and lasting) when the other option is being all cuddly with your gf.

You know there’s really no harm in taking a break right?

In fact I’d argue this game encourages it.

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

Flamenco.3894:

I think your girlfriend is taking up too much time so

tell her to leave.

Now with her out of the way you have more time to play GW2

Congratulations.

This post delivers. Telling her to leave gains you time to achieve actually important things in life like a legendary weapon.

You are on a good track already: instead of sleeping with your girlfriend you actually rise from the bed to get your nightly 2-3 hours of grind. It’s hard for me to be understand how can you be unmotivated, though. After all, who wouldn’t want to work for additional 2-3hours in the game at night (for something actually meaningful and lasting) when the other option is being all cuddly with your gf.

Sleeping =/= cuddling or sexy time.

Amos.8760:

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

Flamenco.3894:

I think your girlfriend is taking up too much time so

tell her to leave.

Now with her out of the way you have more time to play GW2

Congratulations.

This post delivers. Telling her to leave gains you time to achieve actually important things in life like a legendary weapon.

You are on a good track already: instead of sleeping with your girlfriend you actually rise from the bed to get your nightly 2-3 hours of grind. It’s hard for me to be understand how can you be unmotivated, though. After all, who wouldn’t want to work for additional 2-3hours in the game at night (for something actually meaningful and lasting) when the other option is being all cuddly with your gf.

Sleeping =/= cuddling or sexy time.

Sure. Neither must stand on your way to legendary.

I, sadly, must agree with the the group – being single will greatly improve your opportunity to achieve a Legendary weapon.

But… I can shoot unicorns now!!!

Personally, if you’re bored or unmotivated, i’d go find something else to play. Not like this game has a monthly fee so don’t need to feel “obligated” to play it. Go play something else for a couple months and then come back and see if anything new grabs you, If not, well go back to playing what you switched to or by then, i’m sure a different game will be out.

I’m bloated, and somewhat sleepy

CobaltSixty.1542:

If you don’t feel like playing the game. Don’t play the game.

Pretty simple.

If you have nothing constructive to say don’t say it.
Pretty simple.

back to the topic.

I feel the same way as you do.
The story content just isnt there.
This game feels more geared towards killing each other than actually being an everchanging world where things happen around you and react to it.

I run dungeons with guildmates for money, which I use to buy neat looking gear and to craft alts up to 80, who I need to buy more neat looking gear for. Legendaries are a bit much for me, but there’s some cool stuff to go for with a manageable but significant price tag. I recently bought a few pieces of t3 cultural for my guardian, and a 40g axe skin for my warrior.

It’s kept me quite busy, and I enjoy doing different dungeons on a variety of different classes every day. It would probably be faster to only play my warrior and only do CoF1 speed runs nonstop, but eh. Cash still comes in at a good clip this way and it’s much more enjoyable.

Rizzy.8293:

CobaltSixty.1542:

If you don’t feel like playing the game. Don’t play the game.

Pretty simple.

If you have nothing constructive to say don’t say it.
Pretty simple.

back to the topic.

I feel the same way as you do.
The story content just isnt there.
This game feels more geared towards killing each other than actually being an everchanging world where things happen around you and react to it.

Really? I think the most definitive answer to being unmotivated is not to play and do something that brings more entertainment for one’s leisure time. It’s amusing that if someone suggests “not to play” he is immediately shot down for not being constructive.

Players seem to have this old MMO-mindset that you have to keep on playing the game and try to find something enjoyable from the end-game even though you don’t have the intrinsic motivation to play anymore and it feels more like a chore. It’s simply not an option to do something else for the time being? To wait for the next patch for example and see if it brings anything interesting to the table?

Ironically you don’t bring anything constructive to the discussion either. You don’t seem to get so much enjoyment from the game anymore. Do you still play the game? If you do, why? What motivates you? “If you don’t feel like playing the game, don’t play the game” might be relevant piece of advice for you just as well.

CobaltSixty.1542:

If you don’t feel like playing the game. Don’t play the game.

Pretty simple.

I guess im the only user here that agrees with this post.

The game doesnt have a monthly fee, wheres the problem in taking a break for a month or 2?

