The Addiction To World Of Warcraft...

Yea, so, i was told by alot of people that WoW is a really fun game and most of my friends with computers play it alot. none of them never told me it was addicting.. until i went to buy it when the cashier manager told me. "You shouldnt buy this game, you'll seriously get addicted" but i buy it anyways.... its downloading right now at the moment.... (a lil slow)

But i just wanted to talk about why the game is so addicting to people? if it is...

I will tell you exactly why it's addictive, because I played it and know why. WoW taps into the psychological part of our brain that wants us to reward ourselves. When you get paid at work, you don't necessarily get enjoyment out of the cash, so you spend it on something else and gain utility from it - say a coat or trousers, perhaps a TV, NOT food because thats a required commodity, I'm talking about recreational things.

In World of Warcraft, the same thing happens with gear. You invest many hours into this game because of a psychological drive to better yourself - Mazlow's hierachy, Self Fulfilment right at the top. You want to be the best you can be. The issue is that this cannot happen in real life unless you really work at it, but in WoW it's fairly easy to achieve. You gain nice looking gear, your character looks fleshed out and you highly enjoy playing him, you get utility from playing the game.

This is where the addiction kicks in - WoW never ends, the gear just gets better and better (with expansions + content) and it never stops coming, and if you allow yourself to get caught by investing too many straight hours, you will push yourself to better your character more and more. This is where the raiding, grinding and time sinks appear because you want to achieve the top. Of course it never happens because WoW is effectively the search for the Holy Grail - it's a concept, the long, endless road to perfection but what you get in the end differs from person to person. In WoW this can either be enjoyment by playing with friends or by bettering yourself with gear. Either way, the game supposedly rewards you, and that makes you want more and more.

well if u have doubts to it saddictiveness they have there own WoW anonymous online. you can google this seriously and you will find it. so yeah id avoid if u want avoid becoming like ppl who play evercrack (everquest). and its not a very good game its flaws have no excuse and everything u do is rather meaningless unless u count self-motivated.

The addiction stems from three sources imo

1. Gear addicts. These people want the best gear, period. If an item is really good, has a .01% chance of dropping off a boss in a dungeon that takes four hours to finish, they will do it every day until it drops.

2. "Winners". These people play to win, and like someone before said, there is no way to really win this game. It just keeps going and going. Now Blizzard even added acheivements, so there is another thing to "win" on and people will spend days exploring all the zones theyve already been to just to get an achevement unlocked.

3. Bad social life. Some people just dont go out a lot, and WoW is a way to have a social life of sorts without real human contact. This is made worse due to the large player base WoW has, and as a result you can find hundreds, if not thousands, of people just like you who dont want to go out in real life, yet are perfectly happy spending six hours a day doing stuff in WoW. I wouldnt call this an addicition so much as a dependency.

With that said, here are some tips Ive learned from playing for over four years on how to not get addicted

1. Do not lust after gear. Good gear is easy to get. But the gap between good gear and amazing gear is huge. So while you might invest a Saturday morning or two to get pretty good gear, it will take you weeks of 4+ hour days to get great gear. In short, there is a diminishing return on your time to get great gear. So just dont even bother.

2. Take your time. There is an incredible amount of lore, plot, history, etc in World of Warcraft. So read the quest descriptions, listen to the NPCs, and enjoy your time. WoW is easy to level enough as it is, so if you play casually and take in everything you can still be level 60 within a couple months.

3. Do not powerlevel. This goes in line with point 2, but its worth stating again. Do not grind mobs mindlessly in a vain attempt to reach level 60 within a week. Its just not worth it.

4. Every few months, take a break. I usually take mine during the summer, when there is lots to do outside and the girls are dressing down. One month, two months...it doesnt matter, just freeze your account (dont worry, your characters dont get deleted) and go outside.

Like I said, it took me a couple years to appreciate WoW as a good, casual game. Ive stumbled close to the addiction line myself a couple times, and even now I have been spending a bit too much time with (new expansion) so I have cancelled my subscription for a few months. That brings me to my final point: if you feel like youre spending too much time, you problably are. Step back, reassess your priorities, and move on.

Remember, real life > WoW

Yea, so, i was told by alot of people that WoW is a really fun game and most of my friends with computers play it alot. none of them never told me it was addicting.. until i went to buy it when the cashier manager told me. "You shouldnt buy this game, you'll seriously get addicted" but i buy it anyways.... its downloading right now at the moment.... (a lil slow)

But i just wanted to talk about why the game is so addicting to people? if it is...

qpYoungonEqp

Not that you're a liar... ok, yes you are. No Cashier manager is going to disuade you from buying something from their store.

