Are you addicted to WoW? Warcraft addictions seem to be fairly common. I’m definitely not saying there is anything wrong with video game addictions. We all need to have at least one addiction or two in life. Video game addiction is better for you than say an addiction to crack or meth, plus video games don’t turn your lips purple, at least in most cases anyway.
AskApadwe.com put together an interesting collection of WoW addictions. Head over there to check it out sometime and see if any of the stories sound familiar. Some of these stories are on the sad side, but they are part of life. Fortunately whenever my girlfriend complains about me playing too many games, I can tell her it’s for work and everything is good.
I find all of this a bit strange. My wife is addicted to WOW. I dont know what to do. she plays with every free moment she has. Ever since BC came out she has been playing nonstop. My problem with it is all the time dedicated to playing. She spends more time with her online friends, which are all guys, than she does with me. I have also found that she has one of her online friends phone number and they are conversing out of the game.
I am at my wits end. I feel i should call this guy and let him know she is married and not on Wow to hook up but i am afraid of what the consequences of doing that will be. I am this close to filing for divorce. And when i do i will send blizzard and dell a thank you for ruining my marriage. without them (blizzard and dell) i think i would still have my wife.
221 Comments to World of Warcraft Addiction Stories
by: neonangel
On July 16, 2007 at 11:37 pm
I just quit WoW after nearly 2 years of it. I had three level 70s with six more alts in the 30-45 range…so yeah, I played a lot. Like many of the other stories you read, WoW was the only thing I ever did when I wasn’t working. I didn’t quit by choice though. My girlfriend of nearly 9 years gave me an ultimatum to either quit the game or get out.
Of course now I’m blogging constantly, so it’s either one addiction or another.
by: William
On July 16, 2007 at 11:53 pm
that’s the thing people do not understand about addictions…it’s a personality trait and I firmly believe that anyone who is addicted to something will have to replace it with something else before quitting.
by: zarph
On July 17, 2007 at 5:34 am
Yea, I’ve been playing WoW since it came out and I can never stop playing it. The problem is I am only 15 and just left school, now waiting for my exam results I fear that because I was playing WoW alot between my exams that it would have a major effect on my results. I know it’s a problem and that I need to stop playing but its just so dam hard to quit.
by: Joelteon7
On July 17, 2007 at 5:46 am
I’ve always said that everyone needs an addiction and I agree with William, it’s a trait of life and yeah, this isn’t as bad as drugs, but it can kill your social life in exchange for saying “Awww dude, just got me some sweet epic gear. +20 endurance” (or however it goes, hell I dunno). I’m sure I’d like the game, but I just don’t want to get drawn into it.
Additionally, I dislike the idea of paying monthly. It forces you to want to play it. Also, I prefer to go from game to game. Yeah, if a game is addicting you’ll play it for hours on end (Star Ocean, first disc, very addicting) but you need to break it up (Wipeout: Fusion).
by: Jimmy T
On July 17, 2007 at 1:36 pm
How can World of Warcraft not be addicting? Although I no longer play, I sometimes feel tempted when I think about it. I had to quit when I realized it was sucking the life out of me (which is fine) but I have other priorities.
If I ever win the lottery….aside from making sure my family is taken care of and I do all the things I’ve dreamed of, I would definitely start playing WoW again.
by: Paolo
On July 17, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Will ur not alone
my gf of over 4 years did that shit to me… gradually she played more than spending time with me…even on my b-day she played wow then spending anytime with me…theres no winner in that situation bro… think about it before you do something stupid…i made a choice that basically destroyed everything
by: Russ
On July 17, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Holy piss! You’re afraid to talk to your wife?
That’s the real problem
by: Tristan
On July 17, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Blizzrd or Dell didn’t ruin your marriage. Obviously you should be going to counseling if you’re thinking about a divorce because of a video game. Talk to her about it. Tell her you don’t like her playing that much. I don’t play when my girlfriend is home. I play in my real free time. True, I’m not leveling nearly as fast with this character, but there are other things that are more important than a video game. I talk to many people outside of the game. Some of which are female. I have no other intentions other than talking to them. Basically what I’m saying is:
Stop blaming companies and start blaming someone who’s really at fault.
by: Dan
On July 17, 2007 at 7:43 pm
If you get addicted to a video game then you fail as a human being.
by: HomicideSIN
On July 17, 2007 at 7:49 pm
hm …
So you’re blameing your complete failure to keep her interested on a online game, which could at least satisfy her time?
there is cause and effect here – except it isn’t
Dell and WoW stole my wife!
It’s simply becuse you’re a failure.
Gameover, please try again.
by: Marc
On July 17, 2007 at 7:51 pm
In response to the guy that losing his marriage.. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! Seriously.. Get on there, especially when you know she is playing too.
When you are a pathetic newbie, other players usually want to help you out.. Tell them your plight. You might find an online romance to counter your wives. Find a bunch of girls on there and get their numbers too. Make her jealous..
She obviously likes to play games. My guess is that she’s into mind games just like all women are. Become more powerful than she is with a bigger following of friends! You never know, the two tribes could merge and you may end up with an online romance with your wife, imagine that!
by: Tom
On July 17, 2007 at 7:52 pm
I was addicted to WoW for 2 years, I got a job at a net cafe just so I could play it constantly all day long, I failed all my university courses and alienated those who love me. I would dream about dungeon raid tactics whilst asleep and I lived off microwave noodles.
I didn’t do any laundry, I hardly left the house apart from going to work, and I also started drinking heavily during long night raids.
My girlfriend eventually told me it was her or WoW, and I spent a few days weighing the two up (I actually made a pro-con chart between the two) and in the end, she won over Warcraft.
I can’t believe i nearly choose a video game over my girlfriend….
now I stand firmly against WoW and all online games, it’s all solo RPG’s for me now.
by: shams
On July 17, 2007 at 7:53 pm
I played WoW for 4 months and got utterly tired of it…I am probably one of the rarest gamers who actually didn’t like WoW since it was soooo time consuming. I only had a lvl 47 war and never played BC. I believe addiction isn’t a innate, it’s a characteristic of the person…i also believe wow addiction is pretty similiar to drug addiction
wow addiction – play 15 hrs a day, loose money, first friends leave you and then loved ones leave you and end up alone
drug addiction – smoke/inject w/e 4-5 times a week, loose money, first firends leave you then loved ones leave you and again end up alone….
its very say but true
look forward to everyone’s feedback, bad or good
by: Arangil
On July 17, 2007 at 7:57 pm
It sounds like you let this problem happen by not talking it out with your wife. You can’t blame the game for being a game, or the game company for making games, but you can blame yourself and your wife for not dealing with the problem sooner. Talk it over with her and tell her that either the game goes or you do. This method is incredibly effective (I saw it used on my friend) Fourtunatley it’s never been used on me, I would rather spend time with my girlfriend than a game
by: Peter Smith
On July 17, 2007 at 8:01 pm
I played it for 6 months and got one char to lvl 56. I kinda quit around lvl 50 then left the game. I came to WOW with no experience of MMORPG and was dissapointed to find there were not a 100 thousand players forming a community but different servers subdivided and seperate, mostly with about a few thousand players and a few hundred online, at my lvl and playing.
So after joining a good guild an playing fo a bait the whole thing started to become pointless, kill X number of animals and fly to 3 places then return got really boring. I would say to anyone play it for the first 6 months and enjoy the whole experience of discovering the world and getting into it then quit because there is no hidden part to WOW.
by: Eric
On July 17, 2007 at 8:24 pm
The easiest way to quit WoW is to look at Everquest. I spent so much time on that thing, and even if I wanted to keep up with that addiction, there’s no one left to play with! WoW will be just like that. In 5-6 years, the game will be dead as any other MMO and you will have wasted your time. Just try to look at the fact that your efforts, no matter what, in the long run will be for NOTHING. Look at it like that and it’s damn easy to quit those.
by: asd
On July 17, 2007 at 8:29 pm
ad:
in:
ad:
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by: WoW Anonymous
On July 17, 2007 at 8:30 pm
i had a wife, 3 houses, 3 cars, money in the bank. i stopped working. i went through a divorce. i had to sell a house. i had to sell a car. i have nothing in my bank account now, but good thing my wow account is paid in full a year in advance. my credit is in ruins.
i don’t care.
i am l337
by: tellos
On July 17, 2007 at 8:30 pm
The best thing to do is not to play on line, that’s it. When I used to play online, I could never stop, there was always someone around the world to play with me, never boring. So now I stopped, and I play only off line, so it’s easier to stop. When a good game comes out, I finish it, then pass to the next one. Also less frustrating.
by: ole_olson
On July 17, 2007 at 8:31 pm
I decided not to buy the game after burning up almost a month of my life using the free trial discs. My wife knew I enjoyed the game and bought it for me as a Valentine’s Day gift but I immediately returned it for fear of what might become of me.
As far as addictions go…yeah everyone has “addictions” and some people are more susceptible to becoming addicted to specific things. It’s just that some products/things seem to be designed in a way as to addict consumers (i.e. tobacco, WoW, etc…).
Rather than say “eveyone needs an addiction”, try saying “everyone needs a hobby”, which is essentially a well managed addiction that doesn’t take control of your life.
by: Satan
On July 17, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I actually found a good blend to enjoy this game at its’ max. while playing WoW, I often times felt that i was too tired to even move my fingers, thus ending my playing session. a friend introduced me to something called “crystal meth”. boy, oh boy! how amazing! now i dont have to worry about falling asleep at the computer. I can stay up for days at a time now, thanks to methamphetamines!
Im just joking. I’ve never tried meth or world of warcraft.
by: Reality
On July 17, 2007 at 8:39 pm
You morons! That’s an addiction? How about this…A couple were just sentenced to prison because they were TOO BUSY WITH WoW TO FEED THEIR BABY!!!
by: soylent green
On July 17, 2007 at 8:48 pm
I am not a WoW addict. My “friend” is though. After introducing him to it he sold his business and stayed at home for 14 months sometimes playing for 36 hours before sleeping. He finally had to get a job b4 almost going bankrupt and losing his house. Now he works for a couple of weeks, just long enough to take care of bills, and then quits, so he can go back to “full time” WoW. He ignores his kids and when he has custody of them (every other week) they eat ramen noodles and wish their dad had more time for them. The whole thing is really sad. I gave up WoW 2 weeks after BC because I didn’t want to end up like the sad loser that was my friend.
by: D.
On June 3, 2009 at 8:21 pm
You know, in the first year I was playing wow it seemed like I would just die without it. But then I turned 12, got a leather jacket, jeans and some awesome shoes. So I decided Hey why not just live a lot more in the reality. So I got a GF and I was still playing wow in between the weekends for an hour or so to get my char up. I leveled quickly though, I didn’t really play much or know, I just kept plowing through every quest I could find and after a year or so I was up to 70, and I just leveled a another char to 29 and partly did battlegrounds to get the items and got him to 39 and left him at that with best gear, but one day my GF decided to surprise me for my 13 Birthday so she sneaked into my room and saw me. She was staring at me in a really weird way, and I thought that was the end of our relationship, but she smiled a huge grin and said “YOU PLAY?” and I said yeah and showed her my chars. Later she told me she played because of her brother who’s in college and her whole family plays so they stay in contact and have fun together. She said she didn’t tell me because I might think of her differently and we just talked for a while and then she showed me her chars on Azjol Nerub and she was way better than me. Later I switched to her realm to play with her. Soon Wrath of The Lich King came out and so her family decided to give it as a present to me, while I was gonna get them WOTLK too. So we got into her dad’s van and headed off to SF blizzard company to get the games and we were waiting in line and everybody rejoiced with hot cocoa, blankets and earmuffs. Soon we had the game and we headed to their house and I downloaded it on the way since I had my laptop and then we all got on it and the death knight area was so packed and lagging, but our computers were very fast and we did our quests and by 11 we had gone to OL and had a 5 man group and we all focused on getting to 80 fast and we did it in about 3 months, and rejoiced our victory by raiding Naxx on heroic and then we went to have a party and her brother had been visiting from college that time around. Now I have an 80 DK named Timebombz on Azjol Nerub and my druid Survivers and we are a happy family and lately my parents have started playing and now I’m in high school and doing great with my GF who turned out to be my soulmate
by: D.
On June 3, 2009 at 8:23 pm
No, WOW will be huge for at least 10 years. Suddenly 11 million people can’t quit like that
by: Phoebe
On June 4, 2009 at 9:25 am
My boyfriend introduced me to WoW last summer, thinking it would be a good thing for us to enjoy together. Needless to say, he got into it pretty heavily, while I started getting bored. He then decided to quit the game. I, however, would still like to play a few nights a week. We came to an agreement that I could raid Tues-Thurs. Other than that, I may get on for an hour or two, with his ok. Now he says I am addicted, and I need to give up the game. Is this an addiction? I don’t agree; WoW is the first and only MMORPG I have ever played. He has given me an ultimatum – him or the game. I don’t do well with ultimatums – especially over something I feel he is making a bigger deal out of than is necessary, and that it’s more a power issue with him than anything else. I’m curious to know what other people think.
by: Wife addicted
On June 4, 2009 at 9:39 am
Help! I did not believe women can get addicted to Warcraft – but its true!
My wife doesnt work, just looks after house and 2 kids, 8 and 4.
She started on this game couple years back to pass some time, now she is addicted.
I know she is having an affair on the internet now, not sure if that parts thru Wow though. I caught her on with a Webcam with some naked guy on the screen. she just said she has no idea how she gets porn on her screen – but im not that stupid.
The house is a mess, the kids run around doing anything they want. I came home the other day and kids had smeared s*** on the bathroom wall!
My son’s pants are 2 sizes too small, and now I have to do groceries because she just gets them mcdonalds every day.
We yell and fight every day now in front of kids. The kids cry and I am pulling out my hair!
I work really long hours just to pay the bills, because my wife does not work.
I still love her and dont know what to do next.
by: WoW Concerned...
On June 9, 2009 at 3:58 pm
First off, I wanted to express some sympathy for those who have friends, loved ones and the like who are addicted to the game. Many people don’t seem to take it so seriously, it is after all “just a game”… but it IS possible to get addicted and the consequences won’t be pleasant. People’s lives get ruined because of these ridiculous games that they let take control of their lives. I am not saying people should quit playing, only that they should limit themselves… most of them simply can’t see how negatively it can affect their lives if they become reliant.
My boyfriend plays WoW. He “quit” once but ended up starting back up again. Now it’s starting to worry me a little bit… the past few months he’s decided to put his effort in at school and do his homework… now all he does is go home and play, I have no idea when he gets off the computer at night. I’m not even sure if he’s been doing his schoolwork… last night he was complaining about how he didn’t want to do it, around 9 pm. He used to not delay it…
I see him like… once a week, and most of the time (recently), he’s been leaving early to go do his “raids”.
I’m scared for him… he has so much potential, he could become anything he wanted to! However, the game seems to be dragging him down just as he started actually caring about education. When I thought he had realized the importance school, he slipped. I know I may sound like a mother, but that’s only because I am in love with him, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him… and high school counts because that’s what colleges look at, and to have a good career it really helps to be accepted into a good college. Know what I mean? He has high goals, but I don’t know how he can achieve them by playing from 2:30 till midnight basically every day…
I don’t want it to ruin us. Last night he told me “Even if you told me to stop, I wouldn’t.”. I have this uneasy feeling about the game, and this fear is just piling up inside. I’m scared. Scared for him, scared for us. I want to be able to provide for the kids… and I don’t want him to be that husband who just sits in front of a monitor the whole day… and night.
Help? Anyone?
by: Jesus
On June 10, 2009 at 9:19 pm
I used to play wow every day for a year and a half, but when lvl 80 came out things didn’t seem the same as it used to be at lvl 70, after 80 it took me 3 months to get to 80 after 80 i played everyday trying to figure out more ways of beating noobs at pvp. Then after all the hard work of getting savage gear spending endless nights making that blue crap actually seem like an epic item ready for arenas. But then the patch came out it turned out that the gear i wanted to get next was available for the same crap i spent doing for savage, it pissed me off so much i just didn’t play for a week, then Endwar came a long and i decided to quit wow gave all my stuff away and offered my character to a friend and well the rest is what i don’t really care about.
by: Liam
On June 14, 2009 at 9:21 am
My name is Liam, and I am 12 years old. I started playing WoW last year, I play WoW for more than 13 – 16 hours a day 10 – 11 when im at school. I have a 73 orc, hunter an 80 Dwarf DK and an 80 Tauren Shaman. I am fully addicted, I wanted to get off at one point, but I just didnt want after a while and it stuck to me. My mum and dad are very concernd with me, but I am fine. I want to get off it but I just love it! I am currently working on a mage, and I hope to level him to 80. My email adress is liam_gleeson8@hotmail.co.uk for more info.
by: Jes
On June 18, 2009 at 11:09 am
I got addicted to this game in highschool because highschool was so stressful for me. I wasn’t treated very nicely by other people which stressed me out. Stress has bad effects on my grades and I began to feel uncomfortable just thinking about school and all those people. Even doing homework reminded me of that place. It got so bad that sometimes not even my most gifted talents and hobbies wouldn’t help. So one day a friend of mine told me about this game and I bought it and started playing. I love Medieval stories so this game was an immediate interest. I made friends on the game and so I devoted to it because it made me feel so much better. I had to struggle hard to get through highschool because of it. Now I’m in college and I love it. I’m around people who like me for who I am and I haven’t been addicted to the game since. I still play but not as much as I use to. Sometimes I play every day for about 4 hours and some days I wont play at all.
Sometimes the addiction may be linked to something else.
by: Too addicted to function
On June 18, 2009 at 10:16 pm
*sigh* i have a major addiction. I am a 13 year old girl and cnt bear to be away from the game for over a day. My comp. is in for repairs (im using my friends for this message) and i am WoWless….. I cant stop thinkng about it. Its like getting off a drug. Any advice???? i LOVE wow, but im afraid it will take controll of my ife, and in 10 years from now i will look back at myslf and regret every bit!!!
-Too addicted to function
by: Kumartheffar
On June 21, 2009 at 11:25 pm
I play, My wife plays and my children play. I have got friends to play and I’m also trying to get my dad and brothers to play. I live in the US but I’m from England and I’d like to be able to keep in touch with my dad and brothers but on a more intimate level higher than IM, Facebook or phone. I enjoy questing with my wife and kids too. I have a job and I play during my lunch hour. Bottom line is I am freaking addicted; but is it a problem?? I don’t think so because I play in moderation. My wife plays in moderation and my kids play in moderation. My kids are not failing in school, in fact they went to college early and my 18yr daughter graduated with honors and my son 16 is getting A’s. In my opinion I do not separate WoW and RL I treat WoW as a part of our real life. It is like that 3 hour game of monopoly you played or playing a sport for half a day. Granted its not the same excercise but its social interaction all the same. I have worked together with up to 39 other real people in a situation which required real thought and skill. I got to know how other people react to real situations and this has brought me closer to them because of it. I now know people who manage to pull off intellectual split second decisions based on a dynamic scenario. If you cannot stop thinking of the game and don’t like it then you know there is a problem with your life. I believe the constant need to separate WoW and RL is a reminder that you have a problem with your Real Life. as for me I see WoW as a part of my real life. I wouldn’t blame the game, I would realize that I could have a problem with myself.
by: Annamalie
On June 22, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I just broke up with my boyfriend over WoW.
He played 70 hours a week, stopped taking care of himself, and gained 50 pounds. He hadn’t done laundry in two months before I stepped in and hid his monitor cable so he would be forced to do it. Hadn’t vacuumed his apartment in 6 months and showered only about three times a week.
He didn’t want to do anything outside the house and when he did, all he did was talk about the game. We started playing the game together and I love WoW but he let it interfere in our relationship and in the end, I gave him an ultimatum and he told me he couldn’t stop playing.
Any addiction is a bad thing. To LOVE LOVE LOVE to do something is one thing, but addiction implies that it has negative effects on your life and that you are almost incapable of stopping without help. Addiction is never good, unless you’re just throwing the word around loosely.
