Is WOW dangerous?

Again, Addiction is a chemical term so unless they have a addictive personality they cannot be addicted to it... yes the vid is 1hour but the guys speaking (total biscuit) is simply great! and it really clears up some stuff about gaming and addiction.

 

Addiction can be physical aswell as mental, we can define video game addiction as an obsession.

Wow is a game that can get people very obsessed with doing well in it, some of them lose control of their balance in life.

 

Addiction is having a strong desire or need for something. Something considered not physically harmful (as in drugs) is referred to as a soft addiction or behavioral addiction or compulsion, but it's still a form of addiction. So we're arguing semantics.

 

I lost a girlfriend to wow... lets just say it became so important to her that the real people in her life didnt matter as much anymore.

 

You just proved me right! Video games are an Obsession, not an addiction! That is the correct terminology!

 

There have been 11 million plus active WoW players at times, I'd imagine people who have been classed as active at one point or another have reached somewhere over 20 million though (taking into account leaving later) - when you're looking at a sample size that large, you're sure to find a crazy person or two.

There will always be the pull to play more in the game, and some people report 'losing friends or partners' to it, but with use of parental controls or discipline it becomes just like any other game.

There shouldn't be any content which will turn people into killers, although you kill people in the game it's almost cartoony graphics and it's about the struggle between good and evil (storyline / raids) or horde & alliance.

 

Incorrect, you misunderstood what I wrote.

Obsession can be defined as an addiction. Sometimes an obsession can be worse than an addiction. A person who is obsessed with something can't take their mind of it. Hence it can be defined as a synonym for addiction.

There is no doubt that WoW can make people obsessed/addicted to it. I have seen with my own eyes how WoW destroyed the lives of two young men. WoW is more addictive than 99.9% of all the games in the world. WoW rehab units exist, but there is no such thing as a CoD rehab unit.

WoW can destroy a persons life, and that is actually quite common. I personally know two people who ruined their lives with WoW, but I also have friends who has other friends who has ruined their future with this game.

WoW is addictive and those who disagree are either living in denial or are oblivious to the fact that WoW rehab units are the most widely spread facilities in the world for video game addiction.

 

I bet he was breathing a lot, too. Breathing causes murder! End breathing now!

In all seriousness, there are a variety of much more realistic issues related to video games and WoW in particular.

Social isolation and addiction are where my attention would be, were I a parent making the decision for my child.

 

Watch the video that Swede posted or at least some of it:

‪Addicted to [EPIX]‬‏ - YouTube

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It discusses all of this and more.
Social isolation? Are people online not human beings who can think and speak xD?

 

One of the worst stories I've come across due to WoW:

A warlock player in my guild at the time had a 60,000$/year job, wife, house and kids. Over a year passed by and he lost E VERYTHING! He's now unemployed, skips his weekend visits with his children to maintain his raiding schedule (since his wife has custody) and lives in a crummy apartment. By now, his savings account is probably depleted.

I lost touch with everyone in that guild back in 2005-6ish (it was in the Vanilla/BC era).

This is just one of many stories I've seen first hand.

The game is very addicting (alot more with vanilla/BC; game was also more entertaining/challenging). Back then, you used to have to dedicate your life to acquire the best of everything; now, you can get the same 'status" with less than 20hrs/week.

 

I did. That guy is defining the terms of video game addiction.

I know that this game is addictive, and no video in the world will change my mind. I have seen too many people fall into addiction to this game, so there is nothing that can change my mind.

 

As plague said, watch the vid! It explains why you CANNOT be addicted to video games! And it is very informative on the subject, and also entertaining!
@simplified Yes wow has ruined many lives, but the people could turn it around if they really wanted. They just chose to continue, their body dident make them do it as it does with a real addiction. What those people are going through is as what you nicely described an OBSESSION! If they really wanted, they could turn it around and choose to spend their time differently. But the thing is that they prioritized wow because he/she thinks its better than what they were doing else. So it is an Obsession or just they like it more than anything they were doing. I will not budge from video games are not addictive! And saying that they are is miss informing people!

