back to article World of Warcraft: 'The crack cocaine of the computer world'

Is World of Warcraft as addictive as crack cocaine? Some say yes. Others are too busy playing World of Warcraft to answer. The former opinion is given by a Swedish youth organization that works with addictions. The org says it's releasing a new report labeling the online swords n' sorcery excursion as "the most dangerous game …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. hikaricore
    Linux

    I can stop any time I want!

    Assuming that my Tier 2,000.000 helm drops tonight, then my life will be complete.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Cocaine

    "As far as we know, there hasn't been any reported incidents of children doing a line of [Arcane Powder] off a hooker's ass."

    I would just like to report that I have, in fact, done just that. And might I say that it was the greatest experience of my life. Now... back to WoW...

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Gates Horns

    breaking addiction

    [If only there had been some sort of authority to look over the boy. {who)... raised him for 15 years, brought the computer, and payed (sic) for his WoW account every month].

    It's easy to say this if you havn't parented a teem-ager or fought addiction. Addiction subverts the addict's consciousness for the purpose of getting more of their WoW-drug-of-choice. People are pretty crafty when they're really motivated.

    You can try to cut off his access at home, but can you quit your job, go without sleep and stand guard 24/7? Can you follow him to friends' houses? Sit with him in school? You have to think about it as if the addiction really was to crack cocaine. Except computers are everywhere and they're not illegal.

    My kids have only a mild case, for which I'm grateful.

    Dedicated, hard-working, intelligent engineers work long hours and earn big money trying to make the WoW experience as compelling and self-reinforcing as possible. Not to put too fine a point on it, they are setting out to create addiction. They learn and study the techniques of creating addiction, though they call it something else. It's how WoW and all the other online games make money.

    You may claim that WoW is only entertainment, like a good book (ok, like a comic book with a weak plot and 1-dimensional characters). And it is. But the medium permits an infinitely long comic book that puts you and your peeps in the action. The only limit to how much you can consume is how long you can stay awake. It breaks the limits imposed by more traditional media that act to prevent overconsumption.

    I predict that within 10 years we will regulate this medium to limit consumption for public safety. Sounds Orwellian, I know, but if we keep getting better at making the gaming experience self-reinforcing, we won't have a choice.

    Engineers *can* do their job too well.

  4. Bill Gould
    Gates Halo

    'rents.

    [If only there had been some sort of authority to look over the boy. Perhaps someone with the wisdom of age from who's loins he could have sprung, then raised him for 15 years, brought the computer, and payed for his WoW account every month].

    QFT. Fucking lazy parents that don't give enough of a shit about their kids to TALK to them or regulate them. Rules and boundaries are good for people you frelling loonies!

    Ahem. I digress.

  5. Dex
    Flame

    WoW - Should be WaPoS

    Wow should become Wot a Pile of Sh**e, they can has no purpose, requires no immediate skill just the inability to do something with your life and extrememly depe pockets....why people PAY EXTRA a month to play a game is beyond me, granted for pay for an internet connection when playing the likes of coounter-strike, command and conquer etc online but at least you only have to pay 1 time for the game itself whereas WoW (and other MMORPGs) have you pay a subscription...and for what? take 1 look at Blizzards profits and you'll see stupid amounts generated by WoW...some call it good business, i can it ripping off.

    Flame Icon? I'm playing Pyro...frying me some Scouts in TF2 thanks to the damn Scout Update

  6. Kevin
    Coat

    @AC 20:38

    ACTUALLY they have parental controls to limit playtime on WOW so if your kids playing too long it immediately boots them off for however long they want so there is no need to regulate their wow intake 24 hours a day because Blizzard does it for them if they bother setting it up.

    Now back to equipping my epic robe

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    half the time

    Its the fucking parents who are the addicts in WOW just ask my now ex wife the dirty little wow whore

  8. amanfromMars Silver badge
    Alien

    The Sticky Sweet Honey Trap you'll Deny Hopeless Addiction to.....

    .... as you Battle to Save its Systems?

    "They learn and study the techniques of creating addiction, though they call it something else. It's how WoW and all the other online games make money." .... By Anonymous Coward Posted Friday 27th February 2009 20:38 GMT

    And there is the demon which controls all you pussies, hiding in full sight, as bold as an ancient hooker and to which you are hopelessly addicted and therefore easy prey/carrion to its myriad reinforcing vulnerabilites which destroy/self-destruct from deep within aspirant hosts ........ the perverting and subverting love of [excessive] money.

    Go on, Deny it for to Prove it true.

    PS Don't shoot the Messenger whever the Fault is Lodged and Deeply Embedded in Others in Denial. That just wouldn't be Cricket, old Boy, there's a Good Chap. :-)

    Might I suggest dDeep Therapy Sessions and Cyber-Counter-IntelAIgents 42AIdD Controls in Disaster Recovery. :-)

  9. David Eddleman
    Joke

    oWoW

    That's the proper title. It's kinda like advertising yourself as open for bum rape -- unpleasant and painful for nothing gained.

  10. ratfox
    Thumb Down

    WoW is addictive...

    Call me when that addiction claims as many victims as tobacco and alcool, please...