I lost a three year relationship over this video game. It CAN happen to people; there are even websites dedicated to people who have lost a significant other to it. It’s sad and pathetic, but it happens all the time.
by: Austin
On June 23, 2009 at 11:46 am
I am 14 and i used to play world of warcraft alot. I still play but not nearly as much. my advice to you is to slowly ease away from the game because if not you will be really stressed because of quiting and probably turn back to it. I used to play 6-9 hours a dcay which is not as much as most people but still alot for me. Start hanging out with friends more find something you do and replace WoW with that. World of warcraft is a tough game to get away from especially because you make close friends online and its not like you can’t EVER play but playing like 1-2 hours a day is still ok.
by: Jesse
On June 24, 2009 at 3:48 am
I to play WoW. I am 15 and all I do when I get home is play WoW. It consumes much of my time, and I hate myself for playing it so often. I’m not only addicted to this, but now I am addicted to other things like p***, because of the influences in the game. The majority of chat on the computer is about sex, and it is way to easy to access p*** today. I wish I could replace my addictions with ones that cannot harm me……. does anyone have any advice, maybe some ideas that are good to replace both of these with. Thanks
by: MeNotYouToo
On June 24, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Hey Jesse . . . there’s a real practical solution:
1. Move any PC into a family room
2. Limit any PC time to 2 hours a day (1 in the AM and 1 in the PM) but not playing WoW or any MMORPG
3. Uninstall and destroy your copy of WoW and cancel your subscription immediately.
4. Ask your parents (your only 15) for filtered internet access NOW.
5. Go outside and take a walk during those times you’d normally play WoW
6. Consider a part-time job or volunteering somewhere
Good luck!
by: Pino Mataj
On June 27, 2009 at 5:50 am
Heres my tip i play this game like up to 12:00 so this is my tip.If you want to get off the game keep playing till your gamecard expires.If your a guild master just hand guild over to someone you know will look affter it. If you have any questions ask my main
ORCALE-SAURFANG
by: Pino Mataj
On June 27, 2009 at 6:04 am
i have been playing this gmae for like 4 months i cant wait till my gamecard expires then i can got on with my life.I am 12 i am doiing ok in school.If your 8-19 stop playing your ruining your life trust me finish school.if you keep playing yoit eyes will get saggy you will look like a total FREAK no girl/boy will eva like you
by: Jesse
On June 29, 2009 at 1:57 am
thanks for the really good advice!
by: Felicity
On July 10, 2009 at 7:00 am
I really like your attitude. I play afetr my children go to bed. I dont think that WoW negatively affects my life at all. My children play as well, but only in moderation. My husband used to play but he quit a few years ago, now he plays online Poker! But we are still together, next to each other in our big computer room that is a part of our toy filled lounge room. Our children can play whetever game they like, they are so computer savvy.. I juts make sure that all chat is turned off.
I look forward to the children going to bed so that I can finally sit down and relax with my character. I never raid, I dont make friends with strangers and my Guild only has friends and family in it. I collect pets and mounts, do BG’s and rep dailies, and its so much fun!
Good luck to all you people who have issues, I do wish you the best, but there is a way that WoW can fit into an active and full life, and still be rewarding.
by: annoyed
On July 12, 2009 at 9:35 pm
I’ve had the same on going problem. cos my bf lives 2 hours away, I visit him on weekends and stay over. 2 weeks ago he was complaining and saying how he didn’t feel like playing wow and that he was going to stop. his guild transferred servers but we spoke about it and he said he didn’t want to move with them. He got his arena partner’s email (it’s a girl) and they chatted online. last week we had a date in the city at 12. He shows up 2 hours late cos he said he overslept. Afterwards when I was at his house a message from the girl popped up and so I clicked it. then I looked at the message log he’d been speaking to her for 5 hours straight till 6 in the morning which is why he showed up late for the date
It’s making me depressed and I”m not sure what to anymore.
by: addict husband
On July 13, 2009 at 11:54 am
My husband is an addict he plays every day between 6-12hr a day. I dont know what do anymore his been playing for 3 years. We have two kids, that he takes care when Im at work. I know he neglects them, he is alway tire cause he only sleeps for 3-6 hours. He is irritable when he is not playing, can’t talk to him. I’m tire of being a parent by myself!
I need help, to help my kids dad, they miss spending time with him….
by: addicted no longer
On July 13, 2009 at 10:05 pm
wow’s all good and fun ’til the end game. Then it’s constant grind grind grind through the same instances all over and over and over… ad nauseum.
I would rather get paid to endure that sort of boredom at work!
by: WoWittaja
On July 14, 2009 at 5:21 pm
What do you people mean with WoW is boring because of quests (kill that and that do that and that)? Well it maybe boring but you really should lvl up to lvl 80! Then you can start raiding, pvping and much more such fun things! Its very very funny. Like doing arena or 25man ulduar at night for hours! Whats funnier than that? Or just sitting there trying to bear alliances in BG. Or anything! Its very funny and there are 100000things to do. Play on very populated server there can be like 15000-20000ppl online. Remember to bring friends too.
by: how to stop
On July 15, 2009 at 10:54 am
Ask your mom to take it away lol or get good friend to. thats what i did but i didnt ask for it
.
by: Smacky
On July 21, 2009 at 8:34 pm
why quit something you enjoy doing??? xD
no gear = no dps no dps = no raid no raid = no gear oh gawd! =o
by: joanie
On July 24, 2009 at 10:13 am
My husband played WOW in the hospital delivery room while I was in labor having our son!! I now have 2 kids and find myself alone many nights (2-4 nights a week) taking care of them. It has put such a strain on our marriage, not to mention he is sneaky about it, spending money, buying gold and characters without my knowledge, etc.I absolutely despise this game and everything it has done to our lives.
by: Guywhoreallydoesn'tcare
On July 26, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Accidentally break the computer
by: kevlar
On July 30, 2009 at 9:08 am
To get away from WOW, try some real cool hobbies… go skydiving, try kickboxing, travel to another country, go hiking, camping, ask your significant other to strip for you, have a party at your house, hit the gym, go cliffdiving, hitchhike… whatever. There is so much to do out there in the world and too few who are really living. Ask a hot friend to come over and answer the door naked… play robber, play warden’s wife and the escaped convict, go to a UFC in Vegas…. time to live!!!!
by: Dillon
On July 31, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Tom, I thank you SO very much. I don’t know what it was about your comment, but for some reason when I read your comment, my mind just ejected the idea of WoW out of it. My life was most likely saved because of you. Once again, THANK YOU!
by: ryan shuman
On August 1, 2009 at 4:28 am
hi, my names ryan and im 17. i used to play wow alot, wanted to get of and go hang out with friends and go to parties like everyone else, but one problem WOW!! my friends found out about this!, so i gave them my password and account name and security info, i would definetely regret this, if i went on they would change pass, this went on for 4 months its been 1 year and im completely un hooked from wow
by: Kat
On August 1, 2009 at 9:14 am
Are these stories for real lol???
I thought I was becoming addicted then read the above stories. So I have spent most the night waiting for Wotlk to download so I can play the trial, because I cant afford game time at the moment. When my game time was about to end I was relieved and looking forward to not being able to play. Now I just wanna play, but hv decided to take better control of game time, and not stay up all night every night playing, so I cant function during the day. At the end of the day, food on the table a roof over my head and spending time with my son, will always come first. There really is more to life than lvling characters. I was thinking though, if I spent as much time on trade me as I do in the AH, would I end up as rich….. Are there add ons for trade me…..
by: subscription ended
On August 4, 2009 at 2:52 am
It was summer break and college classes were done, so I decided to reactivate my wow account. I didn’t have any plans during the summer, so I thought it wouldn’t do me any harm to resubscribe and play the game.
Now, here I am, already August, and summer is almost over. I can’t believe how much time I’ve wasted playing this game. I have been very addicted before, playing about 6-8 hours a day during last winter, so I promised myself I would play conservatively. I couldn’t. The first thing I would do when I woke up in the morning is turn on my computer, not even take a shower or eat breakfast, and quickly start playing my character. I would play for about six hours, then take a short break to eat food and do some things around the house. I would hop back on the computer shortly, only to continue another 3-4 hours until 2am in the morning and wake up the next day to repeat the same thing. My summer goals were to take summer classes and to hit the gym to gain some mass. I didn’t fulfill any of my goals.
The sad part is that I had summer goals that I wanted to achieve, and I couldn’t fulfill any of them because I was too lazy to do them.
When I went to work, it was extremely tiring and all I could think of was how much longer I need to grind for my Arena epics and brainstorming PvP strategies in my head.
I had to quit. I knew it. It made me cranky at work, made studying so much harder, and all my family members were worried about me. They repeatedly told me it was an addiction, and I can recall some nights where I was so tired my hands were trembling and my eyes were darting uncontrollably. Yes, it sounds exaggerated, but I am dead serious. It was like a cocaine addiction.
How did i decide to quit? Talk to someone you care about. That is your best choice. If your addicted, someone else will know your problem, even if you can’t see yourself addicted at all. My mother, exercised a lot of patience with me and told me everyday that she wished for me to quit. It was a few days ago when I finally complied.
Just go cancel your subscription, delete your characters and uninstall the game. Do it. The more you put it off, the more it will be difficult to do. And one person above me said a valid statement. Just like Everquest or Ultima Online, this game won’t matter at all in a few years. All your time invested in this game will be worthless because there is bound to be a newer, better game than WoW. So if your addicted, you have to quit the game. The whole process takes under 10 minutes. These 10 minutes will save you days and days worth of valuable time.
There are some people who are able to moderately play and successfully implement it to their friends and family. Yet, if it is evident that WoW is more destructive than productive, you must quit. It’s your life, and in the real world you only have one life, you can’t walk back to your corpse.
Lastly, I decided to write this because I know how much WoW can be addictive, I have been a gamer eversince I was an child (about 4-5 years old), and I know a damn good game when I see one. But ultimately, balance is key in life and you must learn to balance your priorities.
Good luck to you all.
by: neil
On August 8, 2009 at 6:56 pm
hey guys/gals,may i just say that i have been playing wow for about 2 years now also,it IS a very addictive game especially for people who have always liked games,i loved playing games all my life (24) and when i finally got broadband and cud play online with other people i was HOOKED. but on the flip side,i still maintain a great social life and i have totally isolated wow life from real life and my g/f. i play the game now only when it does not interfere with me and my g/f communicating and hanging out. the secret is to enjoy the game for what it is.i got pretty hardcore into raidng and stuff AND THIS IS WHERE THE PROBLEMS LIE FOR PEOPLE,and myself included at one time.raids need planning and take major time,so if u are planning something on a game ur not living in the real world ,i mean cmon. my advice is to step back from guilds,dnt make plans or routines and just go online when it suits and play the game. another major problem with people is that the game can sometimes feel like life OR a life that u wish u had.lets face it,in world of warcraft,u are a somebody and that feels fantastic and u shud enjoy that but just remember its a game,and it is much more importatnt to work for goals and achievements in real life.dont let it spoil!
by: Oessy
On August 12, 2009 at 5:47 am
Hi everyone,
After reading all of these comment, I finally come to term with myself to let WoW go.
But before that, let me told you my story.
I love game ever since childhood. When I was 18 to 20, I’m no longer a game person. I go to college and was successful with 3.5 GPA(max GPA is 4.0).
On the summer before transferring into a University, I moved to live with my sister and her husband. My sister’s husband was a successful man who work for Duke Power as a electrical engineer lead. I always look up to him ever since my sister married him. He was a real role model.
During the summer I moved to live with them, I was new to the place and have no friend close by. I then turn back to play game, I always play PS, PS2, and PS3 and never did play online game. Until I watch youtube and got myself watching a World of Warcraft clip. The comment says the game was the best.
I went to Gamestop and bought it the next day, I start playing since then. At first when I was new to everything, I get bore after leveling to 20. After the first month of summer passes, I was a 50 druid and that was when I start to get interest. I meet new friend, we do instance, we level together, we chat. I begin to get addicted to the game. At the time, I found a part-time job. But all I do is play wow till 3 am or even morning then slept all day and only wake up for my part-time job. Once I came home, I eat fast and play WOW and repeat the same thing. It became a habit. When school start, I pass the first semester courses because the class was easy, then winter break came. Never a day was I away from WoW. I repeat the same habit over and over. The second semester after winter break came by, this is the part where I failed all my courses and made a very bad GPA which is a 2 now. During the second semester, I went to school late, after school I came straight to play for a couple hour before my part-time job. After my part-time job, I came home, eat fast and straight for Wow. I got homework and lots to study but I made many excuse just so I feel better not doing it.
After the second semester, I regret everything I done and my relationship with WoW. My sister and her husband was very worry about me through that whole year. He always lecture me as if I was his own blooded brother because he was the only son in his family. They don’t want me playing WoW. He keep lecturing me and give me good advise as to find something else to do. Eventually it hit a point where he give up, but when ever he saw me play, he’ll only tell me to stop playing then went off to his business.
He always says to me “Don’t Marry to World of Warcraft”. Which is a joke but it is serious.
After that second semester of failure, I regret I ever pick WoW up and play for a year. That whole year, I did nothing productive. I gain weight from 180 to 205 pound. Now I look back and realized I live and work part-time just to support my habit with WoW and got nothing done to move me up a level in life. I had live a life full with lies and excuses. When I play WoW, I told myself that I will log off and do my homework at 8 pm, but once it hit 8 pm, I change that to 9 pm. Then move it to another hours until it is very late. Then I told myself I will wake up early in the morning to do it, but never did. I became a piece of shit, a lazy fag, anything negative you want to call me will fit.
Now I quit WoW, I only got one 80 and two 70′s. I deleted them all and along with my account. I trashed the CD unwillingly. Every now and then I watch WoW pvp clip on Youtube and felt anxious to play again. I know it is very easy to play again.
Thanks to all these comments, it make me feel better that I quit. Before I read these comment, I never did come to term with myself even thought I quit WoW. Now I will never look back.
Some comments here say positive thing how WoW make their live better.
But ask you this, “How many Commenter say that”?. Not so many I see, hopefully it stay that way for them.
Ever since I quite WoW, I go to the park whenever I can just to exercise and run or power walk until I’m all worn out. I lost 10 pound and I do 100 push up every night and watch lots of discovery channel, Family guy, South Park, and Crimes. I was a amazed to read a two year old article about a crime in my university.
Now I know, even thought you are smart, you can still get screwed if you don’t control your life.
I don’t blame the game, I blame my own silliness, stupidity, idiotic action.
To me, if your whole family play WoW, it looks okay. But if you or someone in your family is the only one that play it, it will hurt yourself and those that around you.
Reality is not as easy as a game where you can resurrect by going to your corpse, make money by killing creature or mobs.
Those that play WoW are those who can’t win against reality and turn to game to make their dream come true.
I been there, now I will face reality and fight to live in this shit that we called Earth. Earth is full of Shit, yet so beautiful……….
Take my advice, quit.
May be hard to quit now, but when you actually quit, you’ll feel a whole lot better.
You see all the warning through these comments didn’t you?
Have with life, LIVE LIVE LIVE PEOPLE………………………..
by: Oessy
On August 12, 2009 at 6:01 am
I thank you for your comment, it reminded me of myself a whole lot…
But on my part, it’s Education or World of Warcraft.
I can’t believe I almost screw my education because of this game……
Live life hard my friend…………………..
by: EndGame
On August 14, 2009 at 12:50 pm
First off, if you are here reading or posting there is most likely a problem. Asking questions like “Am I addicted?” or “Is someone I know or love addicted?”
More than likely the answer is yes.
If “anything” is taking time away from someone you love or someone not getting their needs fulfilled, then it is a problem, and needs to be dealt with.
This is a game and should be considered as nothing more than a hobby. If you had a hobby like fishing for example. Would you go grab your fishing poles and take off as opposed to spending time with your family or children doing something they like to do? Or doing your chores around the house such as cleaning or keeping the grass mowed? Of course you wouldn’t or at least shouldn’t.
It has to be the decision of the individual playing the game to turn this around. If they can handle cutting back, then that may work. If not then THEY need to make the decision to quit.
As with any addiction the only thing people around them can do is talk to them and let them know what they see and how it’s affecting relationships to the people around them. And do it in a non confrontational manner.
If an ultimatum is what it takes, then do it. But make sure that it isn’t an empty threat, make sure you are ready to follow through with what you have laid out on the table. Breaking up with someone or separating doesn’t mean it’s forever. Most of the time it’s a wake up call and makes the individual with the addiction think that maybe they do have a problem. It may be hard to do with a loved one, but if it saves a relationship or someone wasting their life and missing out on some special times with their loved ones, then it would truly be worth the effort.
This is just my opinion for what it’s worth.
Hope This Helps Someone
EndGame
by: Sam
On August 15, 2009 at 4:28 am
Hey everyone, I am 17 I started playing wow when i was 15 and i was hooked from the very start of the game. I was a young an intrigued boy had allot going for me. My parents were the very best a boy can have they let me do what i want most of the time within reason. I started playing wow when ever i had a spare moment in my life. then it started getting into my daily routines, when i woke up during the day on the weekends, after school. I started heavily eating junk food as it was an easy meal to have access to. I had an internet cafe down the street from my school in grade 8 and i started getting so addicted during the year that i went down there after lunch and sneaked out of school. This started occurring almost every day because wow was always on my mind. When grade 9 came about i started putting on serious weight from going to a 80kg boy to a 90kg. This then turned into 100kgs by grade 10. I had two friends from my state school who i was really close to but they slowly drifted away once they saw what i was really becoming, a pathetic fat kid with no ambitions in my life just world of warcraft. I got so upset with people calling me fat and has no friends that it played on my mind. One day i walked past a gym in grade 10 and saw this brute of a male walk into the gym and everyone wanted to talk to him for some reason and it clicked in my head what if i could become like this, I was so sick and tired of being called fat that i turned to the gym to release all this built up anger i had. I lost 15kilograms from running twice a day and the gym every day for three weeks non stop on my holidays. I came back to school in grade 11 and everything looked at me in horror and couldnt believe what they saw, it was as if i had completely switched bodys with someone else. Everyone started respecting me again. I finally knew what it was like to stop being a no body and becoming a normal human being and then i got more envoled in the gym. I made a program for my self and went 3-4 times a week. At the end of the year i gained 10kgs of muscle and went from 86kg skinny to a 96kg big boy. I took up rowing as a school sport and it was possibly the best thing i have ever done in my life. I know have more friends then i thought i would ever have. It was my first year of rowing and fourth year for the majority of the rest of the boys. I missed out from making the first eight by one second. I had so many people come up to me and embrace what i had achieved. I have never been so happy in my life, I later got a girl friend who was smoking hot and had really great friends and started enjoying life for what it really was.
by: UKmom
On August 18, 2009 at 5:05 am
Hi, Iam watching my 3 brother in-laws and mother in-law destroy their lives over WOW!They have lost jobs over it because they come home from work play all nite till they have to go back and then end up calling in sick because they soo tired from it!they have no social life and are actually becoming ver fat from sittingf infront of computer all day and nite.Shouldnt the company b liable for destroying lives and made to put warning on the games that they are addictive.
by: WoW.Nerd
On August 18, 2009 at 7:43 am
My WoW story is the following…I started playing WoW when I was 13 and BC was not out yet,on a private server with some friends from school but I didn’t like it verry much so I stopped playing it.At 14 I entered high school and a coleague of mine introduced me to another private server wich was pretty good and in 1 month I had a lvl 70.However I soon realized the difference between a private server and Blizzard so after another month I bought the game and started playing it on Blizzard,realm Sylvanas(European realm).I made in about 3 months a lvl 70 rogue but somehow the game began to be boring.I got some epics for the rogue but eventualy I stopped playing the game and began focusing on other single-player games.
In april 2009 however,after talking with some friends on YT,after seeing how nice WotLK is from videos around YT,and after being incredibly bored of SP games I started playing WoW again.Right now I have a lvl 80 DK and a lvl 78 Mage on Al’Akir(European).Things are great.
My thoughts on this ”addiction” are that is nothing wrong having a hobby like WoW.It’s allmost the same thing as socializing.What non WoW players can’t seem to understand is that this is not just a simple game.It’s a comunity.I can’t say I play WoW every hour of my life but on 90% of my free time this is what I do and I feel great about it.
by: WoW.Nerd
On August 18, 2009 at 8:09 am
And an advice for those of you that don’t want to get addicted to the game yet they want to play it.The main reason why this game is so addictive are it’s instances.So,instead of doing them,make only battlegrounds.Make sure you make a good PvP character like a Paladin or a Rogue and start doing battlegrounds.Of course they can be verry frustrating but at least they are not as addictive as raids are.
And if you want to quit the game then you Must search another hobby.People play WoW because,like me,don’t have anything else to do.The ”destroy your computer” thing or ”lock you computer in a safe” doesn’t work and will only make you feel worse,so search for a hobby that will replace WoW and that will not have the same efect like playing WoW.
Hope this helps.
by: Doogie
On August 19, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Sure they can. AION comes out Sept. 22., and there’s been mass dissatisfaction with the meganerf that was 3.2; not to mention the utterly lame-sounding upcoming Cataclysm expansion (no new continent, no new classes, Goblins and Worgen as new playable races, WTF?). I think Blizz shot themselves in one foot with 3.2 and is about to shoot themselves in the other with Cataclysm, and they’re going to see a mass customer exodus to AION which will probably displace them the same way they displaced Everquest. That said, after a year of WoW, I’m done with MMORPGs for good. I’ve got a real life to live.
by: Edwin Widjojo
On August 23, 2009 at 6:31 pm
I used to be addicted in WOW. I had 4 lvl 80s and full geared too. I knew from the beginning this game is very addictive and lots of my friend gamer warned me about it.
However, Let me tell you why did I start playing WOW and how I quited the game.
I am a easily depressed person. I’m Asian, and lived in a very strict, accomplishment bounded rule. Every time I accomplish whatever order given by my parents, instead of getting praised, they will tell me what I missed to the very last detail. I am totally fed up and my only way to get joy is by playing game.
So I decided to purchase WOW and play the game. From the start it feels kinda fun playing this game. I keep playing and playing till I reached the achievements and found guilds. The guilds treat me well, they congratulate me on every accomplishment I have, treated me as human being (eventhough it is through the net). I like the environment, the friendliness in WOW.
Later I found out, I seperated myself from my social life, I gained weight (used to be 180, now I’m at 250), my grades dropping (in fact I got a W in one of my college subject), and I keep paying blizzard 15 bucks per month. I have a feeling that I’m going downhill. So I decided to stop my addiction.
