Share yourself with your mapcorian friends

[Skjalg]

Well, where to start... ah.. the happy beginning

Not sure how to explain the school system, but i graduated from high school with above average grades, except in german where i nearly flunked. But i didnt care much. I really wanted the year off, to just work on mod stuff, sleep long and play games. But my parents pushed me into going to school (College?). So i started on a bachelor of science degree near where i live. It was embedded systems (basicly a computer engineer, specialized in programming). After a couple of weeks a couple of friends i had at the school convinced me to come life with them in their house (4 guys renting a house, plus me). And after a few weeks i convinced myself it was for the best, seeing as i wasnt motivated enough to go to the school, maybe living closed would do it.

That wasnt it. after the first semester i had barely passed the three of four exams, the last one i didnt even attend. I quit school, but decided not to tell my parents because they'd only badger me into going back. So i stayed at that house, living off a students loan for the rest of the year. When i finally moved back to my parents they werent so happy about me not doing shit, but they forgave fast

During that summer, i barely touched my computer, seeing as i've been playing WoW constantly for ~8 months... I decided it was time to get my social life back. The summer was great, it started off by me and a group of friends going to the Roskilde Festival in denmark, drinking ~30 beers a day and just chillin Then the rest of the summer was BBQ parties and the like.

Then i decided to move North, far away from everyone to pursue my dream of getting a degree, and getting a shot at making games. Narviks College had a degree that was really tempting, but now i see that its actually the exact same degree as i started last year, except it was named differently... grrreat... Aside from that, this school is really better than first one (located in Kongsberg, if anyone is wondering). Here the teacher actually give a fuck. We're smaller classes and the teachers give assignments all the time. We also have chicks in our class this time So basicly school is going great (well, exams is in a month, so we'll see then). On the other hand, im 150 miles from my friends. Which is basicly a solid 20 hour drive! (or a 2 hour flight;P). But its still hard to function without em . Beeing a student also has its downs, its fucking expensive to live on my own.. i barely manage each month, and i cant afford anything anymore. I really need to get a job :/

[mikezilla]

Wow. This thread is so fascinating. Like for the first time we're all sorta... talking. Like really talking. So I will share as well.

I recently broke up with my girlfriend of a year and a half (longest relationship I've ever had.) That was both a bummer and liberating. It's nice to have freedom again and sad that I have nothing to spend it on. Girls still baffle me. I get a lot of the friend card played on me.

My job is going great. As Nate stated starting a project at the beginning can be a bit daunting because you know it's a long time before you get to celebrate again... and part of your life is gone. It's sorta weird I can measure my life in games. I'll probably get out 12 to 15 before I'm through and I've already shipped four. That's pretty scary.

[FrieChamp]

Yep nice thread.

Right now I can sum up my life in 4 categories:

1. Work - Getting more stressful, that's nothing compared to what next year's probably gonna be like. Still very enjoyable though, I look forward to go to work.

2. Music - Music I like and play has become increasingly important to me lately. I guess you could somewhat include "party" in this category, however I rather go to clubs for the music lately than for getting wasted. Had enough of that during the course of the last year.

3. Girls - My girlfriend and me just broke up, it wasn't really going anywhere considering she is from Australia and will go back in January. So I'm kicking back a little and won't try too hard finding that special someone in the near future. If I meet somebody nice and mature, even better and I'll see what happens.

4. Housing - I didn't expect that this would be so much work, I just moved into a new appartment, all these contracts, duties, cleaning...no way I would move back into my parents home though

I also get around a lot in Germany lately, since I'm getting a little bored of Coburg. Been to Nürnberg several times during the last weeks, going to my hometown in the Northwest, been to Berlin last weekend meeting a friend. Oh man, I wouldn't mind living in Berlin...

Still kinda exhausting though, working overtime during the week and partying all weekend (maybe even a little extra work on sunday). Expensive too...oh well, you only got one life

[PS_Mouse]

3. Girls - My girlfriend and me just broke up, it wasn't really going anywhere considering she is from Australia and will go back in January.

Happen to know which part of Australia? There is a slim chance I know her.

[Schmung]

ooh, intersting thread.

I graduated from Uni with a somewhat crappy degree (yay for forgetting to print of the bibliography from my dissertation) about a year and a half ago. Been working as an IT Tech Support monkey for a TV compansy since Feb. Moneys a bit arse and I can't say I love the job, but they want to make me staff in the new year, so I must be doing something right.

