FOMO

www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2012/03/15/do-you-suffer-from-fomo/

A pretty good read. Comparisons to BGG should be straightforward.

I think most of us have had to deal with FOMO at some point or another. It's tough to go to the game store and see your friends walk out with $150 worth in games, when you've been saving for one game for a while.

i barely suffer from this. Is my day one purchase of MW3 fomo-related? maybe. But why didn't I buy Dead Island when I KNEW all my friends were getting it and playing together? I knew it would suck. Fomo gets trumped by common sense for me.

San Il Defanso wrote: I think most of us have had to deal with FOMO at some point or another. It's tough to go to the game store and see your friends walk out with $150 worth in games, when you've been saving for one game for a while.

Really, I'm always excited to play what they bought. I have one circle of friends where I'm the guy buying games. That sucks. I would much rather they were all compulsive buyers, so I could be the free rider.

I understand that many people deal with a fear of missing out, but I have just never been one. I fear I will miss out on an enjoyable retirement if I spend to much, so maybe it is that fear that overrides and has made me a decent saver. That, or I was just born a cheap motherfucker. Either way, I'm glad that is how I'm wired.

Dair wrote:

San Il Defanso wrote: I think most of us have had to deal with FOMO at some point or another. It's tough to go to the game store and see your friends walk out with $150 worth in games, when you've been saving for one game for a while.

Really, I'm always excited to play what they bought. I have one circle of friends where I'm the guy buying games. That sucks. I would much rather they were all compulsive buyers, so I could be the free rider.

I understand that many people deal with a fear of missing out, but I have just never been one. I fear I will miss out on an enjoyable retirement if I spend to much, so maybe it is that fear that overrides and has made me a decent saver. That, or I was just born a cheap motherfucker. Either way, I'm glad that is how I'm wired.

More that I HAVE felt that way then I feel that way now. Having kids tends to put that kind of stuff in perepective.

If there is an opposite to FOMO, that's what I have. I'm reasonably comfortable and happy with my life, and not at all worried about what everybody else is doing. I overspent on my charge cards in my 20s, and finally paid off all my debt a couple of years ago, despite supporting my girlfriend while she has been back in college. And I just bought a house last year. So money is usually tight, and I have no problem with saying no to spending. And also no problem with spending a bit impulsively from time to time, when I know that I can afford it.

Most importantly, I trust myself. I know what I like and dislike, and I have pretty good intuition for things that will fit in either column. So I don't second-guess myself much, and I don't wring my hands worrying about whether other people are having more fun. Avoiding FOMO is all about confidence, willpower and self-awareness.

The only time this bites me is with multi-player computer games and board games that do, or are likely, to go out of print.

With multi-player games, my friends usually only play them near release time and then put them down for the most part. So if I want in, I have to buy in early (and near full price). And don't get me started about games with fucking unlocks. Let's give the new player with less experience an even harder time at getting into the game. Fortunately lack of free time has made not buying these games much easier as of late.

As for board games, I look at Alien Frontiers, which I missed getting for a reasonable price before they shut down the online retailers and Eclipse, which I wasn't prepared to pre-order and thus am having to wait another 4-5 months to play. This puts a lot of pressure for me to buy a game before it's been properly reviewed, and that makes me uncomfortable. So I either gamble or endure the wait. Oh well.

dysjunct wrote:
" Comparisons to BGG should be straightforward."
Also to Kickstarter. And when you combine the two FOMO is increased tenfold.