 

I watched some of it. That guy is not god, neither am I. He has no proof of his words. Read my previous post (see my quote).

 

Agreed.

Good MMO's can be very addicting (WoW; Everquest).

My guild leader in WoW (back in the BC days 2005-6) told me that prior to WoW he was playing Everquest and one of his friends was the creator of the Command & Conquer series before EA took over. The guy apparently played 12hrs/per day, everyday and he's very rich (millions $$$).

It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, if the MMO is good, it can take over your life

 

Did you listen to him say that it is a choice to be "addicted"? You can be obsessed with WoW, but you cannot be addicted to WoW. The difference between obsession and addiction is the necessity. Addiction requires you to have the NEED for something; you're dependent on it. Obsession means it's always on your mind; you're always thinking about it or wanting to play the game. But basically, like HTWingnut said we're more of discussing semantics.

 

I've been addicted to games... Well maybe not addicted, but it wasn't healthy. I quit studying, I quit going to classes, I stayed up until 5 in the morning to go raiding. It was an escape. I needed help from my family just to quit playing the game...

That said, WoW isn't dangerous if you keep it in moderation. Personally, I know I can't so I don't play at all. You'll should know how you or your kids react to MMO and treat it accordingly. WoW has nothing that would breed such behavior as the OP mentioned.

 

People can have withdrawals from things like video games, hence it is a form of addiction. They need it and need to be weaned off it to get back down to reality.

 

@Swede and PlaugeDoctor, no offense but I have seen it for myself. My mind wont change.

Many people can't do that. The 1st guy I wrote about in my first post in this thread told me the last time I saw him that he could not imagine his life without WoW. He said that he would rather die than give up WOW.

His brain had a craving for the game therefore it is an addiction.

-WoW rehab/detox units
-Destroyed lives

Is this not enough to prove that WoW can cause a craving for it in peoples minds?

 

All i wanted to say is that it is not an addiction. And if you took the time to watch the video, which i can tell you havent done He isent god, but he has proof of whats hes saying, and he is indeed correct. Yes i know that we are talking semantics, but in this case i find it somewhat important that people dont actually believe that you have an addiction, you have an obsession but the difference is there! Anyways, you shouldent have to worry about you´re son playing WoW OP Just make sure he isent consumed by it!
EDIT: @Simplified you should really watch that video! It will give you COMPLETE understanding for what i am saying!

 

Would you rather:
A) Stay home and play games/do something you enjoy doing
or
B) Go to school, or go to work

Most people would probably rather stay home and play games. If work or school was more appealing to them or fun, then they would rather do that. World of Warcraft isn't addicting, but people can get addicted to it. There is a difference! You can technically get addicted to anything from basketball to switching a light on and off. World of Warcraft isn't addicting because it doesn't make you need it. You can play WoW regularly and still have a life. You can play WoW and not like it and just quit. (soft addictions! Like HTWingNut said!)

That isn't the same with Nicotine or Heroine. You can't do heroine and not be addicted to it. You can't smoke a pack of cigarettes a day and not be addicted to them. (an addiction)

This is what I was always trying to say, but it was hard for me to articulate it into words as my vocabulary is limited due to me being 13 and wanting to do other things than read.

 

Games don't kill people, people kill people....

 

Exactly, it isent an addiction. Its an obsession. They both suck, but its still important to know the difference.

 

@PlaugeDoctor and Swede

Dont you agree that WoW is more dangerous/obsessive (I use this word to not start up the addiction vs obsession debate again) than most other games?

Did you notice that there are wow detox/rehab centers, but no CoD etc detox/rehab centers?

You know how common it is for this game to destroy lives?

 

There with you i agree 100%!!! What i was trying to get through before was just the correct term : ) Dont want that many people to be miss informed. But again please watch the vid, it also says why the WoW Rehab is BS, and that the head of the largest american Video game rehab came out after 1 and a half year of having the clinic saying that he wasent actually curing people from video game addiction but for having an addictive personality, because i quote "there is no such thing as a video game addiction". But yes i agree, people seem to get particularly lost in WoW, which is properly due to the never ending world, and wast community.