    (Played WoW until six months ago)

  11. Sep
    Flame

    You can turn it off

    [You can try to cut off his access at home, but can you quit your job, go without sleep and stand guard 24/7? Can you follow him to friends' houses? Sit with him in school? You have to think about it as if the addiction really was to crack cocaine. Except computers are everywhere and they're not illegal. By Anonymous Coward Posted Friday 27th February 2009 20:38 GMT]

    Uh, since WoW subscription is not free, you CAN actually cut it off by stop paying. If you care enough, you can even install parental control programs on all the computers that specifically blocks WoW, just in case the kid has other ways of keeping his account current. If you totally ban it at home, how much time can the kid spend at his friend's house playing WoW? His friends will get sick of him in no time if all he does there is play WoW on THEIR computer.

    I dislike WoW, but I dislike ignorant and irresponsible parents a lot more.

  12. Michael

    @ AC "Breaking Addiction"

    "It's easy to say this if you havn't parented a teem-ager or fought addiction. Addiction subverts the addict's consciousness for the purpose of getting more of their WoW-drug-of-choice. People are pretty crafty when they're really motivated.

    You can try to cut off his access at home, but can you quit your job, go without sleep and stand guard 24/7? Can you follow him to friends' houses? Sit with him in school? You have to think about it as if the addiction really was to crack cocaine. Except computers are everywhere and they're not illegal."

    So your argument is that because your kid Timmy can still go over to his friend Johnny's house a play there, that you, as the parent, are absolved of the responsibility to do anything about it in your own home? Your argument is that if you can't stop him 100% of the time, that you have no obligation to stop him AT ALL. That's like saying, "well son, I can't stop you from having sex with a hooker at a cheap motel, therefore I'll condone you having sex with a hooker upstairs in your room!"

    Ridiculous. And we wonder why the government thinks they need to be everyone's nanny...

    Here's the deal: If you as a parent think something is bad for your kids, then you have an obligation to take reasonable measures to prevent your kid from doing it. It's true that you can't prevent it 100% of the time, but isn't ANY reduction of the "bad" behavior better than sitting around with your thumb up your ass?

  13. Seán

    It's bad

    I knew a guy who lost his job, wife, and house to WoW. He was a nice well balanced dude until that fucking mindrot got him.

  14. Michael

    @ Dex

    "they can has no purpose"

    Ok, ok, YES you can has chezburger!

    "requires no immediate skill"

    Probably about as much skill as it takes to be any good at Half Life, methinks...

    "just the inability to do something with your life"

    That's quite the generalization. I play WoW and I'm a productive member of society. You're just being silly.

    "extrememly depe pockets"

    15 USD a month is "depe [sic] pockets" ??

    "why people PAY EXTRA a month to play a game is beyond me"

    And of course, something being beyond you means that it doesn't make sense at all, right? Or could it be that the $15 a month pays for server maintenance and ongoing game development, as well as shareholder profits, no doubt. Welcome to capitalism.

    By the way, you DO realize that SOMEONE has to pay to keep your favorite TF2 server running...right?

    Get a clue, man, and for Pete's sake, learn to spell...

  15. James O'Brien
    Joke

    Forgot to mention

    I usualy play as Louis in the game and I regularly do lines off Zoeys....I will stop on this one now.

  16. James O'Brien
    Joke

    Oh thank god

    I know this is totally off topic but I haven't seen a post from AMFM in at least a week. Though he fell off the face of the earth nice to see Ive just been missing them :P

    /Back to the regularly scheduled face rape that is my team vs whoever in L4D

  17. Brandon
    Flame

    @ac

    Who wears the pants in your family?

    Pull the damned plug... it's not THAT hard... and it's YOUR responsibility, not the game designers'. It's only hard because your kid is used to doing whatever the hell he/she wants and you just caving after 3 hours of negotiating with them, with the vane hope that if you can just tell him the right thing, then he'll magically agree with your wiser position, and change his own behavior. Well, unfortunately, that's not how the mind of a teenager works. When they want something, that's it... they just want it, and it's your job to take it the hell away if it becomes an addiction.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Wimps

    I was addicted to angband, used to play for up to 17 hours a day. Then I got a life, a job and a few qualifications. Never missed it.

  19. mr.K
    Stop

    @breaking addiction by AC

    "You can try to cut off his access at home, but can you quit your job, go without sleep and stand guard 24/7? Can you follow him to friends' houses? Sit with him in school? You have to think about it as if the addiction really was to crack cocaine. Except computers are everywhere and they're not illegal."

    If you think your 15-year old kid is addicted to crack cocaine that is exactly what you are supposed to do if you think that is what it takes. If you have spend fifteen years of your life, a hundred grand or up (depending on your standard of living (and currency)) on the bugger and you learned to love him in addition to the biological love hardwired into you, then yes, you do whatever it takes. In fact you do it regardless if you think it is what it takes or not, you do in just in case it is what it takes.

    In addition. It may be that you have to think about as if the addiction was to crack cocaine, even though people that treat addictions in general usually say that it doesn't fit any addiction pattern they know of. It still may be, and as you say computers are everywhere and they're not illegal. So it can be hard to control, except that it would be more like a drug that it takes five hours and up to shoot/snort/smoke/eat/drink/taste/lick.

