Poll: World of Warcraft: Game or Drug?

[Relove]

For some people it can be really addictive. For those who feel no need to develop any sort of personality online, then it usually isn't.

Take me for example. When I first started playing world of warcraft I was extremely addicted to it. I definitely didn't have the personality to say "well this is a game, so let's treat it like one." I liked the social aspect of it, even if it was purely online and not at all anything close to reality. I ended up playing consistently for about a year, always feeling like if I wasn't at the top and keeping up, I was going to be behind and could never really fully enjoy the game. It really did become a chore. Luckily, I did realize I was addicted to it when my boyfriend threatened to leave me, and it did help me realize that I was putting too much time into something that really wouldn't benefit me later in life. I do tend to want to put all of my energy into any sort of game when it first comes out to get ahead, but I have definitely curbed that since I got more serious in school.

As for LordNue's definition of addictive personality..I completely disagree. While most people do use it as an excuse for simply wanting a reason to do something that they enjoy other than a responsibility they're avoiding, there are definitely people with addictive personalities that usually stem from not being socially adept their whole life or a lack of distinction between reality and fiction. It's ridiculous to think that there is no one in the world that can't be addicted to video games simply because they really can't push themselves away from an online world they feel is important, even if it isn't. Laziness does not equal being addicted, and it really is ignorant to assume all addicted people are just being lazy. Like I said, I do believe most are, but definitely not all.

Shortened version: WoW is a game, but with anything it can be overused and become a drug.

 

[Loop Stricken]

It's a game. Games are not addictive, anyone who gets 'addicted' to a game is simply an idiot with weak willpower and the inability to manage their own time and personal self. Note: You can't have an "Addictive personality" either. You're just a lazy, obsessive person who doesn't take the time to make sure they're not forgetting to wash themselves and do basic things like eat while you play your videogames.

Aha, washing! I knew I'd forgotten something.

Ho hum, back to Saurfang.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I don't buy the "addictive personality" shtick I played WoW on and off for 4 years and frankly it was nothing to put it down and do something else, I'm beginning think "addictive personality" is code for unemployed or student sure its a fantastic time sink but addictive? No chance, being comfortable with something is not the same thing as being addicted it's easy to fall into a routine of wake up, boot wow - 12 hours pass, go to sleep, repeat if you have nothing else going on in your life, but from a former smoker of 5 years nothing about about it racks your body or mind to the point of bad withdrawal maybe boredom at best.

Not picked up a cigarette in a year and a half and still get the craving to spark up if I get so much as a whiff.

"Addictive personality" is code for lazy, spineless, obsessive individual with an inability to manage time or self.

That's not "code." It's exactly what we're referring to.

Are you under the impression that it's an excuse?

It certainly sounds like one.

Why? Every single context I've seen it in boils down to "WoW isn't addictive unless you're prone to addiction." I don't think I've ever seen someone try to claim that they're a victim because of it.

If anyone did, it would sound like claiming that one isn't stupid, they just smoke too much pot. Worthy of incredulous laughter, perhaps, but hardly something to get angry at. You sound like WoW addiction killed your dog.

 

[Glerken]

World of Warcraft is a game. There's really no debate for that.

Plus, drugs are fun.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

WoW or any other video can not be addictive unless you have to connected to a drip and you win by injected heroine into yourself or something. I don't see why people seem to think WoW is addictive it is a complete chore in my opinion but I that is why people like it because of all the quests and grinding.

 

[Relove]

Addiction doesn't have to be a drug. It can be psychological, such as examples of those extreme cases where people go nuts when a character is deleted or something along those lines, or stop eating. It's almost the same as those who are addicted to gambling. While those are extremes, it definitely happens. Even the most lazy people still remember to eat I would hope. I really should have said WoW can be LIKE a drug, as in you may feel like you need to play it, but you're right, it's not a textbook definition of a drug.

I guess I don't understand why people are so against the idea that there are some people who can be psychologically dependent on a video game to fulfill them in ways they think real life can't. Just seems like a lot of people don't want to believe that there are some people who can be addicted to something online, if only because it seems silly to them.

But as far as the topic goes, I definitely misread it. WoW is not a drug, but it can be addictive, even if it is only psychological.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I don't buy the "addictive personality" shtick I played WoW on and off for 4 years and frankly it was nothing to put it down and do something else, I'm beginning think "addictive personality" is code for unemployed or student sure its a fantastic time sink but addictive? No chance, being comfortable with something is not the same thing as being addicted it's easy to fall into a routine of wake up, boot wow - 12 hours pass, go to sleep, repeat if you have nothing else going on in your life, but from a former smoker of 5 years nothing about about it racks your body or mind to the point of bad withdrawal maybe boredom at best.

Not picked up a cigarette in a year and a half and still get the craving to spark up if I get so much as a whiff.

"Addictive personality" is code for lazy, spineless, obsessive individual with an inability to manage time or self.

That's not "code." It's exactly what we're referring to.

Are you under the impression that it's an excuse?

It certainly sounds like one.

Why? Every single context I've seen it in boils down to "WoW isn't addictive unless you're prone to addiction." I don't think I've ever seen someone try to claim that they're a victim because of it.

If anyone did, it would sound like claiming that one isn't stupid, they just smoke too much pot. Worthy of incredulous laughter, perhaps, but hardly something to get angry at. You sound like WoW addiction killed your dog.

No, WoW addiction isn't fucking real. You can not be addicted to WoW or any video game. I've known several people addicted to drugs, smoking and alcohol (technically all drugs but whatever) even I'm addicted to the medication I'm on. I assure you that anything anyone 'suffers' from in terms of their so called addiction to WoW, it is not a real addiction it is a lazy inability to stop playing a video game.

It's addictive in the same sense that marijuana is, or alcohol if I remember right (I might not, since marijuana doesn't have withdrawal effects that I know of). Cannabis doesn't have an analogue to nicotine or opium that renders the body dependent on it, so it's perfectly possible to smoke pot recreationally...if someone doesn't get driven forward by the psychological high it offers.

 

[Enigmers]

Chances are, if you are "addicted" to World of Warcraft then you have serious problems that are not World of Warcraft's fault in any way.

 

[Red Albatross]

I personally think WoW is incredibly boring, after having played it for a while myself, but for those of you who say there isn't any chemical involvement, you're not entirely correct. Neurotransmitters like endorphins and dopamine are released in higher levels during activities one finds enjoyable, and it's entirely possible to become dependent on a certain activity to provide that kind of release.

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

The people you meet playing the game make it addictive, not the game itself. I would have quit a long time ago if I wasn't in a US Top 100 guild, even though I'm a retired raider these days.

 

[gRiM_rEaPeRsco]

people who compare video game addiction to a chemical addiction make me -_-

 

[RanD00M]

I was highly addicted to it when i first got it.Then I became more stable.

 

[The Madman]

I have an uncle who's entire basement is dedicated to toy train sets and such. He spends nearly every free moment of his time down there, tinkering with his trains and adjusting the landscapes. He's made entire mountain ranges out of paper-mache and whole villages from nothing. It's pretty impressive, but ultimately it's just a timesink and a waste of money that could be spent elsewhere.

Clearly toy train sets are a drug.

(Hur Hur, see what I did thar?)

 

[FactualSquirrel]

It's not addictive at all, in fact, it's one of the most boring things ever, and always seemed like a chore that had nothing to do with skill at all.

I disagree.

On the harder dungeons and person vs person battles, you need quick decision making skills as well ability control skills.

Well I suppose, but I could never be bothered with a game thinking "oh it'll get better/more skillful later" when there are games that do that now.

Also, I was generalizing, I do accept that some bits do require skill.

 

[DividedUnity]

Its not addictive. Its just a normal game that some people seem to become way to attached to because they find it enjoyable. I however do not

 

[Assassinscreed548]

I have played wow for a couple of years until a year ago, and quit without a problem.

however i will share an amusing story with you about a classmate of mine who was playing since vanilla and still is..
this is how it happened, just randomly out of nowhere, he got this really serious, deep look on his face, and i thought, hell, finally he is gonna talk about something other than WoW...
then he opens his mouth and says: my goal in life is to get level 70 in WoW (tbc)

that shocked me and opened up my eyes on how much this game can f*** with people's brains..