Live with two other guys in Cardiff, which is a ton nicer than where I did live. Sadly, this means travelling to see most of my mates and though it's a shortish distance, it's still a pain in e the arse. Get on ok with housemantes, but don't really know them properly yet.

It's strange, I veer between being quite content because I've got a job, my own place, income yada blah and disconentment because I feel like maybe I should be doing more. Still, thats fairly normal for me, I get all sorts of ideas, but the motivation to do most stuff evades me. I've had this week off and have achieved utterly nothing but for watching a few DVDs. I intended to finish up all the stuff I'm working on for TS, go to the doctor about this ear infection (which I've ahad for 8 months) and get my CV updated. But here I sit. Might play some more Need For Speed later.

I think I'll probably do a bit more mod work once I'm done with TS, now I've got a fairly decent PC the possiblity is there and I wouldn't mind dabbling a bit. There was a time where being in the games industry was all I wanted, but bloody mindedness can only get you so far, there's a point where talent and/or overwhelming dedication is required to progress your skills and I simply cannot be arsed. Would much rather be down the pub you see. Ah well, c'eset la vie.

Women? Meh. The spectre of my sort of ex still hangs over me without any sign of resolving itself and I haven't met anyone I particularly like in bloody ages.

[mike-0]

i have had absolutely no inspiration or anything to do any productive work on my pc lately. maybe i'm gravitating away from it.

[kleinluka]

my grandpa died today and i couldnt tell him goodbye....

i haven't seen him in about 7 years but it's still sad and weird that he's just "gone" now

[Minos]

Consider yourself lucky

[kleinluka]

what?

[Minos]

haha I was referring to mike's post

[Tequila]

haha I was referring to mike's post

Gonna say!

Sorry to hear that klein.

[slicky]

Great read, its amazing to see how mappers tend to gravitate to similar paths. I don't really know any of you but i feel like im bonded to you all in a strange geeky way.

The state of my life right now is it's bright and early in the morning, im a little hung over from last night, and i seem to remember making out with a random girl on the dance floor last night, the shame in that being that i have a girlfriend and i can't feel bad about doing it even though i want to.

I haven't done any REAL mapping in more than a year now, Im in a constant state of lethargy, where my life mostly consists of laying around in my university residency playing games, watching movies, maintaining decent grades, but really i feel like my life has no purpose right now, i feel utterly lost. When i was younger i thought i had everything figured out, i knew what i was good at, and i knew what i wanted to do. But in the past few years i feel like i've lost so much of my passion for life.

The irony is that I'm about a year ahead of a few of you who are trying to mature your lives out of game dev fanboyism, and i still dont feel like my life has gained any more meaning, in fact my former isolation gave me a greater sense of self satisfaction because i was so deluded sitting awake into the nights staring into a fluorescent screen that i could at least make up some delusions of grandeur. I miss the peer validation i got when I would post a WIP and get compliments, other than that there's nothing im missing about game dev.

Last year i met an absolutely amazing girl, who is so far out of my league it's not even funny, she's horribly in love with me and i think she would marry me if i asked. But my problem is that i just dont appreciate her anymore, as though all my love for her has simply faded away, I have this strange subconcious desire to sabotage the best thing i have. I create fights sometimes just for the sick excitement it gives, i just want to have more passion for my life, I think I'd be a happier person with a cause to be depressed, because right now I don't even feel like i exist. I'd rather be dead than bored.

So i guess the question is, what do you do when your life is perfect and you still can't be happy?

[Pericolos0]

learn to appreciate the little things

[Lurker]

I'm ending high school this June and then going to do a Business degree, after that I'll probably go into Law... Not quite sure. Life is good, my part-time job is pretty well as good as I'm going to find as far as jobs are concerned. The work is interesting, the people are really nice, nothing much else you can ask for as far as I'm concerned. I've met this new girl who is absolutely fantastic... I hope everything works out, but something tells me she's going to play the friend card.

I don't have much to talk about with you guys, as I don't know many of you and I don't even map :roll:

[Minos]

So i guess the question is, what do you do when your life is perfect and you still can't be happy?

hey slicky

Yeah man, that really sucks. Maybe you are in the wrong path, you think you want "this" but in fact you want "that". Probably you don't even know. I'd say that you should try different things, move to another city/country etc... I know exactly what it is like to feel like that