There has been some chat on the internet about WOW being called an addictive product, i think it started on a talk show where a guy, who played wow way too much, lost his wife and kids. It was really sad, cause he was too busy playing to attend the divorce and child custody hearings.

Any thoughts?


WHOOP! 100 posts!

When you've got 6+million individuals playing, you're bound to run into some stories like this. It doesn't seem to neccitate such a label because some guy can't get his priorities straight. If that individual case wouldn't have found WoW during his life, it would have been something else down the line. I think problems like this run a little deeper than what the game of the moment is.

besides, statistical probability alone says with a large enough sample, sooner or later theres going to be a nut. darkt0aster is right. you can't make this guy to be a case study and apply his scenario to all wow players (not that i play it, or am offended) but i bet somebody has lost their family for something equally as stupid (or worse) - like watching dr. phil too much... that'd be ironic.

Im not saying that all wow players are like this, but i do know more than a few people who have failed classes, and dropped out of college, due to too much wow. im not saying that it ruins lives, but when it impacts people's work/school/life its an addiction.

that i can certianly agree with.

I'll chime in. My Dad's co-worker is addicted to all sorts of MMORPG's (including WoW). He actually left his wife for someone he met on Everquest (who he consequently left because the woman he met on Everquest thought he played too many RPG's. ).

Would it be wrong of me to say that MMORPG Addiction is similar, in terms of prevalency and consequences, to gambling addictions? and if it is indeed similar, are there any WOW Anonymous, or EQ2 Anonymous support groups that i could refer friends to?

Just spill orange juice on their keyboard. Should slow em' down for a while.

No, not wrong at all. I have a close member of my family with a HUGE gambling addiction, and I'd classify it just the same.

It's a statistical probability that someone doing heroin will be a nut, get a addicted and lose their wife, kids, etc.

http://us.i1.yimg.com/videogames.yahoo. ... 289&page=0

Thought this was interesting

Yeah, before I came here I thought I played MMORPGs too much (namely D2, D&DO, and WoW each for a while) but there are some people who are on it just about all day every day. Holy crap.

Anything a person has vested time into can become an addiction. Google "Ben Stein's son" and see what mmorpgs can do to some people.

Hell, I'm probably addicted to reading the news paper. If I don't get to do it in the morning I get into a horrible mood.

Yep, one of my previous roommates played WoW damn near 24/7, never went to class, and ended up dropping out.

It's certainly a form of addiction. Pretty much any psychological condition that causes impairment is considered a disorder, and I'd say that not eating, sleeping, showering, not going to class and doing absolutely nothing with your life is causing impairment.