Confessions of an MMO addict: WoW took an undeniable toll on me

“Too much of anything” is a one-way street to disaster. A self-confessed World of Warcraft addict recalls how he got trapped under WoW’s compelling game spell. Why did he leave after achieving 60 levels, 30+ epics, and a seat on the oldest and largest guild on our server’s council?

In a nutshell (the guy wrote a rather long explanation) he left WoW because “Blizzard has created an alternate universe where we don’t have to be ourselves when we don’t want to be… as a guild decision maker, I’ve seen it destroy more families and friendships and take a huge toll on individuals than any drug on the market today.”

While that seems harsh, the reformed WoW addict claims the game took a huge personal toll on him. He dropped plans to whip himself into shape and instead gained 30 pounds “and it is not muscle.” He abandoned a lot of his hobbies including music, writing, and martial arts. And his biggest gripe: he basically exchanged his real world social social life for the imaginary one.

But that, he says, is nothing compared to some of the things he’d seen. People have actually turned their backs on their families, partners, and kids because they would rather play WoW. What makes WoW so addictive?

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“Too much of anything” is a one-way street to disaster. A self-confessed World of Warcraft addict recalls how he got trapped under WoW’s compelling game spell. Why did he leave after achieving 60 levels, 30+ epics, and a seat on the oldest and largest guild on our server’s council?

In a nutshell (the guy wrote a rather long explanation) he left WoW because “Blizzard has created an alternate universe where we don’t have to be ourselves when we don’t want to be… as a guild decision maker, I’ve seen it destroy more families and friendships and take a huge toll on individuals than any drug on the market today.”

While that seems harsh, the reformed WoW addict claims the game took a huge personal toll on him. He dropped plans to whip himself into shape and instead gained 30 pounds “and it is not muscle.” He abandoned a lot of his hobbies including music, writing, and martial arts. And his biggest gripe: he basically exchanged his real world social social life for the imaginary one.

But that, he says, is nothing compared to some of the things he’d seen. People have actually turned their backs on their families, partners, and kids because they would rather play WoW. What makes WoW so addictive?

Blizzard created a game that you simply can not win…the only way to “get better” is to play more and more. To our average “serious” player this equates to anywhere between 12 hours (for the casual and usually “useless” player) to honestly 10 hours a day, seven days a week for those “hardcore” gamers. During my stint, I was playing about 30 hours a week.

Does this mean you should not play WoW?

First of all, “addiction” doesn’t just apply to heroin junkies who look like cadavers with barely beating hearts. A simple definition for this complex issue would be the uncontrollable compulsion to repeat a behavior regardless of its consequences. It could be traced to genetic, biological/pharmacological and social factors. We’re not Dr. Phil so we’ll leave the psycho-babble to qualified shrinks.

We do think that  if you don’t have the self-control (based on other aspects of your life) perhaps it’s best not to indulge in any activity that promotes that behavior. Whether it’s WoW (or any other video game), gambling, drinking  or whatever. Hey, we’ve heard of people addicted to exercising and plastic surgery!

So it’s not WoW itself that is to blame. Sure, Blizzard makes money from getting players hooked on their game. But we don’t think Blizzard execs are cackling behind  their offices enjoying the emotional wreckage WoW may be causing millions of people and their loved ones.

WoW is a game. It’s meant to be fun. If you honestly think you can’t handle it, then get out. Better if you don’t start. Or if you feel you’re already in too deep and can’t get out, seek professional help.