My first stop only last for 3 months then I played WOW again. The reason I got back is the same reason I wrote above. But to add my discovery, I had nothing planned on my free tim (since I seperated myself from the social life before). So I got back in, but this time is different. I planned my time carefully, for study, for playing, and for activity. I had lots of helps from my friends to remind me for every activity comes up. Eventually I finished my degree until Master Degree (YES, while playing WOW too), and I’m proud of my timelining.
After a lookback on my age(25) and my future, I have yet get any job or making any money. Through all those thinking, I decided to give another stop from WOW and tried harder into finding more activity. I decided to open up my own business. All research, data, and work to build this business really keep my mind off from WOW pretty good. My second stop lasted until now (I’m 27 now). I have yet touch anything WOW related. I successfully build my store and it is growing steadily now. And so this is my story.
NOTE FOR ALL!! WOW is not all bad, yet not all good either. Some players have good reason why they got addicted into WOW; is all for escape from harsh life reality, seek comfort, and goal achieving, or even try to find social life. However, LIFE is HARD. Reality check, WOW, not only get $15, but additional $8 (minimum wage salary in CA)per hour everytime you play. Easy calculation, say you work full time (40 hours a week) in one month you can actually MAKE $1300, but instead of working you play WOW, so it can be calculated as you wasted $1300 in that month PLUS $15 (not yet calculated, internet bill, electricity, and food/snacks).
To conclude everything, I should say for those people who have problem with their relative, spouse, family, friends who have this addicting problem, FIND the reason why they play this game. Find out what did they find pleasure in this game. Try find the subtitute to fulfill those pleasure they got in the game through real life. Remember, WOW is a repetitive kind of addiction. Eventhough you delete your character or even delete your account, that urge for coming back to re-do the character will come back.
So, call some friends, try get a job, try keep your mind busy, try find those what you seek in real world, and I guarantee you, you will be able to break the addiction.
by: Holly
On August 25, 2009 at 7:33 pm
WoW is the most addictive game ever invented. It uses the most basic psychological method to train you to need to play to get the dopamine rush from acheivements, gold, leveling, etc. As the game progresses, it takes more and more time to get to the next level, to get the same effect. So the addict invests more and more time into it, shutting everyone and everything else out in order to keep the rush going. WoW has destroyed marriages, friendships(like mine with my former best friend), the parent-child bond, careers, and altered the personalities of people who were once worth something to the world. I’m glad I quit WoW. In fact, I’m planning a little party to blow up my discs. Explosions are awesome.
by: DW
On August 25, 2009 at 11:03 pm
I have a story to share about this game as well. I am 33 years old. Personally, I have no use for this game. My father is the addict. He is 65 years old, and is completely addicted to this game. He plays 16 hours per day. He lost my mother to this video game. He decided he would rather live in this fantasy world than deal with reality. Our entire family tried to reason with him time and time again. In 2008 we all gave up. No one talks to him anymore. Not myself, not my brothers, not my mother, no one. He gave up everything in order to live in the game. He refuses to admit he has a problem. He believes everyone else has a problem if they are unwilling to play the game as well. He needs counselling but will never go. I decided quite some time ago to give up on even picking up the phone and calling him to say hello. He is incapable of having a discussion about anything other than the game. I eventually became tired of him belittling me for refusing to join him in the game world. Attempting to reason with him is a useless endeavor. In his eyes, my mother is to blame for their failed marriage as well. He is just completely blind to the fact that he is the one with the problem.
by: Ann
On August 27, 2009 at 8:07 pm
My husband is an addict. Currently, WOW and drinking are his addictions of choice! WOW is an addiction for addicts just like drinking, drugging, sleeping around etc. Once an addict gets started with WOW there is no stopping them. They stop at nothing to play! They lie, cheat, blame it on you, give you the cold shoulder all in the name of playing a video game. My husband promised not to play on his off nights from work (he is a fireman and works every other day 24 hour shifts) and promised not to let it come between us again. Well, after becoming the raid leader here we are in a mess again! He now gets mad at me when I remind him of his promise. There is no talking to or reasoning with an addict while they are in the middle of it. Telling them how you feel does no good. All we can do is take care of ourselves! Good luck to all of you who are living with a WOW addict.
by: paully boy
On August 30, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Hey, I’m a 13 year old boy, I used to also be addicted. I was playing all the time when I moved to a new school, ruined the developing social life I had there. only 1 other kid there played WoW, and we both spent all our time talking about it, oblivious to everything else, till we were completely isolated nerds. Then, in February, my mid-term report card came. Since I started playing wow more once I hit northrend, my grades had plummeted. In a family with a college professor for a Dad, this was devastating. Without any prompting, I immediately went into the other room, deleted all my chars (level 80 DK, level 70 druid, lot of alts around level 30). ALthough i wasn’t able to fully pull up my grades in time, I got it together for final exams and aced every single one without WoW as a distraction, and my social life improved a whole lot, actually have friends now
. My advice is to look for some way to really see how your life is suffering, and focus on it. When you see how much your life is being hurt in a material way, hopefully you’ll be able to quit. Good luck!
by: Dood
On August 30, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Well. I’ve been playing WoW for a little over a year now. I did terrible in school as a freshmen due to playing WoW nonstop. I used to be fit and in shape now I’m decently shaped. I spend all my time thinking about what I want to do on WoW how I want to raise my DPS what raid I want to do, what gear I want to get. However just recently some of my family members read to me about a 13 year old that killed himself over WoW, and I think to my self, how can you possible do that over this game? Then it hit me, if this can happen to someone else why couldn’t it happened to me sometime along the road. When I’ve become so addicted if something insanely huge goes wrong that I might hurt myself. I really do know I have to quit I try. I study more then I ever had I hang out with my friends more often then before, but I still can’t find myself to stop playing WoW on the weekends and talking to friends that I used to know, and then bringing a laptop to watch T.V while I wait for something exciting to happen online. To be honest i really just want to quit and get my life in order again. I’m 15 and im addicted to WoW and I can’t stop, I don’t even want to think about how my life will be if I don’t stop playing. So all in all I want to know WHY is it that out of every single game I’ve ever played that World of Warcraft has to be the most addicting most…played game ever… (All the grammer mistakes. All because of WoW (imo))
by: Total Addict
On August 31, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Hi.
I’d like to add a few thoughts on this subject, addictions I have and my thoughts on them.
I’m 27 years old now, around 2005 I started playing World of Warcraft and very quickly fell in love with the game. I was completely addicted and I was putting in huge amounts of hours. I had also just started working at the time, I was doing Seven Twelve hour shifts every fortnight, 3 days on, 4 off then 4 on 3 off rotating over the 24 hour clock. Now on my days off i would very easily play 24 hours straight and quite often 36. On the days I worked I would do a 12 hour shift come home turn the computer on and play till I fell asleep. There were a number of times I came off a twelve hour shift, played eleven hours without sleep and went back to work for another twelve hour shift. Scary no? I was always tired, hated talking to people in real life, turned my phone off, ate very poorly, had poor hygiene and was generally a complete mess. I had one good friend who called round often (thank god for him) who i would tell to f-off most of the time but he never would ha ha. So I would still go out sometimes and interact in real life. This went on for about four months. My parents actually called round to check if i was still alive once as i wouldn’t answer the phone. This had no effect on me either. I didn’t care. I couldn’t be convinced i had a problem, no one understood my passion. The only reason I stopped playing was that I left my job, partly because of World of Warcraft and partly other reasons. I was planning on moving also and had a period of having no internet access of my own but constantly thinking of WOW and looking at forums and anything WOW related online. This break of internet service was a godsend. When I did relocate and eventually set up my broadband again I went straight back to the game but I wasn’t as interested. I had hit the level cap (60). A long time ago. People were talking about the Burning Crusade expansion but it was still 6 months off or so. Instead I turned my attention to poker and sports gambling, and still playing a little Warcraft. Gambling was another addiction I battled with, and had already struggled with before my addiction to World of Warcraft but in terms of socially and even health wise I was better off(financially not so much). I was also working in customer service for a large online gambling agency which didn’t help
. I met a girl during this time who really didn’t know much about my gambling or World of Warcraft addictions (still doesn’t know the extent of how bad i was or can be) but over a period of two years she eventually became my addiction. I would spend all my time with her. During this time It is well worth mentioning that I left my job at the gambling agency and got a job as a Game Master(customer service) for World of Warcraft haha the irony. I was very excited by this, believing I would meet lots of kindred spirits, make new friends and play WOW in a controlled manner. Whilst I did meet some nice people there I generally found that everyone there was pretty much into themselves and their own avatars, these were the elite players in the country and they knew it. It was just really stupidly competitive about who had the most general knowledge and lore about the game, and the majority of them were also WOW addicts, this wasn’t who I wanted to be anymore. When I finally finished training and started to answer tickets/questions/requests it made me dislike the game, sucked any remaining thought of fun out of the game for me. The burning crusade came out about three weeks into the job, I got to around level 64 i think and quit permanently, I haven’t played since, I also quit the job. I started working for a delivery company closed all my gambling accounts saved money and went traveling, I am still away from home with my girlfriend today.
Please note I have not beaten my addictions, I have simply replaced them or been distracted, at the moment I feel I am just distracted by being abroad and have played online poker for twelve hours straight and Football Manager on a few occasions since over heer, once i start one of these activities i do not want to stop and play for lots of hours, overall tho I am much better off than I was with WOW in terms of balance and stability, Its worth noting that every time I have changed addiction I’m usually going through major life changes, I believe wanting or needing a life change is a big reason of forming an addiction like WOW and one of the best ways of curing or changing the addiction. WOW is the perfect escape from making these changes. You can continuously make accomplishments in this game for for X amount of HOURS, have complete control of every facet of what you do, who you talk to, what you want to accomplish in a completely safe and controlled environment. In real life accomplishments take X amount of MONTHS or YEARS of hard work to accomplish and are never sure to happen. So for those of you who have partners/friends/family who are addicted to WOW and asking for help, there are no easy answers. It is starting to be recognized more as a serious addiction but specialized help and therapy is not yet readily available. I hear there are psychologists who want to treat people in the game through the game but this has not happened yet. Also I believe the first online addiction therapy retreat has been opened but this will be way to expensive for the average person.I believe general therapy/counseling could help if you can convince the person to attend.When I worked the few weeks as a game master for blizzard and the outsource company they partnered with there was no policy for someone who claimed they were addicted to the game (that I remember) and I never heard of any cases coming to us, we had procedure for people who claimed to be suicidal or abusive and such. For gambling however if you claim to be addicted you can opt out for life with the company permanently locking you out and tracking your credit card, name, address and date of birth account details to ensure they are never activated with an account again. This is somewhat ineffective tho as there are so many gambling companies and they do not collaborate, its easy to open a new account with another. It would be an idea for WOW tho as there is only one WOW really(other mmorpg games but none with the same appeal) so it may be worth contacting Blizzard and requesting this to see if its possible to lock them out. I believe the problem is tho that your partner or friend is probably extremely bored and jaded with life and desperately wants a change, this is the problem that needs to be addressed. The first step is trying to communicate with a person addicted to the game(i would not talk to anyone), I would recommend joining the affected person in the game, buying a second computer and asking them to help you start and level. Tell them since you can’t beat them you’ll join them. This will give you access to all the lines of communication of the affected person allowing you more influence but will likely require time and patience. From there I do not know, you should know the person better than anyone, try not to be to negative and finger wagging tho. Try methods like “do you remember when we did X event”. Jog memories of real life that were good and try and peak interest in real life activities, offer exciting alternatives to what they are doing, maybe job change or a job fullstop, whatever you think they need, it may have to be drastic!
Any way I’ve been ranting forever, hope this helps someone, this link has some handy tips also http://www.wikihow.com/Break-a-World-of-Warcraft-Addiction.
Good Luck.
by: Razvy
On September 1, 2009 at 10:35 am
Dudes , i play WoW for 4-5 years , since the day it arived to my country. I am Addicted : i have 5 lvl 80 chars , 4 lvl 70 , and my DK is lvl 68 . I am addicted but dont want to remove wow from my life (i dont belive wow is my life ) i go to the swimming pool daily for 5-6 hours ,i usualy play in the morning 2-3 hours and near the night 3-4 hours . If you can , dont start playing , is a addicting game . Just listen me
PS: i have a hot GF to
and she has a night elf female rogue , and she kicks my ass 
)
by: Amen
On September 1, 2009 at 4:05 pm
I wouldn’t consider myself highly addicted, but some of the things said here are surprisingly familiar. I have a love/hate relationship with this game and have told myself “no more” only to log back on later for another 4-hour raid. I didn’t really know anyone else in RL who played until recently, and hearing them describe their low-level ambitions made me think back to three years ago and how I was the same way, and how I’d never predicted spending so much time on WoW. I really enjoy the Player vs. Player aspect of these games, and it used to be that I could log for an hour or so a day and advance at a satisfactory pace (TBC). Not so anymore, if you want to be a good PvPer you need to raid and arena now takes much more time than it used to, with many higher rated players averaging well over 2,000 games a season (I played around 500).
Reading these posts has almost seemed therapeutic, I cannot imagine many of the problems (losing family and house) but many others ring true. I just went on and cancelled subscription, and am anxiously looking forward to a life free of WoW influences.
by: omg
On September 1, 2009 at 8:59 pm
ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUS? GET A FUCKING LIFE SERIOUSLY.
by: 1pissedoffmofo
On September 3, 2009 at 3:47 pm
My “girlfriend” moved down here a few months ago and after a few weeks ask if I would buy her a subscription card. I knew she had an account and I knew she liked to play….I just didn’t realize how much.
She gets up at 2 P.M. and goes directly to her computer and starts playing WoW. She doesn’t cook anymore, she never cleans, she just plays WoW until about 6 A.M. and then does it all over again. I am so kicking her out next week. I can’t deal with this crap anymore.
by: crazygf
On September 4, 2009 at 12:38 am
I seriously hate the wow game i have been with my bf for almost 5 years now we fight non stop about the game when i met him he would be so active play basketball always outside so fun to be around now i get an hour or 2 of his time and he gets bored and wants to play i have to go to bed alone and wake up 2 him playing it at times i feel bad wanting to take something away i know he loves and its hard but its even harder for me and i cant stand it any longer im afraid if i stay with him i will just be unhappy forever i just want things the way they use 2 be i dont know how to get through to him and now that im looking it up i see so many more people have the same problem i dont know if there is hope when we talk about this it ends up in a fight or he calls me crazy and thinks its not a problem he says that he can stop any time he wants he just chooses not 2 i feel he loves the game more then me and im just not important to him anymore i gave up so much for this relationship and im not saying he is a bad person who does nothing cause he does go to work eveyday and gets me things i want and need but i just feel like thats all it is anymore i thought writting this would make me feel so much better but it just makes me feel worse oh well at least i got to say it and get everything off my chest
by: Ryan
On September 4, 2009 at 2:55 am
She’s cheating on you let her live her loser life..you don’t need her anymore. Plenty of other better women
by: Hmm
On September 5, 2009 at 9:04 am
Hi Im 14 years old and I used playing wow in the age of 12.I was addicted.I was playing for around 6-7 hours a day and \I wanted more.I was aalways arguing with my friends because I wasnt hanging out with them.One advice.THINK FOR YOUR LIFE.Unistallations or other action will not work.THink man,THINK
by: Jack
On September 10, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Hi. I have been playing WoW myself for about 2 years now. I have single level 80 char. I have a good social life, i like going out with friends and spending time with them. I guess i could have been addicted, but i think a major role in not getting addicted was the fact that i didn’t play for more than 2 months straight. After a 1 or 2 month sub expired, i would take a break and do other stuff. I guess taking it in moderation helps, because it begins to be just a time-to-time game, not a full-time game. I enjoy raiding and stuff, but i enjoy more going out and having fun. I can’t say quit the game…just take like a 1 or 2 month brake. You will see that you can still enjoy the game and also enjoy RL activities. It’s been like 2 and a half months since i last played and i am considering starting again for a bit, to see the new raid and also friends are asking for me back. I am not the only case, my friends that play also take it in moderation, have friends, gf/bf etc. I like the game. I feel like a smoker who only enjoys a casual cigarette at a special event, not needing it from 10 to 10 mins. Good Luck
by: wowanonmom
On September 13, 2009 at 2:43 pm
My teenage son was/is a wow addict and it caused him to fail 3 courses in 9th grade…he wouldn’t admit that he was addicted and it was ruining his life. We finally sent him away to a wilderness therapy program which helped a lot. Now he introduces himself as a recovering wow addict. The best thing is he understands the reasons why he became addicted and is learning to control the urge.
Warning to parents…if you see your child spending more and more time playing wow or another RPG, take action NOW. Put restrictions on the computer (which he’ll probably hack around like our son did), cancel the account, take away the computer or whatever you have to do. This is serious stuff and it will only get worse if you don’t stop it.
by: Angel
On September 14, 2009 at 5:21 pm
You wrote a post about a guy one upping his wife by starting to play wow like she does- I did that to my husband long ago- worked like a charm! You’re a smart one! I made a ton of guy friends got the best gear and joined the best guild while my husband was still in greens- funny stuff! Now he sure wants time with me.
by: Angel
On September 14, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Wow lmao- how very leet of you- you’re all win aren’t you? I hope you’re joking about not caring. I don’t get people who play non stop and lose everything. I’ve played casually for a few years and it’s never been a problem with work or parenting. I game with my husband when my daughter is sleeping. I also have great gear and am in an excellent raiding guild. You can play and still have a life.
by: A wow girl
On September 14, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Are you kidding me? Give it up. If you love him- give it up. I am a female wow player also, but I will never ever sacrifice anyone I love for a stupid game- as a matter of fact there are people in wow that I refuse to talk to because they put the game before family. If he starts telling you what you can wear and when you can go out- then worry- but for now all he is asking you to do is quit an addiction that he is trying to get over and spend more time with you in the process. Come on!
by: Angel
On September 14, 2009 at 5:37 pm
DUMP HIM! You already know what you have to do.
by: Trish
On September 17, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I’m glad most of you found closure. Ive been with my spouse for 9 years. We have broken up and gotten together I couldn’t count how many times. He plays WoW and has since it came out in 2005, before that it was Everquest. I once asked him to meet me in the bedroom for some loving and he told me to wait. Uhhh a guy just denied sex because of WarCraft…whats wrong with this picture. We have a two year old son together and when I’m not home I worry about how our son is being taken care of. By the tv, the cats, or by the computer. He scares me because he zones EVERYTHING out when he plays including our young one. He comes home from work talking about what he wants to do next with the raid and so on. I play, momentarily because I thought it would help…I think it made it worse. Kinda as if he takes advantage of my playing thinking…oh I can play all I want now.
by: Kristina
On September 26, 2009 at 9:50 am
WoW isn’t a horrible game. It was created and is still being developed for entertainment. I personaly have tried playing to passify mu husband. However, I’m not into mmorps like he is. He struggles with the addiction and has for years when it comes WoW. Our relationship has deteraited for years due to the complexity of the game’s addiction. Not but a few days ago, he threw the keyboard and an ashtray at me becuase I was complaing to him about playing. A few minutes later he choked me and slapped me…(this is the first time he ever used physical violence toward me) His problem is pretty serious, and so is mine. When he’s not playing WoW, he is a wounderful man. When WoW is on his agenda, he becomes someone I despise. I have got to the point to where I can’t actually sleep (i work nights) during the day, because i here constant typing from our computer room… taling too with vent… He told me after our incident a few days ago that if I would stay with him, he would quit the game. I really want to believe this, but he has quit before in the past. It doesn’t last long, maybe a few months. This is his last chance. Time will tell.
As for any others out there dealing with this addiction, please be aware that it is a real problem. Addictive personality dissorder has a major contribution to this addiction… It’s sad to watch your loved ones drink, do drugs, gamble, etc. It’s even as sad to watch them become warped into a game. If you yourself have ever been the grips of addiction, you know what it feels like to be the person adicted. It’s hard to tell someone they have a problem, but it’s even harder admitting to yourelf that you have a problem.
WoW will be ariund just like street drugs or alcohol or porn… whatever your posion is anyway. You have to be strong to let it not become part of your life. That’s why I am in the process of looking into divource. I walked away from my past clean. I am not an addicr, and I wont live with one either.
good luck,
~K~
by: B
On October 1, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Well, wow is a money making machine so yeah, its addictive.
But lets not overemphasize the influence of a game over your own real-life. I guess one plays by his own choice in the beginning. One can’t get addicted the second he starts the game. So the breaking point, the point where many of you say it becomes an addiction comes later. That is the real issue here, when does something become an addiction and how well equipped are we mentally and phisically to prevent ourselves form getting addicted.
Thus said it seems some of us can resist the addiction, some realize they are addicted and decide to make a 180 turn and sadly some are still addicted and have no intentions whatsoever to quit. Well, the first category of people cured itself by choice. The secodn group cured itself by necessity. The third group is just screwed.
