MMO Addiction 101
Let’s get one thing straight: Addiction is serious. It doesn’t matter if you tack a harmless title in front, it’s still damaging to your health. So don’t give me that, “Oh, it’s just a little MapleStory addiction.” Do you even hear yourself? What kind of name is MapleStory?
Whether you think you have a problem or your “friend” does, let your pal here at GotGame give you some 101 on addiction and how you can beat it.
We’ll be focusing on MMO addiction because it’s been on the rise, but truth be told, you can apply the information here to any other game. The reason for all the recent cases involving virtual worlds is simply that you can’t beat these games. There’s no end where the credits start rolling, and so the player himself can’t “feel” completion. It might sound trivial, but when you think about how we’re conditioned to win, the issue becomes a problem when we realize we can keep going, becoming stronger, discovering rare items, etc. And playing an MMO after being so used to video games structured with an end takes us by surprise. It sweeps us in and holds on. That is the inherent problem with online gaming, though game developers will say otherwise as we continue to pay them. MMO addiction is definitely a psychological problem, not only in itself, but in how it affects the other aspects of our lives as well.
Before you can even think about methods on solving this crisis, we need to make sure you’re even addicted to MMOs. So let’s go through a small checklist of symptoms:
- Loss of sleep
- Loss of friends
- Forgoing important activities, such as school or work, for more playing time
- Long duration of playing (such as a 5 hour session)
- Feeling depressed or angry when you cannot play
- Being proud of how many hours you logged
The last one is subject to criticism. But we need to remember that it’s just a video game, and anything we accomplish in a video game has no bearing in the real world, unless you want to talk about professional gaming. Exceptions aside, being aware is a major step. So are you sure you have a problem? Take your time to let it sink in. Understanding that you have a problem means you know you have to fix it.
Here comes the hard part. You’re going to have to go cold turkey. There’s no other method, no patch, nada. And please don’t take “patch” as a stupid pun. You might be thinking that if you just decrease your time with the game, you’re in the clear, but if you could’ve done that in the first place, it’s not addiction. Like I should’ve said in the beginning, don’t kid yourself. Sure, after all is said and done, you can come back when you feel you’ve fixed your problem. But until then, say sayonara.
The first thing to do is to break ties with the game. As an MMO player, you know what I’m talking about; your online friends. Tell them you’re quitting, whether short-term or for the long haul. If they’re really your friends, they’ll support you, unless you happen to be a beast of a player, in which case they’ll probably beg you to stay on the simple principle that the guild would fall into disarray after your departure. And if you can’t stand to be apart from them, remember that there are plenty of other ways of staying in contact. In fact, you’re probably already doing it, sending e-mails and IMs. And I’m sure you’d be welcome into their teamspeak or ventrilo servers anytime to chat.
Next is dealing with the medium of your destruction, the game itself. If you happen to be the only player in the house, the best way of conquering this addiction is by uninstalling the MMO, removing the ability to instantly get back in. Trust me, it works well on the fact that even after you install the game, there’s still the expansion packs, and then the patches! It’s a hassle that many players lament, but a blessing in disguise for you.
Of course, if your addiction is very severe, you might have to get rid of the installation CD. Best bet is to trust it to a relative or friend. And if you’re trying to stop forever, you might as well sell it. Heck, try destroying it if you want. I’m sure that would be quite satisfying, as well as a means of showing yourself, and everyone else, that you’re serious about this. Want to take it even further? Delete your character(s). Oh, it’ll hurt, but if you got to do it, then do it. And if you’re going that route, be nice to your fellow players by donating all your gold and items. That way, they’ll remember you fondly, instead of grudgingly recalling all the times you beat them in PvP.
Believe it or not, this part is the fun step. Once you’ve made sure that there is no way you can step back into an MMO without going through a ton of hassle, you’ll realize that your schedule is pretty open. All those hours you spent toiling away in those dungeons leveling up that character are now free to do as you wish. In many ways, you’re a free man! So do what you want, and no, you can’t play MMOs.
However, you could play other games, though that is definitely a rocky path, and not one I suggest you to do. Substituting a game for another game doesn’t decrease your playing time, so it doesn’t solve anything. But for hardcore gamers, I wanted to let you know the option is there, since maybe you just wanted to stop MMO addiction specifically, so you can catch up on all those other games that’s been piling up on your to-do list.
