World of Warcrack
I just read a heartfelt post of a “recovering WoW” player. His experience with the game sounded too much like plain drug or alcohol addiction.
Blizzard created a game that you simply can not win.
And people put everything on the line for these accomplishments with which they associate much value. I know of children and spouses being forced to play and grind for their parents, threats of divorce, rampant neglect, failing grades in school, and thousands of dollars spent on “outsourcing” foreign help. For what, you ask? Honor. The desire to be the best for at least one week. To get the best loot in the game. What do these “heroes” receive? Why, cheers and accolades of course as they parade along in their new shiny gear… which is obsolete the first time they step into one of the premier instances. The accomplishment and sacrifice itself are meaningless a few days later. Then it’s usually off to the races again.
I know that I have a highly addictive personality so I’ve made it a point to deeply scrutinize any activity I participate in. I hope that my friends who are WoW players don’t fall into the same holes as the people described in the post.
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While what he says is valid for *some* play-styles in WoW, I felt it important to mention that you can also have a perfectly enjoyable experience without spending so much time. The author of the essay actually did suggest this, but it was largely veiled by his own negative experience.
His article really only touched upon “raids,” which are large 20-40 player groups tackling very complicated “dungeons.” These dungeons are typically extremely difficult and can take many hours to get through even once your group has mastered them. Additionally, to master them you often have to have a plethora of potions and such ready before you go in, as they will be needed for certain fights. The preparation of all these potions can take additional hours as you “farm” for the materials needed to make them.
The other type of game play does not involve raiding. It involves more of what you’d imagine when you think of an RPG: questing, adventuring, and discovering new places. You can do all of this at your own pace, as there are no time limits. If you can only play for an hour or two at a time, that works. The quests don’t have time limits, and the NPCs giving them out don’t get tired of waiting for you.
There are also smaller dungeons designed for 5-person groups, and these are generally far less complicated and require much less (if any) preparation like a raid dungeon would.
In conclusion, I feel it is completely possible to play WoW, have lots of fun, and *not* spend 30 hours per week doing so.
Great counterpoint, Joe. Like anything, I guess, WoW can be taken too far.
I keep thinking of the similarity to alcohol, though. Alcohol is completely legal and I can personally attest to its ability to enhance social activities when taken in moderation (or not… sometimes).
People can become addicted to alcohol, and their lives could potentially be ruined because of it. We have laws in place to deter that kind of behavior, of course. We have support groups and organizations to help people recover from addiction.
I’m wondering if WoW addiction, or even video game addiction in general will follow suit to the same degree.
Here’s a rebuttal from a leader in the same guild as the originator of that first article.