For the sake of evolving and letting the species move forward i suggest we let the addicts stay in their addiction and suffer, destroy their lives and die alone. That is what evolution is. Survival of the fittest, phisically or mentally. Let us all stop threads like this from emerging, and let the species evolve… we are already pulled back by a society that sustains and encourages mediocraty.
by: Sick of it
On October 4, 2009 at 11:40 pm
I have a long time friend who seems to be badly addicted to this game. Her 4 kids are totally neglected and she knows nothing about their lives but hey, she can tell you anything you wanna know about the guys she plays with. Her hubby is just as bad, only he doesn’t play WOW, he’s on other games. I can’t watch her destroy those kids lives anymore. One of their essential to life utilities (heh well I guess I consider it essential to life anyway) was shut off months ago and it doesn’t even seem to faze her. Winter’s coming and we live in northern Canada. She couldn’t afford to keep playing so one of her WOW “boys” bought her a subscription for 3 months so she’s good to go now. I am so disgusted with her it’s unreal. She had to get off the phone today so she could call and wake up one of the “boys” to do a raid, the other day she left me standing in her kitchen while she finished a dungeon. 15 mins later we got to leave. I don’t know if I should confront her in person or write her an email…she might notice an email…
by: jme
On October 12, 2009 at 11:49 pm
I used to play WoW for ages, obsessed with its achievements system. then one day i logged out and created a website that tracks about 70 or so challenges you can do in real life away from yor pc. go have a look at http://www.owow-achievements.com and play along
[halloween has just been added too]
by: Doua Xiong
On October 18, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Quiting WoW wasn’t that difficult for me. One day I decided to stop playing WoW. The first week that I tried quiting WoW wasn’t that hard. I had a plan so that I could get off the game completely.
1. Go hang with your buddies, you’ll remember how much fun you’re missing or how much fun you could be having.
2. Stop doing things that make WoW so fun. For me raiding was the only fun thing, since pvp was so stupid and when DK + Paladin could do 2vs5 and still win. Like seriously, when someone invites you to go pvp or raid, decline it!
2.1 Farm gold by killing mobs constantly, it’ll make the game so boring you’ll have to stop sooner or later…
3.Find other things to do on the internet besides playing WoW. I personally looked for anime, porn and dramas. Like seriously, if you watched anime and asian dramas you’ll get hooked, but getting hooked in a good way. Good way?, As in anime P, drama episodes have an ending to their series while MMORPG like WOW doesn’t. I watched bleach from episode 1 and caught up to the recent episode in 2 months. watched about 2 episode each day to kill 30-40 minutes when I wanted to stop reading news online.
4. Continue your education if your out of highschool.
5. Stop paying the monthly fees to play WoW. Imagine how much you could be saving per-year or per-month with that kind of money you’re spending on WoW.
5.1 spend the money on your kids/siblings/or cousins or someone that is to your liking. Like for me, when I visitmy nieces I always get this sorry feeling for them because I want them to see and experience everything that is enjoyable for a 5-7 year old girl. I bought them a barbie bed set with the money i saved up from not paying for WoW subscription; and Sheesh they smiled for a week. They were always sleeping in the same bed with her parents so I felt sorry so i bought it. after buying the beds it really made me happy because I know that I am buying something that’ll make her happy for a while. And plus her parents didn’t have the income to buy that kind of stuff for her, so i stepped in.
but you get the idea…. do other things
by: Edward
On October 19, 2009 at 10:26 am
Its wonderful to see so many people broke their wow addiction problems and have gotten back to their happy normal lives. I used to be a hardcore wow addict. My brother introduced this game to me. The first time I got to experience what an online game was when I saw him raided several times and those “magical” moments; the spells, the numbers, the colours, the complexity of the game and the graphics drew me in. I was reluctant to play at first because I knew it would take up alot of my time but I gave in, knowing that I can self-control and self-managed my playing time. I thought I would play this game casually. How wrong was I. I levelled my druid to 70 in 4 months and started instances and raiding. I probably played at least 3 hours per day with my day job. I was 24 when I started playing wow. I got deeper into the game, doing more instances, pvp and raids for better gears. Sometimes I can spend my entire weekend farming gold just to get something off the AH or for a nice flying mount. I feel so stupid writing these right now. I wasted 2 years on wow. During that time all I could think about is playing wow. When I was working half the time I was thinking about wow and what I’m gonna do in wow when I got home. Wow had been a critical part of my life. When my brother saw me spending so much time in wow (we sometimes played together) he told me to quit. Somehow the thought to quit wow is suicidal. I do not know what to do if I cant play this game. My life would be empty and meaningless. Wow had eaten into my soul. I was truelly addicted in playing the game. I started to lose friends in the process. I used to hit the gym before this and hangout with friends over the local bar in the weekend or watch a movie but all these were gone. I gave excuses after excuses every weekend so I can raid, or do instances or pvp. I was sucked into the mercy of the game and do everything it said. I started to desocialize from my family too. I skipped dinner for wow, skipped our nightly watching tv together, outings, visiting friends and relatives, occasions, shoppings and travelling. I realised how great and truelly divine wow was. It was something that can give me the fulfilment of life. I never felt of happy and glad with wow then with my loved ones. I continued to drain away my life. I drained my dreams and time for 2 whole years. I was spending more time in the game then I ever did, and spending utmost zero time with my family and friends. It was then it struck me. I realised how serious I had gotten myself into. I couldnt recognised myself anymore. Nor could my family and friends. I felt like everyone were against me and I have done nothing wrong. And then came the light. My pc was spoilt and completely burned. I couldnt play wow for several weeks. I felt so reckless and suicide ideation crossed my mind. I was severely depressed. I felt meaningless to live on anymore. Without wow I can no longer get moving with my life. It was then I saw how screwed up my life had became. I needed to wake up and move along! I needed to reunite with my friends and family. I found strength and support and through the several weeks I stopped playing wow. My pc was still fried at that time. I slowly and painfully recovered. I started to see that family and friends are more important than the game itself. I can kill a dragon in the game but in real life I’m a human being. My bro urged me to delete the game and I did, knowing that it was for my own good. The thought of restarting wow still comes back once in awhile but I’m extremely glad and grateful that I’m able to walk back up and face the real world. I’m glad I’m able to break this addiction and focus on what I want to do with my life; starting a business and spending quality time with my loved ones. Nothing in this world is more precious than them. I felt that I’m living life again. So to all addicts who are trying to quit I hope my story can inspire you to do that. Sometimes it take alot of pain to quit sometime you think is the right thing to do, but in the end its worth it. When we are addicted to something, we are merely ignoring the real stuffs we are facing. By ignoring these things we are digging the holes deeper. It is like taking drugs. The longer you took them it takes alot harder to break it off. My advice to all addicts out there, please quit wow. I know many of you think there’s nothing wrong with your life playing game believe me, you have been doing alot more harm than good to yourself, and to your family and friends. Now that I have crossed the raging sea I never want to look back how I was back then, screwing up my life and dwelled in the never-ending world of playing games and hurting yourself and your loved ones. Thank you jesus, for helping me quit this game!
by: blah123
On October 26, 2009 at 7:24 am
Its not wow that ruins..everything…any other game could do that…its not blizzards fold…its just that your wife…lost herself in fantasy world…wow is great game…you just need to control yourself….
by: someone
On October 26, 2009 at 6:56 pm
I have a friend who has a serious WoW addiction. He makes up B.S. reasons to skip work so that he can go home and play WoW! And then looses yet another job, and of course he doesn’t mind at all since he can then just spend more time all day at home playing WoW again. Dude might apply to ONE job posting online and he’ll tell his mom “I’VE BEEN JOB HUNTING ALL DAY BUT NOBODY WILL HIRE ME!”. The dude needs serious help.
by: bill
On October 31, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Guys i am not an adult and i am not going to tell my age for safety reasons.2 years ago i would hide the fact that i had tests from my parents and play for 5 hours a day, i would beat my brother if he was on the pc and i would shut to people.When i went to school i would have black-circles around my eyes and i would get low marks always beetwen 40% and 60% even though before i started wow my average was never less than 80%.i would not go cinema with my m8s and i would look like an idiot:walking with clothes smaller than my size, bittng my nails and not beeing able to speak.Then a funny thing happened.i accidentaly uninstalled the game.When i didn’t paly wow after nearly 1 1/2 years of pure hardcore addiction i would find a lot of thigns that are worth more than the ime consuming game.i re-started wow 3 months later, this time i wasn’t the die hard player i was before(i played 8 hrs a day), i would play a total of 8 hrs a week.Imprvment was made.In summer i tried other games and i also started writting for a webpage.I did productive work and i didn’t care that my Gamecard run out.Now i got again my gm and i barely play more than 1 1/2 hour a day.if you qui the game and find something else to do,something productive and then restart you will lose the addiction.AT LEAST IT WORKED FOR ME
by: Christina
On November 2, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I wish WoW never existed. My boyfriend is in denial about the time he spends here. I slammed his laptop shut the one night saying “game over.” He can’t part with the computer long enough for repair, so I suppose the warranty will expire.
My guy is also overweight. He’s more interested in playing this game than getting into shape. I think anyone spending this much time out of reality should be getting compensated monetarily. I can think of 100 different ways to spend time in a more healthful fashion.
by: Immortal_Tech_The_truth
On November 4, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Hello i have ben addicted to wow for 3-4 years at some points it have ben really bad raiding every single day and so on i was a hardcore gamer in the best guild on alakir and so on….. you might find this funny but i quit wow by duing 3 things. i tought of my self 2 years back and asked my self what have i acomplished … and i realised it was all a bunch of pixels… funny i dident see this before..
Anyway i started with going out with my friends in the weekends and so on and now i sold my char 4 months ago and its all good (:
Anyway on the downside i smoke weed every second day now…. dident do that when i played wow (: but oh well aslong as its only weed (:
by: Heru
On November 8, 2009 at 5:23 pm
You people make me sick. Espically you so called girlfriends and wives that simply cant respect what your significant other wants to do. Maybe if what you were offering was better they wouldnt be on WoW all the time, but i doubt that ever crossed your self absorbed minds.
by: Zerr
On November 8, 2009 at 6:01 pm
I’ve been playing WoW on and off since release, I first played whilst I was still at school. At one point in my life, I was involved in a serious “road traffic accident” and went into a depressive state, which caused me to play WOW an awful lot.. which cost me my GF. I stopped playing once me and said GF got back together, we went on holiday, moved out.. got engaged! Once we got our own house, I started to play again, not often, just when I had spare time and that was good. I played when I could, which meant I enjoyed it! I didn’t raid and haven’t since i was depressed. My fiancé is currently at university studying a fashion degree, and is very, very busy.. I only work part-time so I have alot of spare time. So I started to play WoW more. My Fiancé doesn’t mind me playing aslong as i’ve done my chores and don’t ignore her (which I never do) Tonight she was researching something for her Uni work, and decided to read through some comments. She now thinks i’ll ignore our children (if/when) we have them, and her.. I told her i’d get rid of my laptop if thats what she wants, and that still isn’t enough. Any suggestions? Do I sound addicted to it? If so I will seak out help.
Thankyou
by: Zerr
On November 8, 2009 at 6:05 pm
P.S I cook for an hour every evening, and eat 3 meals a day, and i’m physically fit.. so i’m not fat, or malnourished as most of you say you are/or know people are.
by: Bronson
On November 9, 2009 at 8:24 am
i played wow for about 2 years, my bro, and all of my friends played, i admit i played a lot, but i wasnt addicted or anything, id go out with friends and everything and id rather go to a movie or something then play wow. It was really fun, me and my friend were always a dick to people on the server i played on because it was fun to see how they would react, i dont regret playing it because honestly, it was really fun playing with my RL friends, if they didnt play i would never have bought the game, idk how anyone can play that game alone. I quit wow about 5 months ago because i just got bored of it, it was getting old…..idk how people say they cant stop playing, it actually kinda makes me laugh. But im probably going to start playing when the new exp comes out because you can be werewolves!! i love werewolves, me, my bro and 3 of my RL friends are all starting new werewolves together so it will be fun, its just a game, its a fun ass game, just play with real life friends and you will have a great time, right now im looking forward to cod6, OMG i cant wait for that game
by: Darrell
On November 9, 2009 at 12:36 pm
A world of warcraft addiction is just like every other addiction. It is up to you to say no and move on. It is imperative though that you understand what the addiction is costing you and in most cases your social life. Gaining an appreciation for social interaction is one way to get an understanding of the costs of a WOW addiction.
by: Ugh!!
On November 9, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I’ve been playing for about a year and half now. Before, that time i was curious about online rpgs but, never of the Warcraft series. My brother played it with his friends and he got me into it. I was hooked from the first day I bought it, and i played for hours upon end. Im a college student and I was not only neglecting school, but, ignoring friends, relatives, and even my other consoles. Ive been playing video games from a young age, and WoW has to be one of the worse games to ever come upon the world. The story is great, and characters are amazing! However, not only does Blizzard put so much content in the game that it would probably take a year or more of non stop playing to do everything and achieve everything but, its not designed for anyone to be top dog. Ive come to the conclusion that, It could literally be the worst game anyone can play. THIS GAME IS NOT WORTH YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!!
You spend hours trying to raise levels which, its hard to find people to group with unless you know them personally, or your guild actually serious, For what?? Gear that only 3 out of 5 ever get each raid or dungeon 80% of the time, for all you time and effort. People literally have nothing better else to do then hop on chat and harass others. I find it idiotic your paying 15 dollars a month just to get banned. Im all for the game allowing the experience to be something that your not in rl but, some people take it to seriously. You have players who bash others players who probably devote as much or even more time into the game for having a certain spec or not of DPS or whatever. You could play another consul and get wiped out online but, at least you cant be bashed on something as stupid as stats. Some people Ive met on wow seem to devote more time in the game then tending to their families, or rl life issues yet, they encounter just as much stress crap from their WoW friends, Lovers, or guilds that piss them off or other players harassing them.
For anyone who is trying to be top dog, on their server the game is not designed to have one uber player there is always someone stronger or figures out a way to take you out. Just when players get burnt out or stop playing for months but, feel they should get rid of it, Blizzard adds more Gear, areas or playable characters or Achievements. What is really retarded is, you can buy gold or pay someone to get gear for you for $1000 real life cash, gold thats gonna be gone sooner or later and gear that is gonna be outclassed later on. It could be the greatest internet game scam in history.
by: Ugh!!
On November 9, 2009 at 11:02 pm
BTW for those gentleman who suspect your wife is cheating on you with some guy she meets on WoW. I wouldnt put it pass a dime, chances are that she is! Ive met a few “Single” moms with emotional problems! and there are girls who look for someone to fill in the hole their bf cant fill atm.
by: former addict
On November 11, 2009 at 1:22 am
When i was 13 my brother introduced this game to me. he and some of his friends had apparently had a lot of fun on it so i decided to join them. when i started out i didnt thnk much of the game. i almost never thought about playing it when i was at school. I usually would only play when my brother told me to help him out with something. After summer started i had a lot of free time so i started playing 2-3 hours every night. this soon turned into 4-8 hours and then into the whole day. when school started up again i almost never turned in my assignments and started off the year with horrible grades.
i now laugh back on it now about how i stopped playing…
one afternoon my cat knocked over a glass of water that was on my comp desk. this broke the computer. my wow account expired and when i finally got a new computer i never got around to renewing it.
So if ur an addict and u reallllly want to quit i suggest buying a cat that likes to jump on things and drink a few glasses of water every night
by: Theo
On November 15, 2009 at 2:41 am
If you are addicted then go to a pimp, then let him bitch slap you as hard as he cans so you can think twice before playing that game.
Nah jk, but if this games is as addictive as u people say, i want to try it just 1 month xD, never played it but even adults get their lives destroyed, it must be a really addictive game
Im gonna try it on summer, just a few times, hope it doesnt get too addictive or i wont be able to enjoy the summer at the beach with my friends
Seems that working out its good against an addiction, because i was addicted to xbox and then i hitted the gym and finally could leave it once and for all xD, but it was some years ago but i still play now because i got 1 year off after high school but im still on the gym, so i still get to walk away from the xbox.
But still wanna try wow :S will it be risky?
by: Jake
On November 15, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I have been playing WoW for over a year now and I love it. I have always sucked at school with Ds and Cs but now I just don’t care anymore. Between WoW and Xbox I have no time for friends. I have plenty of friends at school that I talk to and play Xbox or WoW with but its still not the same as hanging out. I also seem to be spending all my money on WoW. Whether its monthly fees or paying for power leveling. I never want to stop but I know the time will come when I get married or get a job and just don’t have time for it and I dont want to ever have to quit. But if i do decide to just keep playing and try to balance everything out (which I always try and fail at) than I will just fail like everyother time. I will end up being that creepy old guy with no social life that me and all my friends laugh at.
by: Theodore
On November 19, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Well… I am 15y old and I used to play WoW.
I have stoped playing wow for about a year.. I really understood the damage that it makes to you when I stoped… then I realised that I didn’t have any social life and I had to rebuild it from the start… Fortunately it is going great! Also my marks are better than they used to be when I was playing WoW.
by: Kat
On November 20, 2009 at 1:12 am
I am currently a WoW player and tonight I chose to stop playing. I will be handing off my account. I’m using my last two weeks of paid play time to get my situation(s) in game straightened out.
I used to love WoW. My (now ex) husband loved WoW even more than I did and ended up leaving me for someone he met over the game while I was working and slaving for us (he didn’t have a job during our marriage; just constantly played WoW).
I met my current boyfriend through the game and since we are moving in together soon we have decided to forego the game in order to have $30 more in our entertainment budget every month, not to mention spend more time with each other in real life and with our real-life friends.
There’s no point in chasing purples.
by: Sir Bobbo
On November 20, 2009 at 6:05 pm
“I find all of this a bit strange. My wife is addicted to WOW. I dont know what to do. she plays with every free moment she has. Ever since BC came out she has been playing nonstop. My problem with it is all the time dedicated to playing. She spends more time with her online friends, which are all guys, than she does with me. I have also found that she has one of her online friends phone number and they are conversing out of the game.”
I fail to see what the problem here is? Your wife is out or your hair, not bothering you, leaving you free to go out and drink and go to the nudie bar, and you’re complaining about it? Also, you have the perfect chance to sit on your ass and do nothing but play WoW too… it’s a win/win situation in my eyes…
by: jenny
On November 23, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Hi Zerr,
How can you love someone whom you never are around? I personally think a little video games every once in a while for fun is fine but if you think you can’t get off the game to be with your wife when she needs you then I would stay away from the game all together.
My husband of almost 4 years had quit playing role playing games before we married because he knew I didn’t like it and found it kind of “loseresque”
Now in recent months he plays WoW all the time from morning and then usually unlil 11 or later at night,which means I hardly ever see him and he never does spend time with our kids. He doesn’t think he is addicted and if I didn’t love him so much I would probably divorce him. What I am afraid of (and what he doesn’t understand) is that if I continue to not ever spend any time with him I will eventually fall out of love with him
by: Matt WoW Ex-addict
On November 26, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Hey, im 15 and I started playing WoW last christmas.Before I played it I used to think WoW was a ‘nerdy’ game until one day I went to my uncles house ( he had WoW on his computer). He went to do his cooking and asked me to kill a few things just while I sat there. I sat there for 30 mins and from then everything changed. I wanted more. 1 Month later i got WoW for myself and for 11 months of my life the addiction got worse and worse. I started not going out as much, eating badly. As it progressed I began to treat my parents like crap, and mainly my education was suffering immensly. When I played WoW, it was all I could think about. I would stay up until very early hours in the mornings and even stay up all night. Then I would sleep during the day and soon as I woke up, make something very unhealthy to eat such as microwave meals. Then I would be on WoW a lot of the day just ignoring life. I think what my main addiction to the game was,was the guild socialisation and the raiding.
I actually didn’t quit WoW of my own accord. My parents had to step in as they were very worried about me and they knew I was throwing my life away on a game.
They took my computer out my room and cancelled my subscription to WoW about a month ago.
My whole lifestyle has improved ever since, I admit to thinking about WoW a lot but overall ever since I have been away from WoW my education has gone back the way it used to be a year ago.At first I hated my parents for doing what they did but now I thank them.
For anyone who plays this game, please take care of how you spend your time playing. This game almost ruined my life and it is insanely addictive if you let it take hold of you. Matthew
by: katie
On November 28, 2009 at 9:56 am
I’ve been playing WoW for around 6mths now…I am happily married and have been for almost 3yrs and i also have a beautiful little girl who will soon be one. I only play once the housework is done and my daughter is asleep. I may play for an hour during the day when my daughter is napping. I’m not addicted far from it i just have my priorities right…my family comes first WoW is just something for me to chill out and have a bit of “me” time. If my daughter decides she wants to play it then fine but ill make sure the filters are in place and that her education comes first. A friend of mine’s son was struggling with his french classes in school so I told her about the different realms on WoW, he now plays on a french speaking realm and is now getting A’s in his french classes. WoW can have its uses (for example learning a language)but at the end of the day as many people have said before me it’s about keeping this in perspective and playing the game in moderate proportions.
by: warcraftboredom
On November 28, 2009 at 7:38 pm
ok, so i started playing warcraft in the summer holidays after i had done my gcse’s i had been on and off runescape which i had been playing for 2-3 years which i can say is a much worse addiction (the games not even fun at all) but i was nearing max level and had done most of the things to do so i decided to try warcraft.
i signed up for a 10day trial and made a undead warlock i played for a few hours but found that i just didnt have a clue what i was doing and kept dieing so i gave up.