Last month i was in that situation and my guild wars history during that time was:
Log in- do daily achievements- log out.

And with my free time i played other games i wanted to play.

During this month i played like 6h a day but since i only had bad luck with the RNG system i think i will once again return to the last month routine for sometime.

Edit: Well im not the only one that agrees with you now

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

Really? I think the most definitive answer to being unmotivated is not to play and do something that brings more entertainment for one’s leisure time. It’s amusing that if someone suggests “not to play” he is immediately shot down for not being constructive.

Players seem to have this old MMO-mindset that you have to keep on playing the game and try to find something enjoyable from the end-game even though you don’t have the intrinsic motivation to play anymore and it feels more like a chore. It’s simply not an option to do something else for the time being? To wait for the next patch for example and see if it brings anything interesting to the table?

Do you actually understand what you’ve just said or were you copy pasting big words?

Feeling unmotivated is not the same as NOT being motivated at all.

What’s the intrinsic motivation for this game them?
Gear grinding for legendary and ascended crap?
that’s extrinsic, you’re doing all this pointless stuff just to get those items, its not something you actually enjoy doing, its something you have to do to get it.

Intrinsic rewards would be the activities themselves are rewarding, there no actual community building effort in Gw2, I dont see a Dungeon Finder (or as most gw2 scrubs would call it) LFG tool to ease the search of Dungeon groups. theres no light hearted PVE activity that encourages players to socialize like Polymock or Bar Fights (another idea we heard about from the beta talk), no instead what the game encourages is faceless Zerging.

Nothing you do in PVE feels like its affected the world.
A contrary feeling to what the Manifesto has said, you save a town they remember you.
I saved a town from Pirates and they still dont remember me.

Hell Guildwars even had one NPC toon who would talk about you and your titles in Tarnish Coast and that was more than what the PVE here has given us.

Old MMORPG mindsets like somekind of elitist.

A lot of people, believe it or not, came in here expecting what has been said in the manifesto to be truth, shockingly enough they werent, thats the mindset people came into GW2 with.

“If you love MMORPGs you gonna love guildwars2 if you dont like MMORPGs you’re going to want to check out GW2”

Tell me what has GW2 revolutionize?

Abolishing the Trinity system?
That’s such a break through isnt it.

Now don’t get me wrong, despite my criticism of Gw2, I actually like Gw2, I see this game has so muuuuuuuuuch potential.

And unlike a fanboy who goes, HOW DARE YOU POINT OUT ITS FLAWS.
I point them out so they get noticed.

And as much as everyone here hates WOW.
The fact that its been around this long means its doing something right to keep the community together, a good business would study their competitors and apply whats working out in that business into theirs.
And contrary to to popular belief, Not all WOWtards are people with no life who spend hours on raids. Quite a few of my work mates play wow, and yes they agree the subscription is a chore, but the community and the people they meet are enough to make them stay.

Id like to see more Machinmas of Gw2 other than “TORUND NEEDS BUTTER”
Which doesnt even have an episode 2.

Rizzy.8293:

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

Really? I think the most definitive answer to being unmotivated is not to play and do something that brings more entertainment for one’s leisure time. It’s amusing that if someone suggests “not to play” he is immediately shot down for not being constructive.

Players seem to have this old MMO-mindset that you have to keep on playing the game and try to find something enjoyable from the end-game even though you don’t have the intrinsic motivation to play anymore and it feels more like a chore. It’s simply not an option to do something else for the time being? To wait for the next patch for example and see if it brings anything interesting to the table?

Do you actually understand what you’ve just said or were you copy pasting big words?

Feeling unmotivated is not the same as NOT being motivated at all.

What’s the intrinsic motivation for this game them?
Gear grinding for legendary and ascended crap?
that’s extrinsic, you’re doing all this pointless stuff just to get those items, its not something you actually enjoy doing, its something you have to do to get it.

Intrinsic rewards would be the activities themselves are rewarding

Indeed. I share this same definition with you and I’m referring to it in my previous post. If the game itself does not feel like fun and rewarding in itself (thus no intrinsic motivation), why keep playing it? People seem to think that you just have to keep running in the treadmill, desperately trying to find something enjoyable to do, while it’s just as possible to leave the treadmill altogether and find something else to spend your time on.

