Do you think MMORPG and video game addiction are a serious problem in today's world?

Question

being an ex-hardcore gamer myself in World of Warcraft, I had experienced MMORPG addiction to the point where I had lost friends, my girlfriend, and turned family against me. (not to mention now still being made fun of by friends and family because of my past excessive MMORPG playing)

I had played World of Warcraft, and being a MMORPG makes the game require more time invested into it because these are real people you play with and are required to play with to make you attain a better avatar.

I had also become emotionally attatched with the people, when I quit I felt I had lost a lot of important friends, these 'friends' also made quitting so much harder since I was a tank (important role in World of Warcraft) in a far endgame raiding guild (a clan, or team which teams up to beat dungeons and acquire better loot/gear) and I always said to myself when trying to quit that I would be letting so many people down and they would never forgive me.

It took me around 8 months to quit the game, I say 8 because it was 8 months before I quit when I realised this is really effecting my life and needs to stop, here are some withdrawal symptons and long term effects it had on me.

Withdrawal symptons:

- I had a strong temper for a few weeks, and most of the things around me I would strongly be irritated by, including the people around me.

- I removed myself from socializing, I just didn't feel like I needed to and had no motivation to talk with anyone.

- I did twicth a lot, i'm sure people would say that's for physically addicting drugs only most of the time, but i'm telling you twicthing was a present withdrawal sympton I experienced.

- I sweat a lot, even in a cold enviroment I would sweat for no reason, sometimes after something would tick me off.

- I felted anxious and depressed for quite some time

- I couldn't sleep

long term effects

- I had lost friends and other things I stated above

- My socializing skills were extremely poor, I could hardly keep a conversation going for a few months.

- my grades had declined dramatically in school

Not to mention it could be a lot worse for those older with a job and family to support, Id like to hear your input on the topic.

Answer 1

Wow dude, that sucks. Well in your case, I believe they are a serious problem. In general, is it a serious problem? No, not serious...a problem, yea. I think most people have the control to moderate the time they spend on these games. I do agree that they are highly addictive but I haven't found myself losing friends and such. There is nothing wrong with being a hardcore gamer just as long as you are able to be away from the game without getting withdrawal and separating the game world from the real world.

Answer 2

It all comes down to morality, virtue and ethic. There are many people who may play World of War craft who live healthy lives. When it comes to keeping up with your personal life or playing video games, it may may be hard for you, and a good many others to balance that.

I play XboxLive on my 360 and i play with some kids at my school who are extremely successful and play more than I do. They stay up late and play for hours, even if there is school tomorrow but still manage to pull 90+ grades in AP and Honors classes, while I can only get around B through A- grades in normal classes. I recently went to a renown theater to see a debuting play called Pride and Prejudice this year. I wasn't expecting to see one of my Live buddies being one of the actors. Not only did I see him, i also saw someone i played with who just graduated from Harvard University with a BA (acting I think).

Will I ever in my life be able to go to Harvard? No. But he did, and the other kid was just as successful. Both are model people who are respectable and are going to be someone someday. You may even see some of the people you play online games with in movies. Games do not create criminals or low-lifes. They may test ones responsibility, which may cause them to be lazy etc. But they are not the cause of violence or criminal activity or laziness. It is the one of the biggest industries out there that gross billons a year (Halo3 itself grossed 300million in its first week). It puts money into the economy and creates jobs for those smart enough to innovate and expand on our ever growing technology.

If a person wants to play videogames, they must know how to be responsible in their own life first before they can use something that may test their character.

Answer 3

I definitely think they can be a problem. I've known several people who've struggled with this over the years. My cousin lost his girlfriend due to all the video gaming he was doing, he realized it and stopped, they got married but it still presents problems at times.

My husband and I are very active in WoW, so I totally can understand what you are going through. We have been involved in guilds that have a strong push to raid frequently throughout the week, so it takes a strong commitment from guild members to play.

Two of the leaders of the guild (there was a council) decided to quit playing altogether. The wife basically had become addicted to the game and it consumed her life. She was constantly stressed out about guild members not getting along or feeling like she had to be the "guild mother" for everyone. Her husband decided to quit playing as well to help support her. They are close friends to my husband and they live far away so we really don't talk to them all that much anymore, which we miss but we totally understand why they quit.

I wonder sometimes if my husband is getting too into it and have to pull him away to do "real life" activities once in a while. We have met people through the game but to us that's not real friendship (I know it can be, we just haven't cultivated friendships this way). My husband started a guild after the last one we were in fell apart. It only has friends in it, people that we all know in real life.

I'm sorry that it got to that point for you but you should feel good that you were able to recognize a problem and stop playing. Addictions are very hard to recover from, no matter what someone might be addicted to. I hope you are in a better place now, were you able to look at the reasons why you became addicted to playing WoW (or really any other video game)? Doing some work uncovering the reasons and working on it will help you from becoming addicted again.

Answer 4

I played WOW for a year, year and a half I think...I never was that addicted to it, and the main reason I quit was because once you get so far in, the game NEEDS time to be played (never hit lvl 60).  Time I wasn't willing to give up.  That's what makes it addictive, the obligation/requirement to spend time.  I can understand how making close friends and taking a role in the game that affects other players can put pressure on some people to play more.  I think excessive MMORPG playing is a legitimate addiction because it leads to maladaptive behavior that can affect your life negatively outside the game.  I'm happy to hear you were able to recover by yourself, but there are a lot of people who need help drawing the line.