If running a parser makes you cynical and depressed, why do it?

[Raqrie_Tohka]

It’s not nice, but it’s being scientific and reasonable. Most players playing this game are reasonable. Even understanding. But the fact is numbers do have their uses and it’s good to stay informed.

Parses might have an emotional impact and all but mostly it’s manageable and for lesser content there’s always the option to turn it off and enjoy the more qualitative things.

TL;DR Its not nice but it’s more convenient and efficient to have it than not.

[Ashiee]

If running a parse makes you cynical and depressed, you probably shouldn't run one, but that choice is on the individual.

I don't run a parse because they typically stresses me out and make me enjoy the game less while using it while playing. I have found that having my numbers be out of sight, out of mind works best for me. Saying that, I'm not totally oblivious to my numbers either, but If I'm looking to improve I generally comb through FFLogs after the fact for tweaks I can make on X fight if it's savage and above content difficulty. Enough people are using a parse and uploading it to FFlogs nowadays that you can do a lot of self improvement without having to have those real time numbers while you are playing.

[Liam_Harper]

The vast majority use it for an ego boost.

Proof?

I mean, even mentioning you parse is against ToS so who are you going to brag to? I've ran hundreds of EX trials for example, I know they parse because the run appears on fflogs, but I've never once had someone brag over it.
Or do you mean that they simply like to privately feel good about a fight they did well on? How dare they.

[Nora_of_Mira]

I see a lot of people complain about tank DPS or other people's DPS, why look at others numbers?

if this is why you run a parse, then you have your answer. but not everyone runs a parser just to look down on others, they run it actually improve their play bc Square wont do it themselves.

people who are bitter/cynical about parses were bitter/cynical people before they opened the parse.

[Sated]

I lived for DPS in WoW and I was great at it; enhance shaman felt like an extension of my body and my numbers in Mists and WoD showed it. But here? I'm having too much fun to care about DPS - this game has enough interesting content that I don't care about watching numbers go up incrementally week over week.

I don't sweat the mistakes because they don't matter: we still clear. I'd rather pride myself on my use of utility than squeezing a few more damage out anyway, it feels more impactful.

The retired raider in me is still curious though; I've looked up my character to see if I was in anyone's parses. Considering I don't eat food, was missing a lot of materia until recently, and am sitting on like 1500 unspent tomes, I expected to be gray, but I was like green/blue and I'm okay with that (especially considering I don't even know what the standard is). Combat and gear optimization isn't a priority for me anymore and it feels great.

All that said, I can definitely still relate to the sense of accomplishment that can come from topping meters, and I don't see anything wrong with players enjoying that as long as they're measuring themselves against the peers in their statics instead of trying to set and enforce their expectations on strangers in roulette.

Logs are a tool for self-improvement, not a standard to measure worth.

[dasmause]

Parser doesn’t make me depressed or cynical, people being so lazy they can’t bother to read a single guide and then get offended when they’re called out on subpar performance do. People who get so indignant that instead of trying to improve start blaming parser tools and “raid elitists” do. Turning your eyes away from the problem doesn’t fix the problem.

[Alucard135]

I stopped using ACT and my enjoyment of the game has greatly increased. People like to hide behind its just for self improvement.

"As they say, ignorance is a bliss."

[SerLuke]

Parser doesn’t make me depressed or cynical, people being so lazy they can’t bother to read a single guide and then get offended when they’re called out on subpar performance do. People who get so indignant that instead of trying to improve start blaming parser tools and “raid elitists” do. Turning your eyes away from the problem doesn’t fix the problem.

Does it? Or does it help you realize the problem isn’t as big of a deal as you thought it was when you aren’t putting it under a magnifying glass?

[SerLuke]

To clarify I'm not taking about savage or extremes but people who put under's a microscope in daily casual content like roulette.

[dasmause]

Does it? Or does it help you realize the problem isn’t as big of a deal as you thought it was when you aren’t putting it under a magnifying glass?

Yes it does, and I don’t want to entertain the idea that it’s somehow my fault that I’m seeing bad performance. Me not looking doesn’t make lazy people good. The game is not that complex, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to understand you do more damage by AOE skills than single target, for example. You can learn the optimal opener and rotation in a mere hour of hitting a training dummy