 

There comes a time when you have reached the limit where you feel you have burned away enough hours on a game...

 

No, I don't agree that WoW is more obsessive. Games are just games, if you don't have any self control then it is easy to get addicted to a game (or anything really). The game might be more enticing as it has a better way of socializing than CoD i.e. guilds instead of people call each other faggots and stuff. I think WoW only has rehab centers because people enjoy MMOs and they believe that the game is better than outside relations (in some cases it may be! Due to games sometimes being fantasy, and people wishing they lived in fantasy rather than a life where they get bullied or made fun of, etc.).

I'm fine with anyone being addicted to WoW (or anything else) actually. As long as they don't hurt others (not taking care of children, etc.) then I think it is wrong and rehab should be enforced.

 

@Swede
We are on the same wavelength now. I will watch the video tomorrow as I am not able to watch it now.

 

Yeah, wow is just as addicting as anything else. Its just the brand new thing wow brought to gamers and alike back when it came out that got people so mesmerized. So in a way the general idea of wow simply appeals to a very wide audience...

 

I'm never going to get addicted to WoW, but I might get addicted to GW2. If you see GW2 addict on news first day it's launched, you'll know who! xD

 

Now we are on different wave lenghts again. I know that WOW is much more addictive than other games. I have seen peoples lives get destroyed by wow, but not by other games.

 

if your sick minded your gonna do sick things, whether u play games in your time off or do volunteer work

 

nono trust me we are on same wave lengt! The concept of wow just really appeals to many people, and thus makes it a game people easily gets OBSESSED with. PLEASE people, use the right words! But i agree with you! trust me! AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WATCH THE VIDEO :O

 

I will watch it tomorrow, I am not able to do it now as I am working on a database code at the moment for a uni project that needs to be submitted at the end of august. And yes, I pushed it to the middle of the night out of laziness.

 

But here's the thing:
WoW is not addictive. You can get addicted to it, but it is not addictive i.e. you can need WoW to live, but it will not make you need it as addictive things will make you (e.g. Nicotine, Heroine, Cocaine(?)).

 

I'm addicted to water. If I don't drink it I'll die

Seriously, I've tried to stay away from this topic but the fact that there's 9 pages shows that this is a touchy issue for some. It also shows ALL of us need to step away from our computers and go outside and play for a change.

 

I was outside today. I went out to the cows, they now flee from me MUHAHAHHAHAHA

 

People dont need Heroine either, in fact people die of it.

Im out of this discussion now.

 

Many murders own tooth brushes, ergo we should ban tooth brushes.

 

Physical dependence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are different types of addiction, it's not all the same. Life is not that simple.

 

/flame suit on

To be honest I don't know how such a horrible game could become so popular. I could NEVER get into it at all. Why do all these horrible games become so popular, like farmville, sims, etc. It really is the epitome of lowest common deonominator gaming.

 

I am aware of that, but it all ends up to be the same.

Destruction of lives, obsession, denial, depending on it to keep on living. Addiction is all the same at the end. The bold words in my quotes are shared by all addictions.

 

Any game can be dangerous if played too much. You just have to be careful on how much your son plays and you'll be fine.

 

Like CS right: ... pwned.nl

 

Behavioral addiction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addictive_behavior

Saying that "you can't get addicted to video games" because of your interpretation of the semantics of the term addiction is not helpful.

The historical usage of the term is restricted to chemical (substance) dependence. The modern definition is wider, and encompasses a variety of behaviors with the same functional result. What is especially important to note is that some chemical substances do not form physical addiction, but still can form psychological addiction. The functional result in this case is that you can develop a psychological dependence to video games (or a video game, especially WoW) that causes similar behavior as dependence on chemical substances.

Regardless of the semantics, this is still a topic of concern, especially in regards to a game like WoW, which is conducive to psychological addiction by virtue of its time-decay reward design.

