How much WoW is too much? Fun vs. Dependence

Greetings everyone,

In this topic I want you to really talk about your "worst days", when all you did was wake up, play 12-14 hours then go to bed. I know this is kind of a controversial topic to discuss since people tend to get offended or triggered when someone says they're "addicts". Feel free to write down everything and anything that crosses your mind when it comes to deciding whether it's good or bad to be completely swallowed up by a game, its effects on your life and health and really, anything. I'm going to write my story down, my ups and downs and how I managed to reduce my playtime to 1-2 hours at MAX a day, and of course the reason behind it.

First things first, I'm a 20-year-old soon to be pilot student with a loving family and an amazing girlfriend. WoW has always been a major part of my life for many years, I started playing in 2010 and pushed it all the way to the end of WoD when I had a break of 2 years. I didn't want to return to the all new BfA stuff and that's when I found Warmane and it was just amazing, the nostalgia, the number of players, the feeling of "old school" difficulty and leveling. I got completely hooked and I neglected my friends, family, school. I often made up fake excuses and medical problems just to avoid school and play all day, non-stop. I got 4 characters to 80 and maxed out every proff, farmed a ****load of gold, bought everything I needed, I even spent money on the game of course. On my main I got fully geared, both pve and pvp, farmed out every possible achievement that I could do solo. I somehow graduated high school in the meantime with not-so-bad results eventually. However, my grades and %s were not enough to get into my desired university where I wanted to study psychology ( oh the irony ). That's when I realized I have hundreds of days played and by that time I had nothing else to do in the game, I was bored and just freaked out that I spent my last 2 years playing. It was at that moment I deleted the game and returned to my childhood dream of becoming a pilot. I learned hundreds of pages of maths, physics and pilot related stuff all by myself to make up for my wasted school days. I was in a very strong high school which focused on science so I wasn't that bad at all, I just neglected it. Currently I'm spending my "gap year" with working an 8 hour job and learning in my free time to prepare for the pilot tests. I already got accepted luckily, both the medical and English tests were successful. The only test left now is the so called compass test, which is a 5 hour IQ based test for pilot candidates ( at least in my country ). Having learned everything needed for that test I only started playing again about a month ago. Even I was amazed that I could really reduce my play time, usually I only go online for the daily points and 1 single rhc + bg. That can take anywhere between 1-2 hours, but there are days when I'm just not in the mood or don't have time, and I'm completely fine with that. Back in my worst days I would be really mad if I couldn't collect my daily points or have my "mandatory" dailies completed.

World of Warcraft is indeed an amazing game and by no means I want to tell anyone to stop playing it. The beautiful lore, the endless content and feasts you can achieve, the community, the raid nights, the well fought battles and all those quests that are waiting to be completed. It is an excellent hobby and a great way to have fun and let some steam out. It's only dangerous if you can't control it. And that's the keyword here. Are you playing the game or is the game playing with your mind just like if you were puppet? Who's in control? It's like drinking a few cold ones every night after work. If you have control and only drink to have some relaxation and fun it's completely fine, but there's a point where you're an alcoholic who just NEEDS to have those drinks every day otherwise you lose control and become depressed and have actual withdrawal symptoms.

Most people find it hard to admit addiction but that's the first step towards making a change.

That was my story. What is yours?

I was thinking about this post couple of times today after I’ve read it and it’s very interesting what you’ve stated here. I think you’ve said it in a place where not many will read it as it was written.

- How much WoW is too much?
This can be answered in few ways.

1) If we’re going to be very honest with ourselves, most of us should agree that ANY WoW Is already too much. Now why’s that? Because there’s always something better and smarter to do in our life to do then resort to WoW. Also, not only WoW. All video games or anything that’s NOT productive and has no positive impact on our life and the quality of it.
2) Anything more than truly FREE time which would be what you stated above: Doing dailies and RBG/RDF HC/ Raid weekly or so. I doubt that many people can do this as this game is really addictive and whoever enjoys it will probably want more and more (that’s me).
3) The amount of WoW that does not influence your FREE time. An example of this would be playing from work, which is what I’m doing lately, so that’s the part of which it could potentially be ACCEPTABLE, but then again I want MORE and even if I wouldn’t want more, there are probably smarter things that I could do in that “free” time at work or just avoiding working like a crazy man at the end of the day to catch up.

So, I’ll go back to 1 as I truly believe that ANY WoW is TOO MUCH. It’s just a question if we’re able to accept it and ditch that addiction afterwards.

Now, back to my story. It will cover the part of how WoW influenced me and my character for the worse, not better.

