Why you should quit WoW…three questions you need to ask yourself.

[Deleted]

I suspect the common response to this question will be “When I stop having fun.” To that I pose this analogy: You ask a chronic smoker when he/she plans to quit smoking. They respond “When it stops making me feel good.” You laugh. Of course it’ll never stop feeling good – they are hooked. Now while WoW is not the same kind of addiction as nicotine, the logic of that response is equally flawed.

I feel your logic is the thing that is flawed here. The addiction to smoking comes from, as you said, nicotine. Nicotine is an active drug that makes the brain feel sedated and gives a "good" feeling. It's addicting, and your body will keep asking for more. therefor it will never stop making someone who is addicted feel good, since there is need for it and it has the "feel good" sedating effect.

WoW on the other hand, can actually become less fun. When and where differs for everyone. But at some point you will have enough of grinding, redoing the same content and what not. Some will never stop liking it. Some who stopped might think about installing it again and give it another go. But it's a given that it can become less fun, or even no fun at all. I think that might be a reason why you quit, isn't it?

As to answer your questions:

1. This is hard to answer.. Do I go back in time as the person I am now, having to convince the "me" of the past not to buy WoW because of what I've experienced (and thereby risking blowing up the space-time continuum)? To that I'd say no. I've made my choices, I have to live the consequences.

Does my mind (with all the knowledge I have now) get transferred to the person I used to be back then? I'd say yes, go for it. But I'd still buy WoW, play it with a little more decency, and change a bunch of mistakes I made in my life aswell while I'm at it. I've been a casual gamer and the game will not get in the way of my social life. Being with friends irl is just as satisfying.

2. I'll stop playing when I feel the game doesnt give me what I want from it, or there are other things that can replace it and do a better job. I do have a question for you in this case, how do you fill your time you used to spend on WoW? (partly) play other games, or something completely different?

3. I really couldnt care, there are more things then WoW, if my tv shuts down I'll go do something else, if the book I am reading ends I'll go do something else, maybe start a new book.

Maybe WoW shutting down would be a good thing someday, open your eyes to something else. But untill that day comes, I'll be logging in casually, casually do some dungeons, some quests, maybe a raid if the opportunity's there. Since that's what I like to do.

[Tropos]

I dont see why games are "bad". If you can keep being healthy even though you are playing you got no problem. I play alot, because i enjoy it and im lazy. I'm still in pretty good shape, i run every now and then and eat healthy. I hang out with ppls sometimes, but thats enough for my taste

So.. WHy quit if i enjoy it

[zegra]

I just made an account to answer this question as I find it is a needed step in my quitting process.

So then, here we go:

1. If you could go back in time to the day you bought WoW, would you buy it again?

No, I would not. After playing this game for almost 5 years and 380 days played on my main character, the negatives certainly outweigh the positives. After reducing my play time (quit PVE) about 8 months ago has seen my University average go from 60% to 88%. I don't even want to think about the potential friends/work/girlfriends I could have had/made if I wasn't sat in a chair.

2. If you are still an active player, when do you plan to stop playing?

Well, I guess I am still pretty much an active player. I always said I would stop playing when I have done everything in this game (thus making it not fun). I have got Gladiator, been in a high level raiding guild and got too many achievement points . Your above point about someone can't stop a certain activity when it doesn't feel good in my opinion is incorrect. The past few months I have logged off in boredom and focusing on my Uni work or friends/family (dramatic improvement in my social life).

I thoroughly believe in what Charlie Sheen says, you can cure addiction by willpower. I was addicted to World of Warcraft. I am not now. I believe that when something doesn't become enjoyable or rewarding an average person can quit and pursue other goals.

3. If all WoW servers disappeared today and were permanently removed, what would your reaction be?

That is highly unlikely. However, if it did happen I wouldn't really mind because there will be no incentive to play again down the track

Wall of Text

You can't put that you got Gladiator s3,s4,s8 on your resume on a video game

[Blightarrow]

1. Yes
2. Don't have anything planned, planning is something women do.
3. Fuck

Pretty much this lol. but if wow ended, id just move on... i mean hey, SWTOR is coming

[foxilon]

You seem to be under the impression that a multiplayer(MP) experience is the same as a single player(SP) experience. People play multiplayer games for years on just the same way as some play wow.

