I'm not one of the millionaires but I logged off of EQ for the last time in 2008 and haven't played a "serious" video game since. Aside from the odd time waster puzzle game on my phone I haven't been a gamer for nearly 17 years now.
I've tried to go back and play WoW a couple times when I'm bored and realized I'm not quite that bored yet. Last time I played more than a couple levels was probably 2011-2012.
So you think that on average, the relative handful of people with the knowledge and spare cash to have a 3d-capable pc in 1999-2000 are less successful than the average American? Care to explain your math, because I find it hard to imagine how that's possible.
It's all anecdotal, but I played EQ with a lot of poors and college students running potatoes (myself included). However a lot of those people were just starting off in their careers in some form of tech and ultimately ended up doing fairly well for themselves.
I'll admit he has some points. There is probably some internet braggadocio going on in the numbers being thrown around, there's probably also some real case studies. The reason I create this here instead of the investing thread was that I was figuring on hopefully having the best shot at the "grown up" version of this talk. So far, filtering through various potential derails and possible "slight exaggerations" I see things boiling down some...
I started EQ in high school, got kicked out at 18 and went to playing EQ on a potato in a 400$ apartment in the ghetto. I figured if I was gonna be playing eq so much, I might as well make money doing it, so I sold a lot of plat. I made almost as much money from that as my 7$ an hour job.
Right, I mean we can't all be winners, and I assume almost everyone that playing eq in 1999 were relative poors themselves even if their families weren't just because most of them were young. But those people were considerably more tech savvy than the general population. You might have played on a potato, but at least you had a potato, and knew how to use it to some degree. Anyone who thinks that group is below average 25 years later doesn't have a very good grasp on what average actually looks like.
Another thing to remember is that there are probably people reading this thread who aren't actively posting in it. And I can see why. If you're behind the curve on retirement (which I will fully admit I was until I landed a job in sales around 10 years ago that was good enough to help me catch up some) it might be intimidating to post here. On the other hand we have had those who admit to concerns (like
Koushirou
). I'd hope that folks around here would be comfortable enough to admit and ask questions. Because let's just say we are blessed with a number of people who have been lucky enough to get way ahead of that chart from the fed, I'd hope they wouldn't bee assclowns to those who aren't and just looking for tips, stories, and maybe a point in the right direction. 
Captain Suave
posted (below) it looks like for my age I'm right around the 90% percentile, which makes me feel like I'm in the Chernobyl space...
If you're making positive progress you're doing better than most. Something like 50% of people your age have no retirement. If you have around 80k between the both of you, you probably make it to the top 25% in preparing for retirement. If you're enjoying your life, nothing wrong with being a bit behind and working to you are older. Where I work, around 70 is a very normal retirement age. Best way to save money for most people is not to see it. Get a raise? bump what you are saving a little immediately.
I still play WoW passively when I need an "unwind my brain" break. Haven't been an active raider in over a decade. But I somehow still enjoy playing the auction house like it was my personal minigame.
Mrs. Haus
and I still duo for farm for mounts occasionally on the weekends. She is the one who got me into MMOs when we first met, pre-WoW, she was a big EQ player. Our first MMO together, I believe, was Shadowbane.
Also, I'm pretty sure that chart is wildly misleading when you consider:Another thing to remember is that there are probably people reading this thread who aren't actively posting in it. And I can see why. If you're behind the curve on retirement (which I will fully admit I was until I landed a job in sales around 10 years ago that was good enough to help me catch up some) it might be intimidating to post here. On the other hand we have had those who admit to concerns (like
Of course I might be overestimating the population around here in that regard, but call me an eternal optimist.
Full disclosure, on the chart
View attachment 597761
So for me...
View attachment 597762
And I figure there's no reason to be envious of those doing better, or look down on those doing worse, we're all assholes here. But we're the assholes we've got.
Sure, I didn't say it was incorrect, just misleading. A quick google didn't tell me what exactly they were measuring, but someone mentioned that it was from a household financial survey, which I assume wouldn't be taken as often by people hundreds of k in the hole (or unemployeds, etc.).
In a way it's kind of sad that this is the best place I have to go to for a lot of life advice in general, but at the same time it's also awesome. Getting the perspectives from people across all walks is super helpful and I seriously appreciate all the advice folks are willing to give.Yeah, I don't harbor any ill will or envy, personally I'm glad to see people that I share a community with doing well. I've been taking the opportunity to observe and learn, and I do mean that literally. Y'all are doing more for me than anyone in my ass backwards family, and that's not just here, but across basically the entire site. As much as I'm here for the shit show and memes, I have stayed because there is a lot of valuable information, often conveyed in probably the most entertaining way possible. FoH should open it's own online edu site.