I never played retail, never been pro or gave enough **** to learn this game to the extent of being proud of my gameplay. I’m here for fun, for hanging out with people, chatting and content of course. Started playing in 2011 on Neltharion, Molten at the time. Instantly I fell in love with this game and that’s how I am, if I like something, I’m ALL ABOUT IT. Be it a woman, game, studying, workout or work. I literally stopped all contact with people who’re not in game, because why the **** would I go out for a beer with my childhood friend or hang out with my ex when I’m about to do ICC? I’m not an ***** to go out, lmao. So, I played it straight for almost 2 years, met some cool people, learned English bit better and most importantly, I became depressed an sorta anti social.
Now, when I say DEPRESSED I mean that I was AWARE how WRONG is what I’m DOING and I couldn’t CHANGE THAT which lead to feeling ****ed up and depressed. It all culminated for the NY of 2013 where me and my two loyal pals (yeah, I’m gonna say their nicknames: Djox and Ravebich) were hanging out together in mostly empty Dalaran. It’s a ****ing NY and we’re in game “celebrating”. How *****ic is that? That’s what made me reach the PEAK of my depression and realizing I have to stop. So I stopped. The night after I deleted my WoW client (Internet sucked in my country back then so re-downloading it wasn’t an option) was worse then when I stopped smoking cigs. I missed WoW more than I missed ****ing nicotine poison that I smoked for 8 years.
ANTI SOCIAL PART: Got together with my friends, went out for a beer and of course, we’re talking about everything that has happened and how it went and I noticed a change on myself. I was always a guy who’d entertain others by doing stuff he enjoys. I’d talk silly and stupid things, amke fun of myself, my friends etc and I didn’t have that anymore. It was gone. I just COULDN’T DO IT. I felt AWKWARD. SOCIALIZING WITH PEOPLE?! HOW THE **** YOU DO THAT AND WHY THE **** WOULD YOU DO TRHAT?! Can’t I just tell them they’re noobs and to **** off? Well, life (YES, REAL LIFE) doesn’t work that way. So, noticing that change I asked my childhood friend: Have I changed?! He told me: Yeah bro, for the worse.
His response kinda killed me and that’s when I realized that playing WoW the way I did was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. After that my life took unexpected turn, so I went through maturity process very quickly and haven’t regained what I lost completely ever.

I returned to WoW 4.5 years after to see “what’s going on” and to “play a little bit”. So I ended up getting hooked again, luckily not to teh same extend as I was before, since my life doesn’t allow me that nowadays, but I’m still addicted. If not only by playing, then donating.


So yeah. WoW, Video Games or any kind of addiction is a cancer that should be ditched.
Just imagine investing HALF of the time we invested in WoW and games into studying. All of us could have a PhD, at least one. If someone replies to this “ YEAH, BUT THIS IS FUN.”, just know - many things can be fun, it’s just if we’ve found ourselves and do it the right way.

First of all, to start off with something positive, I think there are benefits to playing wow and games in general. Besides the scientifically proven benefits of improving your reaction time, focus, multi-tasking skills, etc, it can also help you clear your mind. We've all had moments when we just didn't want to think about our real life or were too excited about something, so we wanted time to pass faster, and WoW is a great way to do that. So, no, not *everything* is better than WoW.
Moreover, there is again nothing wrong with spending your free time online if that is what makes you happy. The point is that you're still creating experiences and socializing, and online socialization is still better than none at all. I've made many great friends in this game, and there are moments that I still happily remember from years ago when I first started. In short, my general "rule" is that if it makes you happy, it's worth doing.

Now, how much is too much?
I think it depends on your lifestyle and obligations. When I started playing this game, I was a depressed teen with no real friends spending 10+ hours online, like you said. I was smart, so studying for an hour or two every other day was enough for me, and the game didn't affect my grades. But without this game, I feel like I would have just fallen deeper into my depression, as I'd still have no friends and be stuck home with a family that doesn't understand me, I'd just have no way to vent and disconnect.
- unlike Invictum ^, I was depressed despite the game, not because of the game -

Just like you, I eventually moved on, as I switched to MOP after molten, and MOP died out. And yes, I agree - finally accepting that you don't need to log in is the hardest step, being comfortable with not being online. After you make that step, it's much easier to control what was once an addiction.

Now, I am a 25+-year-old with a job, friends, pets, and working on my Ph.D. studies. I always have more important things to do, so for me, anything that affects my actual responsibilities is too much. I need to respect my work deadlines, I need to finish college stuff on time, I need to get enough rest to function, I need to eat, and all those things come before WoW. And I am fine not logging on for days, I know nobody will actually "miss me", my guilds will be fine, I won't get kicked because my GMs understand that real life comes first, etc. I am comfortable not playing every day if I know there are more important things to do.

In short, it depends on your lifestyle. Real life always comes first.

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Originally Posted by Invictum

I was thinking about this post couple of times today after I’ve read it and it’s very interesting what you’ve stated here. I think you’ve said it in a place where not many will read it as it was written.

- How much WoW is too much?
This can be answered in few ways.

1) If we’re going to be very honest with ourselves, most of us should agree that ANY WoW Is already too much. Now why’s that? Because there’s always something better and smarter to do in our life to do then resort to WoW. Also, not only WoW. All video games or anything that’s NOT productive and has no positive impact on our life and the quality of it.
2) Anything more than truly FREE time which would be what you stated above: Doing dailies and RBG/RDF HC/ Raid weekly or so. I doubt that many people can do this as this game is really addictive and whoever enjoys it will probably want more and more (that’s me).
3) The amount of WoW that does not influence your FREE time. An example of this would be playing from work, which is what I’m doing lately, so that’s the part of which it could potentially be ACCEPTABLE, but then again I want MORE and even if I wouldn’t want more, there are probably smarter things that I could do in that “free” time at work or just avoiding working like a crazy man at the end of the day to catch up.

So, I’ll go back to 1 as I truly believe that ANY WoW is TOO MUCH. It’s just a question if we’re able to accept it and ditch that addiction afterwards.

Now, back to my story. It will cover the part of how WoW influenced me and my character for the worse, not better.

I never played retail, never been pro or gave enough **** to learn this game to the extent of being proud of my gameplay. I’m here for fun, for hanging out with people, chatting and content of course. Started playing in 2011 on Neltharion, Molten at the time. Instantly I fell in love with this game and that’s how I am, if I like something, I’m ALL ABOUT IT. Be it a woman, game, studying, workout or work. I literally stopped all contact with people who’re not in game, because why the **** would I go out for a beer with my childhood friend or hang out with my ex when I’m about to do ICC? I’m not an ***** to go out, lmao. So, I played it straight for almost 2 years, met some cool people, learned English bit better and most importantly, I became depressed an sorta anti social.
Now, when I say DEPRESSED I mean that I was AWARE how WRONG is what I’m DOING and I couldn’t CHANGE THAT which lead to feeling ****ed up and depressed. It all culminated for the NY of 2013 where me and my two loyal pals (yeah, I’m gonna say their nicknames: Djox and Ravebich) were hanging out together in mostly empty Dalaran. It’s a ****ing NY and we’re in game “celebrating”. How *****ic is that? That’s what made me reach the PEAK of my depression and realizing I have to stop. So I stopped. The night after I deleted my WoW client (Internet sucked in my country back then so re-downloading it wasn’t an option) was worse then when I stopped smoking cigs. I missed WoW more than I missed ****ing nicotine poison that I smoked for 8 years.
ANTI SOCIAL PART: Got together with my friends, went out for a beer and of course, we’re talking about everything that has happened and how it went and I noticed a change on myself. I was always a guy who’d entertain others by doing stuff he enjoys. I’d talk silly and stupid things, amke fun of myself, my friends etc and I didn’t have that anymore. It was gone. I just COULDN’T DO IT. I felt AWKWARD. SOCIALIZING WITH PEOPLE?! HOW THE **** YOU DO THAT AND WHY THE **** WOULD YOU DO TRHAT?! Can’t I just tell them they’re noobs and to **** off? Well, life (YES, REAL LIFE) doesn’t work that way. So, noticing that change I asked my childhood friend: Have I changed?! He told me: Yeah bro, for the worse.
His response kinda killed me and that’s when I realized that playing WoW the way I did was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. After that my life took unexpected turn, so I went through maturity process very quickly and haven’t regained what I lost completely ever.

I returned to WoW 4.5 years after to see “what’s going on” and to “play a little bit”. So I ended up getting hooked again, luckily not to teh same extend as I was before, since my life doesn’t allow me that nowadays, but I’m still addicted. If not only by playing, then donating.


So yeah. WoW, Video Games or any kind of addiction is a cancer that should be ditched.
Just imagine investing HALF of the time we invested in WoW and games into studying. All of us could have a PhD, at least one. If someone replies to this “ YEAH, BUT THIS IS FUN.”, just know - many things can be fun, it’s just if we’ve found ourselves and do it the right way.

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I agree with you nearly 100%. All the things you wrote about, the invested time that could've been turned into something useful and productive. I also share your views about the social effects of addiction. I usually found myself in in-game role play situations where I could talk for long hours with absolute strangers, and just ask myself in the end: "What the hell am I doing man?".

Soo, let' get to the addiction and fun part. It's really hard not to get hooked, it takes some real self-control and not many can do it. They maybe delete the game later or something but every wow player should admit that at least once they felt the "Jesus I've been playing all day wtf" feeling. It becomes an addiction when it's the dominant activity each day for a long time, when you carve for it, when you can't live without it.
Most players are just gonna use the famous quote: "Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted."
That's kind of true but addicted players are not really enjoying themselves, as you said, they only play to get the mandatory daily stuff done and get depressed if they think about who they really are.

Lastly I want to state that while WoW can be a nightmare of an addiction, if you think of real life addictions like smoking or alcoholism, maybe drugs, it's really not that bad. You can lose everything social-related, get your muscles devolve from sitting 24/7, and get angry with yourself. These are terrible consequences indeed, I agree with you absolutely, you can fall into deep and long depression.

There are a few things one can thank WoW tho:
-Learning English ( I mean really, it has amazing vocabulary if you actually read the quests and stuff )
-Some people are antisocial regardless of the game. They might find some joy in role playing or making friends online
-You can boost your skills and keep your brain fit. Mastering a class ( either pve/pvp ) takes huge amounts of devotion and of course, understanding + time.
-If you get hooked on the lore of the game you can buy actual real life stuff that covers the lore. There are some wow novels ( 300-400 pages avg. ) which can also improve your English if you read them. I only read 2 but it was amazing to read about my favorite lore characters and their past.

That's all I could think of with pros. Hope you're doing well my friend, have strength and discipline, wishing you luck!

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Originally Posted by Callisto93

First of all, to start off with something positive, I think there are benefits to playing wow and games in general. Besides the scientifically proven benefits of improving your reaction time, focus, multi-tasking skills, etc, it can also help you clear your mind. We've all had moments when we just didn't want to think about our real life or were too excited about something, so we wanted time to pass faster, and WoW is a great way to do that. So, no, not *everything* is better than WoW.
Moreover, there is again nothing wrong with spending your free time online if that is what makes you happy. The point is that you're still creating experiences and socializing, and online socialization is still better than none at all. I've made many great friends in this game, and there are moments that I still happily remember from years ago when I first started. In short, my general "rule" is that if it makes you happy, it's worth doing.

Now, how much is too much?
I think it depends on your lifestyle and obligations. When I started playing this game, I was a depressed teen with no real friends spending 10+ hours online, like you said. I was smart, so studying for an hour or two every other day was enough for me, and the game didn't affect my grades. But without this game, I feel like I would have just fallen deeper into my depression, as I'd still have no friends and be stuck home with a family that doesn't understand me, I'd just have no way to vent and disconnect.
- unlike Invictum ^, I was depressed despite the game, not because of the game -

Just like you, I eventually moved on, as I switched to MOP after molten, and MOP died out. And yes, I agree - finally accepting that you don't need to log in is the hardest step, being comfortable with not being online. After you make that step, it's much easier to control what was once an addiction.

Now, I am a 25+-year-old with a job, friends, pets, and working on my Ph.D. studies. I always have more important things to do, so for me, anything that affects my actual responsibilities is too much. I need to respect my work deadlines, I need to finish college stuff on time, I need to get enough rest to function, I need to eat, and all those things come before WoW. And I am fine not logging on for days, I know nobody will actually "miss me", my guilds will be fine, I won't get kicked because my GMs understand that real life comes first, etc. I am comfortable not playing every day if I know there are more important things to do.

In short, it depends on your lifestyle. Real life always comes first.

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It was nice to read, thank you.

I agree with you about the benefits of the game as I stated in my previous reply. I'm really happy you managed to get your life together and have good memories of WoW. I remember being 10-11 years old and playing the game, when school was super easy and I had nothing else to do, my parents did everything for me.

As you said, most people use WoW as an "escape key" from the real world. It's like sleeping or drinking. You fall into a whole new world where you're just as equal as everyone else, have friends, have fun, farm as much as you want, become a real "hero".

Congratulations on your Ph.D., I hope you finish it with great success and be fulfilled while still logging in every once in a while.

Good luck!

Sorry I missed a really important thing ( at least for me ) when it comes to the benefits of the game.

I learned a lot ( yeah I mean really a lot ) about myself during my WoW dayz. This game tests your patience, your skills, your brain, your nerves, your emotions, your intrepidity, your personality in general etc... Sooner or later you'll develop a comfort zone in WoW as well. There will be off limit stuff or stuff you just too lazy to do, just like in real life. If you're a long run player like me, you can think about your playstyle, how easy you cold get annoyed or pissed, for how much time you could concentrate on the game and the list is endless. Analyzing this data requires you to forget all your pride and admit everything. These things can tell a lot about your personality and you can learn about yourself. Very few people actually do that, it's like a years long psychology test for your own self. It takes one to know one, but who could know you better than yourself.