The reason i wouldnt play mass effect is that there is no player-to-player interaction, no ventrilo server i can play and talk crap with my friends during gaming etc etc.

The day wow takes more time than I want to or i loose my job because of it, its a problem. But its not going in that direction, and its the same for most adult players, with a few exceptions.

I mean, do you play less? is that your point? Cause i have some serious self-control that helps me avoid that, in addition to other hobbies. Or is your point that you want a diverse gaming experience? Well i got sick of paying 50€ on steam every time i got bored of a game, which is pretty often if we're talking SP games.

In short, your 500 words aint shit to my 6; You are not a smart person

[Mortavius]

1) Yes, I would buy WoW again. Why? Because I enjoy playing the game. I'm not worried about relationships, in-game or not in this regard. The fact is, I bought WoW to play WoW, not to meet people. If that was my prime concern, I wouldn't play WoW; there are better ways to meet new people. Simple question, at least for me. Also, I'm not going to spend any amount of time worrying about "what if" scenarios.

2) What would make me stop playing? The game changing enough that I no longer find it fun. I realize that you think this is a flawed viewpoint, but I don't agree with your analogy. I play WoW for the way it is. I was in the original beta, and I enjoyed it then, and I think it has only improved over time. If the game were to change substantially that I stopped enjoying it, then I would stop.
I may stop playing if finances became such that I could not afford to pay to play anymore. But otherwise, I play the game because I enjoy it, ergo, the only reason I have to stop playing, is if I stop enjoying the game. The only way I can see that occuring is if the game changes to such a degree that I don't enjoy it.

3) This question, in and of itself, is fine. But your follow-up to it, I have a problem with. You say that having an emotional attachment to something indicates addiction; that is completely false. That's like saying when I get upset when my dog dies, it's not because I cared about my dog, but because I was *addicted* to my dog.
I would be upset if WoW were to disappear tomorrow. Would it change my life? No. Would I pine away for hours? Not at all. I would adjust my life. The time I spend playing WoW would be spent with other games. (Not that I don't already play other games, I divide my time up between WoW and other games already.) Honestly, I would probably move over to Rift, and occaisionally talk with my friends about the days of WoW every so often.

[Deleted]

I read your post and the only thing I gotta say is... I see a lot of "addicts coming clean of WoW and realising" how much time they spent there. Now, it is true that IN THEORY every second spent not improving yourself is wasted. BTW improving self is mostly studying - university, languages, current events etc. and also working out I guess. However you gotta ask yourself the question, what the hell would you have in life then? It doesnt work like that, you arent put on this planet to be a machine doing only what others expect/want from you, you gotta live a little too :P.

---

1. If you could go back in time to the day you bought WoW, would you buy it again?
Hell yes. WoW has greatly improved my english. Entire transition from "guy having not so much clue about practic use of english grammar and vocabulary from school" to what I am now happened exactly thanks to WoW and to a lesser extent movies/series - not that much though, thats just passive listening.

I also saved quite a lot of money considering each night out with gf/buddies costs like hundred times more than 12eur / 30 days = 40eurocents a day you pay for WoW.

2. If you are still an active player, when do you plan to stop playing?
I already did because the game in its current state sucks balls. I will probably pay for at least 1 month after 4.1 hits to check out the new 5mans. So can not comment much here.


3. If all WoW servers disappeared today and were permanently removed, what would your reaction be?
Lets say I still enjoy WoW and it isnt the shithole it has become with Cataclysm. If servers were suddenly cancelled? Not much of a reaction, I dont have that much time to start new MMO but I would do what I do now, I read more, hang outside more (which costs me a lot of money which aint so easy to come by as a student).

