253: Physician, Gank Thyself
- Thread starter Mark J Kline
- Start date
As a recovering addict of the WoWcrack, 15 days clean so far cold turkey after 5 years of playing,I can totaly agree here, WoW is immersive, it is addictive and it helps dull the monotony of the real world and unless you play it you have no idea just how much so that is. When I started I had been playing for about two weeks before my then girlfriend broke up with me, I was contemplating quitting thegame before she did, I had been waiting since I saw the sneak peak in a Warcraft 3 leaflet I got with the game, but the game it's self did'nt grab me then, but when she left me I escaped into WoW and got lost, I spent hours playing when I was'nt at work. I went from wanting to quit to requiring WoW to keep going as it was'nt the real world as I was in a bad place, all my friends were my ex's friends and they just shut me out.
After a dispute with my guild leader I was kicked from the guild, after 2/3 months without raiding I quickly saw just how dull the game was and after many failed attempts to join new guilds or raid groups just how elitest some of the people were. I was hitting walls with these people not letting me join in games with the 'big boys' and I felt like I was encountering the problems I used WoW to escape from, now I'm learning to play Dengeons & Dragons, Warhammer and catching up on alot of readind also alot of console game that I've bought and just never played since purchesing.
On the flip side I do miss alot of the friends I had on WoW I was really close to alot of them, I gave them my email adress and few I have on MSN already but they never come on as they're always playing WoW, I'm rather sad that now I'm not on WoW they don't seem to want to talk to me via email or MSN. Another problems I'm having is a sort of withdrawl syndrome, after playing other games and activities for two weeks I'm finding myself getting bored of them fast, wanting to go back onto WoW, not even to play, just to talk to people I know on there that I miss, but it's a costly IM service.
There should be a health warning with WoW or a higher age restriction, it is dangarous to those who have problems they need to escape from, but if you can kick it I suggest you do. Lifes mre fun than fake one, you just need to try hard at it.
After a dispute with my guild leader I was kicked from the guild, after 2/3 months without raiding I quickly saw just how dull the game was and after many failed attempts to join new guilds or raid groups just how elitest some of the people were. I was hitting walls with these people not letting me join in games with the 'big boys' and I felt like I was encountering the problems I used WoW to escape from, now I'm learning to play Dengeons & Dragons, Warhammer and catching up on alot of readind also alot of console game that I've bought and just never played since purchesing.
On the flip side I do miss alot of the friends I had on WoW I was really close to alot of them, I gave them my email adress and few I have on MSN already but they never come on as they're always playing WoW, I'm rather sad that now I'm not on WoW they don't seem to want to talk to me via email or MSN. Another problems I'm having is a sort of withdrawl syndrome, after playing other games and activities for two weeks I'm finding myself getting bored of them fast, wanting to go back onto WoW, not even to play, just to talk to people I know on there that I miss, but it's a costly IM service.
There should be a health warning with WoW or a higher age restriction, it is dangarous to those who have problems they need to escape from, but if you can kick it I suggest you do. Lifes mre fun than fake one, you just need to try hard at it.
If this is a true story, I applaud your courage sir. I don't know though. Blizzard is pretty stacked.
I agree... I really want to hear from someone still on the hold of WoW what the attraction is, what is it that makes it better than real life (which clearly is for those who are addicted to the game).Serenegoose said:
I have also steered clear of not only MMOs like WoW, but even of simpler games like Farmville because I know I have an addictive nature. I do play games though, and not all casual, but only the kind that do not demand a big commitment and can be abandoned at the drop of a hat without consequences.
Hmmm it's hard to keep perspective but it is possible, as a raider I log in for raids during the week nothing else, and my Sundays are spent sorting out all my other WoW needs (gear earned, strategies, gemming enchanting, farming fish and other materials), Fridays are raid free no matter what so Friday night and Saturday I can spend doing plenty of other things like going out, or work.
To me it's just my hobby, nothing else. My guild mates, while nice, are not the most important people in my life, I can move on easily, but that's also something unique to me, in that I have moved so many times, to so many countries in my life, adjustment is apart of who I am, and I think has made me immune to the lull of being caught in that social trap. I simply don't get attached as easily as most.
There's a deeper problem with me is that I'm almost terrified of getting attached but it does help keep my WoW fixation under healthy control.
To me it's just my hobby, nothing else. My guild mates, while nice, are not the most important people in my life, I can move on easily, but that's also something unique to me, in that I have moved so many times, to so many countries in my life, adjustment is apart of who I am, and I think has made me immune to the lull of being caught in that social trap. I simply don't get attached as easily as most.
There's a deeper problem with me is that I'm almost terrified of getting attached but it does help keep my WoW fixation under healthy control.
Human nature to seek interaction with others, achievement, reward, and a sense of accomplishment is not something that you can or should turn off. MMO's offer this in a similar manner to online sports games, shooters, fighters, or gambling.
The key is that for raiders you are getting a feeling of being part of a team that works together. This is a natural drive and explains a lot of why it's so appealing. In many ways I'd say this is far healthier behavior than watching TV for 4 hours a night. But it's when it becomes 8 hours+, and you start ignoring other aspects of your life that it gets out of whack. Same could be said for playing poker or knitting.
The key is that for raiders you are getting a feeling of being part of a team that works together. This is a natural drive and explains a lot of why it's so appealing. In many ways I'd say this is far healthier behavior than watching TV for 4 hours a night. But it's when it becomes 8 hours+, and you start ignoring other aspects of your life that it gets out of whack. Same could be said for playing poker or knitting.
I can honestly say, despite playing WoW for nearly 4 years now, i've never been this addicted! I mean yes i'll admit i'm addicted, or at least i was (waiting for MOP official release as Beta is extremely buggy at the minute) but i've always been able to prioritise. I have friends that suffered at college and university because of it, but i've always been able to do work first; I have strong willpower it seems mwahahaha
I played WoW for six years, and pretty extensively, but that was mostly just time I would have spent playing some other game anyway. It did get out of hand one time, though. I was in college and my summer job had fallen through, so I was left with little to do, and my friends all had jobs themselves, so I didn't really see anyone. After it ended, I was completely out-of-touch with everyone, and my friends managed to shame me back into line pretty quickly. For a while, I would say to myself, "What did I do in July [2008]? Oh, right. I played WoW."
Now I'm on some other game with other friends. I'm up pretty late most nights (not game-related, but I'm on because it doesn't take much concentration), and one guy said, "[I haven't quite done enough damage to this boss], and he'll be dead by the time I wake up. I've been trying to get that blade."
My reply: "YEAH YOU BETTER STAY UP SO YOU CAN GET THAT PICTURE WITH NUMBERS NEXT TO IT!"
Now I'm on some other game with other friends. I'm up pretty late most nights (not game-related, but I'm on because it doesn't take much concentration), and one guy said, "[I haven't quite done enough damage to this boss], and he'll be dead by the time I wake up. I've been trying to get that blade."
My reply: "YEAH YOU BETTER STAY UP SO YOU CAN GET THAT PICTURE WITH NUMBERS NEXT TO IT!"