That feeling your looking for is in your kids my brothers .. 33 years old , I game with my 11 yr old son and sometimes 14yr old daughter . Watching them smile and laughing with them creating memories together playing video games , it’s like your playing with your best friends but better their your kids 🙏🏽
Was just typing a similar comment and then I saw yours. I agree. I'm 27, married for 9 months and starting to try to have kids with my wife. Can't wait for the journey :) I feel like one thing some of these gamers need to do too: is live a little bit healthier lifestyle, find some sort of workout where you boost your heart rate, settle down with a family, and such. I do crossfit and workout 5-6 times a week and it has drastically changed how I feel throughout the day. Sometimes I feel like crap in the morning, but then I go workout even when I don't want to, and it changes my outlook for the day and I'm happier
Damn this ep came full circle. I grew up watching the halo scene and transitioned to cod when halo died off. Hearing stories about blaze, ryanoob, cloud and teams like tD, instinct, etc. fucking electric. I’ll never forget the clip of Ryan nading himself to swap spawns on a forge KOTH map
I didn’t know optic had a depression cast? Lol seriously this was a great episode and I feel like it pushed niac out of his comfort zone and it was good for him. Keep it up boys
This is like the podcast for ppl who’s been gaming since the 90’s. Feels like a mature podcast for games. I like the topics and the best part is that it just happened naturally
i feel like a lot of ppl including myself relate to niac on a lot of levels, just being at a weird time in life where you are still finding yourself and gone through a rough time and trying to bounce back. much love nick
A Random weird memory about simpler life. It was around 2002 in grade 8, I’m Canadian and attended a basketball camp in Maine because we lived close to the border. There was a kid I met there who was obviously extremely sheltered, he wasn’t allowed pop or candy or any kind of sweets. We were having lunch and he had a sandwich and an apple. I have a lunchable, a kool aid jammer and a few other things. I didn’t really like the flavour so I Offered it to my friend but he declined. This kid beside me asked “May I try it?” And I was blown away that he had never experienced a kool aid jammer and was like sure man. He was so incredibly thankful and the look on his face of pure bliss while drinking it. That’s the whole other world of giving human food to dogs haha. The kid was pure, I remember being taken back on how polite he was. It was before Xbox (I also rocked sega Genesis hard), maybe times were simpler then and we appreciated them more.
29:00 maniac I have had that same chest issue. Laying down cant sleep and my heart would beat really hard one time it forced you to sit up. I would have to get up and walk around to make sure I'm not having a heart attack. Granted that was a day after a large dose of drugs in my younger days. Anyway I feel ya on that one
Boredom is having a lack of goals that you want to accomplish. I don’t know what Nick aims to accomplish everyday, but I think school/learning a talent would be good for him. He needs something that will challenge him.
This is a good point. All men need something that makes them struggle. Video games aren’t really a good outlet for that because in most cases, they don’t get you ahead in life. In their case, it obviously all worked out - but those are exceptions.
always love when formals on a Podcast. i always gotta watch. loved the talk about throwback halo tournaments! those were the best days. wish i could go back and relive the h2 and h3 days. i just wanna point out, with how much formal shits on you all the time you can tell he genuinely cares about you and looks at you like a bestfriend. obviously i know the shit talk between you two is all jokes.
Niac is probably my favorite person from the gaming community because I relate so much but Hearing Niac's story is so awesome to hear I honestly can relate to this and it feels so good that I'm not the only one im 23 years old and currently just running myself into the ground because of drugs
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Both guys definitely love Halo, especially can see it from the way Formal talks about all the titles and wants Infinite to succeed. Also to Maniac, I know exactly what you mean with the social anxiety. I have it too, not severe but the kind I feel like I need to drink a bit to handle it well. I rarely do it but it helps a lot. Deep talk there from Maniac, respect and stay away from the stronger shit.👍.
this has to be my FAVORITE optic podcast. i sincerely appreciate the authenticity and vulnerability of both you gentlemen. there were a few topics and scenarios that hit home - sending you both nothing but love and light on your journey
Yall did great! Proud of everything you guys done, life is full of ups and downs everything is measured differently when you're always successful don't let that boredom confuse you and let you down🙏
I was older when it came out. Failed outta college lol. Freshman year college 360 Halo 2 XBL drops was already lanning H1 in our apartment. Once H2 drops it was over for me
As a fellow recovering addict, I also find myself dabbling in a few drinks, but as long as your aware of your intake you can manage! Thank you for speaking so openly Nick.
