Stress Buster

[Team42]

Bear with me, chaps and chapesses. I've had a hard day.

I work for the Civil Service in Northern Ireland, in a role that is primarily concerned with the interface between legislation and policy and the operational effects of both.

My boss is, by upbringing, a trainer.

His boss is an administrator from an IT background.

Her boss, in turn, is a lily-livered wanker who wants a quiet time until he retires next year.

Some times, like today, I get frustrated by what happens in the office. I have senior officers who, despite all the legal advice, promise people things that we are unable to deliver, or are prohibited from delivering.

So I come home, fire up my PC, open a bottle of wine and sit down to...

What?

Normally I play Far Cry, choosing one of the most difficult chapters where I have a sniper rifle. I name my targets: each one is a member of the Agency's Senior Management Board. And each one gets a very cold and calculated single headshot. If I miss, I start the chapter again. I want this to be perfect, even if it takes me hours.

OK, don't call the PSNI, MI5, FBI or the Israeli Air Force just yet. I go to work the next day and do what my job demands (and I do it, according to my annual reports, exceptionally well). But I need that stress relief of the game. Polite during office hours, cold, calculated sniper in the evening (depending on whether Scrubs, House or Man United are on tv...)

How do you vent your frustration? What game allows you to take the tension of the day and direct it, in DX9 or 10 form, towards a virtual stress reliever? What is your electronic punchbag? What do you do? What DO you do?

Or do I just really REALLY need to change my job?

All opinions welcome.

T42

PS, anyone looking for a legislative assistant with virtual sniper skills, based in Nothern Ireland, let me know.

 

[GenHoth]

I weight lift or go to an actual shooting range

 

[narreth]

whoa @ actual shooting range O_O

 

[TestedAcorn]

I either shoot a real gun, or watch something funny on tv.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: narreth
whoa @ actual shooting range O_O

The ROTC on my campus used to have (~30 years ago) a shooting range where students could pay an annual fee for the right to squeeze off a few rounds between classes. Shame the state government made them remove it

 

[lxskllr]

I just do what I normally do, game, chill out...whatever. A suggestion for you though... Try UT2k4. You can gives the bots custom names, and load them in specific maps. That might be more satisfying giving it a personal touch ;^)

 

[CKent]

Second the weight lifting suggestion, endorphins rock.

But this is the PC gaming forum - so Need for Speed: Most Wanted. I find driving games very rhythmic and relaxing, especially if the physics are done right and mid-engine cars handle as they should.

 

[skace]

I lift and it helps immensely.

 

[DefDC]

Heh. I'm generally a pretty calm guy, but a few weeks ago, I was playing Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which is probably one my favorite stress burners. I was tearing ass down a straight street doing full speed on a motorcycle, and some asswipe changes lanes, sideswiping me, and sends me supermanning down the street, shredding my bulletproof vest that I JUST put on. I run back to his car, pull him out, and put two full mags into his head.

Then I realized what I had just done... Whoa.

But then I felt much less stress!

I do firmly believe that virtual violence relieves more stress that would cause ACTUAL violence.

 

[KeithTalent]

Gym or a long run outside, either of which work wonders for me.

Sometimes playing CS:S or TF2 will work as well.

KT

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Gaming is about fun for me. For stress, hitting the heavy bag is my first choice. Visualize whomever/whatever you are bent at and proceed with the punishment. Best therapist ever.

 

[MetalMat]

Get stoned and listen to Blue Oyster Cult

 

[Biggerhammer]

I second GTA. A bad day just seems to vanish after a few molotovs or a train hijacking.

 

[potato28]

Stoned and play some GTA4. Or watch a movie or 2. CSS on a noob server is always fun too.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Honestly, get on my computers. Using a computer has long been a source of stress relief for me (as I found out on deployment--wasn't pretty).

 

[Zenoth]

Punching Bag
Watching a Mc' Rolled video on YouTube
Firing Sasha in Team Fortress 2

Calling my girlfriend and going to the theaters... oh wait, I don't have a girlfriend. Well then start up Garry's Mod and play around with nude Alyx models... oh, wait, I don't have Garry's Mod either.

 

[AntiFreze]

hmmmm... I like the post. Way I de-stress...

beer + counterstrike

on really bad days, ill rename myself kamikazee, buy only flash grenades, and use that with just the knife.

 

[Piuc2020]

Beer or wine is great since alcohol relaxes you (in small amounts ) and they taste great.

One my favorite stress relief games has always been Grand Theft Auto but when I want to relax nowadays I'll usually watch some of my sitcom DVDs (no commercials=win) or play a slow-paced game like Civilization IV or something like that. Like someone mentioned, racing games are also great, especially arcade racers, that's why I'm so excited about the game Pure, those big airs with the nice vistas look so... peaceful. Oh also, the Physis map in Crysis is GREAT for stress relief and it's oh so fun.

Outside of games, working out relieves all your anger and you'll be too tired to be tense, actually any physical activity will get rid of your anger and relax you somewhat.

 

[duragezic]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh

Originally posted by: narreth
whoa @ actual shooting range O_O

The ROTC on my campus used to have (~30 years ago) a shooting range where students could pay an annual fee for the right to squeeze off a few rounds between classes. Shame the state government made them remove it

I was pretty surprised to learn that the pistol club at my university accepted all people and had pistols for use at their indoor range. I guess it has been going on for a while and is one of the few universities with such a club.

Too bad I didn't know of that (I knew of the club, but didn't know anyone and without a weapon could join) until my last semester of school.


So yeah, shooting guns is good fun and good at relieving stress. But right now I just drink beer.

 

[Capitalizt]

Team Fortress 2 as soldier usually does the trick for me.

Nothing more satisfying than a few critical rocket hits.