2 days later i created a dwarf paladin and we stuck like glue haha within a few hours i was totally emersed in the gameplay and finding myself getting to grips with such a massive game, i played so much in the remaining 8 days of my trial i got to lvl 20 and maxed my professions and then it ran out.
i had no money to subscribe, nor a credit card so i let it go(if only it stayed that way
but already i was addicted, i thought about it at night and devised plans to get membership when a friend told me about pre-pay cards and so my wow addiction began. me and my friend would play with each other round at my house all day for weeks and then he turned around and quit at about level 50 i pleaded with him to keep on playing he hadnt experienced any of the good stuff yet but there was no chance
i found myself playing warcraft everyday on my own up to 12hours and very quickly got to lvl 80 i was excited – there was much hype about reaching max level and i couldnt wait to get raiding and pvping etc
but i had to spend another month just getting gear which quickly got boring and i realised the community of players were very unlike myself and i couldnt seem to enjoy the game as i did when playing with friends
but i was still addicted! everyday i would go online and just stand around trying to find something to do, so there was all this content to play through but i could never find a group to do any of it, and it became an addiction to doing almost nothing but sitting staring at the screen running around dalaran aimlessly, and eventually i just quit, i canceled my account and this is where i should say i dont regret it but i do – i now find myself so bored at home because nothing else interests me like wow did- so bored i am writing this story on a forum full of people i have never met in my life.
and my bad habits from playing wow have stuck with me i still stay up till late, dont do my college work and find real-life socializing a bore
well if you managed to read through this then can anybody give me any help on how to get over this game its like a relationship which has ended abruptly and quite frankly im devastated i can no longer find the interest to play this amazing game
by: Burb
On November 29, 2009 at 9:17 am
i also play WoW but still sometimes i get bored.. i dont level or so i just do some bg’s at lvl 19 twink. Its nice sometimes but i’m sure if im addicted to it. though i can play it for like 2-3 hours non stop in the evening. Is this an addiction when playing 2 hours or 3 a day?
by: Zak
On December 2, 2009 at 8:13 pm
if wow is so addicting to ur wife u should also talk to her or something and the only problom is that playing wow with your wife might cause u both to become distracted and will ruin both of your lifes. You should try to suggest other games like warcraft III (made wow bettr to me) or something like oblivion all greatgames
by: kenny
On December 5, 2009 at 2:16 am
Judging by the circumstance, it seem like your addicted.
I was onced addicted to an online game myself. However, i never consider myself addicted to it. This is because i was so addicted to the game that i didn’t notice. I was blind. My parents were frustrated at me and they made a big deal over the game. I thought that my parents is over reacting; however, looking back now, it seem that I was the wrong one. I played for about 7-12 hours every saturday, and almost everyday in the summer.
well, by the time you read this message i hope you that you have gotten over the addiction, but if not, i hope you listen to your bf, and stop. Sometime it take a person from an outside viewpoint to guide use through the darkness of addiction.
Ps: i manage to quit the online game.
by: kenny
On December 5, 2009 at 2:32 am
Opinion:
In my opinion, if you want to quit the game, then you must first beat the game.
You need to get tired of the game, and get tired of playing it. However, if you play the real server of WOW, you’ll never be able to quit. Hence, some people are still at it for 3-4 years.
METHOD INTO QUITTING: (this had worked for me)
What you need to do, is joining a private server. search up private server for WOW on google. You can make an account there, and play WOW to your heart content. It will be easier to lvl, and to earn money, easier to get items. Everything is easier and faster to get. After playing this mode for a while, you’ll no longer want to go back to the “REAL” WOW b/c it’s seem much harder and a waste of time. (If your afraid that there will be no one to play with you in private server,fear not, there’s a lot of people who play private server)
WARNING: You will be addicted to the private server. However, this will be only for a short time. You will probably be addicted to the private server for about 2-3 months until you basically beat the whole game, and gather all the money or items that you ever wanted out of the game. You’ll achieve godly status and there’s nothing left to do. Hence, you basically beat the game, and get bored, and you’ll will quit. This is about a 2-3 month process, but again, it depends on a person.
RESULT+ TIPS:
If you follow through on this, in a few months, (hopefully by spring ’10) your addiction will be over. Remember, once your not addicted anymore, you need to occupied yourself because after quitting WOW private server, you’ll realize that you have all these extra free time. Try to fill that time up with friends, or work, or a sport, or something. But do temp yourself to reenter wow or any other online game similar to WOW.
OVERALL:
So, to sum everything up, To quit the game, you need to beat it first.
by: Mike
On December 11, 2009 at 12:17 am
Dude, Cataclysm actually looks amazing. The whole world is changing, two new races, level cap raised, a whole new area, new dungeons, raids, etc. By the way Aion is a WoW clone just like every other popular MMO. Just look at LoTRO, Guild Wars 2, etc ALL WoW CLONES!
by: Scott
On December 13, 2009 at 11:49 pm
I’ve been playing for about three months now. I absolutely fell in love. I’ve logged in nearly 20 days total of play time in the last. Yes, days. I can’t stop.
My grades, which were usually at B’s, are now on the verge of failing. I only do what I have to to pass, so I don’t get the game taken away from me. My boss has also been noticing I’m not working the way he wants me too. I’m always staring off into space, thinking about Azeroth. That coupled with not getting enough sleep at night because of the game. I’m lying to my friends when they want to make plans, so I can stay home and play WoW. If it wasn’t for me working on a farm, I’d be fat. All I do when I’m home is play WoW and drink WoW Mountain Dew (Which I’ve spent a lot of money on as well) In two months of playing, I managed to get a character to 80, and get half a set of epic gear.
I don’t really care about much anymore. The thing that is truly sad is…I know I have a problem…
But I’m going to keep playing
by: needhelp
On December 14, 2009 at 10:36 am
hi there.. my bfriend of 3 years is addicted to warcraft and wont admit it… we have 5 kids all together ( 2 of which are his that come every other weekend).. he spends ALL his freetime on that game.. he has a female character friend that he is always online with… he will even holler at me if i have bothered him while he is playin and then right after that he will be laughin over something she has done or said… he hardly ever spends any time with any of us… he drives truck for a livin… and when he is home.. 90 % oh his time is spent on warcraft… he does not believe that he has a problem and we are on the verge of spliting up.. I love him so much and my kids love him so much… what do I do … right now he has moved out becasue he pissed of because of my bitchin about warcraft… and says that he should be able to do what he wants… what do you do when someone will not admit that they dont have a problem.. PLEASE HELP ME
by: John
On December 22, 2009 at 1:46 am
Some one seems addicted.
by: Dr. Love
On December 29, 2009 at 12:13 pm
needhelp – You need to tell him that if he truly cares he’ll attend couples therapy with you immediately. He’ll keep his mouth shut and his ears open or you’re out of there. You’re dealing with something that you can’t solve on your own.
People with addictions like this – they’re like the rest of us. They’ve twisted their reality to suit their addiction and this escape becomes their happiness. And because you “don’t understand” you become and enemy to his happiness. Most likely it’s due to feelings or problems he has deep inside – depression, anxiety, genetic propensity for addiction, money problems, etc. If it wasn’t WOW it would be something else.
Before you go down this path make you are in a place you can help. If you’re an addict of something yourself (shopping, drugs, alcohol, etc.) you’ll need to get away from him and heal yourself. Then if the relationship’s worth saving you circle back and help him.
by: Todd
On January 10, 2010 at 6:43 pm
I don’t mean to point fingers, but you shouldnt have to tell anyone here that the max. GPA is 4.0. I dont mean to sound harsh but it seems like you need to put more effort into your grammar and sentence structure than video games. As far as the wow addiction, people let themselves become addicted to wow, every human being should be able to associate right from wrong. Giving wow a priority over other things in your life is a mental condition and your own choice. I blame wow for making it easy, but I put more blame on the person playing the game, the game cant play itself. I myself have played wow since Nov. 2004, off and on a lot because I get very bored with the same old grind, there is never any end to wow unlike many console games that actually have a plot and end story. Right when you think you have everything wow will screw you again in 3 months, making all that time and effort for the gear from raids and reputation and all the nights spent infront of that computer screen instead of with your family, wife, kids, friends, and for what? Does anyone else think that is kind of pointless to put that much time and effort into, not including money? Time and effort are all that mmorpgs revolve around. To everyone here that has made good recoveries and learned their lessons, many many thumbs up and hugs for doing the right thing. My heart goes out to anyone on here having problems with their spouse, bf, gf, whatever the case is, my wife and I both play wow occasionally but nothing at all like what I read about on here. It breaks my heart to think that some people would rather play a video game then spend quality time with their loved ones. I really fear for people that let a video game ruin perfectly healthy lives. My advice if u are reading this and are addicted and/or love someone that is like this, please seek help/counseling. It will take something drastic and traumatising to the individual with this type of addiction to stop it. If your not married, my best advice would be to leave this person because they dont have the mental capacity to love and care for you like someone else could. I’m sorry if that hurts but its the truth, anyone that could put a game before a person is not healthy, and DEFINITELY not mentally stable. I would not blame myself if someone I loved was like this, especially if I knew I tried everything I could to change the way the person feels about it. Do the smart thing and find someone else… I hope this helps people and gives them things to think about. There is definitely other options and other people out there and tons of other things to do! Good luck everyone, feel free to leave comments and replies good or bad!
by: Frederic Venner
On April 15, 2010 at 9:32 am
WARNING: This game contains highly addictive artificial experiences.
If was put on the box it would just make it sell better. Some people like the idea of being addicted, just so they have something to turn to. No matter what it is.
by: Frederic Venner
On April 15, 2010 at 9:36 am
WARNING: It is recommended that you get a psychiatric evaluation before playing this game to determine if you are susceptible to dependence.
This would probably be a better choice for a warning.
by: Symbian
On May 23, 2010 at 3:41 pm
I was unemployed for about 5 months from which 4 I spend on WoW.
The game definately rules! I spend 15 hours a day playing that game and since I’m a pretty smart guy I got into higher standars of the game real fast compared to other people.
I had a Lvl 80 paladin after 1.5 months and had started trading from day one.
In the end I had full t9 and about 50 t10 as well as pvp gear as pve gear, 40k in cash and trade items, spend at least twice the gold like a mad men, I controlled all of the jewel market at AH and a good chunck of the mining market, Constructed a trade route through the boarders of the Horde to flip, flip and flip even more, never done any farming, talked my way in to every raid I wanted to visit, in the end I had my own PvP Guild(practically the only active one on that server, grew to 70 players in 3 weeks), had sick achievements in skill as well as in grinding(which I will bring up later cuz this really isn’t something to be proud of), I led guild as well as random parties in to victory in Warsong, AB, Eye of The Storm and Strand of the Ancients everyday(this on an alliance pve server and really, I statistically checked out my influence on the matches and ofc guild runs where 99% win ^^), I leveled up Skinning, Herbalism, Tailoring and Engineering up to 450/450 each after deleting the first two.
In the end I could escape/beat up most of the situations where I had 2 players going at me, which may not sound hard to some of the players from the past but this patch Paldins where underpowered quite a lot! This while Mages and Locks where clearly overpowered..
All and all WoW makes the sickest game I have ever played, if you’re smart, have time on your hands and like to do the things you do in a good way, WoW is the game for you!
However, because of the fact its the greatest game ever written, its also has a darker side. As someone all ready claimed earlier, WoW addictions seem pretty common and they do. The game sucks you right in from day one! I stopped playing after those 4 months. I had isolated myself from all my friends and family. I dreamed about WoW day and night. I didn’t do anything else anymore but buy pizzas, smoked weed and play WoW. I wasn’t even looking for a job while unemployed and bills stacking up for 4 months -__-
The structure of WoW was designed pretty well by Blizzard. Their system of work and reward is so well balanced that one simply can’t walk away from the game, its not our nature.
The social-competitive aspect of it all maybe most effective in to keeping players around. Everyone wants to feel that bit of power, to exceed above others and more so to feel better about yourself compared to the rest. That that moron that was rude to you just because he has been playing the game for six years makes you want to hurt him and the only way how is to show yourself to be better. Wetter it is a real life friend, your guildies or just some random guy from trade.
As earlier was also mentioned quite a few times; in the end this game will lead no where. You won’t find your soul mate, get kids, a great career or long lasting happiness from it.
The fact WoW relatively has so many addicts is not only to be put upon its players. I have met so many players who where online 15 hours a day while having a family with even young kids. Lots of moms whining shameless when kids called for attention in real life. We don’t blame drug addictions a 100% on people either so why should we with WoW if everyone who has ever played the game landed himself in to an addiction where it had clear negative influences on your lives or seen other players whom with which this was the case?
People are always looking for an escape from reality. Just like for instance poor communities are more vulnerable to drug problems, gamers are a little extra receptive to escaping reality in certain ways too.
WoW is a great game, the greatest I have ever played. It’s not to be taken lightly though. Have fun but ratter spend your time elsewhere. I concluded that if I could be fairly successful in a game like this, my real life could just prove to work out for me and so can yours!
With kind regards,
an addicted ex-WoWer
ps: I still long for the Azeroth!!!!!!!
by: Katy
On July 9, 2010 at 11:24 pm
I’m currently losing a boyfriend over this ridiculous, addictive, unending game. We did the trial together to kill some time and to have an activity we could bond over. Within days, he was playing 10+ hours a day, every day, and changing into this unrecognizable person. He stopped taking care of the house and our pets, something he used to do meticulously, and would just take care of very basic needs outside of the video game. When I would try to talk to him about it, he would immediately get defensive and say I had “no right to tell him how to spend his time” and “if I don’t like it, he can find somewhere else to live.” I’m 100% sure that this game is prolonging his unemployment, as well as his motivation to even look for a job or to show any drive in real life whatsoever.
What tactics have worked for other people? I don’t have to kick him out unless I can’t help it. I’m really in love with him, and feel like he could probably kick this addiction if he had the right motivation to.
by: Alfonso
On July 16, 2010 at 11:05 am
The Addiction:
Its been over a year and a half since i last played WoW, I began playing in the summer before 8th grade, and despite playing the game for only 5 months, I became extremely addicted to the game, ruining not only my relations with family and friends, but ruining my future, since when i got back to school from summer break, I couldn’t stop lusting after people or think about WoW, which are both things I ultimately regret and hate. I lost a potential scholarship and chance to be admitted to a free science academy for the best of the best, but I was too busy playing WoW, and I’m a very smart person, I didn’t study and lost an opportunity of a lifetime. After losing so many things, my grades going from A’s to C’s, and having many bad things in my mind, becoming very depressed and getting suicidal thoughts since i didn’t know how to cope with things around me. I knew i had to stop, but It was too hard for me stop, and no one else could help me either. I needed a miracle or else i would still have been a slave to WoW to this day.
The Cure:
I couldn’t thank God enough when that miracle arrived, it wasn’t a thing, it wasn’t an idea, it was a person, and she was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life. She’s changed my life more than any other person I’ve ever met, the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, beyond words to describe her, and she taught how to smile and love. She cleansed my whole mind and body of things bad; I stopped lusting, since i didn’t need to want someone anymore, since i had her in my life now, I began smiling, being optimistic, now I’m the happiest guy on Earth. I still have some flaws, as does everyone else, including her, but at least I’m free from WoW, and found something better than anything else, love.
Here and Now:
Truthfully despite the fact that I love her, and its been over a year and a half since i met her, I have never told her how much she means to me, I just think about her all the time. I guess you could say that the addiction doesn’t go away, just moves onto something else, since now I think about her all the time, but I don’t mind being close of friends with her, since every time I’m around her, i just feel at peace with myself. The other things, my grades are high, 4.0 GPA, lots of potential scholarships, starting to get along with many people, getting along much better with my family, and can look past anything bad and look for good in it, and am extremely optimistic about everything.
The Lesson:
There’s better things in life other than WoW, may it be a new companion in life, or a big change and opportunity meeting you, BUT, the addiction from the game doesn’t go away, it just moves on to other things, the addiction gets smaller though every time you get to addicted to new things, until the addiction inside your brain goes away, and become a fully productive member of society, or chase after the girl of your dreams.
The End
by: Sean
On July 20, 2010 at 5:11 pm
It’s not really all that addicting, I play once or twice a week just for fun, and I’ve gone months without the game.
by: j-me
On July 24, 2010 at 12:51 pm
my fiance plays wow he used to play it for hours and days on end till finally i told him he had to cut back it was hard but all he did was replace wow with tibia which isnt any better but i prefer it to wow at least he pays more attention to the life thats going on around him
by: Cyber
On August 3, 2010 at 7:16 pm
I played for about 3 years. Looking back, I had a lot of fun, but what a waste of hundreds and hundreds of hours of my life. So many things I could have done during that time. It was a really tough decision to leave the game, but I’m very glad that I did. I’m not as exhausted at work any more, my relationships with my friends have deepened, I’ve picked up a number of new skills that I really enjoy. I’ve no interest in picking up a MMO again, although I know I would definitely enjoy it.
by: Cyber
On August 3, 2010 at 7:18 pm
Oh. And if you have a spouse or gf/bf playing….talk to them about it and set some ground rules. I wasted a huge amount of time that could have been spent with the person I loved.
by: myke-d
On August 14, 2010 at 10:40 am
I understand, but it isn’t as easy as just talking to your significant other about their addiction. I do not play WoW but my wife does. She played straight for 2 years then she quit. We got together and everything seemed great. She would tell me about her epic mounts and her characters with a fondness then says she was too addicted to the game and it was good she didn’t play anymore. We got married and she was WoW sober for a little over a year then I lost my job, we had to move in with my parents (constant drama), I got into some legal trouble, and she is the only one working at a job she hates to support us. She is a saint for putting up with all the bullsh*t that she does and she’s depressed. So I encouraged her to giving the game another shot to make her happy. She agreed hesitently but knowing what not to do and not falling into the same old routine seemed logical-this time she had the upper hand! She started out playing on a free server and all was well she was happy again, she couldn’t raid or anything though because of bugs or our comp lagged bad she was just happy playing the game. All of a sudden it changed, she doesn’t play on the free server anymore…if she isn’t at work she is online playing the game…nonstop! I bring her food, she only leaves the room to use the bathroom! She doesn’t talk to me anymore and gets upset with me when i get angry and tell her she talks to these guys on the game more than she does with me, she spends all her time playing this game and has no time for me. I tell her and she doesn’t seem to care, the game lets her escape how crappy her life is she says and she doesn’t talk to me because we have nothing in common. I tell her we used to talk all the time before the game came back into her life, I’m jellous that WoW has stolen the woman I love and there is nothing I can do to get her back. She talks to these ppl off line too I find that they are texting her and at least 2 that I know for sure are texting her sexual texts and she says they all are like that and they know she’s married and it’s nothing and she sets them straight but admits she likes the attention. HELLO I AM TRYING TO GIVE HER ATTENTION BUT SHE DOESN’T ACCEPT IT FROM ME!!!! I know she has deeper issues but I set loose this beast thinking it would make everything better for her but in reality it is breaking up our marriage and she doesn’t seem to mind one bit…I feel so helpless…what can I do…all I want is my wife back.
by: Melissa
On August 17, 2010 at 1:02 pm
I dont think that a person can be addicted specialy to something like WoW. I think people need to be addicted to something. I’m playing this game for a while (6 months) And i dont think i’m addicted to it. My life is boring anyways…so eather i draw, or read a book, play on the piano or play wow depends what i’m in the mood for. So people can do more stuff than just play this game…is not the game, is them mostly, they cant quit it, just like they wont be able to quit some other addiction. I also have time for my real life, but with or without wow i was socialy awkward
. a lot of the friends in real play wow. But why people seperate real life from wow so much..ou talk to real people in the game, i even found a friend there living near my house. I used to see her and walk pass her but wow i met her on wow and now we are friends. So there is a good side you just need to find it and enjoy the thing you like the most bicouse they say you live only once (i really dont think so) But still if you dont want to play you can quit and have no doubts about it. I know that playing too much wow is bad for the people you live with, you have to try to be part of everything a little. I’m happy the way i am with everything i do in my day, and if i could live it again i would do exactly the same. And i know that i sound like a total freak and my english is bad (its not my native language) but i made my point. So follow your heart and your brain no matter if their ways dont cross. Peace out
by: Sammy
On August 18, 2010 at 10:21 am
I’ve been playing WoW for about 2 years now and i introduced my then boyfriend and his sister to it. Now, i play WoW when i have nothing to do. It’s the summer holidays so i’m on it most nights when i’m bored BUT him and his sister (especially the sister( are ALWAYS playing it. The Sister has gone so far now that she has no friends, dosen’t go out and keeps herself away in the computer room playing with her ‘friends’ to be blunt she’s living in Azeroth and not England!
by: European
On August 18, 2010 at 1:19 pm
I read some of your comments while downloading RoM which is a clone of WoW and suddenly I just stopped dowloading progres. I realized I was about to make big mistake. I had same kind of problem with counter strike like quake mod earlier.
by: Nochanz
On August 26, 2010 at 4:54 am
I have played wow for around 2 years and now that I have 4 level 80′s I can honestly say that I am finally bored with the game – having said that the launch of catclysm worries me – I know I will want to be back on again seriously. There is only 1 way to beat this addiction – get rid of the laptop!
by: Johnny
On September 2, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Before starting to play this game a friend told me:dont do the mistake, ull become a no lifer. I ignored him.Afrer 3 years of wow I became what I always didnt want to become. guess
by: Nightingale
On September 7, 2010 at 12:49 am
Hello, guys!
I hope this message will be read by you.