As for the rest of your post, I honestly have no idea what you are trying to accomplish exactly or what is your point. Could you clarify? How was that relevant to my post or the OP?

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

Rizzy.8293:

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

Really? I think the most definitive answer to being unmotivated is not to play and do something that brings more entertainment for one’s leisure time. It’s amusing that if someone suggests “not to play” he is immediately shot down for not being constructive.

Players seem to have this old MMO-mindset that you have to keep on playing the game and try to find something enjoyable from the end-game even though you don’t have the intrinsic motivation to play anymore and it feels more like a chore. It’s simply not an option to do something else for the time being? To wait for the next patch for example and see if it brings anything interesting to the table?

Do you actually understand what you’ve just said or were you copy pasting big words?

Feeling unmotivated is not the same as NOT being motivated at all.

What’s the intrinsic motivation for this game them?
Gear grinding for legendary and ascended crap?
that’s extrinsic, you’re doing all this pointless stuff just to get those items, its not something you actually enjoy doing, its something you have to do to get it.

Intrinsic rewards would be the activities themselves are rewarding

Indeed. I share this same definition with you and I’m referring to it in my previous post. If the game itself does not feel like fun and rewarding in itself (thus no intrinsic motivation), why keep playing it? People seem to think that you just have to keep running in the treadmill, desperately trying to find something enjoyable to do, while it’s just as possible to leave the treadmill altogether and find something else to spend your time on.

As for the rest of your post, I honestly have no idea what you are trying to accomplish exactly or what is your point. Could you clarify? How was that relevant to my post or the OP?

Because you’ve paid money for it of upwards of 70 dollars.

Even Assassins Creed 3 is cheaper.

And if you paid that much money believing in the manifesto, would you not try to find something worthwhile to do that makes you wanna stay?

Okay, thank you for clarifying.

Well, that depends on how much you think you have to play in order to get your “moneys worth”. Going to movie here costs about 10€. If the movie lasted 3h it would mean that 18 hours of movies equals 60 euro. I consider that once you start to reach around 100h mark (which is entirely possible in op’s case if he has 2 lvl80) you have gotten more than your money’s worth. You can also forget about the game and return later if the game has something interesting to offer.

If the product does not meet your expectations (manifesto’s genuineness is a different topic altogether), the best way to deliver the message is not to play and not to use the gem store. Vote with your wallet and don’t waste any more time and effort to something you don’t actually enjoy.

Also for more fancy psychological concepts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance
I think it applies very well to you. You play because you want to “justify” yourself the money you spent under the false premises of manifesto. I don’t think it’s the most enjoyable way to approach the game.

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

Okay, thank you for clarifying.

Well, that depends on how much you think you have to play in order to get your “moneys worth”. Going to movie here costs about 10€. If the movie lasted 3h it would mean that 18 hours of movies equals 60 euro. I consider that once you start to reach around 100h mark (which is entirely possible in op’s case if he has 2 lvl80) you have gotten more than your money’s worth. You can also forget about the game and return later if the game has something interesting to offer.

If the product does not meet your expectations (manifesto’s genuineness is a different topic altogether), the best way to deliver the message is not to play and not to use the gem store. Vote with your wallet and don’t waste any more time and effort to something you don’t actually enjoy.

Also for more fancy psychological concepts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance
I think it applies very well to you. You play because you want to “justify” yourself the money you spent under the false premises of manifesto. I don’t think it’s the most enjoyable way to approach the game.

Oh so you’re the official of what something is worth now? :|
Cool thanks for clarifying, now I know who to look for.

Do you think Euro Truck Sim is worth the 60 dollars?

False Advertising is something EVERY company should avoid, it reduces the companies credibility, I hope Anet learns this.
And as far as not supporting the game by not paying money for Gems, because the game has let you down, you think people dont know this?

Im now far more than convinced you dont know what you’re talking about.
Cognitive dissonance refers to putting in a lot of effort but not getting the reward and actively altering a previous cognition that reward worth it.

And whats the rewards in Gw2?
Extrinsic.

Of course not. Thus “I consider”. Only my opinion. Everyone values their money from their own perspective of view.

