Comments

I Spent 3 years playing World of Warcraft. 1 year hardcore. Anyone who has played, knows what I'm talking about, but for those who haven't, let me explain what hardcore means. Hardcore means that WOW is literally like a 2nd job. 40 hours per week inside WOW isn't uncommon for many people. The argument can be made that MMORPGS like WOW are addictive and can have negative real life consequences, however, it is important to note that these games are A, a great stress reliever, B, a nice way to kill time during the winter for those of us who never got into sports, and C, do foster real friendships. There were people inside my old guild that were so close that they literally helped out each other on bills/groceries. I don't know many people in RL outside of family who would willingly offer money to someone in need, let alone someone they have never actually met before outside of typing/voice chat. So to the person that didn't make any real friends, it's a shame for you, but it does happen to others. In my opinion, there isn't enough data out there to suggest that MMORPGS are more harmful than any other hobby taken to the extreme. Just google the guy who got divorced over his model train collection to see an example of what I'm talking about. I truly hope that this doesn't turn into a huge issue because the majority of us who play MMORPGS, even the hardcore, still balance real life just fine. During the peak of my hardcore year, I never missed work to play, my house remained clean, when I was attending school, my grades remained around a 3.4 GPA, and I didn't become a living ghost to my family. The moment gaming becomes listed as "addictive", people will begin to view games the way they view drugs. If and when that happens, it's only a matter of time before games become illegal.