Recovering MMO addict chronicles his struggle

Same thing happened to me. I played over 80+ hours a week for a couple of years. Things became a mess as the game became more and more important.

You make friends, then join a guild of like minded players. Now it's not just gaming, it's "accomplishing something" and of course the goals and time sinks get bigger and bigger. Now it goes from a game to a hobby, then a competitive sport. Anything to justify all those hours spent behind pixels.

Thankfully, I met someone on the game in real life, we shared the same interests except for the raiding. We then changed games to get away from it all and discovered we enjoyed playing short sessions as a duo without all the peer pressure.

The funny thing was, after being away from the original game for a year, we tried it again, only to quit a few days later. Suddenly that "investment" of years of playing seemed worthless, so now we keep the game in perspective for what it is. Entertainment.

"Yes, I am a Christian; I have been since 1979. I practice and proclaim faith in Jesus Christ."

Sounds like you still one more destructive addiction to kick, Brad. Good luck with getting over your dependence on the fairy-tale of Christianity.

oh, burn!

I am married to another hardcore WoW raider.

We started playing online games together when she was away for her degree. From there it was one game to another. FPS, RTS and MMORPG all included.

One of the reasons, why I still play is that I cannot find anything else that I can do with her that we both so entirely enjoy in a similar way.

The recent slowdown in WoW due to the upcoming expansion has resulted in us spending very little time together. Sad, but true.

Waiting for WotLK...

While I think it's brave to admit you have an issue and speak out about that in hopes of helping others, a perusal of the site in question (and the repeated comments by its author even here) really makes me doubt the sincerity unfortunately.

What started out as accepting personal responsibility for an addictive personality that has clearly bridged across several mediums quickly seems to suggest the author really does feel it's these things that have suckered him in and not his own willpower issues. Repeatedly describing WoW as having a compulsive draw, etc, it's difficult to see if he means to him or overall.

I've played many hundreds of games in my life, from MMOGs to offline RTSes and FPSes and any other acronyms. Never have I needed to make a choice between paying for a video game or eating, or the consequences therein. While the blog initially struck me as an appropriate commentary on how someone can get addicted to anything and realizing the consequences of it, it really seems to be more about subtle fingerpointing as if Blizzard is peddling drugs and we all have no ability to resist.

Unfortunately if someone has a propensity for addiction, they're going to get addicted to anything, be it television or collecting stamps. The issue that needs illumination is that one, and not borderline implications that the video game itself is at fault. I hope for the author's sake he realizes that, and realizes that it's only going to be his willpower that kicks his addiction to all of his issues.

I've met quite a few people who are far too into MMO's. People, i guess, like brad says he is. Truth be told what he is is not a addicted gamer he's just a addict. A common misconception. The addiction never really lies in the product, it's the self. It plays a part, sure. But in the end, you make the choice to be what you are. Just like pulling a trigger on a gun. Brad obviously have a very addictive personality with little to no self-control. Please see. "I should tell you that I played FPS games as compulsively" and also the story of his wedding day. As is the case with brad, many, many, many, NA and AA members go deeply to religion because it's a "clean" addiction to have. It is by far and away a much more socially tolerated addiction. I'm also not at all surprised at him going on Dr. Phil, that show tends to have guest who portray X as the problem when they themselves are. It's sad.

While that statement is totally negative towards brad I'm centered enough to realize that him playing video games in the manner he was, was obviously a bad thing for him. For him to realize what he did is a HUGE step and kudos to him. It makes me proud of him. I wish him the best now because he has reached that point. Not many do and it's very hard to realize you are the problem. But it's not the last. Just quitting games will not be the answer. He has to figure out what need he has that causes him to act this way. Not to say brad has this, but this is an example of a need: a need to please your parents at the cost of your own self worth.

Time will dictate when he runs into another addiction. My guess, becoming ultra religious. This can be good. And, can be equally as bad. To sway deeply onto it only continues the problem. I hope he continues on a good journey and, spreads good works and, support on it while being centered but his is far from over and not at all simple as deleting the games.

I don't think MMOs should have a warning describing them as addictive, if that worked then no one would smoke in Canada, as we have labeled our cigarette packages for years. Decrease in smoking occurred because of education and a concerted effort of government and the medical establishment to change people's attitudes towards smoking.

People are going to get involved in activities that are not healthy for them, and that won't change. What can change is our response to them when they get to the point where they are willing to change their destructive behaviour. As a society we can empathize and assist addicts with overcoming their issues, but we can't stop them, and we cannot change them.

I hope for a continued recovery for you Brad, good luck.