Addiction is such a slippery slope and really hard to navigate once detox and rehab is done. Temptation is everywhere but the important thing you said Niac was that you realised you're an addict whilst you were drinking. Wish you the best to stay away from all the temptation
I find it hilarious that maniac admitted to being constantly injected with dopamine then simultaneously wondering why his dopamine aren’t at the levels of non screen obsessed child lmao
Some of the best advice I got in rehab was “Somebody always has it worse than you, and someone always has it better than you.” Also Alcohol and Xanax are the only 2 things you can die from quit cold turkey, you have to ween someone off it and even then they still have seizures a majority of the time.
Nah I completely understand how fast now a days we get used to stuff and i grew up poor thinking money will make me happy. I make close to 6 figures now but no by any means rich but can do things i want or buy things but it got so old real quick. Having something or (buying) wasn’t as full filling as it used to be.
There’s a lot of boredom that comes after quitting drugs. Life just doesn’t hit the same for a while. Drugs are instant Serotonin/dopamine and without those life feels dull. I can tell you it honestly does get better and I’ve found myself enjoying things that I loved while on drugs, sober.
We are bored *because* we have entertainment 24/7. We are so used to being entertained all the time, that being entertained all the time has become the new bored. Now you need something really extreme to happen for it to feel exciting whereas in the past small things were enough to excite us cause we literally had nothing else to do. Some of these feelings of being bored all the time and not getting excited about things you feel you should get excited about can be attributed to screen/internet addiction. In general, people have started to spend an unhealthy amount of time in front of screens and we're slowly seeing the effects it has on us.
What they are talking about with getting used to everything and it not being as cool as it used to be at first is called the "Hedonic Treadmill". It's a really interesting concept in psychology everyone should read about. It applies to everyone.
I feel you Nick. I’m not sober every second of my day. I’m high as soon as I wake up, go to work high, get high on my way home, get high after dinner sleep.
bro please quit this man it's not healthy long term. Take a tolerance break take up meditation and look into kundalini awakening. Take the spiritual path and develop a natural high.
Yo maniac I’m 31 next month and feel the EXACT same as you bro. Kinda crazy hearing you in the first 10 min of this episode episode lmao sounded like myself.
its the dopamine tolerance. With so many devices our dopamine tolerance has skyrocketed so you need a crazy amount of dopamine to get the same high now. Basically need a dopamine detox to get back what childhood was like.
same boat as formal i was younger with an older bro who had all the consoles when they came out, i would play while he was out or at work and my mom would yell up when he was pulling in, i would clean up and leave quick af he would hate catching me in his room haha
I think Power was from the UK, they were pretty heavily featured on the MLG site, they reported their matches and stats. I think they beat Str8 at some event(?) or some bigger name team. They were like the only foreign team at those events. I'm tryin to hear more Halo 3 talk. History, events, all time players. Wish H3 events still happened.
Yo maniac i think you have to kind of make the decision to find that dopamine in stuff and be stoked with life. You have to find the beauty in the little stuff and also do stuff you love. I ride dirtbikes and ski and i find those pure dopamine moments pretty often being in the mountains with my boys and just absorbing how awesome those moments are. but i think those moments are different for everyone. hope that makes some sense
Bro I feel Nick on another level I feel like I have to at least get like 2 drinks in me to feel comfortable in a big social setting. But I’m also conscious that alc could be a problem for me cause I’m an addict too which fucking sucked
Nick's problem is his life is too easy not to be disrespectful. He is successful and can basically do whatever he wants so he can't focus on anything to pursue he basically goes around chasing instant gratification. He might need to find something that he finds fulfilling
@@heavensplayer literally that's what stimulant abuse will do good thing he's not on Addy anymore but it's been like 2 years it takes time and focused work to continue to improve
I think forge is the only thing that can save Halo. It just opens up the game and gives the players the freedom to create what WE want. I really want them to make like a community playlist and just rotate maps/game modes created and voted by us so we have something fresh to look forward to every week. I also hope they implement maps created by us into ranked. To me, the gameplay is still one of the best out there right now but ONLY when it allows you to actually play it how it’s supposed to play. The connection issues, desync, and weird matchups ruin the game. Also not having much enjoyable maps just made the game go stale really quick.
