Can't play any other game but WoW

[EbonBehelit-]

When you spend a lot of time playing a specific game on a daily basis, it becomes quite normal and routine to your brain.
There's a lot of comfort in doing routine things that are familiar to you, so it's easy to get yourself into a situation where playing other games will feel... off, and your brain will instead think longingly about doing the familiar/routine task. I wouldn't quite call it addiction, but the effects can be somewhat similar.

[RemasteredClassic]

I really don’t think it’s an addiction issue. WoW is unique in so many ways that nobody else has been able to create something attractive enough to make me want to leave wow behind and move on to some other game.

I bought GTA just for the racing aspect, but I get zero enjoyment out of a game world that mimics criminal America. It is the purchase I regret the most. I just wanted to see it for myself is the reason why I bought it. At the time I was hoping to find an IT engineer position at a gaming company in Tokyo and went on a game buying frenzy covering every genre and kind of “mainstream” game.

I also don’t think I’s a familiarity thing either. WoW is just so good at its core but the devs sometime really mess it up, unintentionally I guess.

[javierdsv]

When you're paying for something you feel the drive to make the most out of your money... The same thing happens to me.

I found that letting the subscription expire is the only way I can get to play other games. Try it.

[hynx]

It's not an addiction though, when I was unhappy about Cata, I simply completely skipped it. I also skipped half of MOP because I thought/still think playable pandas is stupid. I went from a hardcore raider in naxx during vanilla to a casual in both TBC and WoTLK, only got back to raiding in Legion and now back to being a casual. Skipped half of BfA. It's either I don't game at all or play WoW. I currently spend a maximum one to one and a half hour a day playing extremely casually.

I keep using WoW as a measuring stick when looking at other games. That's probably what it is. It almost feels like I'm cheating on WoW when I play any other games... lol. It is ruining my enjoying of the other games.

sounds like an addiction too me, but you have a very specific addiction. its like breaking bad, sure people are into meth, but some meth heads ONLY used Heisenberg's blue ICE and nothing else, once they got that taste of the good good. it became the measuring stick of what meth was supposed to be, for the junkie.

but that is only as an outside observer looking into a tiny snippet of your gaming lifestyle that you have discussed so far. just because you put a pause on your "blue ice" when Cata came out, just means you went to rehab for a while and cleaned up, but still had that metric to compare "your blue ice experience" against, when you tried to get that video game high. ( for a cheap analogy )

[Mikazukinoyaiba]

I also don’t think I’s a familiarity thing either. WoW is just so good at its core but the devs sometime really mess it up, unintentionally I guess.

Its addiction, google and youtube all the ex-WOW player and how they felt about their WOW addiction and they'll likely say the same thing as you.

Uninstall the game for 6-12 months, do something productive and free yourself from WOW's FOMO, after 6 months you'll start to see things clearer.

[Ajko]

It's not an addiction though, when I was unhappy about Cata, I simply completely skipped it. I also skipped half of MOP because I thought/still think playable pandas is stupid. I went from a hardcore raider in naxx during vanilla to a casual in both TBC and WoTLK, only got back to raiding in Legion and now back to being a casual. Skipped half of BfA. It's either I don't game at all or play WoW. I currently spend a maximum one to one and a half hour a day playing extremely casually.

I keep using WoW as a measuring stick when looking at other games. That's probably what it is. It almost feels like I'm cheating on WoW when I play any other games... lol. It is ruining my enjoying of the other games.

for me it is quite the opposite. WoW helped me a lot playing others games.

[Theoris]

It's the opposite for me. I have had more fun with other games lately more than I do WoW (mostly indie or old/remastered games). At the moment, WoW in general - be it BfA or Classic - doesn't resonate with me.

[melzas]

Its addiction, google and youtube all the ex-WOW player and how they felt about their WOW addiction and they'll likely say the same thing as you.

Uninstall the game for 6-12 months, do something productive and free yourself from WOW's FOMO, after 6 months you'll start to see things clearer.

It's not really how you can tell if it's an addiction. If someone who likes vanilla icecream tries other flavours and decides he only likes vanilla ones, it doesn't make him addicted. Only when he makes a concious decision that he wants to stop eating them and can't you can call it an addiction.

[quite an expert in wow]

I wouldn't go as far as being unable to live without - but it does sound like an addiction.

not really

maybe you should look up the definition of an addiction

[Lane]

I always end up falling back to WoW because I don't have to think about it I can just play. I know the world, quests, and classes like the back of my hand. I loved ESO, but I had to quit playing it for awhile and ever since I've struggled to get back into it. I just start thinking about how I have to relearn everything because so much has changed since I last played. Nothing in WoW ever changes that much. I played for two months total between 2010-2016 and was still able to hit the ground running.