 

I can see where gaming can release an upsurge of adrenaline and dopamine. That could be "chemical" dependence.

I don't remember which hard-drug it was (heroin maybe) but it mimics the effects of dopamine; there by creating an extreme pleasure feeling. Gamers could be chasing the same high. I know I've gamed online at times hoping to have the same fun I had years ago. [of course this would be to a much lesser degree]

Anyways, as a side note, Wiki is crap as a source. +rep though for the argument.

 

With that said, would it be incorrect to say WoW is not addictive? or just a lot of hobbies are addictive? There are many things you can get psychologically addicted to.
Because the way I see it is, something is not addictive if the addiction isn't formed because you do a certain thing a lot i.e. playing so much WoW makes you addicted to it NOT playing one hour of it and you're hooked. Because if you look at it that way, anything can be seen as addictive since a habit can always form.

 

I played DOOM when I was 1 and a half. And I'm fine...mostly :evil grin:

EDIT:
About WoW. I played it once for 2 weeks because my friend said it was a very good game.

In the first week I displayed Symptoms of trying to obtain better items and mostly everyone hates newbie players.

A bit after the first week, I got slightly addicted. I felt like paying a whopping month price of $15 bucks.

At the end of the second week, I realized the truth about the game. So many losers who get addicted to the game fail at there exams/tests in their University.

I strongly agree with Simplified, game is really a junk load.

It's like how I got to like Crossfire (Free-to-play online shooter) game sucked, 2001 graphics, but the addictive factor was there and it at least had a fun factor. I loved using an aimbot in that game...aw crap I gave my identity away!

 

I did not read the whole thread but if you read parts of his manifesto you will not come to the conclusion that it was a video game that caused it and that he was completely sane and knew exactly what he was doing and the consequences. He hated Marxist, Nazis, Muslim immigrants, and multiculturalism (political correctness) and perceived them as an enemy to the European way of life. The parts that i read about what he had to say about marxists/socialism/nazis is spot on and correct but the way he went to go about it was wrong and evil and he should not have did what he did.

The place he targeted was a labour party camp (socialist), His logic behind killing those people, was that " would you kill hitlers parents as children if given the chance?" he thought those people were the future tyrants/elites/ruling class socialists , the very people he feels are ruining his country and Europe. So he went and killed them and to also spark off some revolution against Marxism, multiculturalism and Islam/Muslim.

On another note, blaming videos games for peoples actions is just an excuse used mainly by liberals to blame something else instead of the individual and their actions. Just look at the reason for gun laws, it uses the same logic used by the people implementing them.

And if you or your kid cant tell the difference between a video game and reality then you or your kid should not be playing them and should seek help immediately.

 

In WoW,you ALWAYS have something to do.Unless you are maxed out on achievement points and cleared all the hard modes with a super hardcore guild.
A lot of stuff is based on luck,and people face extreme disappointment after losing the roll on that rare mount or trinket.They will keep trying week after week just to feel "special" after getting that rare mount.
If your casual,you basically have to settle with inferior stuff,and get pounded in PvP.And even if you want to farm honor,bots get more honor than you for being afk.
If you want any decent amount of gold,be prepare to farm hours of herbs and ores with all the bots competing with you.Or craft stuff and check MANY times a day to re-auction any undercuts.

 

I do agree with Simplified and GODL1K3 3L1T3 (i still lol when i say that name to myself xD) WoW has and will destroy many lives. But again, even though in our modern world addiction has gotten more loosely, the term is still incorrect. If you watch the bloody video you will see what im talking about. What those people are going through is an obsession or that they just find it better than what they had before... They make the choice themselves, their body doesent crave it, they just like it more than what they did before wow. So it is still NOT and addiction (i will stay with that statement no matter what you say) its a obsession, and i feel really sorry for those people who get swallowed by wow. But for the parents who dont want their kids playing the game too much, im quite sure that there is a parental control where you can choose how much you´re kid can play a day!