History Main / AntiPoopSocking

* ''Website/GaiaOnline'' rewards you with golds for posting. Your first post of the day gets you a larger amount of gold. However, it only registers as the first post of the day if you've spent at least ten consecutive hours logged out of ''Gaia Online''.

* Website/{{Tumblr}}: There's a limit of 5 asks per hour and 250 posts per day. Those who use it like an old-fashioned blog will probably not worry about the latter limit, but for those who use Tumblr like it's short-form social media or reblog a lot of content, they might run into the limit sometimes.

* When playing ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper 2'' at night, you'll start getting messages like "Your nocturnal perseverance has earned you a hidden gaming tip: GO TO BED!" The thing is, the messages are connected to the system clock, so people who work a night shift and start a game late at night will get the same nag as if they'd been playing for hours on end.
** "Surely, even Dungeon Keepers must retire to a lair of some description."
** "You know that low, broad, downy-soft item of furniture in the next room? It has the power to cure fatigue and restore vitality."
** "Oh? Are you still there? The imps were about to lock up."

* In the ''{{VideoGame/Stronghold}}'' RTS series your in-game adviser will make comments depending on how long you have been playing. "How about a snack my liege?" "You have been playing for a very long time." "Aren't you tired, sir?"

* In ''VideoGame/WarioWareDIY'', if you spend enough time on one of the [=MakerMatics=] and save, it says "How about taking a break?"
* V Tech Learning Time Cuckoo Clock (aka My First Clock in the UK): All save for three games on the toy gets disabled between 7PM through 8AM, in an effort to coax the owner to go to bed. And in case you're wondering, the thing has and uses a RTC.
* After being on for a while, the Platform/Xbox360's Kinect will pop up a message that says "Feeling tired or sore? Take a break". Fitting advice, as those games can wear you down ''quickly''.
* In Swapnote on 3DS, sending more than one note in a row will prompt a message telling you to rest if you start to get tired.
* In ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising'', after a while the message "Don't forget to take a break now and then" will pop up. It's justified in that there's a real chance of getting hand cramps, due to the control scheme.
* In ''[[VideoGame/{{Dota2}} DOTA 2]]'', if you have the [[VideoGame/{{Bastion}} Bastion Announcer Pack]] equipped and have played a few games (around 3-4), you will hear Rucks say lines like [[http://hydra-images.cursecdn.com/dota2.gamepedia.com/9/90/Dlc_bastion_announcer_welcome_06.mp3 this]]. Play during the night (usually at late hours) and [[http://hydra-images.cursecdn.com/dota2.gamepedia.com/6/6e/Dlc_bastion_announcer_welcome_night.mp3 he'll chastise you for that]].

* ''VideoGame/HearthStone'' allows players to earn 10 gold for every three wins (in addition to the quest gold). However, you only get one quest per day, and you can only get the 10 gold/3 wins ten times a day (30 wins).
** However, this is difficult for players who aren't top tier to actually hit. The only people who ever actually cap out their daily rewards are professional Hearthstone players, so this may be an aversion.
* In ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac: [[ExpansionPack Wrath of The Lamb]]'', getting 250 Mom Kills will [[EvolvingTitleScreen change the title screen]] to a drawing of a fat Isaac, with the message "STOP PLAYING!" The exact same thing happens in ''Repentance'' as well if the player manages to get [[Over100PercentCompletion Dead God]] on all three save files.
* In ''VideoGame/BloonsTowerDefense'' ''5'' and ''6'', the hints for some particularly late rounds remind you to take breaks; the one in round 70 in ''BTD5'' specifically says to "eat and go outside".
--->Remember to occasionally take breaks and do non-[=BTD5=] things.
* The Platform/{{Steam}} achievement for playing 50 different games in ''[[Platform/SegaGenesis SEGA Mega Drive & Genesis Classics]]'' is called "It's a lovely day outside".
* ''VideoGame/HarryPotterPuzzlesAndSpells'': You only get a set number of lives, although you can bank up to 15 extra lives as you advance through the game. Each life regenerates after a set amount of time.
* ''Website/{{Neopets}}'':
** Restock Banning. Keep refreshing the main shops for hours on end in the hopes of nabbing that rare item, and you'll find that no items at all are shown in any shop for the rest of the day. It also applies for unique shops, such as the Smuggler's Cove (which can happen upon 1 refresh, but lasts way shorter), the Almost Abandoned Attic (after 10 items), and the Money Tree. (again, after 10 items)
** Trudy's Surprise appears to be intended for this, though only for users who have been on the site for 13 years. It's basically a slots game that gives you Neopoints no matter what you actually spin, giving a bit of reprieve for folks who grind daily for Neopoints. The story that goes along with it suggests this trope.
** Many of the games and events have restrictions on how often you can play. The term 'dailies' by the player base refers to events that can only be done once a day (ex. Tombola, Lab Ray, the Giant Omelette, the aforementioned Trudy's Surprise, etc.), sometimes with in-universe justification. While a few, such as Coltzan's Shrine and the Healing Springs, have lower wait times, they still require you to, well, wait. Some games, such as Dice-a-Roo and Kacheek Seek, will eventually have your Neopet get annoyed and ask to play something else after some time. You also can only submit scores on each flash game three times a day, which makes things trickier if you're going for a high score (which is necessary for some avatars).
* Using the level editor in ''VideoGame/ProjectArrhythmia'' for long enough will have its mascot N-Chan pop up in a small message at the top left, where she'll remind you to drink water or take breaks.

** ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver]]'' come with the Pokéwalker, a device that can hold a Pokémon and rewards you with experience points equal to the amount of steps you take. You can also catch wild Pokémon and find items after taking enough steps. ** In the same games, Professor Oak will also call you and tell you to go to sleep if you stay up too late. This gets very irritating if you happen to work night shift, or are otherwise nocturnal.

** The Drowsyfern takes 300 ticks to grow, or [[ArtisticLicenseStatistics on average]], '''[[AbsurdlyLongWait 15 real life hours]]''' with the fastest soil. In addition, it gives -5% cookies per click, and lowers the frequency of [[RandomDrop golden cookies]] by 10%.[[note]]The upshot is, it gives +3% cookies per second[[/note]] The description of said item is "Traditionally used to brew a tea that guarantees a good night of sleep."

* ''VideoGame/MobiusFinalFantasy'' will flash up a message 2 hours of play, telling you that for a 'deeper, richer' experience you should take regular breaks. After a third hour of play, a message will come up advising you to take a break 'for your health and safety'. After a fourth hour, the game will tell you to take a break and lock you out for two hours. (This may in part be to prevent damage to hardware - the game's great graphics means phones run very hot when asked to play it for a long time. Players have anecdotally reported battery swelling...)

There are several reasons for a game to want the player to take a break. One of the biggest is that [[NewMediaAreEvil not doing this leads to bad publicity]]. There are real dangers to poopsocking; it's clearly not healthy to be playing video games for that long, or to surround yourself in your own waste products. The media will usually bring out the rarest and most horrifying cases, like players who literally play themselves to death because they [[ForgetsToEat neglected basic needs like food and water]], babies who died because their parents were too preoccupied with playing video games to care for them, or players who have [[TrashOfTheTitans allowed their own messes to turn into literal piles of garbage]]; games which are commonly associated with this sort of thing might implement anti-poopsocking measures to disassociate themselves from these extremes. Games with a particular risk of eyestrain after long sessions (often using 3D effects, like the UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy) may implement anti-poopsocking for this reason as well.

* Many games for the infamous UsefulNotes/VirtualBoy have an "Automatic Pause" feature, which pauses the game after 15 straight minutes of play, though this is mainly due to the Virtual Boy having the potential to easily cause headaches and eye damage. Indeed, Nintendo refused to license games that did not have this feature.
* The UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS has Play Coins, which can only be obtained by walking around. More importantly, there's the [=StreetPass=] function which collects data from people nearby - but mostly only if you have the system closed, not while playing. The Play Coins are also limited to 10 coins earned per day, which is most likely to encourage players to take a break from all the walking they did. Then again, considering that 1000 steps, which is the amount required for a maximum of 10 coins, is barely a 10-minute walk, you'd think they would've either eliminated the limit or increased it one way or another. That, plus considering the rate at which some of the games consume those coins, most people who want to play said games that require a lot of them to play for any extended period of time and don't have a consistent source of [=StreetPass=] hits which is usually the preferable alternative have to resort to shaking the system to get enough coins and change dates periodically until they have enough.

* In the UsefulNotes/PlayStation video game adaptation of the film ''Film/IndependenceDay'', you are tasked with flying a fighter plane through various stages. The final level takes place onboard the alien mothership, and it is equal parts frustrating and difficult. After you beat the game, a message at the end of the credits tells you to "go outside and get some sunlight". Real useful advice, that.

* In-universe example in ''VideoGame/HyperdimensionNeptuniaVictory''. While the [=CPUs=] are basically goddesses that seem to subsist entirely on snacks, [[{{UsefulNotes/Xbox360}} Vert]] takes it to the next level. Her reaction to her aide leaving is to go on a (planned) 10-day MMORPG bender, [[InsaneTrollLogic because since there's nobody to tell her when to stop, she won't]]. Even [[TheSlacker Neptune]] thinks that's overdoing it.

%%* So does ''Kinect Adventures'' on the UsefulNotes/Xbox360.

*** The ZSNES UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo emulator has the clock option too.

* After being on for a while, the UsefulNotes/Xbox360's Kinect will pop up a message that says "Feeling tired or sore? Take a break". Fitting advice, as those games can wear you down ''quickly''.