    You say it easy to say if you never have parented teenagers yourself. Yes, you are right, it is easy to say. However, that doesn't make it wrong or impossible to do. I am sorry, but if you can't account for where your kid is and what he is doing for the most part of the day I am deeply worried. If you can't account for where he is for so long that he manage to get sleep deprived and suffer from starvation, then I really do hope you neither have any experience with raising teenagers, and that you just made up that bit where you mention your supposed kids.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Addiction

    Ok smart non-parents...You wipe your computers clean of WoW. You close the account. Sorted, right?

    Nope. Your kid can get a prepaid debit card to pay for an account. As pointed out, it's only $15/mo. He can play at friends. He can hang out at internet cafes. Remember, this person is approximately as smart as you are, and *all* they want to do is play WoW.

    Your kid lies. He says he's doing something else, hanging with his friends, studying. You have to catch each lie and give it consequences. And you're biased toward believing him, because he is your own child. Yeah, you can punish him, but remember, he's *motivated*.

    Whatcha gonna do if they defy you openly? They're big, physically. Want to lock them up? Hit them? This kind of parenting is frowned upon, and sometimes they hit back. You send them to their room, and for the next few hours, they aren't playing. Gonna stay up all night to keep 'em from sneaking out of the house? Gonna stay home from work to keep 'em at home? You have less free time than your kid does, even if you are a perfect parent. If it was actually drugs, you could get in-patient treatment at a rehab center. Not so many opportunities if the activity isn't illegal.

    Ultimately you can throw him out to teach him a lesson, but this is the "nuclear option" of parenting. It implies complete failure.

    Yeah, there are parents who can't handle even a mild case of playing too much. They need to be, uh, corrected. But even a really terrific parent will struggle with addiction. To anything.

  21. David S
    Thumb Up

    @mycho

    Oh yes. Angband. Now THAT was a game...

    Got those shakes again. Haven't had them for years, man. Decades! You had to go mention it, didn't you?

  22. Dalen
    Coat

    Breaking the addiction

    At some point, I Beta's World of WarCrack. And I'm glad I got out of it before all the -teen-year-olds got on it.

    OTOH, I have now sold my soul to LotR Online, which is made in the way World of WarCrack should have been made. Awesome visuals, less-repetitive quests, and no 1337|<1d5 spamming the channels.

    Mine's the Ranger robe with the stack of Longbottom Leaf in the pocket.

  23. Steven Raith
    Flame

    @ACs - addiction

    Right, let me make this very clear; if your kids die of starvation due to excess WoW, then that is a sign that you shouldn't have kids again. EVER. You have failed as a parent.

    Simple as.

    If you can't control them outside your home, fine. Only so much you can do. But you can remove WoW from the home PC, and if they don't come home, just a call to the police saying you think your son Timmy is at Johnnys house smoking marijuana is all it takes to get them [both] out of there and give them the fright of thier life when they get a night in the holding cells with Big Jock who likes lithe young men.....peer pressure for getting their mates in deep shit too will have far more effect than you shouting at them ever will - if Johnnys parents understand, they won't argue....but according to your logic, it is IMPOSSIBLE to stop a child PLAYING A COMPUTER GAME so maybe they won't...

    Seriously, sort your life out, you complete pussy - they are your kids, if you have to give them a psychological kick in the face to sort them out, then do it - my parents did that to me a long time ago [weed and booze - far more dangerous in every respect] and I'm far, far better for it.

    You fucking failure.

    Steven R

  24. Steven Raith

    Oh, and...

    ...you don't have to have kids to get an insight into how a teenagers mind works. We've all been there, and anyone who hasn't been addicted to something hasn't lived.

    So that isn't a suitable rebuttal of any argument.

    In all seriousness, IMHO people like AC-Addiction are a major part of the problem with society today; fucking apologists for everything someone under the age of 21 does.

    Tragic really.

    Steven R

  25. Mike Scollan

    @mycho

    Bet you played "Larn" before moving up to Angband didn't you?

  26. MYOFB

    So much Angst!!

    But what's to be expected . . . especially from addicts and Kids??!!

    I have read all the comments . .. all the way down to '@mycho By David S' . . . at the time of my post . . . BUT . . . the one I read, read again and re-read many times was the one entitled:

    "Addiction" and posted by AC @ 00:37 GMT

    My reply is from the heart and may make for interesting reading, perhaps even amusing but remember . . . it is from my heart (as well as my head). Feel free to read on . . . or not . . . that is your choice!

    1. "Ok smart non-parents...You wipe your computers clean of WoW. You close the account. Sorted, right?"

    I am a parent and a grandparent . . . Wiped many computers clean in my time but not of WoW but I'll stand by your story for the moment. Sounds reasonable to "close the account" and being "Sorted, right?"

    Who the fuck opened the "account" in the first place??!!

    2. "Nope. Your kid can get a prepaid debit card to pay for an account. As pointed out, it's only $15/mo. He can play at friends. He can hang out at internet cafes. Remember, this person is approximately as smart as you are, and *all* they want to do is play WoW."