I dont think the game is acually addicting....

I think the reason why people stay on so long is because they only get 1 - 2 months of play time (until they get another Pre-paid card) and im guessing that they dont want to waste that time maybe, so the players stay on and try not to waste time on it and get as much done as they can.

[QUOTE="qpYoungonEqp"]

Yea, so, i was told by alot of people that WoW is a really fun game and most of my friends with computers play it alot. none of them never told me it was addicting.. until i went to buy it when the cashier manager told me. "You shouldnt buy this game, you'll seriously get addicted" but i buy it anyways.... its downloading right now at the moment.... (a lil slow)

But i just wanted to talk about why the game is so addicting to people? if it is...

Johnny_Rock

Not that you're a liar... ok, yes you are. No Cashier manager is going to disuade you from buying something from their store.

another brainless post. seems one person here is most detached from reality than the rest of us.

it's called humanity u dh. look it up.

That cashier sounds like he should learn to mind his own business. I hate when one tries to recommend something else or give you advice when you really don't want any.

But anyways, I personally don't think it's that addicting. I never was "addicted" to it when I used to play it, I'd even go a week or two without playing sometimes. It's just not that interesting when there are so many other games to play, plus that 15 dollars a month is kind of a pain if I'm trying to save up for something else.

Hmm.... I've played it, and its acually not to bad so far! acually fun! how come it sucks to everyone?qpYoungonEqp

Any MMO, or game for that matter, can take up a lot of your time if you let them. Of course, if that's what you like to do with your free time, then by all means enjoy yourself. Just be sure to take care of yourself, and not abandon your regular life priorities for WOW, or any other game.

The only reason why this issue has become so prevalent with WOW, and not other MMOs, is simply because of its popularity and meshing of hardcore and casual gamers. And the game has a **** of quests, I mean they like never end. But you can play for hours on end or in small bursts, that's really up to you.

I acually knew the guy, so yea dont jusge me and say im a liar smart one. He's my best friend's brother. and he works at Gamestop. That explain alot to u? >.>qpYoungonEqp

Sure does. That you have a lie to back up your other lie. If he was your friend, you would have said so in the first post instead of referring to him as "a cashier".

Fail.

[QUOTE="Johnny_Rock"][QUOTE="qpYoungonEqp"]

Yea, so, i was told by alot of people that WoW is a really fun game and most of my friends with computers play it alot. none of them never told me it was addicting.. until i went to buy it when the cashier manager told me. "You shouldnt buy this game, you'll seriously get addicted" but i buy it anyways.... its downloading right now at the moment.... (a lil slow)

But i just wanted to talk about why the game is so addicting to people? if it is...

tradward

Not that you're a liar... ok, yes you are. No Cashier manager is going to disuade you from buying something from their store.

another brainless post. seems one person here is most detached from reality than the rest of us.

it's called humanity u dh. look it up.

What???

just watch the episode on south park about WoW that totally put me off the game lol but getting to the point i got up to lvl 18 but just stoped playing because my free 15 day pass ended. But from what i herd once you reach lvl 60 or 70 that's when the addiction part starts iki080

Actually the quests in Northrend (68-80) are some of the best in the game.

[QUOTE="iki080"]just watch the episode on south park about WoW that totally put me off the game lol but getting to the point i got up to lvl 18 but just stoped playing because my free 15 day pass ended. But from what i herd once you reach lvl 60 or 70 that's when the addiction part starts Johnny_Rock

Actually the quests in Northrend (68-80) are some of the best in the game.

It's a shame then that once you hit 80, the quests end and you are back to grinding gear and/or money. If WoW gave you the ability to level up ANY character (not just DK's) from a starting level of 55, I would probably play it. Because lore wise I would adore a paladin, but grinding from 1 to 80 will take months and THAT is why people get hooked. You don't like being low level, so you invest more and more time to gain the levels quicker and it's a horrendous time sink. But once you hit 80, nothing changes, it's just money or gear grinding instead of level grinding, and the time you invest in the game remains constant to what you're used to (12 hours a day minimum? perhaps).

[QUOTE="Johnny_Rock"]

[QUOTE="iki080"]just watch the episode on south park about WoW that totally put me off the game lol but getting to the point i got up to lvl 18 but just stoped playing because my free 15 day pass ended. But from what i herd once you reach lvl 60 or 70 that's when the addiction part starts Solidus171

Actually the quests in Northrend (68-80) are some of the best in the game.