[McCrazy]

I have dozens of games from every genre, yet I just can't get myself to want to play them. I started gaming with vanilla WoW and ever since, that's been the only game I could actually play for longer than an hour in one stretch. Everything else, I login, spend a maximum 15-30 minutes and just can't help but either go back to WoW or read about WoW if I'm unhappy about WoW's state of things.

Am I the only one?

I had the same problem, playing since Vanilla with only short breaks. I own many games at GoG and I wanted to play them, but had the urge to play WoW instead. In another forum I started a thread where I wrote about it and what would help me, to play the games I bought with the intention to play them.

The answers I got, helped me to start.
First, make yourself an appointed time when you play something else then WoW. (Like Monday and Friday for 2 hours after dinner p.e.)
Second: sort out the games you think you are not interested in much at this time. (I choose not to play RTS and very old games at first).
Third: make a list of about 5 games you think you will like to play first. (I started with RPGs like Divinity: Original Sin 1+2)

When you reach the point where you selected the game(s) search for a guide for the games, so you can get fast information on how to get started* and if you are stuck you can look up for a solution. That is a problem I had, that I just didn't have the nerves to spend much time with searching and trying to find out what to do next. It's not meant to play after the guide but with the guide if you don't know how to proceed, if there are some riddles to solve or items to find or whatever it is that.

* Good guides have information about character selection (if RPG) and hints and tips that will help you to get into it and are useful for the whole game. That helps a lot, if you can learn in advance what class or race or faction or whatever you want to play and that suits your playstile. (I like to play ranged characters in RPGs with groups, Fighter/Warriors if solo)

Next, install the game and before you start, check out the options to see what changes you can make to make you feel comfortable with it and learn what the most used keyboard bindings are. Then start and use those keys (like M for map p.e. or J for Journal') and learn the controls to move the character etc. Usually you don't have to hurry and can just get used to the new UI.

I started this 'Project' in May 2018 and have played many games since then, that were on my backlog for a long time. First Divinity: Original Sin 1+2 and Ego Draconis, Pillars of Eternity 1+2, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Grim Dawn with all the expansions (up to lvl 93 atm), Blackguards 1+2, Fallout 1, ELEX, Torchlight 1, Syberia + and others.

If I find my way around in a new game after 1-2 hours playing and I like the story, it's no problem anymore to not login to WoW. At the moment I play Inquisitor and that is a real pita. But the story is interesting and I want to know how it proceeds. And, after playing so many other games, I learned to have more endurance if a difficult situation or fight tries to stop me.

With other games I started but could not get into it (Lands of Lore, Post mortem and others) I watched a lets play and am glad I have done so. I don't think that I would have had the nerves to pull that through.

My 'thread' in the other forum is now used from other players too for the same reason and sometimes discussions about what makes a game 'good' or 'hard' or just 'unplayable'. It seems, that it doesn't depend on graphics in old games to like to play them, but the mostly clunky controls, the missing maps and/or any ingame hints how to get things done. And that's where the guides are helping a lot, because after 15 years WoW one is just to spoiled with questmarkers everywhere and addons that show you everything on the map.

I hope you find a way to play these other games, because some (at least what I played) are really good stories and are fun to play.

I'm kind of proud to have played through all these games because it showed me, that I can beat the treadmill that is WoW and leave my comfort-zone and fight my way through games that demand a little more from the player.
By the way, I still have my sub for WoW and log in almost every day, but only doing some farming the bee-mount or Mechagon and then I can log out and play something else.

[DietzThought]

It's not addiction.
I would say you prefer routine over trying something new, I'm in the same boat.
Besides Wow, there's only a few games I managed to play longer than an hour or even finish it.
I liked Firewatch, Limbo, Inside, Opus Magnum, Portal 2.
Either atmospheric games with easy controls and/or puzzle games.
If I notice in a new game that there's a bunch of shit to learn, I immediately don't bother anymore.
I know Wow, I've been playing it for 12 years.
Many people say they wish they could experience WoW as a new player all over again,
but for me the truth is, I wouldn't be able to start over.

[PhXn]

I'm the same. Been a gamer since the early 80's, but since starting WoW in 2007 I stopped playing other games, I just have no interest in them. Losing interest in WoW now also. Probably just a case of getting older, I dunno.

I'm a bit youger then you, been a gamer since the early 90's.
I also was losing interest in WoW, then i was hyped up by Classic......( I didnt enjoy it that much(been there, done that))
Then Classic actually reminded me how good retail is (Classwise, for me)
Now i can't stop playing retail.