    Really??!! How does any kid get one of those without money?? Sorry, my mistake, he can get the money, play at friends and hang out at Internet cafes because your a fucking lame excuse of a parent who can't be arsed doing what you should be doing as a parent and sit on your lardy arse saying: "You want what? Oh, It's in my wallet, take what you want / need.". BTW Your kids smartness is ahead of your proximity . . . don't fucking insult MY INTELLIGENCE with your STUPIDITY!!

    3. "Your kid lies. He says he's doing something else, hanging with his friends, studying. You have to catch each lie and give it consequences. And you're biased toward believing him, because he is your own child. Yeah, you can punish him, but remember, he's *motivated*."

    All kids try to lie, it's part of growing up. The trick is not to be a liar yourself and when you're found out to be one, don't bleat about your own 'innocence' and fail to accept theirs!! A liar can never catch out a lie and the consequence of your fat arsed lazy actions would leave anyone *motivated* to carry on in the same way!!

    4. "Whatcha gonna do if they defy you openly? They're big, physically. Want to lock them up? Hit them? This kind of parenting is frowned upon, and sometimes they hit back. You send them to their room, and for the next few hours, they aren't playing. Gonna stay up all night to keep 'em from sneaking out of the house? Gonna stay home from work to keep 'em at home? You have less free time than your kid does, even if you are a perfect parent. If it was actually drugs, you could get in-patient treatment at a rehab center. Not so many opportunities if the activity isn't illegal."

    You shouldn't have put yourself in that situation in the first place! And you're not "Big Physically!!" No need to "lock them up" or "hit them"! What for, your own dismal failings?! Maybe it is "frowned upon" but why would they "hit back"? Maybe you should have sent "them" to the bottom of the stairs instead of the haven of their room! The only reason they "sneak out of the house" is because you're a prick of a parent and you wouldn't need to stay "home from work" if you weren't!! You're right on the "free time" comment and I'm certainly not and never will be a "perfect parent" (or grandparent for that matter), but if you choose to cave in at the drop of a bottom lip then tell me why should the 'treatment' be paid for by more responsible parents just because you didn't, couldn't and never intended to give a SHIT about YOUR KID!!!

    5. "Ultimately you can throw him out to teach him a lesson, but this is the "nuclear option" of parenting. It implies complete failure."

    The only ultimate and nuclear conclusion to this part of your post is you are a complete failure. I'm not 'IMPLYING' this conclusion . . . It's a STATEMENT OF FACT!!!

    6. "Yeah, there are parents who can't handle even a mild case of playing too much. They need to be, uh, corrected. But even a really terrific parent will struggle with addiction. To anything."

    A true and real 'parent' can handle whatever comes along, be it mild or extreme!! How can they do this?? Because whether the child they bear is planned or un-planned, a true / real parent takes responsibility, accepts responsibility, feels and is, ultimately responsible for their children!!

    The only thing that needs to be "corrected" is the gene pool that spawns fuckwit 'parents' such as yourself . . . unfortunately you've already spawned another generation of your defect but maybe . . . just maybe . . . your kid will be able to get far enough away from you that by the time he becomes a 'parent' said gene will be permanently dormant . . . I do hope so!!

    To El Reg moderators:

    Obviously, you are free to reject my post and refrain from allowing it to appear on your site but I truly hope you don't, as I feel my response is a counter-balance to many of lifes' reflections.

    Regards

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Why do people pay per month?

    Because its about the cost of two videos per month and provides a whole lot more entertainment than what Hollywood churns out or what's on TV. When seen as an alternative to TV/video it suddenly becomes both interesting and cheap.

    I work in IT so I have several computers around the house, but how about *not* giving your kid a computer (or tv). I've used computers since I was 13, but while I have accumulated a lot of information from computers, they are not about education.

    Education should be about learning how to learn, learning how to think and reason and learning how to express yourself clearly and precisely. Computers are pretty useless at all of these tasks. In fact, the ease with which computers allow one can reorganise information and incorporate other people's thoughts with minimal input from yourself, actually works against the goals of education.

    If little Johnie is always at his friends' house, parents should find out what he's doing there. If its something you don't want him doing (or you can't find out what he's doing), don't let him go. Is he buying time-cards to play at friends? Well where is he getting the money from?

  28. Timothy
    Heart

    Saves me money

    This game is perfect for me, its a enjoyable as well, i don't spend all my time on it but it does require time to do anything i want so it prolongs the game more and there is always something to do.

    I've quit this game several times and always gone back to it.... Why ? because i have 3 consoles and about 30 odd games for each that are all completed... most gathering dust as once single player is done it get dull/boring (unless you have a really nice multiplayer or extras).

    I wouldn't call this an addiction to the game, but more and addiction to my cash, i complete games in a week/month, thats 10/50pounds.

    I would then want a new game to finish that would be another 10/50pounds. World of warcraft costs around 15 every two months, thats a huge saving for me on other things (like my soon to have Sony P series netbook :D)

    This game will always get a thumbs up from me no matter what, oh and yeh the kid should really have some parental features or something if he can't handle an addiction.

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    "Addiction" a selective term?

