It's what's for dinner!
An un-healty addiction.
Published on August 15, 2005 By KBV In WoW
Don't get me wrong, I like World of Warcraft, I play it when I can. Or rather, I play it when I have nothing better to do. I also hate WoW, I hate the fact that it consumes the time of many of my friends so much so that they neglect everything else around them. I'm not talking about a neglect in the form of a missed meeting here or that they forgot something there. I talk about when they forget their own lives and the people around them.

I don't know if any of you have heard it before, but many of you have serious problems. This problem is called an addiction. Addiction is an uncontrollable compulsion to repeat a behavior regardless of its consequences. And this sort of behaviour ruins lives. An addiction is not limited to alcohol, smoking or drugs, it can be many things in life, and for many of you it's most likely World of Warcraft.

Just to test how strong your addiction is, try and not play WoW for a week. I dare you, one week of abstinence, one week of not login on. One week of doing something other then focus your life around WoW, one week of not thinking or talking about your favorite game. If you can go that long, then you're surely not an addict, just a misguided individual who has nothing better to do if you continue to let it control you.

Yes, I do understand that many of you find the game social, seeing as many of your friends play it aswell. But that does not mean it's not an addiction.

This all might seem harsh to many, but I only say it because I care for your lives.

Comments (Page 1)
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on Aug 15, 2005

Wow is not bad, I just hate the fact that you have to team up with people to really get the best of the End Game.
As an older player I can't bring myself to group up with 13yr olds to do high level instances.

UO was better in that aspect.
on Aug 15, 2005
The addictive aspect of WOW or anyother MMORPG has much less to do with the game than the personality of the addicts... These folks would be addicted to something like this no matter what. Just stop by any RP shop or Games Workshop and you will see the very specimens of which I speak. Or just look around JU... this too is a sort of MMORPG.
on Aug 15, 2005
Excellent post KBV!

I am a computer game addict. It is REALLY hard to not play. I got into the original Ultima Online when it was the first MMORPG on the market. I called in sick for work some days because I played UO until 5am or later. In the end, I had a moment of clarity and gave the game account away to someone and asked them to destroy the account if they didn't like the game - I didn't want it back. I can never allow myself to play another MMORPG again, they are just TOO addictive for me.

I made another error in judgment when the Star Wars Galaxies game first came out: I bought a copy as a birthday gift for a friend. Now he and his wife have 4 ACCOUNTS! I should have just bought them cocaine or heroin, at least there are treatment facilities for drugs. I never see my friend anymore because he is hopelessly addicted to that game. His wife talks like the people she meets in the game are more real that people she sees face-to-face.

MMORPGs are very dangerous to people with a certain type of personality. I am one of those people. I have to keep away from them at all costs. I now limit myself to games like GalCiv (which I can save and turn off whenever I want) and Counter-Strike (with short, timed game rounds).

- Proud Canadian
on Aug 15, 2005
I really believe that the thing that pushes most people back to the game is the social interaction that you mention. For most of the long term/hardcore players in MMOs it isn't the loot (which is a nice bonus) but instead the friendship or comradery of playing with the guild. I personally feel that by missing out on numerous raids in a row or things of that nature that I let them down in some capacity. I also manage to keep my life around me and normal (although perhaps I need more sleep) but perhaps thats because I play the game with my GF, so we can just go out on dates in-game
on Aug 15, 2005
I'm more than 3 weeks WoW free.
on Aug 15, 2005
Im like 10 hours haha.
on Aug 15, 2005
In a couple of weeks my brother is going down to London to meet about 10 members of his EVE-Online Corporation. These guys chat to each other using teamspeak everyday and many of them have been doing so for well over a year. I think that's great, for them its no different than talking to a friend on the phone.
on Aug 16, 2005
That's cool.   Reminds me, I need to cancel my WoW subscription....
on Aug 16, 2005
My ATR Guild had a huge party in Phili, in my house...It was great.
on Aug 16, 2005
Just like to point out that MMORPGs are not the only game that ppl can get hopelessly addicted to and just because you can stop and save dosnt mean that your going to

as my name suggests im a civ 3 junkie and proud of it though i do make time for other things that are important in life (like school) i must admit that i spend an inoridinate amount of time on civ3 rome total war and any other RTS or turn based strategy game that i can get my hands on (though im rather disapointed in myself that i havent heard of the gal civ series till i saw that preveiw for gal civ 2 on gamespot )

and its not just me that gets sddicted to these games (i hope at least) ive heard stories at school how the parents of kids would kick there sons or daughters off the computer at 12 in the mourning so that they can start playing there own civ 3 game till the sun comes up

speaking of civilization addictions if you havent seen this hilarious trailer for civ 4 it definently worth watching

Link
on Aug 16, 2005
Yep, games like that really are addictive. I've heard of a lot of people sucked into WoW. My own hubby would rather do nothing with his free time than play computer games, but

I forbid him to let games dominate his free time.

I let him play only when all the work is done, and the baby is asleep, or the day is over. JU is addictive too...I've been off it pretty much all summer; right now I'm having a sleepless night. As I clicked over to JU I felt my stomach mildly churn. Oh no, not the JU addiction again. I'm clean though. I'm going back to bed now.
on Aug 16, 2005
I consider myself a hardcore gamer, but I can't really get addicted to just one game. I've tried MMOs like City of Heroes and Wow but I can't stay with them for long, one part due to the price, 2nd I get really bored playing the same thing day in and day out. Which is why my gaming collection goes from games like Rome Total war, to Katamari damacy, to even Virtua Fighter 4 evo.
on Aug 17, 2005
the same thing usually happens with me it comes in stages like id only play RTW for a week then as i got bored id switch to civ 3 and as that came old id go back to starcraft and so on and so forth

as of right now i really havnt gotten a game were id just do that for months on end but then again i really havent played mmorpgs that much so u never know...
on Aug 17, 2005
Here KBV i have a web site for you, think you'll get along with them just fine.

http://www.landoverbaptist.org/news0105/wow.html
on Aug 18, 2005
I also can't play the samething over and over but I have been able to play certain games for alone time. I have been playing WoW since its release and played Phantasy Star Online for along time as well. I also still play Warcraft III: TFT every once in awhile also. The way I keep my hardcore gaming going is to simply throw other games into the mix. Right now I am playing about 5 games at once, of varying types. Most of the games are games you just beat and they offer little replayability so I won't continue on with the indefinitley. Works for me.
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