This being said, i don't think its an addiction

[Feali]

I'm a bit youger then you, been a gamer since the early 90's.
I also was losing interest in WoW, then i was hyped up by Classic......( I didnt enjoy it that much(been there, done that))
Then Classic actually reminded me how good retail is (Classwise, for me)
Now i can't stop playing retail.

This being said, i don't think its an addiction

I tried crack but over the years they kinda ruined it with all their fancy supplements. Then they brought back crack and I tried it. It was fun but now I kinda miss all the fancy supplements so I went back to fancy crack.

But I’m not a crack addict

[Dawon]

I was in the same boat until recently, why? My guild cleared HC EP in like 6 weeks and matching with that Classic came out... we are a HC only guild so had nothing to do really so probably 75% of the guild went to play Classic. I didnt as I have played since release and really dont wanna go back in time and destroy my fond memories on a game that was awesome then but worthless now. So I hanged around in the guild for a few weeks, doing my AP and such but as it became borderline empty (the other 25% ppl that didnt go Classic started playing other games) I too got bored of hanging there solo so started doing other things. Eventually I picked up ESO, was so so in the beginning, it's way more beautiful than WoW and stories actually makes sense instead of killing 11 pigs and collecting 26 beararses but the combat was strange to me, the controls and anims felt not as polished as WoW but I eventually got used to it. Now I am at a state where I really don't look forward to 8.3 and the time when we "group back up again for next tier", I am seriously (for the first time since Vanilla) considering putting WoW on hold until next expansion ... all this due to ONE reason, I got some proper time off from WoW to test other things and more important, I got enough time to allow myself to get INTO other things.
This made me realize that WoW isnt as fun and optimal as I've looked upon it for the last 15 years... It still is an awesome game but other games are actually not that bad and if given enough time, they WILL take over the WoW-throne, I am very much confident on that after giving other games a proper chance without me playing WoW at all.

That said, I will return for 8.3, raid and see how fun and nice it is but I reckon (as I am feeling atm) that I will pull a quick Curve and then head back to ESO, my PS4 games and heck even some mobile games I prefer to slack with in the couch instead of farming AP and doing m+ for a rather pointless chest as this point in the expansion.

Anyway, point being, if you WANT to like other games, put WoW on a month 100% cold turkey and give other games a proper chance, if you dont have WoW to go back to odds are you will start to enjoy other stuff. If you dont for a full month of no WoW, then yeah, WoW is your forever baby and I hope for your sake they never shut the servers!

[Kazlofski]

I have dozens of games from every genre, yet I just can't get myself to want to play them. I started gaming with vanilla WoW and ever since, that's been the only game I could actually play for longer than an hour in one stretch. Everything else, I login, spend a maximum 15-30 minutes and just can't help but either go back to WoW or read about WoW if I'm unhappy about WoW's state of things.

Am I the only one?

Kinda similiar.

It's my go to game when I want to chill and do simple stuff and able to just turn it off easily whenever needed or just go afk in an instant (rarely doing group content anymore), unlike other games that require more attention and are generally story based so they hook you in and you prefer playing them when you know you have a few days off and no stuff to deal with in between.

[Graeham]

It sounds like you need to go cold turkey. There's so many great games out there that if you're only ever playing one you're missing out on a lot of new experiences. WoW is, in its current state, absolutely not worth committing to above all else. At some point you'll have to admit to yourself that you're no longer playing it because you enjoy it but because it's a bad habit.

Even putting games aside, there's just so much more you could be doing with your time. You're also not getting any younger. Do you really, really want to spend another five, ten or even more years playing WoW and nothing else?

[Soimu]

I have dozens of games from every genre, yet I just can't get myself to want to play them. I started gaming with vanilla WoW and ever since, that's been the only game I could actually play for longer than an hour in one stretch. Everything else, I login, spend a maximum 15-30 minutes and just can't help but either go back to WoW or read about WoW if I'm unhappy about WoW's state of things.

Am I the only one?

I am in the same situation, i own over 500 games on steam and a few on other platforms but i still play wow mainly and barely touched the other ones, but in my situation i think it just the fact that i got old and have a lot on my mind and get bored quickly.

[Ealyssa]

Despite ll the classic garbage internet psychologists here. You are fine OP. It's ok to only play one game, don't need to force yourself to play other things.

It's just like some who would be very athletic but only lifting and not wanting to do other sports. You just don't have to. As long as your practic is healthy, and looks like it is, just play what you enjoy. Really as simple as that.

[Usagi Senshi]

You're addicted like I was/still am. Accept that fact and move on and learn to pry yourself away from the game to enjoy other game sometimes.

Also my total FFXIV play time since 2013: