Addiction – The state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.
So in my travels through the internet, working in electronics stores, and socializing with nerds I have become well accustomed to those who play World of Warcraft. Ive seen every stage of player… from the newer ones, asking questions and still physically socializing, to the pale outcasted internet-acronym quoting weirdos. Ive seen em all, and they can get pretty fuckin creepy… And theres over 11 million of them playing the game.
So with my perspective being on the outside looking in, Ive got an interesting perspective that I am going to share. I personally tried playing for about a week during a summer break several years ago. Yet after being called a “noob”, a “fuckface” and a “doucher” I knew that the game had many hate filled people. Many die hard nerd friends told me they would help me, I should keep playing, and “you’ll have so much fun”. It was like a drug dealer trying to talk me into crystal meth. Sure it might make you happy, fuck like a jack-rabbit and stay awake for 3 days… but it also melts part of your brain, makes you delusional, gives you diarrhea, rots your teeth, makes you psychotic, and creates sexual climax problems. Basically Im saying WoW is like crystal meth in addiction and side effects.
Don’t believe me!? Well, go fuck yourself first of all. Second just look it up. Google it, research it. There have been government sanctioned tests on the effects of WoW. Sweden’s Youth Care Foundation have called it ‘the most dangerous game on the market’. The author of the report, Sven Rollenhagen said ‘It is the crack cocaine of the computer game world. Some will play it till they drop.’ The reason the Swed’s made the report is because a 15 year old kid actually collapsed and went into a fit of seizures after playing the game 24 hours non stop. Doctors said he spazzed out because of sleep deprivation, lack of food, and too long a stretch of concentrated game playing. Dear god man… and now a psychiatrist from London, Dr. Richard Graham, is saying he wants to start an entire movement getting mental health doctors to create characters in the game and to treat patients while they enjoy their addiction. Why do this, you ask? Apparently the doc thinks this is a whole new kind of addiction that cant be cured by traditional means. I say fuck it. If they want to play WoW all day, go for it. They may develop into creepy stalkers/weirdos but this addiction wont cause them to do some drive-bys, suck dick 
for coke, or rob homes and liquor stores for “drug money”. They’ll just live in their parents basement rotting away in virtual land not bothering me. SWEET.
But then again, some of my friends suffer from the addiction and its tough to watch. Early on in their development of addiction they can look pretty normal, probably not too pretty, but normal. Slowly they begin to become pale, sneak in internet acronyms in their regular speech. I.e. instead of saying “the joke was funny so we laughed”.. they will say “it was uber cool and there were ‘lol’s”. Its painful to watch. Eventually they start changing their availability at work to allow time 3 nights a week to lead “Raids” and wont go to parties because there right in the middle of a quest. Its brought a tear to my eye.
Due to this affecting such a large amount of people, I feel that I needed to address this debilitating disease. Im not proposing a “cure” or about to explain how to stop the power of the WoW… All I can do is bring it to light, and hope that you can save some one from the power of WoW.
July 29th, 2009 at 11:12 PM
haHA! Something I can relate to! I occasionally hear my homies talking about drugs and shit, well now we’re on my turf! MMORPGs, Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games which includes World of Warcraft, are helplessly addicting simply because it is ever growing, endless, and social; despite being a video gaming nerd with a powerful stereotype of being antisocial. Now matter what you do and how long you do it WoW will always have something new. We spend countless hours with people we only know online and we create a sort of digital family. There is also a sort of anonymity to MMORPGs so we can in essence be whomever we want; usually tough guys with stupid quick whit. All that previously mentioned does not make MMORPGs bad, it’s probably the simple expression ‘Time flies when one is having fun.’ It’s so easy to lose track of time and say “one more quest…” I, personally, came home from a day of highschool, started playing a MMORPG, and didn’t stop till I had to go to school the next morning; I didn’t stop to eat, drink, go to the bathroom, stretch, etc. because I had no idea time had flown the way it did. Now, I am not saying it isn’t our fault for being pulled in hook line and sinker; it’s just difficult. I don’t think it’s fair to assume we all live in the same stereotype; infact, most of the people I played WoW with were fairly normal which included the ones who played hours nonstop. We all weren’t creepy stalker virgins, we didn’t use WoW as an escape from reality, and we certainly didn’t lose our sense of reality. However, some people do take WoW too far; it just sucks to be classified with them.