I don’t play MMORPG anymore. Especially WoW. I played Perfect World and Requiem Online for sometime, may be 2 years ago, Perfect World I mean. I was in a civil marriage with a very good guy. We loved each other and we had plans for our togrther-future. We were thinking abt marriage and prps having a baby. Those times we didnt have good enought internet connection for online gameing. We lived in a small town (in Russia). But one day we had an Internet, a very good conection, no limit traffic. And it wasnt too expensive for affording this.
First internet was for us smth like entertainment, movies online, some social services like facebook (but in Russia we have Vcontakte.ru, it’s almoust the same, but in Facebook u guys dont have so much PORN online, so lucky u=)) ).
And then I thought abt MMORPG, coz some guys told me abt this, and I started playing this. First it was 2-3 hrs a day. My bf likeв games very much, and we were both into it, like TES Morrowind and Oblivion, u knw, some good, really good RPG.
But after sometime I just got bored with this game, u knw, bcoz it started and finished with farming, dungeons, endless parties with some school guys, who dont care who u are.
But my bf…=(( He really got addicted to it. He played days and nights. We finished the University and I found a job ( I’m an English teacher=) ), but he was playing and playing… I came home for dinner at abt 2 pm and he only woke up. I went to bed at 11 and he was playing and playing…=( Now, after 2 years after our break up I understand, that it’s my fault as well, that I didnt do EVERYTHING possible to save him=(( I left him 4 times, told that it’s abnormal to play so much and not to work. Believe me boys and girls, he’s really handsome and a clever person and he could achieve much in this life… But farming and clothes online were much more important.
Now I understand that I hade to struggle for him, to help him, to give mb more sex, bt now im pretty sure that he didn’t need it.
Once he told me that it’s my fault in his addiction… But is it normal when a woman’s working 24 hrs, buying food, paying for flat, preparing breakfast, dinner, lunch and wht did I have in return?
So i just quitted. I told that I dont love him anymore and just moved to another city, to Saint-Petersburg.
After sometime I knew that he was playing WoW. I dont knw wht to say, except – F***ING BLIZZARD and WOW, burn in HELL!!!!
I understand that it depends on a person who plays, but guys dont u think that 11 mln people around globe – it’s not just “it depends on a person”.
Week ago I decided to download WoW, a trial period, so I played for Night Elves, a hunter. I came up to 20 lvl in 3 days, I was playing all Fr, Sat and Sun, coz I dont work these days. I must admit that there is SOMETHING in this game, bcoz for 3 days already I’ve been reading abt WoW addiction. I didnt buy a key for playing and not going to do this, but all my thoughts are abt WoW.
It may seem that u lose smth in your life without playing. Prps it’s so, but I’m not sure. I’m preparing to Proficiency English Exam and I’m going to take it in December, but I just cant force myself to sit and study, coz if I’m not working – I’m reading articles abt WoW addiction, how it’s bad and bla bla bla.
I knw that mb in a week I will stop, but I just wonder – HOW Blizzard could do such a product that after a day playng u’r into it.
I read here a story abt a wife who’s playing days and nights. My advice – dont give up! Do everything possible, bcoz if u really love a person, u have to do ur best for him\her.
Thank you for ur attention.
From Russia with love,
Ksenia.
PS – Make love not WoW =)
by: nicky
On September 8, 2010 at 12:58 pm
i have just lost my husband to a woman he got talking to on world of warcraft. unbeknown to me he had been talking to her on the game for months and phone numbers had been exchanged. we have been together for 8 years and always had a great relationship- i am heartbroken and devestated. everything was fine until he got that game. some of you may think, well there must of been a problem in the first place for him to want to speak to another woman, but we were honestly fine. he seems to have been drawn in. my life with the man i loved dearly has ended. he met her only 3 times and he is now living up there with her. gutted.
by: Joe
On September 13, 2010 at 7:34 am
I am a researcher at the BBC and I am working on a film that is investigating excessive gaming in the UK.
We would like to speak to British gamers (and their relatives or friends) who play WoW for over 6 hours a day or who find themselves in conflict with relatives or friends as a result of the amount of time they are spending playing the game. We’re interested in speaking to them whether they are happy with their gametime and want to explain why, or if they feel they are trapped in the game and need help.
I just wondered whether anyone on this forum would be prepared to have a private off the record chat with me about this, with a view to potentially appearing in the programme.
I would really appreciate any help you can provide me with.
If you have any other queries, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
My mobile number is 07868 183 675, or you can email me at joe.lumley@bbc.co.uk
Regards
Joe Lumley
by: scottie
On September 22, 2010 at 4:17 pm
i have a wife 3 kids and a highly demanding job. in all honesty all that keeps my sanity most of the time is wow. my wife of 10 years drives me nuts i love my kids but from time to time they drive me nuts too. i find myslelf more drawn into the game the charaters and the social life there. i also find my self terribly irritable and annoyed without it. ive been playing for years but like i said ive found myself more drawn to it lately. some days i feel like just sitting around and playing wow 12 hours. im not to sure if my crappy homelife (being stuck in a marriage im no longer happy with) is pushing me to wow or if wow is makeing my homelife crappy. take this week for example..pc down for repaires no wow…i fix a ton of stuff around the house that needs fixed but i spend my whole week off fighting with my wife…ready to pull out my hair every time she looks at me…just wishing i had my wow. im confused and life just sucks right now.
by: Colton
On September 24, 2010 at 3:39 pm
I love wow whoa
by: WoW sucks
On October 3, 2010 at 2:01 pm
I’m not in high school, but a while back my brother was a WoW addict, he would play literally all day and would get extremely mad if i wanted to get on. It scared my family.his grades were failing and he never talked to me. now hes better has tons of friends and hasent played WoW in years.
by: WoW sucks
On October 3, 2010 at 2:02 pm
im in high school*
by: Cata
On November 18, 2010 at 5:49 am
The first time i played WoW was back when the first game came out, without the expansions. A friend was playing and i wanted to try it. So he installed it for me and… i played all summer. The consequences ? Exactly what you expect.. no friends, no communication with my family, low grades etc etc. So i quit.
Now i started playing again. But this time i’m in control. I learned to take it in moderation. Sure, i log in when i wake up to see if i sold something on AH but if i have other stuff to do, like homework, chores or go out with friends, i do those first. So yeah, i think it’s a selfcontrol thing. The game doesn’t suck, it all comes from you not realising what your priorities are.
I found this site searching for sites that explain the addiction for this game, cause i thought i was an addict.. now i see i’m far from an addict.
by: Malllory
On November 18, 2010 at 10:08 pm
my boyfriend is obssessed with the game, although he is lowering his playing times so he can spend more time with me! I pretty much said its the game or me and he’s choosing me!
I dont mind it as a hobby, but when its all that u do, well…u need help
by: Callie
On November 20, 2010 at 2:39 pm
I finally quit playing wow. But it wasn’t bc my boyfriend wanted me to or that I quit talking to my friends or that I barely ever left the house. Not to mention the crap diet I was on, the weight gain, and no job. It was bc of the depression. I love and hate wow. I completely agree that some ppl can play in moderation, I’m just not one of those ppl. I am an addict… Literally. I have been sober and going to aa meetings for 8 yrs now. So I was taken aback when I roused from my lethargy and realized that I had been playing wow non stop for 8 mos and that it had completely taken control. It is not blizzards fault and it’s not my fault that it happened. Bit to continue playing after my realization would be entirely my fault. All of the consequences were there for me but the depression was what snapped me out of it. In my opinion the ppl who are having problems w the game are not going to stop until they can see that their screwed. And to be completely honest playing wow is just as bad and assisting as alcohol or drugs. Believe me I know.
by: steph
On November 22, 2010 at 7:57 pm
dude i was sooooooooooooooooo addicted to the game but finnaly i just stopped [aying cause im 13 and my grades are going down like crazysnd really its easy to quit after you stop playing for like 5 weeks you forget abought it belive me i used to play till like 1-6 am in the morning.
by: Tattie
On November 24, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Well my partner begged me to move interstate to be with him again – and within a week of me being here he called it quits as he said he does not have the ability to be in a relationship anymore as WoW is the most important thing in his life and as he was a ‘healer’ and a guild leader it was imperative that he be there for his guild. I was having a sever asthma attach to the point i later ended up in ICU and he wouldnt even call an ambulance for me – i had to go next door to get help. he wouldnt even pick me up from hospital when i got discharged. now that is bad and he NEVER wanted sex as he was too busy with WoW… all you people using WoW as an excuse… your just losers that can and do ultimately cause severe and irreparable damage and sometimes, ultimaltely death cause you cant deal with what happens in your real lives. at the end of the day, your virtual life is not going to keep you alive and out of jail.
by: Waffles
On November 27, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Thank you guys. I just recently qit for the 2nd time after 3 years of playing. I was a GM in a semi hard core raiding guild and I just finally got disgusted with it.
I will admit, it’s good for an escape from reality but it is not a substitute for real life. For me I started it as an escape to get over my divorce (I started playing after the separation) and then a breakup with the guy who introduced me to the game.
I became addicted. It was all I would do when I was not working. As a result I gained 25 lbs from being on a computer 14 hours a day between work & WoW. I would lose sleep and ended up losing jobs because I couldn’t function at work due to lack of sleep. My only relationships were with fellow guildies instead of friends and family. The only guys I dated ended up being fellow WoW players who would live 1500 miles away and we all know how well long distance relationships work. >.<
My wake up call came when I had the worst year job wise and knew I would have to do something to improve my situation. I decided to go back to school to get another degree. I realized there would be no way I could balance WoW and a job and school, so I quit WoW.
I don't regret the decision. I got tired of the drama from people who take the game way too seriously, tired of the countless hours spent in game that could have been spent doing something more productive. If I had stated on my degree when I started playing WoW, I would have been almost done by now. I could have been making 6 figures by now. And that is more important that hw much gold I have in game. WoW doesn't pay the bills, work does and I am not risking that for a video game.
A lot of my friends that I used to play WoW with also quit the game, and remind me how much happier they are without it. They all have my back. And while yes WoW had it's downsides, I will say I am thankful that it did expose me to some great people that I would not have met otherwise. That's probably one of the few good things about it.
by: Goslyn
On November 28, 2010 at 6:06 am
Omg people!! “Waah, the online MMO’s are evil! Waah, they stole my wife and my soul! Waah!!” Come on. I play the game, still go to work and look after my family. If your life is going to shit because you can man-up and fix your marriages or talk to your wives then that’s YOUR problem. Leave the game and the computers out of it. There is something fundamentally wrong with your marriage for things to go as bad as they are for some of you. Stop passing the blame on other entities and do something about it!
by: Mike
On December 2, 2010 at 9:55 pm
Well I was addicted to video games once. I played all the time with my friends and had such a great time. After the weeks went by and christmas was approaching I would think “ohh I really wanna laptop so I don’t even needa role outa bed”. But I made a decision to quit gaming. So what I got for christmas was a guitar. I loved music and it was an interest of mine. Now that christmas is getting closer I see the change I went through from 2 years ago. Im satisfied with my grades, musical abilities, social life, physical status. I don’t know for any other person but my guitar help me with my game addiction. If you want to stop and you know you should, get some instrument if you enjoy music.
by: Kris
On December 3, 2010 at 3:50 am
i know how everyone feels. dont throw your life away on a game. wih 4 80′s decked out with all arena gear i relized that i am ruining my life and my gf life while paying blizzard for it each month. so i simply destroyed all my gear and cancelled my subscription i didnt want to give my account or sell it to anoying because i didnt want thier life to be ruined like mine. it is never too late to quit and if your loved one is playing non stop then for god sake dont join her or then there will be no one to help you. just talk to her and tell her if you dont stop then i am pulling the plug. life is an adventure and you only get to live ONCE dont spend it staring at characters on your monitor. Best of luck to everyone who is trying to quit
by: Nassim
On December 3, 2010 at 3:55 am
good one Kris. there is nothing wrong with the game its just time consuming no matter what you do on your characters, you can never be the best. Get out of the game before you relize it too late. i quit the game 6 months ago and life is good. i was always a video game fan one day i simply said i miss playing the old school game on my play station 1, like resident evil, silent hill, tomb raider, dino crisis, so i quit wow without looking back. good luck everyone
by: MysteryBounty
On December 3, 2010 at 7:54 pm
@Tattie, I will be your knew boyfriend =). I used to play WoW, but even in my most addictive state in the middle of a raid I would NEVER deny sex! I think the problem is your ex was a homo and didnt know how to tell you, why else would he deny sex for a game!
by: Day
On December 5, 2010 at 10:31 am
I’ve been with my boyfriend for 11 months now, coming up on our one year in Jan. I love him very much but ever since he started playing this stupid ass game I’ve felt like I constantly have to work so hard just so he’ll spend time with me. The thing is when we first started going out he never mentioned this game, I had no idea he had been playing for years now. I promise if I had any idea of this I don’t think I would’ve let this relationship go as far as it has. We moved in together ( prob. rushed it ) & ever since he got internet hooked up every single spare min. he has is dedicated to WoW. And seeing as he works so much that leaves no time for me. We prob. only hang out when its time to eat or he’ll try watching a show with me for like 30 mins. & go back to his game. I can’t even remember when the last time we went on a date was. I’ve tried talking to him about it & he just gets mad and says ” This is what I choose to do so I don’t care if you like it” Don’t get me wrong he’s a great guy but after reading into “wow addictions” I’ve realized like what most of you are saying its either a WoW addiction or another. I don’t know what to do
I know that being in a relationship and making it work takes more then love & right now I feel that’s the only thing keeping me with him. I sick of feeling ignored.
by: Day
On December 5, 2010 at 10:37 am
oh! and also, I know this is kinda t.m.i but I don’t care. I feel like he’s lost sexual interest in me. Like we’re still a “new” relationship so I can only think that the reason for that is because of the game. I find myself wanting sex more then him now. It shouldn’t be like that, it should be both ways. & it’s not like I’m not attractive so why the fuck would he rather spend hours on this stupid game then with me in bed?! *UGH* ( sorry i might a little sexually frustrated right now )
by: Bendyman
On December 9, 2010 at 7:16 am
Just bought the cata expansion. Have 4 80′s with full T10.5/9, just can’t build up the enthusiasm to start 80-85. Right time to donate account to RG and quit me thinks.
by: Kristjan
On December 13, 2010 at 7:13 am
I also played WoW for about a year. I started in the october 2008 and I decided to quit in the January of 2009. I didn’t paly a minute in the summer though. I had one level 80 and some alts, the highest level was something in twenties. My main got Tier 4 bosses down and some Tier 5 plus few tier 6 bosses. Not too great achievments. It was a dwarf paladin and he had mostly PVP gear. In Wotlk, I killed the yellow drake (can’t remember the name though) and some bosses in Naxxramas, so again nothing spectacular.
But it still influenced a lot of my thoughts and a little bit my social life too. I used to hang around with friends who also played wow and some who didn’t. Ussually we were constantly talking about wow and the guys who didn’t play it, got pretty pissed off. In school, the game didn’t mess too much up.
The worst thing was that it got so deeply in my mind that I was often thinking about it, what gear to equip, what raid to try etc. For example even when I went to bed I was still sometimes thinking about wow and that was quite frustating for me.
After realising how bad guilds in my server were and how bad alliance in general was, I decided to quit. I was never very addicted, but all in all I played wow about 50 days of my life and that number for me seems pretty bad.
So I think if you are able to control your playing and it REALLY doesn’t influence your life in a bad way, go ahead and play. But don’t lie to yourself, cause at one point you damage your sight, then your health in general gets worse, then you get some social problems and in the end you may find yourself quiting work or school and nolifing 24/7 a damn computer game and peeing in a bottle….
So think about it! Use the game for entertainment and don’t think about it like the meaning of life.
Cheers,
Kristjan
by: cherrygoround
On December 19, 2010 at 2:10 am
I don’t see why this guy shouldn’t be angry at Blizzard. They have played their part in his misery. Funny how it’s ok when people are addicted to drugs to slate the people making or dealing the stuff. And personally I don’t see so much difference between the two. Same as there are a lot of people who just play games for fun there are a lot of people who just take drugs or drink alcohol or play slot machines for fun. It’s just that some cross the line between enjoyment and need. This needs to be acknowledged and the makers of these games should not be free from responsibility based solely on the “It’s just a bit of fun we can’t help it if some take it too far” line.
by: ann
On December 23, 2010 at 9:01 pm
I have a friend who was a WoW addict in high school a few years back. He gave up his bed to someone staying with them, he was sleeping roughly 6 hours per week, sick constantly, irritable and lost a ton of weight because he wasn’t eating. Just playing. He eventually quit.
by: Tim McClellan
On January 1, 2011 at 11:15 am
Today is New years. 3 years ago my wife missed new years with me and our 4 kids because while we were doing the count down, She was playing wow. She’d been playing for about a year. What started as just a couple nights a week turned into everyday, every free moment and late into the evenings(early mornings).She was a great cook but that year turned into take-out dinners and stuff she could quickly make while gaming. Two weeks after New Years, I found out she was involved with the leader of her guild and they were deeply in love. This guy lived over 3000 miles away in Tampa(we live in Seattle). We ended up divorcing a month later after 22 years of marriage. She flew this “Fry Cook” from Tampa up here and married shortly after. They turned my son’s bedroom into a gaming room and moved him down into the basement. My son’s spend a lot of time over at my place because it’s the only way they can get a good meal. WOW ruined a once happy functional family. I tried explaining to the court during the divorce, the effect that wow has had on our life but gaming addiction was unprecedented at that time. My x wife and her husband now live in a cyber world and are about to lose the house that we lived in for 19 years. If you have any doubt about the toll WOW can have, keep my story in mind. Mine is not unlike hundreds of others out there.
by: Oconnor
On January 6, 2011 at 3:32 pm
I am a WOW widow. My partner has been playing this game for six years.
We never eat together anymore. We never go shopping together, we never take holidays, we don’t even sit in the back yard together in the Summer.
He goes to work, comes home and then plays until he goes to bed. He has stopped washing. I practically have to peel the clothes off his back to wash them. I have started throwing his shirts away now because they are too dirty to throw in the laundry basket with our clothes.
His work has suffered. He has been demoted to a lesser position at work, I suspect because he got caught playing at work. For a long time I have suspected he has an on line girlfriend, but what can I do about it? I can’t prove a thing.
I feel he has wasted six years of my life. I want to ask him to leave, and one of these days I will find the strength to do it.
by: Warrior Mike
On January 23, 2011 at 10:28 am
Sad Sad Sad…and yes she got a boyfriend online and yes for the others who think not…that goes for you to guys who play online and let wife alone for long time.
wife or Husband alone for online video game love?!?!?! maybe its a ugly face behind the one who think you love in a fantasy character!!!
p.s all of you people who as been suffering from world of warcraft players who was addicted in your private life…Never Ever let it go.those people just need love and they love you alot alot….more that can you ever imagine. they are blind by the darkness of the game….War.
so think about it…if war is in the game…thats mean Love too.I am a 85 Warrior who was level 1 to level 85 in 4 months. took me 5 second to deleted it in front of my 8 year wife. even if i was playing for 4 years and have 25 thousand character il shutter them all!!!
p.s im still a Warrior and always be…but in real life and for my wife and the ones i love…addicted players have to hit a WALL!!
only wife or husband can do that.
by: Jesus
On January 25, 2011 at 6:39 pm
I remember this!!!… IT’S BEEN A YEAR SINCE I QUIT THE GAME WOOO!!! I remember posting on this about my addiction a year and a half ago wow i’m 17 and im going to parties and i’m boxing, used to weigh 194lbs during my wow days and now im 160lbs… add me idd love to help you out with some advice.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=100001758584759
wow how life changed, plz i advice anyone playing this game either new or older players to quit while you’re ahead its not worth the addiction, i spent two years on this game and when i look back at those two years all i remember is my character running around, i honestly dont remember anything that happened in life during those two years.
by: David
On January 26, 2011 at 8:28 pm
I’ve played this game for 5 years, daily. My life revolved around this game, 3 years into my addiction I decided to quit my job because my guild wanted me to be more active. It wasn’t until I quit the game that I realized how addictive it was. You get trapped in a fantasy world, real life becomes the fake world after a while, you forget all about real life commitments and only the game matters. my relationship with my family and friends was destroyed, I used to go out a few days a week with my friends to get drunk and have a good time. I constantly made up excuses to not go out eventually they stopped calling me, as far as they knew I didn’t exist.
After leaving the game it took me months to even get them talking to me again, I managed to get back into work and I’m meeting new people. I even moved to a new town to get away from a city. A change of scenery helps wonders!