    When I was a kid I split my time between sports and reading. Both were seen as "good". The majority of the sports I played were team sports, so that was seen as both "character building" and "good social interaction". I would happilly play football all afternoon for hours, then go home and read novels and historical biographies into the small hours of the morning, if I could escape my parents checking I wasn't reading under the covers. I have no doubt it did affect my school work - I was always hankering to get through boring maths lessons to get to phys ed and more sport, and at home I would put off doing homework if I had a good book to hand. Just about all my pocketmoney went on books. In a way, I was addicted to books and sport, but nobody has EVER described that as a bad thing. At worst, my parents would sometimes grumble that I "always had my nose in a book".

    Now, how much worse a use of time is it to spend playing an online game than reading novels? Both require inventive production to capture an audience, both require money to pursue, and both could be described as unproductive uses of time. Indeed, reading for enjoyment is just that - can you really claim even "literary classic writers" such as Charles Dickens are in any way relevant to modern life? How will "Oliver Twist" help you deal with that project plan you have to write next week? Didn't think so. And online gaming can lead to more social interaction than sitting alone in a room reading a book. Maybe in twenty years it will all have changed and children will be largely educated in virtual classrooms online (how much more interesting would a history lesson be if you could walk through a virtual Roman battle, or down the streets of ancient Athens?). Maybe then online gaming will be considered with the same benevolence as reading.

    After all, there have been periods in history when some thought too much wieght was given to reading anything other than factual volumes. As late as the 19th Century, respected writers such as Arthur Helps talked about such "fanciful reading" as; “Reading is sometimes an ingenious device for avoiding thought.”

  30. Stephen Clifford
    Pirate

    Addiction?

    Now, if only Blizzard had bothered to include parental controls into the game. Maybe set it up so that the parents can specify exactly when they can play (not during school hours, not late at night) and for how long and make it account based so that it doesn't actually matter if you play it on your own computer, on your friends computer or at a cybercafe. Maybe make it password protected with a separate password to the account so that little Jonny can't just go back in and reset it. Oh, actually that's exactly what they did.

    This is exactly the same problem with the hysteria over the prying Paedo's in little Susie's 'I love High School Music' chat rooms. If you're concerned, put the computer somewhere communal in the house and not in their own bedrooms.

  31. Seán

    tcha

    Empire on a VAX

  32. Filippo Silver badge

    umm yeah

    There are, what, 12 million subscribers? And one is dead? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that's in line with all other pasttimes, considerably better than most sports, and way better than any actual drug.

    This sounds like the usual attention-grab by the usual association of losers.

  33. raving angry loony
    Flame

    Insanity, but not from those you'd expect.

    Yeah, and computer-illiterate parents are supposed to know how to set up parental controls? Most kids can usually run circles around their parents, since 24/7 surveillance isn't commonplace yet.

    It's just like any other addiction: it's a mental health issue. Until this society gets over its phobia about discussing mental health issues rather than criminalising and ostracising those who have it, it'll just get worse. From "War on Drugs" to the growing "War on WoW", it's utterly insane that almost 80 years of complete failure hasn't taught anyone that Prohibition doesn't fucking work.

  34. Thomas

    I have a cure for World of Warcrack....

    And its called Wrath of The Lich King.

    Seriously, 2 months after installing it, I can't even face logging into the game now =/.

  35. kain preacher

    Addiction

    "Ok smart non-parents...You wipe your computers clean of WoW. You close the account. Sorted, right?

    Nope. Your kid can get a prepaid debit card to pay for an account. As pointed out, it's only $15/mo. He can play at friends. He can hang out at internet cafes. Remember, this person is approximately as smart as you are, and *all* they want to do is play WoW."

    OK if ts and an addiction treat as such. If you have a person staying with you that's an alcoholic you dont let booze in the house. You dont say well they are going to get it any ways .

    If your teen is addicted to wow you take the computer away, you cancel the net . Yes you do your best to watch them 24/7

  36. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Never really got into Larn.

    I was playing Moria a lot before Angband came out.

    Then of course there was Sangband. And CthAngband before it went silly.

  37. DodgyLurgy
    Unhappy

    well...

    "[If only there had been some sort of authority to look over the boy. Perhaps someone with the wisdom of age from who's loins he could have sprung, then raised him for 15 years, brought the computer, and paid for his WoW account every month]."

    Sarcastic but completely true....Where were the parents then?

  38. Adam
    Stop

    Narrow View...

    This guy seems to have a very narrow view of game addiction. I have personally been "addicted" to EVE-Online and WoW. People have KILLED in real life over items in other games like Everquest. What is addiction, is it not being able to stop? Maybe I don't want to stop? I bet people who are addicted to crack cocaine *do* want to stop being addicted, that's the difference... I recently asked myself "Do I want a very good degree mark, or do I want to play WoW?" I chose the former, and had no problems putting myself on a 4 month /afk - because that's what I WANTED to do.

    Maybe WoW just scoops up all the publicity cause it has 11 million players, and is therefore statistically likely to have the vast majority of people dying from "addiction" to it.

  39. Evgeny
    Pirate

    ROFLMAO & LFM

    last two paragraphs cracked me up

  40. Evgeny
    Pirate

    WoW! It's the crack addicts invasion!

    So when are we going to see kids robbing car stereos to sell them and buy their doze of 15$ pre-payed WoW cards?

  41. Franklin
    Joke

    Fortunately...