It's a shame then that once you hit 80, the quests end and you are back to grinding gear and/or money. If WoW gave you the ability to level up ANY character (not just DK's) from a starting level of 55, I would probably play it. Because lore wise I would adore a paladin, but grinding from 1 to 80 will take months and THAT is why people get hooked. You don't like being low level, so you invest more and more time to gain the levels quicker and it's a horrendous time sink. But once you hit 80, nothing changes, it's just money or gear grinding instead of level grinding, and the time you invest in the game remains constant to what you're used to (12 hours a day minimum? perhaps).

I never got caught in the "addiction" mainly due to the fact that I have children which limits my time in game. My highest level character is a 73 Warrior that I started when the game first launched. But people that do have loads of time, that I know personally, do get lost in it... very easily.

[QUOTE="qpYoungonEqp"]Hmm.... I've played it, and its acually not to bad so far! acually fun! how come it sucks to everyone?HondaSnake

just watch the episode on south park about WoW that totally put me off the game lol but getting to the point i got up to lvl 18 but just stoped playing because my free 15 day pass ended. But from what i herd once you reach lvl 60 or 70 that's when the addiction part starts iki080

Should have got warhammer instead the game is great and doesnt give you the must stay on to grind to better my character feel, you can PVP and public quest right from the start you can have fun, with wow it's super boring until your 70+ and wasted hours and hours of game time you could spend on other games, ive seen friends go from gamers to just WOW players it's a bloody disgracebigLLL

I agree with this guy. I used to have a friend who was an Xbox 360 gamer, and was well respected. Then he bought WOW, ditched his 360, and now he's a complete social reject who nobody really cares for anymore, because all he ever does is play that same bloody game.

Delete your character and account and play a real game...problem solved.jmnderson69

Lol, nice one.

The addiction stems from three sources imo

1. Gear addicts. These people want the best gear, period. If an item is really good, has a .01% chance of dropping off a boss in a dungeon that takes four hours to finish, they will do it every day until it drops.

2. "Winners". These people play to win, and like someone before said, there is no way to really win this game. It just keeps going and going. Now Blizzard even added acheivements, so there is another thing to "win" on and people will spend days exploring all the zones theyve already been to just to get an achevement unlocked.

3. Bad social life. Some people just dont go out a lot, and WoW is a way to have a social life of sorts without real human contact. This is made worse due to the large player base WoW has, and as a result you can find hundreds, if not thousands, of people just like you who dont want to go out in real life, yet are perfectly happy spending six hours a day doing stuff in WoW. I wouldnt call this an addicition so much as a dependency.

With that said, here are some tips Ive learned from playing for over four years on how to not get addicted

1. Do not lust after gear. Good gear is easy to get. But the gap between good gear and amazing gear is huge. So while you might invest a Saturday morning or two to get pretty good gear, it will take you weeks of 4+ hour days to get great gear. In short, there is a diminishing return on your time to get great gear. So just dont even bother.

2. Take your time. There is an incredible amount of lore, plot, history, etc in World of Warcraft. So read the quest descriptions, listen to the NPCs, and enjoy your time. WoW is easy to level enough as it is, so if you play casually and take in everything you can still be level 60 within a couple months.

3. Do not powerlevel. This goes in line with point 2, but its worth stating again. Do not grind mobs mindlessly in a vain attempt to reach level 60 within a week. Its just not worth it.

4. Every few months, take a break. I usually take mine during the summer, when there is lots to do outside and the girls are dressing down. One month, two months...it doesnt matter, just freeze your account (dont worry, your characters dont get deleted) and go outside.

Like I said, it took me a couple years to appreciate WoW as a good, casual game. Ive stumbled close to the addiction line myself a couple times, and even now I have been spending a bit too much time with (new expansion) so I have cancelled my subscription for a few months. That brings me to my final point: if you feel like youre spending too much time, you problably are. Step back, reassess your priorities, and move on.

Remember, real life > WoW

mrbojangles25

quoted for absolute truth.

i would say play it, but don't let it run your life depend on it. only play it casually and you will get a MUCH better experience

[QUOTE="jmnderson69"]Delete your character and account and play a real game...problem solved.Kail_Reborn

Lol, nice one.

[QUOTE="Kail_Reborn"]

[QUOTE="jmnderson69"]Delete your character and account and play a real game...problem solved.HondaSnake

Lol, nice one.

Definately. There are some absolutely incredible games you can find (The Witcher: EE). Why waste your opportunity playing them by playing the most average game of all time?

[QUOTE="mrbojangles25"]

The addiction stems from three sources imo

1. Gear addicts. These people want the best gear, period. If an item is really good, has a .01% chance of dropping off a boss in a dungeon that takes four hours to finish, they will do it every day until it drops.