Great conversation guys. For not having a plan this ended up being an awesome conversation. And you’re bored because of the idea of the hedonic treadmill btw! You’ll always return to a stable level of happiness no matter what situation you’re in after a short time.
100% not alone nick.. everything you mentioned about social anxiety i feel it to on a daily basis. It can make you feel like you are going mad sometimes haha. But one thing iv learnt is that it is always thinking about something leading up to a situation. But once you are in the situation and you stop thinking about it, it is never as bad as what you were worrying about earlier.. also iv never died from a panic attack so wtf am i worrying about! Haha. Its so stupid but feels real..
since matty sets everything up why dont u guys just have him on for an episode? catch up with him since he's joined OpTic and everything.
Ultimate fly on the wall for the flycast lol
might be too busy but i bet they can make it happen
He isn’t there most of the time I believe, I think he sets them up and leaves
Love this idea
No thanks
Formal is that guy everyone would be friends with, so chill
Except Crim lmao
That feeling your looking for is in your kids my brothers .. 33 years old , I game with my 11 yr old son and sometimes 14yr old daughter . Watching them smile and laughing with them creating memories together playing video games , it’s like your playing with your best friends but better their your kids 🙏🏽
Was just typing a similar comment and then I saw yours. I agree. I'm 27, married for 9 months and starting to try to have kids with my wife. Can't wait for the journey :) I feel like one thing some of these gamers need to do too: is live a little bit healthier lifestyle, find some sort of workout where you boost your heart rate, settle down with a family, and such.
I do crossfit and workout 5-6 times a week and it has drastically changed how I feel throughout the day. Sometimes I feel like crap in the morning, but then I go workout even when I don't want to, and it changes my outlook for the day and I'm happier
both of y’all are great dads don’t let no one say other wise
Great dads but don’t let me catch you online your gonna get shit on.
This is Exzactly what I was gonna say
Honestly the best take I've heard in a while, and honestly going to remember that
Damn this ep came full circle. I grew up watching the halo scene and transitioned to cod when halo died off. Hearing stories about blaze, ryanoob, cloud and teams like tD, instinct, etc. fucking electric. I’ll never forget the clip of Ryan nading himself to swap spawns on a forge KOTH map
I can tell Formal is a good friend by the questions he is asking
I didn’t know optic had a depression cast? Lol seriously this was a great episode and I feel like it pushed niac out of his comfort zone and it was good for him. Keep it up boys
formal always helpin his boy
This is like the podcast for ppl who’s been gaming since the 90’s. Feels like a mature podcast for games. I like the topics and the best part is that it just happened naturally
i feel like a lot of ppl including myself relate to niac on a lot of levels, just being at a weird time in life where you are still finding yourself and gone through a rough time and trying to bounce back. much love nick
A Random weird memory about simpler life. It was around 2002 in grade 8, I’m Canadian and attended a basketball camp in Maine because we lived close to the border. There was a kid I met there who was obviously extremely sheltered, he wasn’t allowed pop or candy or any kind of sweets. We were having lunch and he had a sandwich and an apple. I have a lunchable, a kool aid jammer and a few other things. I didn’t really like the flavour so I Offered it to my friend but he declined. This kid beside me asked “May I try it?” And I was blown away that he had never experienced a kool aid jammer and was like sure man. He was so incredibly thankful and the look on his face of pure bliss while drinking it. That’s the whole other world of giving human food to dogs haha. The kid was pure, I remember being taken back on how polite he was. It was before Xbox (I also rocked sega Genesis hard), maybe times were simpler then and we appreciated them more.
ANOTHER EPISODE WITH FORMAL YESSSS
Perfect timing before work day ends! Love formal on any podcast
chillen at my desk and listening to 2 legends!