Do your self a favour and don’t let games control you with this new generation of technology it’s so easy to get sucked in. Machines and pixels can’t replace real life friends and family – they will always be there for you.
by: Faith
On January 29, 2011 at 1:25 am
I play WOW and don’t even know why, really. I hate the new content, I hate the changes made to my characters, I’m bored with the lore, tired of grinding for gear, tired of constant patches changing things up, tired of missing out on other things in life cause I’m glued to a chair. Sick of hearing the complaints of my spouse that I play too much, sick of letting my daughter sit and watch TV why I zombie out with “friends” who don’t even know me. I used to be active in my community, and actually try to help people and be a compassionate person to my friends and family. Now all I ever think about is getting online with my imaginary friends. I used to be a great writer-havent done that in years. I used to be an awesome mom-now I’m ashamed of the the lengths I will go to get another hour in and find a way to “occupy” my only pre-school age child with loneliness and neglect. I’m so disgusted. I’m so sad. Never want to play again. I want my life back. I want to turn back time and never have logged back on after the first time I quit. Well, here goes nothing. Bye wow.
by: Matthew
On January 29, 2011 at 8:32 am
I’ve been playing this game maybe…24 hours every other week total, 2-3 hours a day, then I go out and walk around, maybe have a beer at the bar, head home, do the dishes, take a shower, eat dinner and maybe play World of Warcraft for another hour. I have a Level 85, 79, 70, and a few lower levels. This game really isn’t “Ever so addicting” as people claim, I can literally stop and do something else all day, maybe head out with my friends for some lunch, etc, I have a good job, I’m in college. How can you people say this game is addicting?
by: David
On January 29, 2011 at 7:28 pm
@Matthew
What your experiencing there is casual playing. That is in no way addictive. Once you join a guild, start raiding or join a crazy pvp guild the game demands more play time or you just wont get anywhere, not only will you waste your own time but you waste 24 other peoples time. It’s that gimik that makes you play more and for longer so not to disappoint your team mates. A typical boss in an instance with 10 bosses in it can take hours to kill, days, even weeks.
You slowly gain connections with these people like they are your best friends but infact you don’t know them at all, you only now the person for who they appear too be, a fantasy version of themselfs. you spend hours sat infront of your computer talking to players, doing dungeons, killing monsters, playing battle grounds,
unfortunately, thats only the tip of the ice burg theres a lot more to the game then that. Once you get sucked in blizz owns you my friend, dont let it happen, un-install the game to make sure
by: Melissa
On February 1, 2011 at 4:13 pm
OK so i see alot of people saying that they cant blame the game which is kinda true but kinda not the people who made the game can control how long things take. and for the A**hole who said that his wife was playing the game cause he couldnt keep her interest umm my fiance of 2 years plays this game non stop when i ask him for help he freaks out at me and says i should do it IM 20 WEEKS PREGNANT and he wont help me out at all. But i know that i keep his interest cause im a gamer too hell i play warcraft too but i cant play like him 20+ hours like him i just cant and when he plays it and i try to have a conversation with he dosnt even respond. OH and i talked to him about our problems with this game and it got me no where but a HUGE fight on how controlling i was. i mean really 20 freakin hours he plays this game he wont sleep or eat some days unless i make and bring the food to him. so dont tell me that i havnt talked to him cause i have and it got me nowhere. i dont want to break up with him cause we have a child on the way but this addiction needs to stop.
by: Sara
On February 3, 2011 at 11:03 pm
I have been with a guy for about a year now and when we first met we would do all sorts of things together and I fell in love with him. I found out he played WoW and knew i disliked the game. Gradually he started playing more and more hours a day and now he will even blow me of for the game or tell me he isnt feeling good so he can play. He doesnt talk to me as frequently as he used to, and he is unemployed. He is fresh out of school for about a year or a little less now and he will hand out a resume or two every two weeks, and not call them to see. Im scared it will get worse. Reading what everyone else has to say makes me worry. He is such a talented man and he could do anything he wanted with his life and he chooses to live in this world that isnt even real.. I miss when he wanted ME over anything.. I feel like im boring to him now. I hope he can change.
by: Matthew
On February 8, 2011 at 11:22 pm
@David, I admit, World of Warcraft is fun, I’ve had my own share of addictions with video/computer games, but I just figure that having money in my hand and having a job to keep a roof over my head is way more important; Hence I don’t join guilds, raids, BG’s. I just stick to instances only. Dungeon Finder. I’m not into the whole Tier gear epic stuff and what not. Now a really addicting game I played for years was Diablo II, That took my childhood and some of my adulthood. That’s one game you should keep away from my friend.
by: Jesus
On February 22, 2011 at 8:22 pm
And while you were getting your characters to level 80, I was getting mine to 100.
That’s right.
Fucking 100.
by: Chris
On February 25, 2011 at 1:54 am
Well , I started playing wow after my Girl broke up with me, i was so sad , and the game got me to think about other things than her, i played for like 3 mounts now , but i only got 13 days in game time. i can controll my gaming , and at my freetime , i am most likely hanging out with friends.
? than he/she wont lvl up new once cuz he/she know how much time they put into the game , and then you know that its just W8st of TIME !
But as i have read almost all comments her WOW cant take your whife or Husband away ! thats rediculause ! , have you tryed just to go in to her/his room , break the CDs and deleet all caracters
by: Tim
On February 27, 2011 at 10:17 am
True Story… I started wow at release (it’s now some 6 years later), right when my daughter was born. I played 12-15 hours a day… one day I said to myself something needs to change for myself and my family. I realized I was spending 12-15 hours a day on this computer and said if I am spending this much time on the computer there’s got to be a way I can focus my energy online to making money rather than gaming. I thought if I could channel my addiction into a positive by figuring out how to make money online in the end I could just buy any decked out character in any game and have time and freedom to play whenever I wanted.
Now, 6 years later I’ve quit my job as a science teacher and went on to become a super affiliate marketer owning 2 call centers and creating my own internet marketing products. Now I make more money in a week than I did in an entire year, work from home out of my home office, my lifestyle has completely changed financially and I have more time than ever to play video games whenever I want.
I just recently started to play again… sure I’ve palyed other mmo’s in between while building my business, but this blog caught my attention.
My suggestion to anyone addicted is to do exactly what I did, channel your energy into something else that will benefit you in the real world. Say what you will, but my thought process was if I could make enough money to quit my job I could game whenever I wanted. That thought process forced me to get where I am today… sounds wierd, I know, but that’s what did it for me.
Since then I’ve gotten married and had 2 more kids, I still plaly wow, but I’ve learned to balance my time. If you think you own so much in pvp and raiding lets see you own like this and take control of your addiction and channel it as I did. I still play 2-4 hours a day only now my time is more balanced.
by: zombieslayer
On March 7, 2011 at 1:06 pm
OK, so i used to play WOW back when i was 15. and i fully know the torment it can have on your mind, even in sleep. i found a better alternative, though. i found something called a gun range. i went out and bought wrath of the lich king. i put it where the target goes. it went back. i lifted my remington .22, a lightweight rifle. and guess what? I shot the living hell out of it. so ha. later, i discovered the wonder that is the Orange Box.
by: Micah
On March 12, 2011 at 6:27 am
you just have to say: i quit, i want to live the real live, like i did. PLayed 14 months, had 5 characters lvl 80, one of 70, 40 and 28.
by: WoW addiction
On March 14, 2011 at 4:55 pm
I used to have lots of great friends, a hot girlfriend, 160000 dollars in the bank, a house , a lambo, and no mortgage. and then i started playing WoW. first i neglected my friends till they left me. then i found a super hot taurine female, and slept with her. so my girlfriend left me. then i sold my house and car, baught a 27000 dollar computer, and a small shack with highspeed internet. i then baught a 75 year supply of noodles, a infinate supply of fizzy and 150 years of WoW membership. y warcraft gf is so hot and i want to be with her forever. i love her so so much and i am so glad i have given everything up for her. I now have Bc lk and cata. i have 6 lvl 85s and counting, 16 rare mounts and 657000 gold. my tauriene female girlfriend who is called rakdarr, is super hot. eel free to add me, my WoW acc name is marrlac
by: rakdarr
On March 14, 2011 at 5:01 pm
love u baby xx marlac ur my one and only !! xx c u on the saurfang relm baby doll
by: Lonely fella
On March 14, 2011 at 6:24 pm
when i got addicted to wow i spent all hours on it, my wife always tried to seduce me but it never work as i had a level 30 mage, my wife was nothing compared to my computer generated avatar. even after we made love i was back into it jerking off over my level 30 mage, ohh the times………
by: Lonely fella
On March 14, 2011 at 6:31 pm
i was playing this game 36 hours a day!, i was like a god online, noone knew i had pimples,wore glasses and was and currently still a virgin living in my mothers house with the curtains closed with me-goring noodles, one day i got this email from my apparent African relative who needed to get money out of africa so i gave him my personal details, address, bank etc online, and by the next week i was a millionare, i had given him over 10,000 us for over 5 million Zimbabwean currency, cant wait to cash it into us dollars
by: gurlypowa
On March 18, 2011 at 11:50 pm
i played WoW for about 3 yrs, but quit 2 yrs ago.good thing i didn’t start getting into it until i was already married and finished university. but i almost got divorced because of it. i was playing 16+ hours a day… my husband is a lawyer so i didn’t have to work, and i didn’t have any kids at the time. he was complaining i was spending too much time on the game and we nearly divorced because of it, several times. the house was a mess, dinner was never cooked. all i had to do was take care of the house but every moment i was away from the computer, i just wanted to go back to play. i started not enjoying the evening walks i had with my hubby because i just wanted to hop back on the computer. i didnt have a social life outside the game.
the thing that saved me from ruining my life was my son. it was like an on off switch for me when i got pregnant. it’s so sad to see that this isn’t the case for many other mothers and they would still choose the game over their kids. the fact is, the game will not last forever… people will stop playing it in 10 yrs time. your kids will (hopefully) be there forever. im also glad that my hubby hated the game so much that it was impossible for me to raid regularly because he would pull the internet cord out if he felt he was being ignored. yea, sounds harsh, but i needed a good kick in the head.
i know that everyone should be able to control his or her gaming time, but it doesn’t help that WoW was designed that in order to be good at the game, you have to put ALOT of time into it. it takes forever to travel anywhere. you need to farm/get honor/keep up with raids/ blah blah blah.
by: Sary
On March 20, 2011 at 3:54 pm
This comment is for people who really dont know how to play and dont understand the game.
I play wow since 4 years now, i dont see myself stopping this game anytime soon
But what makes me different is that i play efficiently i have completed 85% of achievement points of game and my maximum playing time daily does not pass 4 hours.That includes BGs,Arenas,Raid,Dungeons,Proffessions.
I’m not saying all at once but u have a week and u can do much with it but use your time in game wisely.
It surprises me when i hear people play long hours non stop.Seriously some people are not doing anything in the game.
making a new character is a waste of time. one is enough, save time do something else.
I advice players to schedule things in game.Daily quests and a heroic dungeon total of 1 hour,2hours tops. raids, no human bieng should raid more than 3 hours straight its torture,know your role, tactics,and surroundings and it could be over before u know it.if you are failing do it another day,dont worry you will be saved till server reset.
Note: WOW expansions take time to be released u can play the new content and finish it,and u can take abreak from the game.
Some people get fantasies with characters. Guys or Girls YOU ARE SICK, GET HELP.
As for players you play with or the guild members.Ask them for skype or Ventrillo,get to know them.
if anyone has a girlfriend, guyz trust me the game is nothing compared to aperson who cares about you.
If anyone loves reading try the Warcraft book its fun
Remember guyz and Girlz Moderation is key even in WOW
ty
by: AE
On March 27, 2011 at 2:28 pm
I met my ex in WoW, the usual MT and healer story. He was/is GM/Raid Leader of our guild. I chucked everything away and moved to his country to be with him. Being GM WoW took up the majority of his time when he wasn’t at work, was like a second job for him with all the stress that you would expect that came with it, stress which I also took on as I would be sat next to him. We would raid side by side 4 nights a week for the duration of WotLK pretty much, I say pretty much because things changed an awful lot once Starcraft 2 went into beta, he loved SC and was looking forward to it, I gave him my beta key and thats probably when I started to lose him. He basically dropped WoW (and me) like a hot brick once he had that. What I wanted was to actually walk away from WoW to a certain degree, together! RL and all that…I just ended up getting sucked even further into fantasy to escape the feeling of neglect, hello depression…it’s been a while…
Now he barely speaks to me, still plays Starcraft 2 regualrly but has completely abandoned his guild. It’s not just WoW..Blizzard created us but it also destroyed us, very sad…
If you’re stuck in WoW/SC2 or any other game and you have someone who cares for you on the outside, don’t be an idiot and ignore them, get your priorities straight and take your head out of your ass, I’ve experienced this from both sides now, I’ve learned a lesson in two different ways…or maybe even two different lessons, hell probably more than two!
by: Thall
On April 3, 2011 at 4:01 am
When i first started playing wow, i was addicted to it, this was in vanilla, i played on and off and recently came back a couple of months before the release of cataclysm, i wasn’t addicted this time, it was my favourite game. I have an amazing girlfriend, my guild or IRL friends started raiding and my sub was about to run out, and i decided to take the GF out instead of renew it, sure i’m bored of my other games, but do i regret it? not one bit.
by: WoWalittlebitaddict
On April 4, 2011 at 3:59 pm
I am sort of addicted to WoW… I find that without it, time seems to go by slower, and my life is more boring (When I’m not with friends)… I’m in spring break right now.. (monday) my subscription ended about a week ago, and it seems like I’ve lived a year over one week… The problem is I lost my debit card… Thankfully, my bro is coming home from college this thursday in which i can get a game card with my cash… anyways, enough about my ‘plan’… World of Warcraft is an addicting game, which only a few people can handle… If you’re GF has like 5 lvl 85′s then she is most likely addicted.. or been playing for YEARS.. It is hard to handle the addiction, although WoW is a good time waster when not socializing.. It is an immensely fun game that really helped me when i was bored :p
Although I have 4 days till I can get a game card, and I know those days are going to be as boring as hell… :/
by: Anonymous
On April 17, 2011 at 10:31 am
Im kinda addicted to. My parents dont allow me to play more then 2-3 hours a day, but if they werent, i would play 40 hours a week. Something deep inside me tells me, that they are doing the right thing, but when they say i have to quit WoW, i enrage. Im 16 years old, and in my 5th year of highschool. I dont wanna quit, everyone at school plays too!
by: Pat
On April 21, 2011 at 7:33 am
This game is seriously addictive. I only played for about 1 1/2 years seriously (2-3 hours a day), and then on and off up until about 3 months ago (couple times a week). I’m still in high school so i’ve got plently of other things to do. As someone mentioned above addictive personalities can only be replaced with other addictions. I replaced wow with music, which is WAY more productive. I’ve been playing drums for about 3 years, before i started playing wow. Even though i would still play drums when i was playing wow, i didn’t play enough. If anyone plays an instrument then you know you really have to dedicate yourself to it in order to get good at it. I realized that wow was stunting my musical growth, so i kicked it. THink about it if your playing 8 hours of wow a day, then you’ve got plently of free time. Do something else! Why not pick up an instrument you’ve always been interested in and play that for 8 hours a day. You’ll be selling out stadiums in no time!
by: Arkusith
On April 21, 2011 at 9:11 pm
well i play wow and i cant stop, LOLLL!!?!?!
IDK Y I LOVE THE PVP AND EVRTHING ABOUT IT I PLAY THE GAME ALMOST 24 HOURS A DAY IM 16 AND SO I HAVE 5 85S AND I STARTED PLAYING IT EVER SCINCE THATS Y I HAVE SO MUCH 85!!! OMFGY WOW IS THE BESSST!!! PS ASSASINATION ROGUES ARE BEAST
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by: 3thm4n
On April 22, 2011 at 2:55 am
I installed the game in college because I wanted to spend more time with a roommate, who also played the game. I was addicted for about a week – I couldn’t get it out of my head wherever I went. Then I went to go visit a friend and he told me dead seriously, “, you gotta uninstall World of Warcraft. Go upstairs and uninstall it.” And I did exactly that, and thank God haven’t played it since.
by: skyler
On April 29, 2011 at 4:32 pm
go and have sex you´ll notice its pisses all other wow.:)
by: gee
On May 2, 2011 at 5:26 am
i have played wow for over 5 years now but thanks god i have been off from it for over a year.afetr a year away from the game i still have a strong urge to play it especially on boring weekends or nights when rest of family watching desperate house wifes.quiting wow was one of the hardest thing in my life and this might be the reason that stops me to renter azeroth again.I do really miss the raidnights and even the boring mining but the past constant fights with wife over the game still really alive in my memories.i was living in terror just because the game ,but now i can see proly my family wife and kids suffered more.
since i quit i had to buy a boat to replace my addiction with something more meaningful activity so i can advice to all addicted player to do the right thing and quit wow sooner then later because u just wasting ur life ur real life.i wasted 5 years and iam still not over yet but iam strong and i wont go back to dalaran anymore.
by: Colby
On May 5, 2011 at 7:49 pm
I am 13 years old and used to be quite popular at my school but my brother introduced me into wow 4 years ago and have been hooked since. the only problem is that my friends have gradually declined a bit cause all i talk about is wow. and it really kills me when i get grounded from weeks at a time because i cant stop thinking about and i then spam free trials. i stopped sharing an account with my brother in December and i now have a 74 DK 62 Rogue 58 warlock and 43 priest. i now limit my self to only playing at nights and when im in school wow doesn’t exist. “unless im with my little nerd buddies in the library in the morning” i totally disagree with blaming blizzard for your issues because those are personal problems not blizzard. I dont think you should quite wow just lmit your time play( and if you need to set up parental controls on yourself XD)
by: gee
On May 21, 2011 at 5:40 am
dear colby,
as u said ur highest character is only 74 so the addiction comes when u hit the highest lvl and start to gear up.gearing is a time consuming process.u will need a good guild and if u want to be a core raider then u must be available for raiding like 4-5 nights a week.raids can take as 8 hours or more depend on ur raid group.if u cant attend raids ur core spot will be filled with some1 else so u can raid when they have an empty spot rarely.
other ways to gear up very limited but u can pug group and the possibility of ur wanted item getting ninjad is high.real raiding guilds are using dkp or some simmilar point system to loot.u will have more dkp for example if u attend more raids.
believe me u will want to get the best gear as people wont even take u in to pug groups with shit gears.depend on realm.(i was on barthillas)
so good luck with limiting ur playing time:)
by: Addict
On May 23, 2011 at 7:38 am
I’m a 50 year old woman. I started WoW via trial account two years ago. Prior to this I had very little exposure to computer or online games. I was awestruck! In short order I became, and still am, addicted to WoW. I lost a job over a year ago because of my addiction, and instead of working diligently on getting another job, I have spent the lion’s share of my time since then playing the game. I neglect my personal hygeine and housekeeping in favor of playing. I am rarely in contact with “offline” friends and family anymore, and when I am not playing, I am often thinking about it and anxiously counting the hours down till I can play again. At night I wait for my husband to fall asleep so I can sneak back online and play till just before he wakes up. So I am suffering as well from sleep deprivation. When I do sleep, my sleep is fitful, and my dreams are often filled with images and situations from WoW. I am likely going to lose my marriage. At first, I enjoyed meeting so many different people from all over the world, but over time I’ve largely withdrawn from any extraneous social aspects of the game if that interferes at all with achieving game goals, so I now spend hours alone, yakking very little, if at all, with anyone, unless I need to do that to achieve a particular goal. Also, I’ve discovered that most dedicated “gamers” are just like me–severely depressed and struggling. I am not happy playing WoW anymore, yet I continue to play.
by: bubblegum
On June 1, 2011 at 8:17 pm
I met the guy of my dreams ,when we first started seeing each other he told me about this game he plays WOW .I’m the type of person that firmly believes in never taking away something people enjoy for your own selfish needs . His Raid nights were 2 nights a week that of course he chose to spend with me instead at first. Then I told him you don’t have to give it up for me we can do things other nights . So yes he continued his Raid nights . I even went over one night to see what it was all about it was confusing and boring for me . After the raid I went to bed but he chose to stay playing killing something ,but it was the first instance that made me realize the power of this games addiction. Choose to play over going meet your new girlfriend.But our relationship continue to go great .Well he discovered a new game Rift . Well things changed drastically in his attitude and attention toward me . I noticed the change and brought it to his attention ,but not for a second did I think it was the game . But we had more discussions on his change which made him extremely upset that he was still himself. I got to the point of mentioning maybe this isn’t going to work ,because I didn’t like the person he was .He said I think things are fine and me still living on what he was in the beginning agreed to continue to try. Well the following day we were texting and I mentioned we need to go do something cause we hadn’t in a while he said yes ,cause I need to talk to you . I asked him to call and tell me now well he said I don’t think this is going to work out . I was completely stund after our conversation the day before . It hurt me in an unexpectedly hard way . Cause his reason was ‘Something Missing’ . Thats it something missing .So after dealing with pain and confusion for 2 months trying to stay friends with him and seeing him slip away from the world more and more .I came to realize its that new game or the wow . He has a 32 in Tv for his monitor had a extremely awesome computer and he just rebuilt a bigger and better one .Not just that I’ve seen us talking and he tells me um need to let you go we are going to cave or raid something of that sort I do not know or understand this game . But my question is can these games be this addictive or do I have something missing . When all he would tell me was how beautiful,wonderful,special and we were perfect together until RIFT.
by: ex-Addicted
On June 3, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Hello all. Just sharing my experience with WoW. I have been playing for three years now. WoW was and is my first MMO, I have played RPG´s since the fourth grade. As a newbie I started playing alone, eventually as I leveled up, I met other people through their characters and eventually I got invited to a guild around lvl 35, my character is a priest healer. I evolved in this guild as the best healer, as I really do alot of research and reading of any other thing that I am passionate with, 3 other guildies and I soon outstanded for our performance in raids once we hit lvl 80. Soon the four of us decided to go to a better guild. In a way were like a Musketeer group, and I was/am very proud of our little bunch. You can say we guild hopped alot (6-7 guilds) and every time was to a better ranking guild and always together, until we got to the top server guild, by that time we did not even apply, they gave us direct invite to the guild and had a raid spot since day 1. The four of us ranked in the top five of our class in our server and started getting server firsts achievements and all. We were considered among the best DPS-healer(<–me) of the realm (with Legendary weapos and all). I consider that time my golden age with them.