    ...there's a quick, simple way to spot WoW addiction, and to tell immediately if a player is an addict or just some guy who likes the game:

    http://tacit.livejournal.com/284131.html

  42. Aaron

    Addictive personalities

    I personally dont think its the games that are the issue but the personality of the person that plays them. I played WoW both US and EU versions maxed out characters then quit withing a couple of months. Why? probably the same reason I dont smoke, take drugs, or drink more than socially. I don't have an addictive personality.

    Someone that will get addicted to something will be far more likely to get addicted to something else. Computer games are entertaining, theres is a lot to be involved in and I can see how people can get attached. If someone already is susceptable to being addicted to something then its a bad combination.

    As for kid's id let my kids play games but there would be a limit they play on the hours I allow them to. Outside those hours they wont have access to the internet/computer/account's for such games. Its not hard set boundries and when the push them take away the thing they like. Kids cant play these games without the things in the home that parents provide so in your own home any parent can stop it if they want.

    I spoke to some guy the other day complaining that his kid keeps looking up porn on the internet, turns out the internet was the only used by their kid so I just said why do you leave it on all the time, call the isp change the password and dont set it on the router. Bang no more problem and if the internet is needed for something he could set it up and control how long its used for. Kids are clever and will get around things but theres a limit to what they can do.

  43. Neoc

    Department of the bleedin' obvious

    Must be "slow publishing" week down there. The game has been known as "Warcrack" amongst the circles I frequent about as long as the game has existed. And those using the term *includes* long-time players.

    All of them (players, non-players, ex-players) agree on "Warcrack". So what took this mob so long to come to the same realisation?

  44. Elron Hubward
    Thumb Down

    Just wait until they make it illegal....

    .. as the government is wont to do with anything that large numbers of people actually enjoy.

    We'll end up with Robbie Williams on Parkinson talking about his level 60 Night Elf lady-boy, no doubt closely followed by George Michael discussing the joys of "twinking" a second account and a harrowing serialised in the Daily Mail account of George Best's struggle with his 16 hour raid habit by whoever it is who's milking his corpse for a book this week.

    After that it'll only be a matter of time before we get Bill Clinton crawling out of the wood work to tell us he installed WoW once, but never actually logged on.

  45. P. Lee

    @mycho

    Wuss!

    In my day we didn't have t'new fangled angband with its fancy colours an' fancy screen layouts.

    In my day we 'ad "Moria" on a green screen and proper player permadeath, and we were grateful forrit an'all!

    I think I may know what went wrong with my A-Levels...

    Icon: what icon? graphics are for wimps!

  46. Anonymous Coward
    Gates Horns

    Step Up

    Sad that someone dies but it honestly not the games fault. I just can't believe people can even think it is. The game provides tools to manage this and even then parents should know what their children are up to. This is just a sign of the times with people thinking the world is responsible for their kids. We are NOT so live with it.

    And to whoever was that clown about the game controlling people and quit to prove it? Honestly how can you agree against that. I should quit just to show you I can? Get real noob, I don't want to quit and to all you out there that blame the game HTFU. You can have a successful real life and the full epic toon. Just step up and make the effort.

  47. Jonathan

    Online games.....

    Reminds me of many wasted hours on Evercrack during my sixth form years. The granddad of the MMORPG it was very addictiive. Fortunately I had a gf who promptly saved me from it. That and only having a very small budget; I couldn't afford it. Hoorah for poverty.

    The problem comes when people start prefering to live in artificial world instead of the real one.

    I watched it destroy one of my best friends it wasn't pretty.

  48. TMISv2
    Thumb Up

    If crack is only that addictive...

    Awesome, this means I can take up a crack habit and just stop after a few weeks when I find something better to do :)

  49. Steve Swann
    Thumb Down

    *yawn* Moral minority nonsense again...

    "My son is obsessed by [insert football team], so we have to ban them, tear down all his posters, refuse to let him go to the games or watch them on TV! Right now!"

    "My daughter only listens to music by [insert artist], so we have to ban her from watching them, hearing them and then we have to make sure they can't peddle this filth any longer!"

    "My kids watch so much television...."

    Do I need to go on? I didn't even have to resort to the Twat-O-Tron to create similar NIMBY Daily Fail reading nonsense.

    If you want to address a social issue, lets look at DRINKING or SMOKING or the violence that surrounds us each and every day in the street.

    Stop picking on the little things and look at the big issues.

  50. Colin Mountford
    Thumb Up

    @ Mycho

    Angband - now that is hard core.

    Whilst I was at warwick Uni I remember 5 to 6 hour playing sessions going through the latest compile made by some guy doing compsci (Geoff?). I was always the lightweight as I normally went to bed at some point.

    However on one occassion I did wake up at 6am to find myself sitting at a computer with my fingers still stuck on the control keys and some security guy looming over me asking me kindly to move along.

  51. Lionel Baden

    Urrghhh Wow

    Meh my kids will grow up playing proper games like shooting people and dismembering things

    not that wimpy magic stuff lile WOW

  52. Alex
    Coat

    Wanna break their addiction?

    If parents don't think they can stop their child playing WarCrack, I would suggest the two parents set up a rota and level a character of their choice on the same server but on the opposing faction then gank their child whenever he goes online. THat'll learn the little bastard...though can I have his T3 epic gear before he gives up please?