29:00 maniac I have had that same chest issue. Laying down cant sleep and my heart would beat really hard one time it forced you to sit up. I would have to get up and walk around to make sure I'm not having a heart attack. Granted that was a day after a large dose of drugs in my younger days. Anyway I feel ya on that one
Get it checked out man it can be an issue I got the same
@@wavezWRLD well I stopped taking addy and drinking alcohol so that helped...#PinePark
7 mins into the podcast and im mad there isnt a counter for the amount of times maniac says the word “dopamine”😭
41:45 is when they talk about Halo
Ur the goat
Such a chilled podcast. Was a nice switch up to the usual ones, good job Nick and Matt
Bro the way maniac just kept mentioning Jr and Formal dying every time killed me lolol
Boredom is having a lack of goals that you want to accomplish. I don’t know what Nick aims to accomplish everyday, but I think school/learning a talent would be good for him. He needs something that will challenge him.
This is a good point. All men need something that makes them struggle. Video games aren’t really a good outlet for that because in most cases, they don’t get you ahead in life. In their case, it obviously all worked out - but those are exceptions.
always love when formals on a Podcast. i always gotta watch. loved the talk about throwback halo tournaments! those were the best days. wish i could go back and relive the h2 and h3 days. i just wanna point out, with how much formal shits on you all the time you can tell he genuinely cares about you and looks at you like a bestfriend. obviously i know the shit talk between you two is all jokes.
Niac is probably my favorite person from the gaming community because I relate so much but Hearing Niac's story is so awesome to hear I honestly can relate to this and it feels so good that I'm not the only one im 23 years old and currently just running myself into the ground because of drugs
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Both guys definitely love Halo, especially can see it from the way Formal talks about all the titles and wants Infinite to succeed. Also to Maniac, I know exactly what you mean with the social anxiety. I have it too, not severe but the kind I feel like I need to drink a bit to handle it well. I rarely do it but it helps a lot. Deep talk there from Maniac, respect and stay away from the stronger shit.👍.
amazing episode, thanks y'all. love the halo talk and s/o Maniac for telling more of his story. Appreciate it
After watching the tv when I was a kid and seeing there is a snow day was probably the happiest feeling I ever had hahaha
You guys started off the episode talking about how bad it would be but it was incredible. Have more of the boys on as much as possible please!
this has to be my FAVORITE optic podcast. i sincerely appreciate the authenticity and vulnerability of both you gentlemen. there were a few topics and scenarios that hit home - sending you both nothing but love and light on your journey
Nice to see a female interested in the podcast that's cool have a good day
Yall did great! Proud of everything you guys done, life is full of ups and downs everything is measured differently when you're always successful don't let that boredom confuse you and let you down🙏
I was older when it came out. Failed outta college lol. Freshman year college 360 Halo 2 XBL drops was already lanning H1 in our apartment. Once H2 drops it was over for me
As a fellow recovering addict, I also find myself dabbling in a few drinks, but as long as your aware of your intake you can manage! Thank you for speaking so openly Nick.
Addiction is such a slippery slope and really hard to navigate once detox and rehab is done. Temptation is everywhere but the important thing you said Niac was that you realised you're an addict whilst you were drinking. Wish you the best to stay away from all the temptation
I find it hilarious that maniac admitted to being constantly injected with dopamine then simultaneously wondering why his dopamine aren’t at the levels of non screen obsessed child lmao
Maniac going through an evolution right now. He's growing up!! Leave all that surface level stuff behind and find your true love/passions!
i use to set my alarm at 1 am when my parents went to sleep to wake up and play mw2, was so addicting
It was definitely crack
Some of the best advice I got in rehab was “Somebody always has it worse than you, and someone always has it better than you.”
Also Alcohol and Xanax are the only 2 things you can die from quit cold turkey, you have to ween someone off it and even then they still have seizures a majority of the time.
Our parents did have that new Xbox moment. It was when Coke came out and then leveling up to crack. Godlike 😂😂😂😂
Nah I completely understand how fast now a days we get used to stuff and i grew up poor thinking money will make me happy. I make close to 6 figures now but no by any means rich but can do things i want or buy things but it got so old real quick. Having something or (buying) wasn’t as full filling as it used to be.
