by Daniel Owens

Created on: May 28, 2009   Last Updated: June 15, 2009

World of Warcraft is regularly referred to as a waste of one's life. It is also called Virtual Crack, Destroyer of Life, and Home Wrecker. Is World Of Warcraft really a waste of time? People refer to things as a waste of time when they do not see them improving your life or achieving goals. To a person that doesn't play World Of Warcraft this can be an easy assumption to make.

World of Warcraft is first and foremost a video game, but on top of this it is a massive social network. Players can connect with people from all over the world, avid players tend to meet their social needs withing the game. This results in them going out less, bringing people to the conclusion that the player has no life. This couldn't be further from the truth.

Players on average spend 4-6 hours a day playing the game, some even up to 12 hours. People also spend 4-6 hours in front of the television at night, but because the television is such a larger source of entertainment it is not considered a waste of time. Television requires you sit in front of it and watch scripted shows, requiring no interaction further than finding a channel you like. World Of Warcraft requires constant interaction, both with your character and other players.

To a further extent there is a lot of mathematics, chance, and percentages that comes into play regularly in the game. Strategy and leadership required to defeat raid bosses develops these skills in the player. A player who 4 nights a week has to organise and lead 24 other players through dungeons, keeping their attention for several hours, is a great feat. Who can say they lead 25 people through a common task on a regular basis? Not everyone, and the people that do are normally people who have succeeded in life.

Essentially WoW is providing players with life skills they don't even realise they are learning. Things from calculating how much agility is needed for a certain % critical chance against an enemy, to what items will make me the most money on the Auction House. Players are learning mathematical skills, but are also learning about things such as supply and demand, the economy, trading of goods and services, and the effects they all have.

The in-game economy works much like real life, when currency is more easily obtained, there is inflation. People are being tricked into becoming interested in topics normally considered boring or lame. World of Warcraft helps people achieve much more than sitting in front of a TV, so if you are still asking is World Of Warcraft a waste of time; then my answer is no.

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