World of Warcraft: Harmless fun, or an addictive replacement for real life?

Addictive

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by James Lightbody

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A young man of 17 years is sitting in his dark bedroom on a warm Friday night. He has just gotten off the phone with a friend. He just told this friend that he was too busy to hang out. Staring at the luminescent monitor, the only sounds that can be heard are the clicks of his mouse. Moments earlier, this young man had joined a dungeon raid that will surely last deep into the night. He has opted to skip an outing with his friends in order to pursue a chance to receive a piece of virtual armor that will advance his video game performance. Has World of Warcraft arrived at a point where its events are taking precedent over real-life activities? Are these online raiding environments a strong supplement to social development, or are they just an empty addiction? When does a hobby become dangerous? Where can the line be drawn?

In the beginning, those who purchase World of Warcraft (and other online video games) are merely seeking an entertaining alternative reality to their own intermittent boredom; a fictional world in which to roam, compete, and socialize with others. These games, however, have been designed to capture the player's attention for tremendously extensive periods of time. They boast an intricate system of achievements, reputation gains, and other means intangible progression. The user lives by the philosophy that the fights they take part in and the armor they collect is furthering their character's (and often, even their own) success. There is always the thrill of betterment and the psychological gratification that comes with games centered around the "progression curve." So when and why do people start becoming addicted? This lies in the game's everlasting hamster wheel effect; it is unbeatable (at least, by the traditional definition of "beatable). Players may invest days, months, and years with the hopes of arriving at a definitive level of "victory" that does not actually exist.

Family, friends, and co-workers of WoW players will often label them as addicted once they reach a certain amount of hours of daily playtime. This threshold of hours spent playing cannot be accurately translated into a definite level of addiction; an amount of time spent playing a video game differs from person to person, and what one person regards as "absurd addiction" may be viewed as "casual play" to someone else. On the whole, however, there is almost a universal agreement among non-WoW players that addiction has definitely occurred when players begin to circumvent real-life activities and duties in order attend raids and gatherings in a virtual gaming world. This level of game play is the exact point at which World of Warcraft begins to transpose itself from an innocent source of entertainment and into a seemingly convenient replacement for real life affairs.

Many who represent the online gaming industry will argue that gaming venues such as World of Warcraft are solely meant for the enjoyment of individuals who seek an in-depth playing experience. They will argue that the amount of time invested in such hobbies is entirely based upon the discretion of the player themselves. Arguments have been made that these same individuals who present extreme levels of addiction for games like World of Warcraft would likely find some alternative facet in which to channel their addiction if WoW did not exist. Claims have been made that these people simply have addictive personalities, and they would be addicted to something else anyway. Like many other methods for measuring psychological addiction, these assumptions are not an exact science; they are merely the defenses being made by an industry that thrives off of sociological insecurity.

Companies that produce games whose primary objective is to provide an alternative reality to real life only have room to profit from the socially insecure mindsets of teens and young adults (this is not to exclude older gamers from the spectrum, but the most pronounced gaming demographic lies within younger crowds). The idea that the gaming industry feeds off of the monthly subscriptions of addicted, anti-social people truly shows the negative potential of such a system. This is not to say that the game producers harbor themselves in a hidden room and secretly devise ways to hook and reel-in impressionable youngsters at their expense; this perspective is simply meant to allude to possible drawbacks and hindrances that may arise as a result of such practices.

Supporters of online games will also make mention of the idea that these games elevate problem-solving, multitasking, and teamwork (in the case of 25-man raids). Even if this is true, is it really worth the trade off? Players who may have been addicted to games like World of Warcraft for extensive periods of time may have had their social and physical health inhibited. They have locked themselves into a dormant situation for so long that they may lack life experience and enthusiasm to create/pursue goals that are not related to the virtual world that they have invested so much into. Additionally, in the process of furthering their gaming acumen, players may have ignored their academic studies and may now lack options for college selection (due to poor grades). When it comes to career experience, they may have backed themselves into a corner. Younger individuals may have little to no job experience and may find it difficult to begin a career; after all, all of their time was spent gaming instead of gaining real-world job insight.

On the whole, online gaming has become a universal phenomenon. Players are now interacting with others from around the world. In-depth combat systems and compelling storylines continue to captivate audiences throughout all demographic spectrums. With all of this entertainment value emerging, are people using games like World of Warcraft as a replacement for real life? This is an issue that is continuously debated and unanimous conclusions are hardly ever drawn. Opinions will always differ among hardcore, casual, and non-gamers alike. There is no way to accurately label a WoW player as normal, addicted, or unhealthy. One opinion, however, can usually be agreed on: when individuals begin to choose video game pursuits over real life pursuits, they have arrived at a point where they are using games as an alternative way of living their life - and this, by itself, is a largely detrimental practice.

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