by Mandi Weems

Created on: May 18, 2008   Last Updated: May 19, 2008

With the massive success of World of Warcraft and other role playing games, it is no surprise that we are seeing marriages ripped apart by gaming addictions. People start to play these games and get so involved that they cannot see anything else in RL (real life for you non-gamers). Those that aren't gamers sit and wonder what the lure is to role playing games that make them so addictive to those of us who are gamers.

So just what is the appeal that role playing games hold over us?

It seems that the lure to role playing games is that we can be who we want to be and be in control. You can choose to be good or bad, pretty or ugly, anything that you want to be... and you are in control of it all. You control everything from how your toon looks to what professions you choose to where you go in the game and everything else. You can choose to be a jerk or be nice, you can choose to spend the day fishing or questing... you are in total control.

These role playing games offer us a chance to control everything in our gaming world, yet still offers rules and parameters to keep us in line. There are enough rules here in the role play game world that we can still feel like normal people, even though we know it is a game. We become so immersed in trying to "win" in the game, where we can't seem to "win" in real life, so we play more and more and more, until the addiction takes too firm a hold on us.

So, it is no wonder that those of us who find areas of our own lives out of control are drawn to role playing games such as World of Warcraft. These games offer us a chance to finally control everything and be who we want to be. We are now cool and involved, and we can make money easily and not worry about bills in a game.

The problem comes when we become so addicted that we forget to do the basic things in real life that keep us going - such as work, cleaning the house, eating, sleeping, and living. This is where people find that they will sit and play a game for 8 hours straight and never eat, sleep, or bother to leave the computer for longer than a minute. This is where the addiction comes in and beckons for help from others.

With the massive appeal of role playing games to many different types of people throughout the world, there will be no shortage of players for them. But, with the problems that come with role playing games for those who have addictive natures, there will always be those stories of marriages falling apart, losing homes or cars because of work, and more. It seems that there are the beginnings of help for those with role playing game addictions out there, but more needs to be done for those with serious gaming problems that are ruining their lives.

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