  53. Pyrrho Huxley
    Alert

    Another Moral Panic

    Oh dear, yet another moral panic fuelling our hysterical ban-o-mania. Look, it's not the game that has made the 15-year-old ill, his was ill already, which is why he played WoW until he collapsed. What was wrong with this lad's life? An absence of parental love, perhaps?

  54. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    RE: "Addiction" a selective term?

    No doubt there are all sorts of people who will argue and wax lyrical (or not) regarding the usefulness of novels, both fact and fiction, as compared with the act of mashing buttons on a controller/mouse & keyboard, but one definite advantage is the ability to use language correctly. I’m seeing far too few graduates these days who cannot construct a sentence properly, or learn how paragraphs work or should be used, and heaven forbid that they should ever have to write a letter! You comment on Dickens’ efforts, of whom I am no fan of, but reading his works might allow a person to understand how to write the project plan in legible English at least… I am working with several foreign consultants and even though their English is far better than my knowledge of their language, unfortunately for them this office is UK based and English speaking, and their lack of understanding of the nuances of the language has led to several misunderstandings in both formal documentation as well as informal emails.

    To the case in hand, I think this is yet another example of the continual erosion of accountability in this world, where the parents do not take responsibility for their children. The nanny state can do all it wants to legislate or offer pamphlets but at the end of the day the parents are the ones who decided to have a child and the responsibility of their upbringing are due to the parents… especially with the reduction in the powers of the teachers and schools to punish pupils. No wonder children run rampant these days as the only people who seemingly can punish them are their parents, who are usually the ones who will go soft due to that biological switch hardwired into them! I was very lucky to go to a school with huge grounds that prefects would happily run us malcontents around, and a CCF where disobedience was usually punished in ways that would probably be on the Daily Mail front page these days.

    To the AC who may have posted several times (and may not be the one I’m replying to in my title), if you are scared of your child’s physical violence reaction then perhaps you need to work out where you went wrong while he grew up… or follow Steven Raith’s idea and let him meet Big Bubba in the local nick. In the long run, it will help him as he won’t be the biggest nor strongest nor most aggressive person in the world when he goes out into the big bad world and if he has that kind of attitude then someone will fix it for him in a bad way. I’m saying this as a 6’1 18.5st rugby player – I fortunately had the discipline growing up to be polite and develop into a reasonably well adjusted adult who has walked away unfazed from more than one punch in the chops and rarely had to fight my way out of anything.

  55. Anonymous Coward
    IT Angle

    @Moria

    Moria was fun but it's kinda like going back to Star Trek after watching Babylon 5. Or going back to playing on a carebear WoW server after playing pvp servers only for a while. You get to always thinking about the features it's lacking.

    And no, I never played with that silly graphics tileset. What's with that?

    An insect and a troll guarding a scroll of *Enchant Weapon*

  56. DutchOven

    Not that costly

    Think about how much it is for a one-month subscription to World of Warcraft.

    Now think about how much booze that would buy.

    Two pints. Two and a half if you're lucky!

    If you drink more than two and a half pints per month does that make you addicted?

    Some bozo implied that a teenager might just sneak out of the house at night and play WoW at their friends house. I've got a little message for you: get a grip!

    If your teenage child's friends started knocking on the door at midnight and asking to use your computer would you let them? Would your teenage child happily sit for hours watching someone else playing WoW when they could be playing themselves?

  57. Scott Evil
    Stop

    Parental controls - A user account option online.

    You cant hold Blizzard accountable for any person playing their game until they collaspse when there has been controls to restrict access to ther game in the users account control panel for years.

    To anyone that has children that you think plays too much WOW.

    Log onto their account via the main web page and access the account managment option in the top right corner of the web page.You wil need to know the account name and password naturally.

    If you dont know what they are well frankly you damn well should.

    You have parental controls to restrict log on access so that they cannot play after a certain time of the day should you choose for them not to.

    Simple!!

    WOW is addictive? Its a great game to play (played since feb 2005) so yes I am addicted to it.

    Im also addicted to nictone, movies, music, and resturants because i enjoy those an awful lot too.I dont stay up playing WOW until i collaspe because im a responsible person!

    Like the 99% of people i know from WOW online.

    There are a few jobless muppets in our guild that do bugger all else. but they are online alot because they are too lazy to get a job.

  58. Andy Bright

    168 hours a week too much?

    I found the easiest way to stop myself wasting so much time in World of Warcraft was to make my children do all my farming. I set very reasonable quotas for reputation, gold and honour, which means some days they can even spend a few hours enjoying their free time activities such as sleeping or going to school.

    The great part about this is I now only call in sick to work when I want to.

  59. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No WOW for kids

    My kids are not allowed to play WOW or any other computer game. I can't think of a quicker way to rot a good mind. They aren't allowed to use the computer for any activity but school work or as a reference source. They've been taught that computers are useful tools, not a form of entertainment. The result is that they don't really care about the computer, but prefer books,conversation, playing outdoors, arts and traditional hoobies.

  60. Michael

    Hey Parents! It's your responsibility to be a parent!!

    @ raving angry loony:

    "Yeah, and computer-illiterate parents are supposed to know how to set up parental controls? Most kids can usually run circles around their parents, since 24/7 surveillance isn't commonplace yet."