* The UsefulNotes/XBox360 version of ''VideoGame/{{Deathsmiles}}'' rewarded the player with points and an achievement for pausing the game. However, you could just go straight back in game so it probably wasn't very effective.

* The UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} achievement for playing 50 different games in ''[[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis SEGA Mega Drive & Genesis Classics]]'' is called "It's a lovely day outside".

* Starting from [[https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/helping-users-manage-their-screen-time early 2020]], the app Website/TikTok will start interspersing videos asking the viewer to go outside and take a break after around ten minutes of uninterrupted scrolling. These are by popular influencers and are upbeat in tone, even sincerely offering suggestions on what you can do while the app is off (getting something to eat, exploring the city, spending time with pets, etc.). The app also has 'screen time management' settings. This is in no doubt in response to criticisms that the app's format is highly addicting.

And one of the biggest motivators is [[MoneyDearBoy money]]. Online games have limited bandwidth, and so game companies prefer less frequent players, especially if they pay monthly subscription fees (and thus would pay the same as a hardcore gamer, so no loss there). Ad-driven games want to prevent burnout because repetition is key in advertising; companies get more value out of a gamer who sits through several short gaming sessions than one who plays a single marathon session. And in the case of more exploitative developers, this means that [[AllegedlyFreeGame you can hide "energy refills" behind a paywall]].

* ''Freakyforms'' does it in two ways: the Nintendo standard "let's take a break" message after playing for a while, and the Formee Hearts. You start with five hearts, and you use one every time you make a new creature- if you run out, you can't make any more until they regenerate, which takes time. While you can still go ahead and play the exploration and scenery creation parts of the game, accessing new areas of the map requires you to make more creatures and thus wait for hearts to regenerate.

* [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife How long have you been reading and editing? Is the text starting to blur together? Can you feel your legs? Maybe you should crash.]]

** The game rewards time logged out with a short period of increased XP after you log back in. A loading screen tip reads, "Take all things in moderation, even World of Warcraft." In addition, raid dungeons can only be done once every few days by a given group.

* Website/{{Tumblr}}: There's a limit of 5 asks per hour and 250 posts per day.

* While not likely to be poop-socked, ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' has real-time based shop opening and closing times - that is to say that Tom Nook's store will close at 8PM (Wii) or 11PM (DS) and not open till the next. This is especially annoying if you are [[PeripheryDemographic somewhat older than]] the "intended" child demographic, or if your daily schedule follows non-mainstream hours (e.g. if you work night shift).

* ''VideoGame/WarioWare: Smooth Moves'' requires a good deal more physical activity than some real world sports, thus having "want a break?" messages by necessity and an enforced brief break in the action between every cycle of games in a score run.

* When you play ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' on the Wii with the Nunchuk, it can be just as tiring as the ''Wii Sports'' example above (you know, boxing game). So when you win a match in Exhibition Mode, sometimes Doc Louis will greet you with this quote:

* In ''VideoGame/WarioWare DIY'', if you spend enough time on one of the [=MakerMatics=] and save, it says "How about taking a break?"

And one of the biggest motivators is [[MoneyDearBoy money]]. Online games have limited bandwidth, and so game companies prefer less frequent players, especially if they pay monthly subscription fees (and thus would pay the same as a hardcore gamer, so no loss there). Ad-driven games want to prevent burnout because repetition is key in advertising; companies get more value out of a gamer who sits through several short gaming sessions than one who plays a single marathon session.

** ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver]]'' come with the Pokéwalker, a device that can hold a Pokémon and rewards youitating if you happen to work night shift, or are otherwise nocturnal.

* In ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac: [[ExpansionPack Wrath of The Lamb]]'', getting 250 Mom Kills will [[EvolvingTitleScreen change the title screen]] to a drawing of a fat Isaac, with the message "STOP PLAYING!"

* Enforced by the Ainz Ooal Gown guild in ''LightNovel/{{Overlord}}'', of which the protagonist is one of the members, and now the leader. One of the rules for joining the guild is that the player MUST have a job in real life instead of spending all day every day playing the game.

[[/folders]]

[[folder:Shoot-em-ups]]

* [[TheStinger After the end credits]] of ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'', Ferris says [[BreakingTheFourthWall directly to the audience]]: "You're still here? It's over! Go home!"

* Starting from [[https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/helping-users-manage-their-screen-time early 2020]], the app [=TikTok=] will start interspersing videos asking the viewer to go outside and take a break after around ten minutes of uninterrupted scrolling. These are by popular influencers and are upbeat in tone, even sincerely offering suggestions on what you can do while the app is off (getting something to eat, exploring the city, spending time with pets, etc.). The app also has 'screen time management' settings. This is in no doubt in response to criticisms that the app's format is highly addicting.

* ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver]]'' come with the Pokéwalker, a device that can hold a Pokémon and rewards youitating if you happen to work night shift, or are otherwise nocturnal.