“And as far as not supporting the game by not paying money for Gems, because the game has let you down, you think people dont know this?”

Apparently not. As people generally shoot down anyone recommending to take a step away from the game.

Another good example of that is when anet releases new rare skins that are only available from the black lion chest RNG. People buy 100 of them with money and don’t get a single skin they were looking for. Then they come to the forums and complain about the chest RNG, when the right decision in the first place would have been not to support such a crappy rip-off system. As long as players support the system enough (vote with their wallets) then it won’t change any time soon.

As for cognitive dissonance I see you read nothing but the picture with the fox.
FYI it’s not just you alter your cognition to match with your behavior. It’s also altering the behavior to match your cognition. Think how this applies to you.

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

Of course not. Thus “I consider”. Only my opinion. Everyone values their money from their own perspective of view.

“And as far as not supporting the game by not paying money for Gems, because the game has let you down, you think people dont know this?”

Apparently not. As people generally shoot down anyone recommending to take a step away from the game.

Another good example of that is when anet releases new rare skins that are only available from the black lion chest RNG. People buy 100 of them with money and don’t get a single skin they were looking for. Then they come to the forums and complain about the chest RNG, when the right decision in the first place would have been not to support such a crappy rip-off system. As long as players support the system enough (vote with their wallets) then it won’t change any time soon.

As for cognitive dissonance I see you read nothing but the picture with the fox.
FYI it’s not just you alter your cognition to match with your behavior. It’s also altering the behavior to match your cognition. Think how this applies to you.

So why are you trying to tell me what a movie is worth and then telling him that YOU THINK hes 2 level 80s is more than the moneys worth he paid for the game?

Secondly, Telling someone to stop playing the game is not constructive nor is it helpful.
Especially not for the company or the community.

Every player lost is one less player who will do a dungeon run or one less player to kill.
If your whole reason to play Gw2 is for your selfish satisfaction, try picking up Single Player games.

Another good example of that is when anet releases new rare skins that are only available from the black lion chest RNG. People buy 100 of them with money
You are aware we can convert gold to gems right. :|

Again, you don’t know what you’re talking about secondly don’t make assumptions.
1) You’re not a psychologist.
2) You’re not a sociologist even.

This is cognitive dissonance.

Oh I really want that car, but I can only afford this cheaper version of the car, oh well it will do.
or
My liver is failing, I really shouldn’t drink, YOLO.

This is specifically BUYER’S REMORSE.
You buy something expecting it to be what it was supposed to be but turns out it isnt.
You have 2 choices, put it on the shelf and let it collect dust or try to find entertaining out of it.

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

As for cognitive dissonance I see you read nothing but the picture with the fox.
FYI it’s not just you alter your cognition to match with your behavior. It’s also altering the behavior to match your cognition. Think how this applies to you.

A quote from the page you linked:

“Dissonance is aroused whenever individuals voluntarily engage in an unpleasant activity to achieve some desired goal. Dissonance can be reduced by exaggerating the desirability of the goal. "

MMOs are a long-term study in cognitive dissonance.

Rizzy.8293:

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

Of course not. Thus “I consider”. Only my opinion. Everyone values their money from their own perspective of view.

“And as far as not supporting the game by not paying money for Gems, because the game has let you down, you think people dont know this?”

Apparently not. As people generally shoot down anyone recommending to take a step away from the game.

Another good example of that is when anet releases new rare skins that are only available from the black lion chest RNG. People buy 100 of them with money and don’t get a single skin they were looking for. Then they come to the forums and complain about the chest RNG, when the right decision in the first place would have been not to support such a crappy rip-off system. As long as players support the system enough (vote with their wallets) then it won’t change any time soon.

As for cognitive dissonance I see you read nothing but the picture with the fox.
FYI it’s not just you alter your cognition to match with your behavior. It’s also altering the behavior to match your cognition. Think how this applies to you.

snip

“So why are you trying to tell me what a movie is worth and then telling him that YOU THINK hes 2 level 80s is more than the moneys worth he paid for the game?”

I just try to lay ground for reasonable expectations. Of course it’s subjective, but there is a limit of how much one single game can deliver. How much do you think you have to play to get the moneys worth? Do you think the OP values his money the same way you do? If we look GW1 as an example, servers will probably be up for another five years at least. How much do you have to play each day to maximize the worth of precious 70 dollars you spent?