2. "Winners". These people play to win, and like someone before said, there is no way to really win this game. It just keeps going and going. Now Blizzard even added acheivements, so there is another thing to "win" on and people will spend days exploring all the zones theyve already been to just to get an achevement unlocked.

3. Bad social life. Some people just dont go out a lot, and WoW is a way to have a social life of sorts without real human contact. This is made worse due to the large player base WoW has, and as a result you can find hundreds, if not thousands, of people just like you who dont want to go out in real life, yet are perfectly happy spending six hours a day doing stuff in WoW. I wouldnt call this an addicition so much as a dependency.

With that said, here are some tips Ive learned from playing for over four years on how to not get addicted

1. Do not lust after gear. Good gear is easy to get. But the gap between good gear and amazing gear is huge. So while you might invest a Saturday morning or two to get pretty good gear, it will take you weeks of 4+ hour days to get great gear. In short, there is a diminishing return on your time to get great gear. So just dont even bother.

2. Take your time. There is an incredible amount of lore, plot, history, etc in World of Warcraft. So read the quest descriptions, listen to the NPCs, and enjoy your time. WoW is easy to level enough as it is, so if you play casually and take in everything you can still be level 60 within a couple months.

3. Do not powerlevel. This goes in line with point 2, but its worth stating again. Do not grind mobs mindlessly in a vain attempt to reach level 60 within a week. Its just not worth it.

4. Every few months, take a break. I usually take mine during the summer, when there is lots to do outside and the girls are dressing down. One month, two months...it doesnt matter, just freeze your account (dont worry, your characters dont get deleted) and go outside.

Like I said, it took me a couple years to appreciate WoW as a good, casual game. Ive stumbled close to the addiction line myself a couple times, and even now I have been spending a bit too much time with (new expansion) so I have cancelled my subscription for a few months. That brings me to my final point: if you feel like youre spending too much time, you problably are. Step back, reassess your priorities, and move on.

Remember, real life > WoW

shakmaster13

quoted for absolute truth.

i would say play it, but don't let it run your life depend on it. only play it casually and you will get a MUCH better experience

you're right dont ever let your life depend on games.i heard a guy was playing this game for like three months online and when he lost he threw him self of the bridge and,well he died.

The addiction stems from three sources imo

1. Gear addicts. These people want the best gear, period. If an item is really good, has a .01% chance of dropping off a boss in a dungeon that takes four hours to finish, they will do it every day until it drops.

2. "Winners". These people play to win, and like someone before said, there is no way to really win this game. It just keeps going and going. Now Blizzard even added acheivements, so there is another thing to "win" on and people will spend days exploring all the zones theyve already been to just to get an achevement unlocked.

3. Bad social life. Some people just dont go out a lot, and WoW is a way to have a social life of sorts without real human contact. This is made worse due to the large player base WoW has, and as a result you can find hundreds, if not thousands, of people just like you who dont want to go out in real life, yet are perfectly happy spending six hours a day doing stuff in WoW. I wouldnt call this an addicition so much as a dependency.

With that said, here are some tips Ive learned from playing for over four years on how to not get addicted

1. Do not lust after gear. Good gear is easy to get. But the gap between good gear and amazing gear is huge. So while you might invest a Saturday morning or two to get pretty good gear, it will take you weeks of 4+ hour days to get great gear. In short, there is a diminishing return on your time to get great gear. So just dont even bother.

2. Take your time. There is an incredible amount of lore, plot, history, etc in World of Warcraft. So read the quest descriptions, listen to the NPCs, and enjoy your time. WoW is easy to level enough as it is, so if you play casually and take in everything you can still be level 60 within a couple months.

3. Do not powerlevel. This goes in line with point 2, but its worth stating again. Do not grind mobs mindlessly in a vain attempt to reach level 60 within a week. Its just not worth it.

4. Every few months, take a break. I usually take mine during the summer, when there is lots to do outside and the girls are dressing down. One month, two months...it doesnt matter, just freeze your account (dont worry, your characters dont get deleted) and go outside.

Like I said, it took me a couple years to appreciate WoW as a good, casual game. Ive stumbled close to the addiction line myself a couple times, and even now I have been spending a bit too much time with (new expansion) so I have cancelled my subscription for a few months. That brings me to my final point: if you feel like youre spending too much time, you problably are. Step back, reassess your priorities, and move on.

Remember, real life > WoW

mrbojangles25

It is fun and rewarding. It is like a Sims that you don't get sick of so fast.