I enjoy the depth of this fly cast conversation a lot. Thanks gents
There’s a lot of boredom that comes after quitting drugs. Life just doesn’t hit the same for a while. Drugs are instant Serotonin/dopamine and without those life feels dull. I can tell you it honestly does get better and I’ve found myself enjoying things that I loved while on drugs, sober.
Yeah can take up to a year to get serotonin and dopamine receptors back to normal levels depending on how long the drug use is. Definitely sucks a lot
It feels like the flycast is good therapy for niac, and that makes me happy. Sets a great example for guys who never talk about these things
loved this ep, great episode. loved the casual feel. thanks both!
Maniac - "I've been feeling....not depressed just..... (describes being depressed)"
Still got a lan center around my area. Wild it’s still there
these gotta be the 2 chillest dudes in optic. also 21:50 u know u said something crazy when formal just says what the fuck lmfaooo
Plugging in an Ethernet into my 360 for the first time was literally a rush. I didn’t even have a game yet but I remember that moment
"Junior hasn't eaten in 3 days" omg I'm dying lmfao
This is the best podcast ever, laughing so hard. Mostly bc I've been there in the those lows too.
9:02 how many times is matt gonna say "like" omg lmao
So cal thing
12:30 parents: throwing rocks isnt what it used to be
We are bored *because* we have entertainment 24/7. We are so used to being entertained all the time, that being entertained all the time has become the new bored. Now you need something really extreme to happen for it to feel exciting whereas in the past small things were enough to excite us cause we literally had nothing else to do.
Some of these feelings of being bored all the time and not getting excited about things you feel you should get excited about can be attributed to screen/internet addiction. In general, people have started to spend an unhealthy amount of time in front of screens and we're slowly seeing the effects it has on us.
41:40 for halo talk
Nick was having a life moment when he said, "WHY AM I SO FUCKING BORED?" LMAO
Maniac could be a dope ass painter, I just see it
What they are talking about with getting used to everything and it not being as cool as it used to be at first is called the "Hedonic Treadmill". It's a really interesting concept in psychology everyone should read about. It applies to everyone.
That ladder looking sturdy
I feel you Nick. I’m not sober every second of my day. I’m high as soon as I wake up, go to work high, get high on my way home, get high after dinner sleep.
bro please quit this man it's not healthy long term. Take a tolerance break take up meditation and look into kundalini awakening. Take the spiritual path and develop a natural high.
Love just genuine talking not worrying about subjects
Definitely my favorite podcast so far. So fucking real and in dept
What a great episode honestly y’all speaking my mind like so much 😞😞it be like that
Yo maniac I’m 31 next month and feel the EXACT same as you bro. Kinda crazy hearing you in the first 10 min of this episode episode lmao sounded like myself.
that feeling they got for halo 2 I felt that with my soul but with cod growing up, still chase that
its the dopamine tolerance. With so many devices our dopamine tolerance has skyrocketed so you need a crazy amount of dopamine to get the same high now. Basically need a dopamine detox to get back what childhood was like.
Correct unfortunately
Maniac, what part of MD? I didn’t know any of the optic guys are from the area. I’m from OC, MD
Another MD my boy, Silver Spring here ✊🏿 but he’s from Hagerstown
amazing episode boys thanks for this
Please do a full podcast talking old halo mlg with formal. Halo 3 and Halo Reach
Thanks for this, the honesty about life means a lot
Formal and Nick are goated ⛷
i never peeped this cast.. i cant explain how much i can relate to Niac after listening to this. holy shit
same boat as formal i was younger with an older bro who had all the consoles when they came out, i would play while he was out or at work and my mom would yell up when he was pulling in, i would clean up and leave quick af he would hate catching me in his room haha
shoutout providence rhode island. that was the last place i expected formal to say lmfao
I think Power was from the UK, they were pretty heavily featured on the MLG site, they reported their matches and stats. I think they beat Str8 at some event(?) or some bigger name team. They were like the only foreign team at those events.