[Sickbro]

I wont go into super detail the OP, but here is my past, present and future responses

Past - Yes i would, The people i have met on this game is more then enough reason to buy it again, the experiences come second. Getting a bit more personal then alot of other people, but i managed to get quite a bad gambling addiction a few years back, I was playing wow then, but since i decided to play more wow and not gamble, ive been saving alot of money

Present - I enjoy playing WoW, I enjoy the challenges it puts before me, I dont plan on quitting till the game stops being updated indefinatly

Future - I would go to EB and buy whatever product Blizzard released next - Whether it is Titan, WoW2, Or anything else, I will buy it, I will play it, I will love it.

Call me a fan boy or whatever you like of Blizzards, but there games are incredible, and i for one have loved every second of my 750+ accumilated days

Sickoz

[Zorathos]

Why should I quit something I enjoy with other likeminded people ? Meh.

There is no general rule, and people don't need a thread such as this to realise if the game is apealing to them or not.

Your post was both first and should have been last. Exactly right. /bow

Edit: Yes I realize what I just did.

[Deleted]

OP, let me ask myself a single question : Why should I keep playing WoW?

Answer : Because I'm currently 1/12 HM with my guild and every hour of raiding and every boss we manage to kill is a pure delight.

And that's it I don't have to read your wall of text!

[Zelerena]

1: Yes. actually I met my significant other on World of Warcraft. The game is awesome. Got me away from FFXI's suckyness xD
2: Welp Im not playing at the moment because of a lack of a job (and internet is going back today) but when I do get good internet out here in the boonies then I will continue to play
3: Well All good things have to come to a end. Although I will be kinda mad at blizzard for throwing away their most top selling game and leaving all that time I spent on my 6 80's and get kinda irritaded (Its like how i felt when I was hacked like 3 times, till i got a Authenticator) But there's always minecraft, or something else that is replaceable to wow's equivaliant of addiction.

I think the OP is just trying to decide weather or not quitting is the correct action to take. His logic is not flawed.

Opinion's are like assholes, everone's got one :P

[Wizler]

1. If you could go back in time to the day you bought WoW, would you buy it again?

Yes. I got a lot of enjoyment from this game even thought I played too much at times. I would do some things differently: slow down (play less) and enjoy it casually, focus on one or two toons, keep my priorities straight (RL > WoW) and view it as any other form of entertainment.

2. If you are still an active player, when do you plan to stop playing?

I'm currently taking a break but I'll be back. There's still things I want to do in-game. Who knows when I'll quit. I think it would be fun to introduce a newbie to the game, help them explore the wonderful world of Azeroth, and enjoy their excitement vicariously.

3. If all WoW servers disappeared today and were permanently removed, what would your reaction be?

Quit and move on. D3 and GW will be out soon. Rift is an option. It was fun while it lasted!

[Deleted]

1: Yes ofcourse i would do it again?
I went to public school when i started, so i started with my friends. Was awesome fun hanging out on skype when off school and then together in school. And the LAN-parties, ooh the fun!
2. When it is no fun anymore, yes this is a good answer. But for me the fun would end when we decide to play another game. Also, wow =/= life, you can play other games while playing it. For instance i am RL of our guild where 6/14 members are RL friends from my public school. And we've been playing games together for almost half of my life.
3. Wouldn't care much - another game will pop up for me to enjoy with my friends.

saying wow and IRL can't coexist is just plain stupidity....
I actually believe that my grades got better because of World of Warcraft, it taught me a lot of things!

[Nexxia]

Even the concept of addiction is something rather new. Its also vague enough to encompass almost anything a human does outside of necessary biological functions. Addiction to snowboarding or mountain climbing. Anything that gives a high of any kind, from a natural rush to an actual drug. The fact is that this idea has been created and pushed on people is part of a "modern" attempt to demonize parts of society at a whim or some type of human behavior. The very idea of addiction carries no weight and the behaviors defined as such are usually symptoms of something else having nothing to do with the actions in question. Now, that being said, if a person determines something to be a blockage TO THEMSELVES in some form or other, then they can make the call to change behavior FOR THEMSELVES. However the fact that behavior is seen as a problem is merely a signpost to something deeper, what are the reasons leading to the behavior? IE everyone that drinks isnt an alchoholic (made up term) and the people that may be fit into that relative category are suffering from some other emotional problems and not really "alchoholic" the dependency is a symptom not a problem in itself. So, that being said, what qualifies as a troubled symptom for one, isnt necessarily that for another.