    Computer illiterate parents shouldn't have computers in the house then, should they? You shouldn't have a gun in your house if you know nothing about guns, either. If you have it in the house, you, as the parent, have a responsibility to understand it. Be a parent.

    ---

    People look to blame Blizzard because Blizzard has lots of money. It's the same reason people go after tobacco companies. It's not as if tobacco companies held a gun to your head and said "SMOKE IT OR DIE!!" Speaking of guns, this blame game is akin to blaming Smith & Wesson because someone got shot - after all, the manufacturer did make the gun with the intent that it be fired. But wait, it's actually the person's fault that pulled the bloody trigger. Likewise, when a kid can't get enough, the game isn't hurting him, HE'S HURTING HIMSELF, and it's the parents' job to stop the kid from hurting himself.

    Parents: stop trying to pawn off the responsibility of parenting your children on others (schools, governments, entertainment, etc). It is your job, and your job alone to raise your children. If you can't hack it, do the kid a favor and give him up for adoption. Incompetent, lazy, powerless, useless parents make me sick.

  61. Andy Bright

    @Michael

    "Incompetent, lazy, powerless, useless parents make me sick."

    Me too. Parents who're too lazy to teach their kids how to play properly are destroying the future of the World (of Warcraft). WoW as a babysitter is a tool responsible parents use to make sure they can meet their guild's raiding requirements, when they'd be otherwise inconvenienced by making meals, watching them play sports or helping with homework. But abusing this by allowing kids that suck ruins the raid for everyone.

  62. CypherDragon
    Thumb Down

    Stupid Parents breed Stupid Kids

    Something that I witnessed this weekend that made me wish that apathy was illegal. My wife and I are at the local GameStop looking for family-appropriate games for our Wii (we have an 8-year old son). Another woman walks in with her 3 children, 2 boys a little younger than our son (I would say about 6-7) and a daughter around 5ish. What do the boys want? Halo. What does the idiot mom ask the store clerk for? Halo for her boys. The only thing that saved this woman from my involvement (and ensuing verbal thrashing) was the fact that she was clueless enough about the game to not know that it's an Xbox exclusive...and they have a PS3.

    This is what's wrong with this country...parents that will give their "precious little children who could never do wrong" what ever they want...gods forbid the idiots spawning actually take a few seconds to research a game, maybe even look at the box and see that there is a parent-friendly rating on there? Most of these parents wouldn't take their children to see a "PG-13" rated movie, let alone an "R" rated one...why the hell would they buy a "T" or "M" rated game for their "lil' schnookums"? These are also the first ones to jump in to court about how "video games turned my kid into a homicidal, sex-addicted maniac!"

    Grow a bleedin' pair and step up to your kids and tell them "NO". They don't deserve everything they want, and definitely don't need it. Be a fookin parent even if that means you're not their friend now. If you don't care enough to look at the box, then get rid of the game system, and for gods' sake never purchase a computer or subscribe to the internet. QUIT TRYING TO USE THE TELEVISION AND GAME SYSTEMS AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PARENTING!

    As for the kid dying, tragic but the blame doesn't lie with Blizzard or Warcraft. It lies where it always has...with the parents/guardians of the kid.

  63. TeeCee Gold badge
    Joke

    I pity the real Crack addicts.

    I dunno, you're addicted to Crack Cocaine. You've got no job, no money and nobody wants to know you. Your life revolves around your next fix. You've a string of theft convictions to fund your habit as long as your arm and you're seriously considering renting out your arse to pay for you next fix.

    Just when you think your life can't possibly get any worse, some bunch of Swedish do-gooders put you in the same category as the Warcraft dweebs.

    All you had left was your pride and what remained of your self-esteem and those bastards took it from you.

  64. Winkypop Silver badge
    Thumb Down

    WoW

    I almost stayed awake for the entire article, almost......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

  65. Chika
    Coat

    WoW?

    Is WoW Better Than Life?

    btw, agree wholeheartedly with the "parent and grandparent" above and his rant. Part of a parent's duty is to protect, educate and otherwise take responsibility for their children. Trying to pass the blame to folk like Blizzard when their kids go out of control? It doesn't cut it.

    One example of this I often like to use is the South Park movie, Bigger Longer & Uncut. Just replace Canada with Blizzard and you have exactly the same story.

  66. Scott Swarthout
    Alert

    Parental "Oops"

    To keep a kid from falling out with convulsions you don't need to stop them cold-turkey, you just have to make sure they eat once/twice a day. and sleep every day or two.

    Then, you don't have to worry about watching them, but no-one will arrest you for criminal neglect.

    If you can't get an exhausted, malnourished WoW geek away from a computer, I'm surprised you had the physical abilities to make said baby.

  67. Psmiffy

    So Austin ...

    when did you move to Lightinghoof, and where the hell is that?

  68. Ceiling Cat
    Coat

    The worst thing for this kind of problem . . .

    Is the availability and (relative) ease of configuration of Private Servers.

    There was a WOTLK private server available while the expansion was still in the Beta stages.

    try keeping your kids off by taking away their pocket money, and you'll soon possibly find your home PC hosting their favorite server.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like