“Secondly, Telling someone to stop playing the game is not constructive nor is it helpful. Especially not for the company or the community”

This is correct. This topic is about the OP though, and for him the best decision may be to step away from the game for a while. I think its not advisable to make critical decisions like this based on the needs of the community or even less of the company who made the game.

Like I said, the best way to deliver your dissatisfaction with the game is not to play it, which also shows in Anet’s statistical data of players actively playing. This would force them to listen to needs of the player-base more instead of other way around. Who was the customer again? Do the customers exist for the product or the other way around?

Indeed I play for my own satisfaction, not to serve a community or a company. If you don’t, we have some fundamental difference in thinking there.

“You are aware we can convert gold to gems right. :|”

Sure. If you check some threads in BLTC sub-forum concerning that topic you will see some people use real money, some in-game gold. All we have is anecdotal evidence of how many chest keys are bought with the real money, but I think it can be reliably said that RNG-practice will go on as long as it is most profitable way for Anet to sell their items. That is how business works I guess. So quite a bit of money is involved, no matter if the gems can be attained with gold too.

“Again, you don’t know what you’re talking about secondly don’t make assumptions.
1) You’re not a psychologist. "

Hehe. Actually this is not correct. I work in a clinical setting though, so cognitive/social psychology is not really my specialty. Cognitive dissonance still has a fair share of implications in therapy I apply (namely cognitive-behavioral).

“This is specifically BUYER’S REMORSE.
You buy something expecting it to be what it was supposed to be but turns out it isnt.
You have 2 choices, put it on the shelf and let it collect dust or try to find entertaining out of it.”

Well yes, which is subsidiary concept to cognitive dissonance. And yes, that was exactly what I meant about how it applies to you too. You have those two choices and then it boils down to what you value more. The community of the game you don’t like anymore and the company who made the game or your personal enjoyment.

For personal enjoyment (my point of view), stepping away from the game is not bad advice at all. It bemuses me that you can’t even consider it as a proper option, thus my first reference to dissonance.

tolunart.2095:

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

As for cognitive dissonance I see you read nothing but the picture with the fox.
FYI it’s not just you alter your cognition to match with your behavior. It’s also altering the behavior to match your cognition. Think how this applies to you.

A quote from the page you linked:

“Dissonance is aroused whenever individuals voluntarily engage in an unpleasant activity to achieve some desired goal. Dissonance can be reduced by exaggerating the desirability of the goal. "

MMOs are a long-term study in cognitive dissonance.

Precisely. It’s pretty cool to be able to recognize some psychological mechanisms that are used in the gameplay to maximize brand loyalty and people staying in the game. It’s useful information helping you to critically examine why you engage in some sort of behavior (like playing the game without actually enjoying that much).

Here is the kind of process i go through when I’m feeling unmotivated.

I look at the large parts of the game, which i split into the following categories
-WvW
-sPVP Quickjoin
-tPVP free tourny’s
-PvE open world [meta events, dynamic events, experiencing the story of the area]
-Guild Missions [these are rare and happen when they are scheduled]
-PvE instances – Dungeons and FotM
-Theorycrafting [builds and the sorts]
-Exploration – jumping puzzle, vista, POI [no use of guides]
-Title hunting

