by Kyle Tabone Betts

Created on: May 30, 2011   Last Updated: December 03, 2011

Addiction. It consumes us all. It begins innocently enough, just a dabble in whatever action we choose. The dabble escalates into an indulgence, eventually turning into constant engagement, until it finally becomes an uncontrolable addiction. For some, this addiction comes in the form of alcohol or drugs, to others adrenaline and so forth. Me? My addiction was World of Warcraft, Blizzard’s highly successful Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.

It all began innocently enough, with my joining the Warcraft community along with a friend. They say that you never forget your first time, whatever first it is. I could not agree more. I remember how it felt, creating my first character, a night elf rogue. She was my avatar, representing me in a fictional world, and through her I experienced the beauty of Azeroth along with its captivating story.

Time passed and Azeroth became more than my avatar’s home. While in the world of Warcraft, I felt at peace. It was just me and a few pixels. No pressure, no responsabilities – only rest and relaxation; a stark contrast to life on Earth. My gaming hours started increasing, until finally I was playing for the better part of the day. Online friendships were created during this time, friendships that did not last long but were significant none the less. Meanwhile, my real friends were taking the backseat.

Eventually, the first expansion was released – right in the middle of my exams. Books and notes were merely skimmed through, as it was studying that was perceived as wasting my time rather than gaming. The fact that I still passed my exams and did relatively well encouraged me to utilize this practice in future exams as well.

Then came the day a group of friends banded together in Azeroth and stood united against the might of its foes. I was invited to join forces with them and did so willingly. My night elf rogue was forgotten, replaced by a blood elf rogue. I had, afterall, become quite apt at playing the class.

It was during this time that the game world merged with the real one. My gaming time increased from ‘the better part of the day’ to ‘the whole day’. New online friends were made once more, with real friends receiving less attention than ever before. Saturday night outings had become a rarity, eventually halting altogether.

The few hours I physically spent away from the game were not necessarily shared with my mind. I had become consumed, enslaved even, by the

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