Addiction To WOW

[nohands101]

I'm not addicted I'm commited

[Deleted]

Are you implying WoW is not part of ''normal life'' or what do you actually mean by ''normal life''?

Going to work, study, go to gym, go outside ur house and have fun with friends. If someone would say skip from work because of wow, that's already serious addiction.

[Deleted]

Going to work, study, go to gym, go outside ur house and have fun with friends. If someone would say skip from work because of wow, that's already serious addiction.

I don't think you get to decide what is normal. Though i there is a lifestyle that is common but that doesent make it normal.
If someone is so rich they dont have to work. doesent need to work out because their body is perfectly in shape doesent mean he isnt normal!
He is just living his life diffrently from yours. (assuming you do all of those things you mentioned above)

Not saying there isnt any such thing such as abnormal though. But i don't think you can apply it so easily.
The way you explain it it practically seems that when it isnt common it isnt normal or when a lot of people dont do it it isnt normal
I think a lot of people skip school or work so they can play a game. Then that should be normal too

[Deleted]

The moment you get withdrawal symptoms when you have to stop playing for 2-3 days. Everything else is poopy and just having fun with a hobby.

Or do you call the guy addicted wo spends 5 hours a day with his car?

[Terridon]

A fairly simple and good definition in my oppinion about to weather your addicted or not:

Three of the following symptoms suggest abuse, five or more addiction:

-Increasing amounts of time spent on Internet

-Failed attempts to control behavior

-Heightened euphoria while on Internet

-Craving more time on Internet, restless when not there

-Neglecting family and friends

-Lying to others about use

-Internet interfering with job and school

-Feeling guilty or ashamed of behavior

-Changes in sleep patterns

-Weight changes, backaches, headaches, carpal tunnel

-Withdrawl from other activities

[Deleted]

I don't think you get to decide what is normal.

Well. Playing video games whole day isnt really productive, unless u are some great name and are streaming and get money from it, or are in big guild getting world firsts, or just living from gaming somehow, but other than that, playing games like 5+ hours a day is not only bad for mental health, but after long period you start to get physically weak also.

---------- Post added 2012-11-12 at 05:55 AM ----------

If someone is so rich they dont have to work. doesent need to work out because their body is perfectly in shape doesent mean he isnt normal!

Of course that's an exception if you have enough money to support yourself without a job, but you have to take into consideration that most wow addicts arent millionaires, but jobless people who play all day.

[Ricen]

Do you have anything to back that statement up with? Because I'm pretty sure i was addicted to WoW for some years a long time ago.

Your weak minded, inability to be a adult is not a addiction, its you being a child.

That comment just shows the trend in our culture. Everything is a addiction, no responsibility for your actions. Its a bunch of horse shit. The fact that people cant take accountability for their own actions, and blame it on an innate addiction that they cannot help because they are, "so pleauged by it" makes me fucking laugh. Grow up and get your prioritizes straight.

*I do love wow, just hate the whole "addiction topic.*

[Buxton McGraff]

I'll admit I'm addicted to WoW. When I quit WoW I felt better about myself and had more fun with friends and family. It's hard to stay away though, and I eventually come back.

[Deleted]

That comment just shows the trend in our culture. Everything is a addiction, no responsibility for your actions. Its a bunch of horse shit. The fact that people cant take accountability for their own actions, and blame it on an innate addiction that they cannot help because they are, "so pleauged by it" makes me fucking laugh. Grow up and get your prioritizes straight.

Couldnt have said it better.

[panterarules]

What do you all think about the main components of being addicted to wow are?

Not going to school, family functions, significant others?

Losing time of day?

Playing all night?

Any physical reactions when not playing?

Thoughts that you need to get back on?

I am curious to see what the community believes an addiction to WoW would be...

Definitely all of these are signs of an addiction, although you could argue some of the points. I think the biggest sign of addiction is using WoW (or anything) to escape your life. A lot of people aren't aware that they may be fighting minor depression, for example going through a break up, struggling with employment, having social problems, failing in school. It's easier to do something to take your mind off these things (like play WoW) than to motivate yourself out of it.

[Terridon]

Well. Playing video games whole day isnt really productive, unless u are some great name and are streaming and get money from it, or are in big guild getting world firsts, or just living from gaming somehow, but other than that, playing games like 5+ hours a day is not only bad for mental health, but after long period you start to get physically weak also.[COLOR="red"]

That's just a silly statement taken out of the ass.

I play more than 5 hours pr day, and it's very normal for me. I'm probably in far better shape than you are though.
It's not the part with playing 5 hours pr day. Most people just watched tv before for 5 hours, or even do that on top of it.
You still have plenty of time to do other things.
Biking to work/school, Walking around in the area you are, instead of calling, doing sport, and tons of time for extra things in the weekends, including seing those you like.

If you don't think you have time enough for it, then try to get a baby to keep you up 4 more hours of the day, so you can have time for it all <.<

[Deleted]

Your weak minded, inability to be a adult is not a addiction, its you being a child.

That comment just shows the trend in our culture. Everything is a addiction, no responsibility for your actions. Its a bunch of horse shit. The fact that people cant take accountability for their own actions, and blame it on an innate addiction that they cannot help because they are, "so pleauged by it" makes me fucking laugh. Grow up and get your prioritizes straight.

*I do love wow, just hate the whole "addiction topic.*

That's like saying the same thing about alcohol and drug addiction.

It may not be physiological, but as many in this thread stated, addiction can be psychological as well and have nothing to do with "weak mind" or inability to prioritize. You truly have to be a fool to believe that some people just choose to not care about school, friends, family and their life just to play a game. There are many factors that could lead to psychological addiction, such as bad conditions, health or social integration in real life.