I'm tryin to hear more Halo 3 talk. History, events, all time players. Wish H3 events still happened.
Legit best episode in my opinion. This is some real shit
i was part of that maryland halo crew. legendary times. me vash and defy ran locals during h2.
im mack btw
Mackeo?
@@itsTheGshow mack
Yo maniac i think you have to kind of make the decision to find that dopamine in stuff and be stoked with life. You have to find the beauty in the little stuff and also do stuff you love. I ride dirtbikes and ski and i find those pure dopamine moments pretty often being in the mountains with my boys and just absorbing how awesome those moments are. but i think those moments are different for everyone. hope that makes some sense
Starting off saying your hungover I thought this wasn’t going to be a good podcast but I actually enjoyed it a lot. Good talking subjects 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I just love listening to Matt and Nick talk about some random shit
If Halo Infinite brings in a banging Battle Royale mode, the game would be fire!
Last comment. Formal is my spirit animal. I love that guy. So low key correct all the time.
Hard to do it, but try a couple sober nights out with the friends even if they’re drinking. they will help you stay on it.
Love maniac but damn that made me sad when he was talking about just not feeding his cat :/
Keep your head up been clean for 6 years it gets better
What's the song in the beginning
40 minutes in and formal hasn’t commented on halo’s future. This video should be called clickbait
Dope episode maniac and formal!!! Y'all did your thang lol be confident you guys are awesome talkers bruhh #GREENWALL
Bro I feeel this so hard especially the hands man
Bro I feel Nick on another level I feel like I have to at least get like 2 drinks in me to feel comfortable in a big social setting. But I’m also conscious that alc could be a problem for me cause I’m an addict too which fucking sucked
it’s called not having real appreciation for what you have, you can’t enjoy it because you don’t know what you truly have
Damn ordering door dash alone on Christmas sounds sad af not gunna lie
Complacency is the word
Nick's problem is his life is too easy not to be disrespectful. He is successful and can basically do whatever he wants so he can't focus on anything to pursue he basically goes around chasing instant gratification. He might need to find something that he finds fulfilling
dopamine receptors are fried
@@heavensplayer literally that's what stimulant abuse will do good thing he's not on Addy anymore but it's been like 2 years it takes time and focused work to continue to improve
I think forge is the only thing that can save Halo. It just opens up the game and gives the players the freedom to create what WE want. I really want them to make like a community playlist and just rotate maps/game modes created and voted by us so we have something fresh to look forward to every week. I also hope they implement maps created by us into ranked.
To me, the gameplay is still one of the best out there right now but ONLY when it allows you to actually play it how it’s supposed to play. The connection issues, desync, and weird matchups ruin the game. Also not having much enjoyable maps just made the game go stale really quick.
Lan centers definitely exist still in the FGC. Idk about any other competitive games though.
This duo >>>
Great Episode Keep It Up
Great conversation guys. For not having a plan this ended up being an awesome conversation. And you’re bored because of the idea of the hedonic treadmill btw! You’ll always return to a stable level of happiness no matter what situation you’re in after a short time.
Congrats Champ 🏆
nick saying he would cry to his ex and hating life , Matt "oh my god what the fuck" lmao
100% not alone nick.. everything you mentioned about social anxiety i feel it to on a daily basis. It can make you feel like you are going mad sometimes haha. But one thing iv learnt is that it is always thinking about something leading up to a situation. But once you are in the situation and you stop thinking about it, it is never as bad as what you were worrying about earlier.. also iv never died from a panic attack so wtf am i worrying about! Haha. Its so stupid but feels real..
Also, try sparkling mineral water / like pellegrino.. i cant explain why but its a good distraction. Fills a void? It works for some reason.
See you guys didn't need Hitch to carry, you guys talked about real shit, and had a good podcast As Matt would say, "Gotta tip it"
Already knew formal was on addy or sum but niac just confirmed it😂😂
solid podcast definitely related to a lot of the topics and feel the same about games. it feels like everything is so un original
Maniac, you're taking things for granted. I'd love to be in Optic. You guys have no idea what life feels like out of the gaming world that you're in.
I really needed to know this
What episode is this?