Now that is a lot to look at at first glance, but its how i personally see how i can spend my time. i could sometimes be sick of PVP because I’ve been performing badly so I’m not feeling motivated to keep going at it at the time because it feels like mashing myself into a brick wall, granted its rare but it still happens sometimes.
On PVE side of things I could be interested in a dungeon’s story so I look for groups on gw2lfg if theres anyone wanting to do story mode or explorable. when im not interested in that, I pick a map i know nothing about and just go there to either explore, or do the combat based content. While doing so I always have a personal rule to be flexible with what I am doing, if there is someone struggling to deal with a group event solo, I jump in to help out and stick with them, perhaps get to know the person.
Theres a lot to do in PVE that is generally swept under the carpet, like finding Vista’s and jumping puzzles. Sure you get a chest at the end of it, but the figuring out the puzzle is fun, if you like puzzles. otherwise i strongly suggest you do not try to do them.
you could take a look at the achievments that give you a title, and could choose to go after it because it either sounds cool, or you like the title. thats a rare thing, but now that the titles stand out so much more its a great way for you to achieve something that you like.
one other smaller thing that can feel motivating is to help people. like a friend or any person you come across, i personally enjoy playing with people in starting areas that are new to the game. i dont mean to be rude, but sometimes just observing someone you can tell how accustomed to the fighting styles they are.
one of the worst feelings for any person in any game is the feeling of failure at very low levels, and the motivational side of helping someone have fun is that i personally find that fun. not in a demeaning way of, oh im so much better at this let me help you out.
Instead in a way im playing the safety net for someone. small example, i was in the area for the shadow behemoth and the meta event was in the pre event stages, so i found a few people who were talking in map chat asking for help with another group event etc. i met them and directed them towards the swamp, without saying anything about what was going to happen and it was great feeling to make someone’s day by leading them into the epic fight and they really enjoyed it.

my 2 cents.

Niila Nuppunen.9875:

Precisely. It’s pretty cool to be able to recognize some psychological mechanisms that are used in the gameplay to maximize brand loyalty and people staying in the game. It’s useful information helping you to critically examine why you engage in some sort of behavior (like playing the game without actually enjoying that much).

It is interesting. I realized early in life that the world would not become what I wanted it to be, so I’ve spent most of my life examining my beliefs and behavior and trying to adapt myself to the world. Most people do it the other way around, or at least attempt to.

These games are fascinating in the degree to which people involve themselves with the game. Subscription-based games, of course, benefit from having a lot of people playing constantly and so are set up to encourage this. Thus the “gear treadmill” and such where you are constantly working to upgrade your character with bigger numbers in order to qualify for challenges that involve bigger numbers.

The shock people experience in coming to GW2 is that it’s not about bigger numbers. In fact the game is set up so that when you go to a lower level area, your numbers are adjusted to nearly match those numbers and provide more of a challenge. You have some advantage from the range of skills available and additional buffs from higher level armor, etc. but you are still closer to the level of the enemies than you would be in other games.

Of course, most MMO players have been trained to expect a constant upward trend in their numbers, and don’t like being forced back into smaller numbers. So they demand to go forward, and complain about the lack of “endgame” which in reality is a continuation of the levelling process beyond max level by adding bigger numbers to their characters through gear. Thus Anet introduces fractal dungeons and Ascended gear for the people who cannot accept that “endgame” means customizing your character through different appearance skins and going back to lower level areas to explore the map.

Which of course leads other players to complain that the new content betrays the previous promises that the game wouldn’t be about such things…

It’s also interesting that the game was designed to be picked up and put down at will, without requiring a lot of work to “catch up” upon return. Because much of the game takes place in sub-80 zones, it’s easy for anyone to play at any level. I have walked away from the game several times since I bought it shortly after release: the World Events don’t really grab me, I didn’t participate in the Lost Shores event and wasn’t even playing the game during Wintersday, and don’t go out of my way for Frost and Flame. I just log in, do my thing, and log out.

Telling people to walk away from the game for a while isn’t damaging to the game or to Anet. But encouraging people to play the game longer, especially when they are not pleased with the activities offered by the game, is damaging to the players. But people trained by sub-based games have a hard time walking away from the game because they fear being left behind as the “endgame” progresses to bigger numbers.

Hmm, what drives you to play supposed endgame in other games? Because if you are one to call raiding in other games endgame, I kind of see your dilemma. Then again, you say your a 3-4 hour a day “casual” as you call it, so, I have a hard time believing raiding is what kept you playing other games. Pretty much everything you do in other games, you can do here…aside from pve raiding (WvW could actually be called a raid if you chose to, a pvp one, but a raid all the same).

1. I would suggest creating some goals instead of some artificial gear treadmill handing you one.
a. Do Dungeons
b. Gold/Item collection
c. Achievement collection
d. Exploration, wander around just doing random crap, it’s an adventure.

I personally just started a rifle collection for my warrior.
I did the same thing in guild wars, had a shield/sword/dagger/stave collection.

jus sayin.

or yeah, you could take a break.