What really grinds my gears though…
Stupid fucking people who know they have important fucking shit to do and put it off because it’s raid night or let me finish this quest! Fuck you! I don’t mean like do the dishes or homework or whatever, I mean leaving your fucking baby in the hot ass car while you check your auction house shit and put off getting said baby and then the baby FUCKING DIES! Those people make me sick! I’m glad they got locked up for fucking murder! And then the douches who forget to shit, not put it off for later but fucking just shit on themselves! And you fucking moron parents who allow their elementary school aged children to get sucked into this shit! Stop being lazy and take your kids out or some shit! I would have been destroyed as a child if complicated games like this existed, I didn’t know the damage that could be done. Does that make me a better person now for knowing that and still playing? no! and fuck you for thinking that!
What’s a good and smart sounding way to end this gay rant….
Don’t hate the player hate the game? no fuck that shit!
Eh I dunno, life just sucks sometimes
July 29th, 2009 at 11:50 PM
I feel your pain Mitch. When I used to work at the computer store, I got cheewed up by one of those nuts because the last copy of the game was sold. So I kept it real and told him that the money he was spending on this game would be better spent on a hooker to he can get some. Lol… I bet he hates me for life now. =D
July 30th, 2009 at 2:44 PM
This one time a WoW addict asked me out and I told him I’d never date a WoW nerd because it was like a cult. He didn’t seem too hurt. He probably went home and masturbated to his characters.
July 30th, 2009 at 3:16 PM
Marissa, that someone was me and yes, I did go home and masturbate to my level 68 hunter class blood elf. Shes sexy.
You missed out Marissa. You missed out good.
WoW!!
July 30th, 2009 at 4:17 PM
Ya, I was an addict. I was in one of the top 20 guild worldwide. I didnt go to school my senior year (well even if i did go id just chill in stage crew) I mainly would drive around the corner in the morning, wait for them to go to work, then go back home and play WoW.
I quit after we downed Illidan. I got my social life back.
Its been a while now and while I do still play casually from time to time, it no longer controls my life =p (My account is mainly to troll the forums while bored at work)
July 30th, 2009 at 5:54 PM
I’m not gonna say how much better, as bad as, or worse I was compared to the WoW stereotype; I just think it’s unfair to judge someone based on one game. Addiction in general is terrible. Alcoholics destroy themselves as much if not more than video game nerds, sometimes they destroy others. I’m just saying give people a chance and judge their character. You addicted people, learn to say “no” to what’s here and now.
July 30th, 2009 at 7:17 PM
Is Mr. Angry Eyes gay?
July 30th, 2009 at 7:44 PM
Well, you hit me hard Mitch. WoW turned my girlfriend, yes. My GIRLfriend into the internet acronym using weirdo. It was weird just going to a REAL social event and she was so disconnected from real life it was scary.
I eventually told her she needed to cut it down or cut me out. She actually cut me out at first, and apparently im so awesome she needed me back, so I set fire to the world of warcraft CD and deleted everything off her computer. I think she could have still downloaded it, but she didnt.
It was a tough road, and Mr. Angry Eyes seems a little defensive. Guess your article hit him hard too. People stereotype to make life easier buddy, and unluckily for you, your in the stereotype.
August 25th, 2009 at 11:08 PM
Personally I don’t get why people get addicted to WoW. There are definitely better MMOs out there. But on that note I also don’t see whats so bad about using words like Lawl (LoL) or ROFL in regular conversation. Maybe its just because of the school I go to, but it seems fine to me. Its not like its any worse than the nonsense that comes out of rap.
March 27th, 2010 at 11:38 AM
Greetings from Sweden. This is a nice blog. Does anyone have any advice on staying out of the friend zone with women? I’m really tired of girls telling me they just want to be friends. Maybe I’m being too nice?
April 7th, 2010 at 11:07 PM
hahahaha! Matt… get rid of that girl! TWO things girls should never do… video games and farting! She broke the womans code!