The addiction is in the head and it forces you to keep playing, keep getting better, not letting down your guildmates and so on. Some people can handle things like alcohol, cigarettes and drugs just fine but end up having a psychological addiction to something instead. Others are the other way around. What really baffles me is how many people in this thread that are denying that you can be addicted to WoW. Either a lot of people are, in fact, addicted to some degree but in denial or just don't really have a good idea about it.

Why don't you just say "grow up and get your prioritizes right" to someone who have a alcohol addiction?
I guess you're just to immature (or in denial?) to actually realize that the mind can be a powerful tool that we don't always control.

Addiction has been extended, however, to include mood-altering behaviors or activities. Some researchers speak of two types of addictions: substance addictions (for example, alcoholism, drug abuse, and smoking); and process addictions (for example, gambling, spending, shopping, eating, and sexual activity).

(source: The Medical Dictionary)

As the quote suggest, gaming addiction is very much a real thing.

---------- Post added 2012-11-12 at 11:32 AM ----------

That's just a silly statement taken out of the ass.

I play more than 5 hours pr day, and it's very normal for me. I'm probably in far better shape than you are though.
It's not the part with playing 5 hours pr day. Most people just watched tv before for 5 hours, or even do that on top of it.
You still have plenty of time to do other things.
Biking to work/school, Walking around in the area you are, instead of calling, doing sport, and tons of time for extra things in the weekends, including seing those you like.

If you don't think you have time enough for it, then try to get a baby to keep you up 4 more hours of the day, so you can have time for it all <.<

I think it depends. If you have time to play 5 hours or more, with nothing more of importance to do, then it's really just "wasting time". People do these things with books, TV etc.

I think it becomes a problem when you play 5 or more hours a day when you really go other stuff you should do instead. Such as work, homework, chorus and such.

[Nasriel]

I'm not. I like WoW but I find the idea of logging in all day everyday unappealing. Couple of hours a night sure. Constantly? Oh hell no.

That said I think some of my guildies are definitely addicted. I don't understand how parents with little kids can play all day every day and not logout. I have such a couple in my guild. Husband and wife. I login during the day sometimes and they're online. When I login of an evening to do my dailies and the like they are STILL logged in. The other night I was bored and unable to sleep so I grabbed my phone which had a PST notification on the screen from earlier and as usual stupid remote chat hadn't logged out... and they were BOTH still on at 3am! o_O;; Unless they are botting or something? I'm not entirely sure but they are usually either in instances or somewhere in Pandaria

My former GM was the same. He'd wake up in the morning and login to WoW, play till about 4am, go to bed then wake up and log straight back in again. Mind you he was forced to stop when he went bankrupt as he was ignoring his IRL responsibilities and stuff went bad. Now he works full time and plays regularly but isn't online from the moment he wakes up to the moment he sleeps like he used to

Another of my guildies that I raided with back in Wrath and Cata got epic wife rage over the amount of time he played WoW and the fact that he'd raid with us 3 nights a week. Pretty sure she gave him an ultimatum "it's me or the game" he didn't curb his gametime... he's now divorced. So yes I definitely think there are people that are addicted out there!

[Ethes]

Could you state that because you are so busy that you do not eel the need to go back? What would happen if you didnt have all your time taken up?

Probably, so yes! With more time I might have continue'd playing. But I've proved to myself that it's not such a big influence on my life that I can't set my mind on doing anything else. Which is in my opinion what an addiction really is...

[Djuntas]

When you're own health is at risk.

Or when you inn some way mess up you're life.

[Deleted]

I know people who's life pretty much revolves around the game (as did mine for a short time). It's become their only hobby and they actually look down on people that do not play. On Sunday night I actually tried to discuss the things I liked about Rift (with a friend who has never seen Rift) in the same room as an especially rude one of the bunch and was basically shouted at and mocked until I kept my mouth shut. It's absolutely pathetic to see first hand the lengths people will go to to defend even the stupidest, obviously flawed aspects of the game when they are addicted.

For me the most obvious sign of WoW addiction is exactly that, the blind consumerist "I've played for this long I may as well keep playing" attitude people have even when they aren't enjoying the game. The end of Cata really brought this home for me. So many people in chat channels complaining about the sorry state of wow... yet every single one of them was actually logged into the game while they said it. If you don't like what you are doing, why not stop?

[Deleted]

I fall into several of those catergories, except i know i can quit whenever i see fit.

[Deleted]

I think addiction is anything you do everyday, for at least than one hour, and affects your health in a bad way.
Playing wow everyday, even for a minimum 1 hour a day is STILL an addiction.

WoW is not job (it is for some people), so we can always back away from it; We just choose not to.
That addiction might be more severe, if you can't stop/interrupt your gaming sessions for long periods, and have psychological and/or physical reactions.

For me, every time I interrupt it, I actually feel better about myself and can manage to get things done more efficiently.

[dispatchcrab]

In the definition you give, the very last thing it staes is, "cessation causes severe trauma" That simply does not happen when people stop smoking weed, because they're not actually ADDICTED

You clearly have never smoked alot of weed and instead are one of those people that think due to the lack of any real addictive substance in it its impossible to be addicted too

[Deleted]

In the definition you give, the very last thing it staes is, "cessation causes severe trauma" That simply does not happen when people stop smoking weed, because they're not actually ADDICTED

You seem to think the word "addicted" only covers "physical addiction". There is such a thing as "psychological addiction" which is what most people mean when they use the word "addiction" in relation to something which is obviously not "physically" addictive, for example games, tv programs and some drugs.

Fact of the matter is, only an incredibly small part of the population will ever understand what a physical addiction is, yet psychological addiction is one of the most commonly addressed issues with psychiatrists.