[Deleted]

Yo dawg, playing WoW is more usefull than trying to make other quit with stupid reasons, it aint ur buisness bro.

[Deleted]

1: No, I would NOT buy WoW again. The stuff I have missed out on is way more than I've gained from playing. I have made loads of GREAT friends who I meet as often as possible. Yet I feel I could've done so much more with my life.

2: I'm not an active player. But when I was it was when I didn't enjoy it anymore that I stopped. I realized this after my christmas break where I couldn't play. When I got back home I logged on, but I didn't enjoy playing. So I logged off and cancelled my sub.

3: I've already quit playing as stated above but I haven't deleted my characters. When I think about deleting my Shaman (who was my main from classic till cata) I feel like a small hand is grabbing my insides.
I'm emotionally attached to it. I LOVE that char. Yet I don't want to play it nor delete it.
It's a symbol for all the time and money I've spent in wow. It's also a symbol for all my friends and all the positive stuff I've gained from WoW though. Therefore I feel that it deserves to remain there. My shaman is to remain on my account, standing there as a former commanders armor is standing in a museum.
Call me crazy but I have respect for that badass char that killed so many evil dragons and various opponents in BG/Arena.
But I will never go back to WoW. I'm done with that.

[Nigeldruid]

While you do have some interesting points, most of them are forced to the same conclusion. Many of your points are impossible to argue with due to the way they are structured. This does not make them right.

Especially the question about "What if WoW vanished" is stupid. If you would be sad, you should quit cause you're addicted, if you're not sad you should quit cause you obviously don't care about the game. So it's a lose/lose situation (or a quit/quit question). If WoW disappeared I wouldn't care that much. I 95% of this game is the social aspect, a social aspect i could bring to a similar game, ie RIFT, a completely different game (RTS's, FPS's, RP's) or even to real life activities. The same people would meet up against else where to "waste their time". WoW is just a hobby, just cause you would be able to live without it doesn't mean you should quit.

The smoking analogy isn't waterproof either. While fun and food for thought, it's stupid to compare something that has scientifically proofed negative effect on your body, something that 100% at some point will kill you, to a computer game that might be borderline addictive.

The only part of your post I liked was the very first question. Would I buy WoW today? Personally I'd need more time to think about that and evaluate what WoW has meant to me and think about the person I was 6 years ago and how WoW has changed me, which of those changes would have occurred anyway etc. If the answer to this question is WoW you should defiantly reevaluate wether you should be playing WoW or not. However, you then come up with a point saying that meeting people in WoW and having good experiences shouldn't be a reason, the only reason should be "I like to play my level xx <race> <class>". That's just not true. While you obviously miss out on experiences and social contacts in real life the ones gained in WoW might be different than the ones you meet in real life. I personally am an academic, my whole family are academics, all my friends, colleagues etc, ALL social contacts outside WoW leads to academia. My best friend in WoW is a carpenter. The chance of me meeting this guy through my normal social contacts is close to zero. It just wouldn't have happened. Therefore social contacts in WoW and social contacts outside WoW are very different. You wouldn't necessarily have met the same kind of people.

Overall while you seem like a reasonable and intelligent person the manipulent style of this post sickens me. Give people food for thought, don't manipulate them.

[Nexxia]

Conflicted. Sounds like someone has been handed a bill of goods they arent quite willing to buy. (regarding OP)

[manniefaces]

Yes I would by it again. It's a game and I have never made it out to be more than that.

I take breaks every few months for a month sometimes three or four.

I would continue living my life it's only a game.

[Powerogue]

1. If you could go back in time to the day you bought WoW, would you buy it again?

2. If you are still an active player, when do you plan to stop playing?

3. If all WoW servers disappeared today and were permanently removed, what would your reaction be?

1. probably

2. whenever I find something better to do with my time (probably soon...)

3. NOOOES, MY BEAUTIFUL PET AND MOUNT COLLECTION...*2 days later* Playing something else.