What I recommend is fixing the problems that started as a result of your addiction. Gained weight? Hit the gym! Start a exercise routine that gets you outside your home and running. Lost touch with your friends? Call them up and start hanging out! Go to the movies or the mall. And don’t be alarmed, that’s clean air you’re breathing, and it’s a wonderful thing. It’s important that you repair what’s been broken, because then it’ll seem as if the problem never occurred, meaning you got addiction on the run. If you still got time to spare, what better way to fill it up then by taking up a new hobby? Learning how to play an instrument is a great choice, as it’ll take dedication. And having your self-esteem boosted along the way is icing on the cake.
After all this though, the real question comes up. How do you know when you’ve got addiction beat? Well, it’s always possible to have relapses, so we can never rule those out. But when your life no longer centers around MMOs, you know you’ve got the edge. And to seal the deal, knowing what has happened to you will be your weapon to keep addiction at bay. I’m a perfect example of that.
After a year of addiction to a certain MMO, my computer’s motherboard somehow goes kaput. Chalk it up to low knowledge of computers, or a message from a higher power, but I no longer had any means of playing. And being forced to see how my life has turned out gave me a good slap to the old noggin. I realized how big of a problem it was, and I understand the consequences. Like putting your hand on a hot stove, I knew to stay away.
To reiterate, addiction is serious. So serious that you might be scoffing at this article, disregarding any of the knowledge that has been bestowed upon you. If that’s the case, you have completely lost it, and telling you that there are clinics out there specialized in MMO addiction is pointless. And I hope that it is a concerned friend or relative who is reading this. If so, you might have to consider this option.
In the end, addiction is a tricky animal. You can’t help yourself unless you understand that you need to, so not being able to do that renders the steps after obsolete. But if you can take that step, you can take another, one at a time. And if that’s the case, then on behalf of everyone here at GotGame, good luck. We’re rooting for you.
Great advice here; though I agree with the last symptom (Being proud of hours logged) being subject to criticism. I think that one swings both ways; if you’re avoiding looking at how much time you’ve played it might also be a sign of addiction because mentally you’re acknowledging you don’t want to see that number because you know you’ve played too much. I guess I’d liken it to not wanting to check the scale when dieting.
Also agree that cold turkey is the way to go, I recall a text-based MUD I played in my teenage days that would consume at least ten hours of my time a day, and no matter what bull I’d tell my young teenage self (I’ll study an equal amount, I’ll go outside an equal amount, etc.) it was funny how often I’d find ways around that.
Yet another reason I will stay the hell away from any mmo.
I used to be a self-proclaimed WoW addict. I thought at first i would be fine and all until I broke up with my girlfriend and almost flunked out of college, which was about the same time when my parents cut my credit card. it was then that I realized that I needed something to do about it… what I did was I tried to look for a set of friends who weren’t into WoW. And it worked. though i still play WoW from time to time, finding friends outside of Netherstrum (my old server) helped me get a life in the real world.
this makes me want to go play halo. whatever i love my lifestyle
I hope someday someone finds a cure for pretentious, self-righteous article writing addiction.
I don’t see a problem with someone expressing their opinion of a subject. It’s better to start a discussion rather than slander with petty insults.
“opinion of a subject.”
You can hardly claim opinion when said person acts as though they are completely right and assumes that any of those “criteria” being fulfilled makes you addicted.
5 hour play sessions do not denote addiction. It just indictates that you probably like that game alot, perhaps too much, and should cut down. However by tacking on the term addiction you make the person appear that they are dependant upon the game and cannot live without it. As soon as someone starts getting the shakes from not playing, THEN, they are addicted. Not just because they play for extended periods of time.
You think this is pretentious? I guess you’ve never read the New Yorker.