If you take these seriously you can be a better person both in-game and real life. It helped me a lot for example to know how easy it is for me to get hooked. I smoked for a rough year but I quit nearly 2 years ago. The deal was the same with cigs. I smoked my first few and got hooked like ****. Nowadays I pay crucial attention to addictive things and how I approach them since I know it takes only 1 wrong move for me to get swallowed up.

couldn't be bothered reading the above walls of text so i'm keeping it short.

if you enjoy spending your time playing wow then there's no such thing as "to much". no reason to spend your life doing **** you don't enjoy just to please someone else.

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Originally Posted by Skuddy

couldn't be bothered reading the above walls of text so i'm keeping it short.

if you enjoy spending your time playing wow then there's no such thing as "to much". no reason to spend your life doing **** you don't enjoy just to please someone else.

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Rich spoiled kid? Have you ever heard of working? Having to pay bills?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skuddy

couldn't be bothered reading the above walls of text so i'm keeping it short.

if you enjoy spending your time playing wow then there's no such thing as "to much". no reason to spend your life doing **** you don't enjoy just to please someone else.

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Exactly SKuddy.

When you give yourself a vein shot it's all good, because you're ****ing enjoying it.

You're off point man ^.^ READ IT.

https://www.intelligentspeculation.c...se-equivalence

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Originally Posted by Obnoxious

https://www.intelligentspeculation.c...se-equivalence

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Exactly. I guess that giving shallow comments to a topic where people are trying to go bit deeper doesn’t bother you, even though they’re absurd as much as my previous post.

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Originally Posted by IcarNS

Rich spoiled kid? Have you ever heard of working? Having to pay bills?

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i wish i was a spoiled rich kid. unfortunately not the case. i just enjoy the work i do for the most part.

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Originally Posted by Invictum

Exactly SKuddy.

When you give yourself a vein shot it's all good, because you're ****ing enjoying it.

You're off point man ^.^ READ IT.

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if that's what you enjoy power to ya.

not wasting my time reading walls of text of what is likely peoples sob stories.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Invictum

I guess that giving shallow comments to a topic where people are trying to go bit deeper doesn’t bother you, even though they’re absurd as much as my previous post.

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It not being a wall of text doesn't make it shallow. His comment doesn't have to fulfill your personal expectation of "depth" to have a place in the thread. This isn't an echo chamber where only opinions agreeing can be voiced, nor some "Warcrafters Anonymous" safe-space meeting where only supporting words are allowed. So no, nothing about his post bothers me (well, his lack of capitals does), while trying to overbear his opinion with a ridiculous comparison, by applying what he said to something different and on a different level, does.

This is a nice topic really and it's interesting to hear about all your stories. I very much relate. I started playing wow on a private server on Cata and omg I was home from school and literally spending every second playing. I was still a noob after 30 days /played there but got them achievements and such and was quite invested and then that server switched to MOP and I finally decided to leave because everything that I worked for is now useless. This was in 2013.

Then I started playing on Molten shortly before moltdownn with my then boyfriend which was fun but said to myself I won't invest as much... I was also not a fan of WOTLK expansion, was quite noob in icc etc... After moltdown I stopped playing and ofc broke up with then bf and didn't wanna do smth that reminds me of times with him.

Today, as reading your post.... I realize this is too much. A couple of months ago I decided to learn all the raids' script by heart, join a guild and prove my worth. I learned a lot about the lore as well. Sooo while my now bf spends time gaming (shooter) I also play wow. Not much, but I also spend 8 hrsworking at my pc, then gaming.. a lot of time wasted. I do running as well, go out etc.... but still.

One day, my bf told me... that I left him 'wow-widowed'. I was shocked to hear that from him, but it was true. So we started having time dedicated for our relationship, although deep down I still just wanted to spend time in wow. I tell you, this game, if you let it suck your life that much, is breaking your life, your relationships, your ability to be social... one by one, slowly but surely. I regret spending that much time in game really... it was literally for nothing. I regret donating- every time i would donate I would think it buys me some time from more farming than I was already doing. I just regret.

Time for a break

I have a somewhat healthy balance of: I go to work, I come home do laundry, cook and come play wow for the other 8 hours of my day, days off I get to play for about 16.

As long as other needed tasks for being a productive member of society is done, I see no issues in spending your free time doing something you enjoy.