Hmm. I’m casual also but play a little less that you everyday. I have two 80s. One is full exotics and the other is in ascended and exotics. I have everything for my legendary except precursor. What I’m saying is that if you pick a goal and chip at it every time you play little by little the things will come to you

3 hours a night is plenty of time to accomplish anything, you’re just uninterested.

First off, this game is primarily about WvW/PvP – or at least is was supposed to be, and is why most of the initial players were so eager to play it. Former Guild Wars 1 and DAoC players, etc. So it seems a bit of an odd choice for someone who’s interested primarily in PvE. There’s plenty of other MMO’s out there that cater primarily – and many exclusively – to PvE players, so my advice is to try playing some of those. Variety is the spice of life and all that, right?

Ghanto.9784:

First off, this game is primarily about WvW/PvP – or at least is was supposed to be, and is why most of the initial players were so eager to play it. Former Guild Wars 1 and DAoC players, etc. So it seems a bit of an odd choice for someone who’s interested primarily in PvE. There’s plenty of other MMO’s out there that cater primarily – and many exclusively – to PvE players, so my advice is to try playing some of those. Variety is the spice of life and all that, right?

Based on what evidence? This game is by far more PVe oriented, than PvP. There’s more PVe content overall, a ton of it, the major upgrades have mostly been PVe upgrades and the biggest portion of the design budget, including tons of voice acting, all went to PVe.

There are a couple of tabs for PvP achievements and everything else is a PvE achievement. Even WvW has PvE elements in it.

If this game centered around PvP there’d be open world PvP servers and dueling. This game has far more PVe content than PvP content.

In fact, the entire first year of promotion was ONLY about PvE, and all they showed at shows for the longest time was PVe.

I have no idea why some people still believe this.

everyone knows there’s nothing to do in gw2 and tones of people quit/quitting cuz of it. I mean a freaking solo rpg like Dragon’s Dogma has more to do than gw2, an MMO… How pathetic is that? But hey, anet is adding **** to gem store, enjoy Gem Storage gameplay….

Majora.6028:

Along with other words that describe my current GW2 mode, unmotivated seems to be a large one.

~I feel like there isn’t end game here.
I understand that we get Legendarys, WvW, and Ascended gear.. but that isn’t End Game for a casual player.

At 9 PM, I get off work. I come home, spend time with my girlfriend until she falls asleep, I silently slink off to the computer room and log on to Guild Wars and usually play around 3-4 hours before it is time for me to slink back to bed and slip, hopefully, unnoticed into bed and sleep again before I wake for class and work the next day.

3 hours a day is not a lot. I am a casual gamer at its finest. I hit level 80 on my Ranger, and played with it a little. I got bored and made a few other classes, only getting them to around 50 or 60. I ended up making a Mesmer and getting him to 80. This took me a long time. Now that I’m 80, again, I , once more, face my delima. I have nothing to work towards.

~Getting a legendary takes time, money, effort, dedication. Things I’m unable to do because of my title as a “casual” gamer. I refuse to log on and spend my 3 hours online running from tree to tree like some sort of cat. I want to log on and enjoy what I have accomplished.
~WvW is cool, but for someone who isn’t a PvP fan, nor someone who wants to get on RaidCall or TeamSpeak to coordinate with players, it isn’t a huge option. This sucks, because it seems this game completely revolves around WvW. When you talk about builds, 97% of the time people talk about, and refer to, WvW. When I first picked Mesmer and talked about builds, I had to stop people and tell them this is PvE ONLY so many times it wasn’t funny.
~Ascended gear, in my book, equates to obtaining a Legendary. It takes time, effort and dedication.

I’m really not sure what I’m looking for here. I guess some advice on what I can do, if anything, to relight the fire for this game. It is a beautiful game, the lore and graphics are stunning. I love my Sylvari, but, there isn’t much for me to do.. What do you guys do when you hit this slump? Do you force yourself into something? Do you go elsewhere and play something else? I need some tips, I guess.