A writer writes what he knows with a conviction that he believes in. If you don’t like it, it’s not an article for you. Back off.
i’ll be continuing my quest for level 80 in WoW tonight. i’m pretty sure that i’d go into withdrawal, if i took a night off…
I’m a young guy, nineteen, in college, and a WoW player. I’ve been playing for years, similar to my track record playing such (brilliant) games as Starcraft, Diablo II, or the Command and Conquer series. Living in a dorm means many things, including a massive amount of alcohol and drug use (even with only Freshmen and Sophomores in the dorms). I can truly think of few activities that I can be involved with, at my University, without running into drinking and smoking on a constant basis.
Playing soccer in the quad, reading a book in the lounge, or hanging with other non-drinkers / smokers are, of course, options available to me, but they are harder to find and organize than you might imagine. The truth is, where I go to school, things such as that surround me on a constant basis.
I refuse to fuck up my future through heavy drinking and smoking, so I use my computer as a pathway away from this environment. With WoW, and other games, I can play with friends that are hundreds of miles away (yes, friends I know in person) and at other universities, and not succumb to the freshman and sophomore crutch of alcoholism and irresponsibility.
So, here I sit, with my 3.3 GPA and real life friends, but still I play WoW in the majority of my free time, because believe it or not, in the long run my personal life is bettered through choosing this game over the things around me.
I just wanted to share a personal story that disagreed somewhat with the author’s view of MMOs, because while they can be awful for some people, they can also be a positive experience for others.
Haha what’s wrong with you guys? This is about MMO addiction, not some one-sided argument about how MMOs are bad for you. Damn, take it easy.
Some addictions can have beneficial consequences, and in my opinion, a gaming addiction is not that different from being addicted to reading books, or various other forms of escaping reality. My example, I am a father who loves in a different state than my son. In most situations, i would have to wait until the summer or school breaks to see him and have a hand in his development, but thanks to City of Heroes, I play with him every night. We talk for hours through ventrillo, I help him with his homework, and play with him constantly. Because of the opportunity for this that MMO’s have given me, I now have more of a hand in my sons development than most fathers who live in the same household with their children. I hang out with him for 6 hours a day, every day. Sometimes fighting evil, sometimes hanging out in pocket D talking with others, sometimes just chilling in our base. Either way, we have fun. I keep my job, even excel at it. The downside? No time for friends, in many cases, but hey…it can be argued that I spend more time with freinds than ever due to the fact that I enjoy the people I game with, and hang out with them constantly. Addiction is a strong word, and implies it is something people depend on and think they could not live without it. In my case, It is not the game I am addicted to, it is the social interaction with friends who do not need rides, to borrow money, and that can hang out or stop hanging out at will, as well as the interaction with my son. Some addictions are not so bad……
Great article.
I realized how addicted I am with MMO, World of Warcraft in particular. But hey! I am guilty for 4 points only.
I still have my friends and do important activities.
Good advice in this article, namely the getting rid of the disc bit.
That’s how I kicked my habit.
Mhm, getting rid of the disk will work.
Not with wow really, especially since you can download the game data of the website now.
The way I beat my MMO addiction was by joining the Navy. My addiction started as soon as I started college. All I would do for about a year was play EQ2 24/7. The only way I had the means to do this was because my parents were paying for everything. Rent, food, tuition, you name it. After a year of mooching off my parents and lying to them telling them that I was going to class and my grades were fine I decided to join the Navy as a linguist. My parents actually offered to help me go to college again, but I felt way too guilty to ask them to continue to pay my way after I had wasted so much of their money. After having just finished my 2 year mark in the Navy I’d have to say this is the best choice I ever made. When you don’t have anyone supporting you except yourself it’s a lot harder to slip into an addiction. Knowing that if you fuck up you’re going to bear the consequences and no one is going to bail you out makes you think twice before you send in an application to a hardcore raiding guild. I suggest to anyone who is addicted to MMOs to join the military. There are plenty of jobs and there are bound to be some that suit you. You can join as a linguist and the military will teach you a language. You can learn to be a nuclear power operator. Take my advice as a recovered MMO addict who is now an Arabic Linguist in the US Navy.
well ill be getting lvl 141 in maplesrory tonight nly 8 more hours to go lol
“Poop sock.”
I don’t think I need to say anything else. Thanks, Adam!
The new trend in MMO game design involves using bright spark-like animation for flashiness, which will damage your eyesight in any computing environment regardless of computer monitor technology.