As WotLK was coming to an end, one by one they had to leave the game for their own different reasons, I am the only one left of that group, and I am even seen as a veteran Legend now in my server. With 150+ mount, 150+ pets and very rare items. I have 399 efective days played, that´s 1/3 and a little more out of the 3 years.
My point with all of this is, I am a huge Final Fantasy fan, I have played all the series from 1 to 12 (not XI) and each time I have done all there is to be done in each game, when I had reach that point, I have put the game in my closet with the rest of them and have never played them again, because there is nothing else to do with them. With WoW this isnt possible, because there is always something to do, some pet to farm, some rep to farm, badges to farm, farm, farm, farm. My time was WoftLK, and I beat this game then, got to be in a server top guild, got server firsts, did all there was to do back then…and now Cataclysm comes, and I realize that I am going to have to do it all over again, and you know what? I am tired, because I have beat this game already and do not see the purpose of doing it all over again.
I am a M.D. and have never failed to attend the hospital or any other responsability for the game, I do admit that as soon as I would get home in the evening its all I did for 3 years, playing 6-7 hours a day, but I am ready to move on and start doing something else. I currently have no RL friends (other than work colleagues)or girlfriend, and do realize it as a consequence of 3 year of isolation, but I want to get back on track. I want to start again the things I liked to do before I discovered WoW.
I like exercise alot, got back to the gym, started my Capoiera again, which I had abandoned a bit because my raid schedule would interfere me attending my capoeira classes. I did gain a few pounds, but I never stopped exercising when it was a non raid night, so I kept up in shape pretty much. It has been the urge of getting better at Capoiera, being able to run 3 miles without a sweat the way I used to, that has led me away from the game. These are the thing that you need to focus on if you want to put aside this habit, you have to think of what other activities make you feel good, and go for it. THE THING IS….you must want to do it.
I like Warcraft, and I know eventually I will play again, videogames have been there throughout my life, I just need to let go for a while from this great game to do other thing. I am not saying it is easy, HECK NO! I miss the farming, the raiding, the guiding, but hey, I want to be admired by my family, friends (which are only 2) and colleagues too.
WoW is very addictive, but you have to be ready to leave it, you must have a sense and willingness to want to leave it, and most importantly, you must have a goal to persuit when you have left it.
Its Ok if you come back to WoW, but believe me when I say, your perspective and opinion of the game will be different.
I have stopped playing WoW the way I did for 2 months, I left my top guild and was easily replaced by someone else as I knew I would, and moved to a more casual friday-saturday raid guild (not even obligated to be there always). I am 32 years old, in a better shape and a better doctor even. My mood is always good and friendly with my patients, co worker and family because I am well rested and focused on what I need to be focused, and not thinking of the raid tactic to use that evening.
You want to leave Warcraft? Give it a shot, believe me, ITS WORTH IT!
I hope this helps a little for all you that feel are trapped in this game, I was there too, very much trapped, I was a hardcore player and managed to get out of the circle, it was very difficult I must admit, the first 2 mweeks are the most painful even, I know it as a doctor, the Abstinence Sydnrome is harsh.
But hey, if I could do it, I know you can too.
P.S. English is not my native language so I am sorry if there is any sintax error in my story. GOOD LUCK TO ALL.
by: DrStrik9
On June 11, 2011 at 3:55 pm
I quit WOW twice, both times for the same (or similar) reasons. The game sucks the real life out of you, and it happens before you know it, so you lose a healthy sense of yourself. If you kept a log of how often you shower, go shopping, go out with spouse or friends, go on traveling vacations, watch TV, play with pets, write a journal, go dancing, go on hikes, have a barbecue – where YOU cook AND invite loved friends over for the entire evening, etc., etc., etc. — AND you’re a WOW player — then you will see clearly how much of your former life is now down the sewer pipe with all the other waste which is too worthless to mention.
The first time I quit WOW was when I had realized how much of a debilitating ADDICTION it had become in my so-called life. I was choosing a mindless GAME over real people that I supposedly loved. How sad. I lasted a little over a year, and then …
I started playing it again. Once again, I watched my own precious life dwindle away, until there was almost nothing left of value. I showered only once a week; I ate crap food in a hurry, I neglected my friends and family severely, I neglected my work, I started paying bills late, I lost sleep – preferring to play WOW into all hours of the night, I succumbed to the “social” pressures of WOW “friends” and the ultra-strong pressure of my Guild and our daily raiding schedule. I gained almost 100 pounds. IRL, I became an ugly MESS of a former person.
This time, after almost a year of compulsively playing WOW, I got pissed at Blizzard for allowing certain things in-game to get broken, and not fixing them. This became such an irritation to me that I lost any vestige of personal peace I might have had before. I became an ANGRY a**hole, much like many of the other pitiful WOW addicts I’ve met in-game.
During this period of personal hell, I began to realize that the creators of WOW at Blizzard are EVIL people who only care about the money their horrible game generates. They care less for their own customers than a Guantanamo torturer cares for their prisoners. This is no exaggeration.
So I quit WOW once and for all. Why place myself under an evil company’s control? I will never play that pitiful excuse for a life-replacement “game” again, as long as I live. Peace is definitely NOT overrated!
And now my peace has returned to me, and I am functioning once again as a whole person, with all the wonderful things in life that being a whole person brings.
A word of warning: at the oddest moments, I am transported back to the northern reaches outside the city of Dalaran, flying on my super-fast gryphon, viewing the cold and forbidding landscape. Or to a hundred other familiar WOW regions. The reason for these memory-occurrences is that when we spend time in WOW, our minds cannot tell the difference between a GAME and real life. As SAD as this is, these memories, among many others, come without warning, as if to quietly beckon me to return to a full-time job that COSTS ME MONEY, and steal every good thing from my life.
But I am steadfast in my resolve to never become imprisoned again by WOW or any other game.
by: EdStark
On July 13, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Ive been reading all this with interest since i saw a newspaper article on wow addiction, and to be honest i dont get all this buzz guys. I got introduced to WoW 3 or 4 years ago and only ever bought two game cards with an year break between them. After 2 hours of play i used to get completely bored. This game is all kill this/these, find people kill bigger this/these, run here for a while, grab a flag and run even more, get loot which is worth nothing in several weeks. You really get stuck ? I suppose you would get addicted to throwing stones if suddenly 10.000.000 people start throwing them too and post their results somewhere.
by: no mas
On July 28, 2011 at 7:35 pm
I played the game for 8 months. In short i sold my soul to the devil. 7 years ago i quit using meth. I was an every day user. I ate very little, slept very little, isolated from the world, neglected my son, quit college. 8 months ago I began playing WOW. 1 month ago I quit WOW. I was an every day USER/loser. I was severly addicted. I ate very little, slept very little, isolated from the world, neglected my son, quit my job. I really appreciate the input here. I smashed 2 computers trying to quit this game only to start playing again within a couple of days. Finally I felt it come over me. It was a strange mixture of emotions. I just had finished a battle ground and thought what is the point of all this. When does it end. I asked myself what I would do when i had leveled 10 level 85 characters, when there were no more achievments to complete, When I leveled my guild to level 25, etc. It became apparent to me that I wouldnt stop. I would continue to play battlegrounds, dungeons, raids until I died. I started playing this game with the intention of beating the game. Most video games have an ending. Easy enough. Games over. That was fun. Better get back to the real world. No, this game does not have an ending. You have create your own one. So the time had finally come. By all means I Had accomplished more in this game than all the other games combined. Yet It can not be beaten. So as hard as it was, I had to surrender and admit complete defeat. It wasn’t me playing the game. It was the game that was playing me. I immediately had to delete my characters no matter how painful it was because if I hadn’t I would have been playing again within the hour. Next step was to uninstall the game. Finally, I had to call blizzard and cancel my account. It’s only been a month and already am getting my life back on track. I really feel for all of you that have family/friends addicted to this game.
by: Chabbersss
On August 4, 2011 at 3:57 am
I want to say thanky-you and well done to all of you for quitting. For me it was one of the hardest things i’ve ever done, possibly harder than saying goodbye to my grandad.
I am 18 years old and played the WotLK trial in june 2010. I started paying in april 2011 and my subscriiption now ends at 6pm today. unfortunatley I started playing in the heat of my exams and really screwed up my life. I failed all my exams because of WoW. The thing about WoW is that it’s such a magical feeling, every single player immerses themselves into a culture of each race because humans have the need to belong. I always played a Tauren, I found a server with a Tauren only clan which was an RP/pvp server ‘The Venture-co’. When you are roleplaying, your game life becomes more significant than your real life which is obviously a sign that things are wrong. Only last night I did an all nighter just roleplaying in Mulgore and Thunderbluff. I’m not going ti lie, the pride I felt when all 40 Tauren marched on kodo through orgrimmar was unspeakable. I knew I was addicted and I knew it was ruining my life, I just didn’t want to leave it. It was only when I went to pee out the window that I thought to myself ‘I am going to quit, now’. I can’t wait for my subscription to end, I’m starting Longboarding for a while. I don’t know how to do it but it’s something I can get into other than world of warcraft! Anyone reading this who is still addicted, I urge you, STOP. You can get your life back on track before it’s too late! and remember, you’l have plenty of spare time after you retire! Good luck !
by: Yesmeto
On August 19, 2011 at 4:35 am
Hello this is how to quit the game.
First delete all your character and items on it and then send a mail to blizzard to delete your account
Step 2 delete world of warcraft from your computer and all memories of it
Step 3 trow your computer out the window and smach the screen in your head and break your keybored and yell i hate world of warcraft and say I LOVE LIFE
Congratulations you have quited wow.
by: Human?
On August 19, 2011 at 5:03 am
Borthers sisters i promise you that one day we will quit wow.
blizzard have doomed them self to hell they need to take their punishment.
Blizzard need to pay for their sins.
Blizzard are evil.
Why do blizzard need so much money? they are greedy
Blizzard might try to become god of world of warcraft no..over those who are addticted.
We need to stand up to them and we will win and get bakc our lifes
Blizzards end will be here soon.
by: Taylor
On August 21, 2011 at 3:30 pm
hi, im taylor and my dad is a world of warcraft addict but he doesnt know it. i have a sister and wonderful mom and hes stopped talking to all of us and we have to yell at him to get his attention. he plays constantly and hardly sleeps. all that matters to him is the computer. he isnt looking for a job and my mom is the only one working. we hardly have money and he plans on buying a lap top in a couple months when my sister and i didnt even get new school clothes. he calls us in to tell us his great gaming achievements at all hours. im so frustrated and i cant wait to go to college in two yrs. i just dont know what to do anymore and ive given up hope.
by: amie
On August 30, 2011 at 9:24 am
i am also addicted to wow. i am 14 years old and a girl. i have controlled my addiction its just the fact that im wasting my summer rotting my brain. i love the game but why does it have to be this amazing?!?
by: Julia
On September 1, 2011 at 1:45 am
Hello, my name is Julia and i am 25 years old. I’m getting married in 2 months and i play Wow for almost 4 years now! i have a lot of friends that play wow and one day my fiance started the 10 day trial….so i tried it too! after 3 days of trial…we went to buy the game and soon we were at the begining area of blood elfs! we both made retri paladins, a while later i got holy…and a year later i got a mage and that is my main char till this day!he still is a retri pala and sometimes a shadow priest! The thing is that we play together…every evening for 2 hours or so, but we still have a social life…we go out, we have fun, we cook together, clean and shop together…and still we manage to anjoy the game and wipe on Ragnaros
) To enjoy life and wow…you people have to learn to balance things…balace online time with social time!!! think of what you are losing (friends,family…health) and then think that wow is not going anywhere…the raids and quests will still be there…orgrimmar or ironforge won’t disappear from the map… and so on! Wow is not an addiction unless u think it is! I love wow but i love my life too… so i balance, and i am doing great…getting married with my retri paladin, got a new house and play wow every evening!!!!
So dear ones…try to balance, cuz from my point of view it works fine!
Take care all…. :*
by: madeline
On September 3, 2011 at 7:13 pm
i was severly addicted to wow a few years back. it almost ruined my marriage. i was a stay at home wife, no kids, no job, a hubby who made enough money for me to live on, and i didnt do house work and rarely cooked. he wanted me to quit so bad and i’d just get mad at him, and bring up his bad points to avoid admitting my own addiction. i proebbely played about 16 hrs a day. when we went to tropical islands for vacation, all i could think about was how behind i would get in gear, and how i wouldnt be the top healer anymore becuase people would have better gear than me. i played at least 10 hours a day. proebely aruond 13-14. i looked forward to when hubby would go to work so i could have a day of free playing without “hubby aggro”.
so what made me eventually quit? i got pregnant. i realised it wasn’t fair for my child if i just played wow all dam day. my online friends suggested i just cut back on the game time, but continue playing, but i knew that wouldn’t be good enough. i dont have self control, i had to quit for good. this was over 2 yrs ago that i quit. i still think about WoW. it was my whole life for a good 3 yrs and i met a lot of nice people from it. do i regret playing? not really. but im lucky that someone up there was looking out for me so that my marriage was NOT ruined.
luckily, 5 months after i quit playing, my account got hacked. i can’t even go to account management because the guy changed my secret question. i have no idea how this happened, but because of this, if i decide to start playing again, i have to start over from scratch, which i would NEVER do. (i had 3 very well geared 80′s, a 70, and a 67, and a few lower levels). but i still like to go online and watch arena videos and reminice about the times i used to kick ass lol. i really miss the game. i loved to play it.
unfortunately the EVIL that comes from the game is that it’s designed that you have to put a minimum 3 hrs into the game to become good at it. or else you’ll get outgeared. it’s terrible. it’s made to be addicting. but its ohh soo fun. i can’t wait till diablo 3 comes out… it will be a game that you can stop playing whenever u want, without screwing yoru group over, im looking forward to that!!
by: Some guy
On September 15, 2011 at 4:54 am
Every day I get up, make breakfast for the kids and their school lunches and get them to school because wife is too busy on wow, I work all day and support the family, come home and cook dinner, yelling at my wife to leave the computer to eat, she does with a huff. Once dinner is done she is back to WOW till god knows when because I am asleep when she comes to bed. Sex?? whats that??
Just this week I asked my wife to quit her 45-50 hour a week WOW habit. I was very scared that when I said “it’s me or the game ” that she would choose the game. Not sure what she does while I am at work but she still e-mails her guild and I saw an email bagging me. She does not play while I am in the house.
I will leave and take the kids if I have too. She is very smart and very beautiful, I love her but not what she is doing. I will not go down with a sinking ship, I will not be her cash cow so she can play and have her food brought to her and buy all the best stuff with the money I earn.
by: LUPO1234
On September 19, 2011 at 10:21 pm
I found myself getting lost in WOW after I got laid off from my very enjoyable, well paying job as a Pharmaceutical Rep. For the first month I couldn’t get enough WOW; 10+ hrs/day. I created a new Fire Mage toon that I couldn’t keep off the battlegrounds. I liked the character because he was so powerful, yet so vulnerable at the same time. The only thing that stopped me from playing was lack of sleep or food. WOW is an information age escape and it is very easy to put off everything that one should and needs to do and run away to Azeroth. If you haven’t seen it, then watch the Bruce Willis movie: Surrogates. It takes the addiction to WOW type games to the point of absurdity. Life can be tough and unfair a lot of the time, but it is during those times that we must keep our head in the game if we ever want to move on to something better. I look back and realize that I dissolved away the last month in my WOW love affair….but a whore takes on many forms, is pleasing for the moment yet destructive over time. It has been 24 hours since I quite. I got a lot of stuff done today. Good Luck!
by: Graham
On September 27, 2011 at 9:23 am
I for one am ashamed of how games companies can see and read these things (they know they exist, trust me) and continue to update/patch and bring more expanisions out for WOW.
I used to be VERY addicted… i started playing 3 months before cataclysm came out… but now it has, i beleieve they have ruind the game… yes, i still play about 8 hrs plus a day, but i am also married and have a son… I know whats important, but sometimes wow gets in the way. If it becomes a bigger PROBLEM i will stop
by: Inolongerhuman
On October 10, 2011 at 1:52 am
I eat when i play wow.
I sleep on the keybored.
I eat 2 times a day.
I sleep 4 hours a day.
I don’t know what the sun light is anymore.
All i know is that world of warcraft needs me.
What have happen to me? thats what i am gonna tell you now..i got the diseased that appeared in 2005 called world of warcraft syndrome
by: Stardust
On November 7, 2011 at 5:25 pm
Been playing for 2 years. I love the game. But yes u can get addicted badly. This scares me. I dont go out anymore. All my friend are either Paladins, Rogues, Hunters, Druids…. not Peter, Paul or Jack.
I used to be quite good at time keeping but since i lost my job, i spend more and more time on it and I meet people in the same situation. I am getting scared because playiyng until 2am isnt an issue anymore. People call me in the middle of the night to go play. They are worse addicts than me. I will try keep away from this game also.
As someone said above above the hygiene and house chores, well.. i am not there yest, but i could see myself doing just that. Going out to the shops becomes scary because i am not surrounded by the beauty of azeroth….
by: Johny
On November 17, 2011 at 6:14 am
I play 19 hours a day. i lost everything. but atleast i have my night elf
by: Nicole
On November 17, 2011 at 4:11 pm
i have a story but i feel like your guys addiction to this game is much worse.
i dated a guy a couple years ago who was mad addicted to wow! i couldnt even begin to explain it. he met someone on the game and they started texting back and forth and in the middle of the night. he ended up cheating on me with this girl, i left him and he now lives with her.
my current boy friend also plays he just got back into it and im afraid im gonna loose him to this game also, i told him my fears and he told me hes not like that he wouldnt cheat on me and blah blah blah but i can tell he already has an addiction to it he cant stay off of it hes playing the stupid game right now as im typing this. We are about to have a baby together in maybe a week and i hope this addiction doesnt keep him away from his baby.
by: Some guy
On November 17, 2011 at 4:27 pm
WOW is no longer part of our lives. She has stopped totally after I made the “it’s me or the game” speech. I did mean it.
She is playing Sims a bit and tiny tower on iphone but nothing like the 50 hours a week before. It took me a long time for her to stop being pissed of at me for taking it away from her but it was worth it. We are now in a marriage not sharing a house while she sponges off me like before.
My advise is to think very hard about what you want to say to the person, do the talk out loud 20 times before you deliver it to them so you can do it without raising your voice and have no emotion in your monologue, ask them to not speak till you finish and the last line should be “there is no room at all in my life for World of Warcraft”.
Anybody out there who is playing WOW too much and not having a life I really pity you, think of who you are hurting. For god sakes it is just a game. There is this stuff called reality, try some of it.
by: nelsontia
On November 29, 2011 at 3:34 pm
I need a good lawyer………..I have been married for 30 years, hubby is addicted to WOW. this isn’t the first addiction he has had, sure it won’t be the last but, wow is feeding into peoples addictions by creating games that go on and on and don’t end. Hubby plays from the time he gets home from work until he goes to sleep at night 7 days a week. doesn’t do anything else. People comment on here that they can’t talk to their spouse about it? how can you talk to someone when they are wearing headphones? if you try and talk to them they yell at you that they are in the middle of a raid. birthday parties for grandkids and kids are not important anymore. nothing is except the Video game. Hello any good lawyers out there available to take on my case for free? hit me up. I have had it. I live alone already and do everything already so what’s the difference if I get a divorce. WOW is distroying families, along with other addictive games.
by: Billy
On December 1, 2011 at 1:30 am
I find funny how some addicts scorn other addictions as if their own was better or safer…nothing is further from the truth.. an addiction is just that, an addiction..In truth if subject A was addicted to wow to the point where their life was falling apart do to a video game…its no different than a heroin junkie who’s life is falling apart do to the drug. Both have developed a co dependency that demands they impart the undivided attention to that behavior or that fix. They both end with severe consequences.
The designers of MMO’s know very much about the psychology of human addiction and they design their games around this knowledge…If they didn’t no one would stick it through month after month…Saying addiction is based on personality, is a cop out of ignorance. Anyone can get hooked on something if the situation is right…Thats my two cents…just remember its all a recreation until we want to keep doing it over and over and what was once fun is now an obsession we feel we cant live without…peace
by: Athought
On December 30, 2011 at 3:15 am
all that time & money spent, good thing your wow characters will be at your funeral.
by: -MA-
On January 4, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Illuminati owned game, but they really have fine tuned it to be pretty good. Stay away is my advice!!!!!!!
by: Meyti
On January 11, 2012 at 12:54 pm
im playing wow for almost 3 years now . its fun . i made frnds from all over the world and i learned about how to behave with different kind of people.yes im an addict but its a game forged by god and send by angels to the earth :X
by: Daniel Conchie
On January 29, 2012 at 11:16 am
After reading all these comments, I don’t think I’ll ever play WoW? It sounds evil. Seriously people losing their houses, jobs and wives because of it. The video game equivalent of crack cocaine. A good alternative to WoW. Skyrim: Elder Scrolls 5. It’s free, there are forums for the community of players and I don’t spend 16+ hours a day playing it. Sure I stay up late some nights but I have a job, wife, kid and friends.