One of the reasons my wife and I joined GW2 was the lack of monthly fee, which allows us, if we choose, to put the game down for a while and then come back to it later. Having a lack of motivation is a good reason to take a break. What you do in that time is up to you, but sometimes forcing yourself to stop for a bit allows for a fresh mindset on returning. Just set aside a chunk of time (a week, a month, up to you) and stick to it. If by the end of that time frame you are not really interested in logging in, then it’s time to look at a long term solution that doesn’t involve GW2.
Legendary weapons are just trinkets as far as the game goes, and frankly I don’t see any reason to work towards one when a major step in the process is gambling.
Ascended items, last I recall, can be purchased with Laurels after doing daily/monthly stuff, but that may not be of interest to you either.
Again, it may be time for a break. It seems Arenanet is making updates monthly, so a small amount of time away from the game could result in coming back and finding something new to do.

Boredom posts also worry me now. The first time we had a rash of these we got Ascended gear and vertical progression. What’s next?

In life there are people who bore easily and there are others who are more self-directed in seeking their own satisfaction. Game companies generally take the approach of catering to the bored player probably for the same reason that governments cater to those who ask why the government can’t do something about this, whatever the ‘this’ is. Because they can, and because it earns them praise…for trying.

But, there is ultimately no cure for boredom except to replace it with curiosity. Games can be entertaining or not, but entertainment in a game, at least in anything close to the MMO genre, can never really be passive. People will always exhaust content and people will always become bored, unless they learn to take ‘being entertained’ personally.

Vayne.8563:

Ghanto.9784:

Former Guild Wars 1 and DAoC players, etc. So it seems a bit of an odd choice for someone who’s interested primarily in PvE. There’s plenty of other MMO’s out there that cater primarily – and many exclusively – to PvE players, so my advice is to try playing some of those. Variety is the spice of life and all that, right?

Based on what evidence? This game is by far more PVe oriented, than PvP. There’s more PVe content overall, a ton of it, the major upgrades have mostly been PVe upgrades and the biggest portion of the design budget, including tons of voice acting, all went to PVe.

There are a couple of tabs for PvP achievements and everything else is a PvE achievement. Even WvW has PvE elements in it.

If this game centered around PvP there’d be open world PvP servers and dueling. This game has far more PVe content than PvP content.

In fact, the entire first year of promotion was ONLY about PvE, and all they showed at shows for the longest time was PVe.

I have no idea why some people still believe this.

Apparently you need to reread what I actually wrote, in particular the very first line:

“First off, this game is primarily about WvW/PvP – or at least is was supposed to be, and is why most of the initial players were so eager to play it.”

Note the “at least it was supposed to be” and “why most of the initial players…”

What I basically meant was that I would have thought that the “majority” of the buyers of this game, the people who bought it before launch and soon after, were looking for a good wvw/pvp game. I wouldn’t have thought a lot of people would have gravitated toward it because they heard what a great pve MMO it was – or was supposed to be.

And even though I personally agree with you that there has been too much emphasis on PvE by ArenaNet, I still think the end game – which this person is complaning about – is more rewarding for those who like to pvp. I can’t imagine just doing dungeons or fractals over and over again, or standing around in Divinity’s Reach role-playing. I’d probably want to quit too if that’s what I were spending all my time on.

Raine.1394:

Boredom posts also worry me now. The first time we had a rash of these we got Ascended gear and vertical progression. What’s next?

In life there are people who bore easily and there are others who are more self-directed in seeking their own satisfaction. Game companies generally take the approach of catering to the bored player probably for the same reason that governments cater to those who ask why the government can’t do something about this, whatever the ‘this’ is. Because they can, and because it earns them praise…for trying.

But, there is ultimately no cure for boredom except to replace it with curiosity. Games can be entertaining or not, but entertainment in a game, at least in anything close to the MMO genre, can never really be passive. People will always exhaust content and people will always become bored, unless they learn to take ‘being entertained’ personally.

Agreed. There are plenty of games out there that will give you something to “work” towards. I’m perfectly happy having fun with my limited time and there is plenty of stuff I still want to do.

To the OP:

It’s OK if this game isn’t for you because the content isn’t what you like. But, do you really need something to “work” towards every day like this is some kind of job? Having something to work towards isn’t going to make you like the content any more. My advice would be to try another game.

If you feel unmotivated, leave and come back 2 years later.

You’re not paying a subscription fee, the game will still be here when you come back.