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Magnitus: That's fine. Different people have different hobbies.
This, I wonder if the OP should "try" football fandom or something for a couple of months/years. You do what you're interested in. As culture gets more "gamified" and more children grow up with games integrated into their daily routine, gaming will be far less niche (in some ways that has already happened, compared to when I was a kid, or even 10 years ago!).
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Robette: There is nothing to say in favor of getting someone hooked on MMORPGs...
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FraterPerdurabo: I think you'll find that the vast majority of people are able to play video games without getting addicted.
However, skinner box mechanics are more effective on more people than just a normal game. And they are more prevalent in MMOs. In general I agree with you, most people will get bored anyway, but there's always that subset that susceptible and it's bigger in the case of skinner box stuff.
Post edited February 10, 2013 by orcishgamer
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orcishgamer: However, skinner box mechanics are more effective on more people than just a normal game. And they are more prevalent in MMOs. In general I agree with you, most people will get bored anyway, but there's always that subset that susceptible and it's bigger in the case of skinner box stuff.
I agree that MMOs are likely to be more addictive than regular games, but we're still talking about maybe less than 5% of the gamer base here.
It's easier to get better friends than convince old ones to have 'new' fun. :P
Post edited February 10, 2013 by Nirth
Threaten their XBox 360....
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aivadroid: They have no problems trying drugs in the clubs, boozing to the point they puke, having unprotected sex with total strangers and doing other self destructive things.
Just... give up on them. As others have mentioned - find better friends.
To elaborate a little bit: on the scale from Dionysus to Apollo - getting drunk, doing drugs and having wild sex are borderline Dionysian activities while playing computer games is largely Apollian. It's a completely different sort of "fun". I'm not saying people cannot learn to like both, of course...

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candesco: Who doesn't remember that you have to smoke weed or try pills to be part of the group. And if you don't you're not cool.
*raises hand*
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Fenixp: I'm sorry, aivadroid, but even if you do get your friend to play GW2 with you, he'll most likely get into it thinking how stupid it is, and all he's going to do is to look for faults in the game. I don't really believe that GW2 is a good start for a person like that, really - make a bet with him or something and try to get him to play something simple and addictive on playstation, Xbox, or just PC hotseat, drink bear, punch each other a few times, just keep it to social interactions he knows. After you rid him of preconception of games being boring as fuck, he might enjoy GW2. Buut I don't really believe you'll be able to even finish the first step, let alone second - if all your friends are like that, he'll most likely be too afraid of public humiliation of 'playing videogames'.

edit: Yes, drink bears. I mean, you're from Sweden, that's what you do, right?
Ehehehehe

To the first post, I'd say people just have their own tastes, and sometimes people make opinions about something before they've tried it. If he plays it he will pretty much hate it, or maybe like you less. You really just have to find something he would like beforehand. Gaming can be a tough thing to get into, we longtime gamers forget that sometimes.
These people sound fairly ignorant and not really worth your time.

You usually get to choose what and who you get to be around in life, would you rather spend your energy on something beneficial to yourself, or... on an obviously lost cause?

Also, they're not you.
Forget your friends playing games, how do you convince your girlfriend/wife that your playing games constantly is imperative to maintaning the strength of relationship as well as forging a lasting balance and peace within the universe as a whole?
I don't think trying to force a reluctant friend is an answer. I wouldn't like it either if someone tried to push me a hobby that didn't interest me.

Sometimes when I want to chance people's opinions about games, I just sometimes casually talk about them in a positive manner. I might mention how much fun I have with a certain game, or tell a funny quote from a game when it's appropriate to the conversation, but I don't go on a tirade about gaming if the other person is not interested in them. Sometimes their opinions start to slowly chance and they get curious. Sometimes not. And that's okay.
Have them play the original Atari classic "ET". That'll do it.
I'm not sure you could convince me to play GW either :) Some people just don't like games, no point trying to change their minds.