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World of Warcraft: Is it a Waste of Time?

Warcraft, and videogames in general, have long been hampered by the stigma of being "just a waste of time." As if somehow videogames are the sole source of any time wasting that can be done. Videogames are in fact no more a waste of time than any other hobby. What about all those people who build model kits, roleplay, play board games, go to book clubs, or have collectibles? I don't hear complaints about them. Are people somehow spending their time more productively watching sports, going to movies, or (for we older gamers) going out for a night on the town? I find it highly doubtful. Gaming is a hobby, and all hobbies are, by definition, wastes of time. They are things we do in our spare time simply for the fact that we enjoy doing them. Why not enjoy them?

The argument that it's better to get up and go outside is to play I find misleading. I, for one, do not much enjoy playing sports, so why would I want to go out and do them? Am I suddenly enriching myself by doing things I don't like to do? Again, not likely. I think if a child wants to go out and do those things, he will, and by all means he should. For the ones that don't however, the benefits of exercise will be minimal because they will only to the bare minimum to participate. Further, this argument is countered by the argument of improved hand-eye coordination that originated back in the days of the NES, so we gamers are still getting a benefit after all.

There is one caveat here, and that is gaming addiction, a problem that has recently come into focus with games like Everquest and World of Warcraft. When the enjoyment of playing games crosses the point of fun pastime to being the only thing a person does, then it becomes a problem. I personally have an addiction to gaming. Gaming addiction is actually an addiction to escapism, wherein the goal is to remove oneself from a boring, difficult or otherwise unfulfilling existence. Gaming just happens to be a fantastic way to escape reality because you can have a thrilling experience with the least risk of harm to yourself (I'm sure we've all heard the story of the man who died after a marathon gaming session, so it can still happen). I loved to break out a game after a long day at work or school just to unwind. Then I started to play games rather than go to class and even skipped work on occasion. It was only after I realized excessive gaming was causing me to miss opportunities in other parts of my life, that I knew I needed to stop.

I ended up closing all of my MMO game accounts, and even boxed up all of my console games for a time to keep from falling back into it, working instead to regain the ground I lost while in the gaming haze. I'm back to the point where games are just a fun pastime again, though I've yet to reopen an account to an MMO. Gaming addiction is a true addiction, like smoking or alcohol. I still need to be careful not to slip back into old habits. That is the nature of an addiction, it stays with you even after you've taken control. Fortunately, unlike smoking or alcohol, I can still game from time to time.

What it comes down to is this: Gaming is no more a waste of time than any other hobby you can think of, provided one remembers that it is just a hobby and does not become addicted to them. If a person does become addicted, then they need to be made to realize they have a problem, and take whatever steps needed to bring it back under control.

Perhaps a better question to ask than "Is gaming a waste of time?" is "Do you have a gaming addiction?"

Learn more about this author, A. Putnam.
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