Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Is WoW promoting unhealthy addictive behavior?
Dru998
Member CommonPosts: 85
I do realize that this being an MMO forum and with avid WoW fans this will probably be flamed but ah well hehe.......this is what I observe.
I came across this post and was kind of appalled to read what some of these people are doing to achieve rank 14 in PvP.
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=wow-general&t=5161201&p=1&tmp=1#post5161201
I can't help but think that there is a real problem here. For one thing a company should have a moral responsibility for the product they release. I do not think it is ethical to promote such anti-social addictive behavior. I see no real difference between someone on skid row addicted to heroin and cocaine and a person who has been playing WoW for 10+ hours a day for 6 months with NO break! Addiction is addiction. Some people just do not have the will to stop themselves without help from something outside themselves. I do not believe that in North America there is any type of help you can get for addicts of MMO's( I may be wrong). Though I think China has started something for it. Yes, I do understand that those(heroin & Coke) drugs are physically addictive as well, but a person can be just as much addicted mentally to something.
My question is what does this do to a person? Mindless killing for hours and days on end can not be good for a persons mind or sanity for that matter. I can only imagine the effects that this is having on these peoples personal lives (whats left of them). Not to mention the physical effects of doing that. Do these people breathe fresh air? Exercise? Talk to real people? Socialize in a functioning society or community?
I think it is horrible to say GRATZ! to someone that just spent half a year staring at a computer screen to get a rank and some items for some noobs to say "wow you look cool". How is that an accomplishment? Thats like saying Gratz to someone who survived a 6 month drug binge. This is messed up if you ask me. Quote from Blizzard "Grats on hitting rank 14! /salute" 
Whats worse is that Blizzard actually designed their PvP system so that you CAN'T stop! Once you reach the highest rank you better keep doing what your doing or your going to lose your title *gasp*<?xml:namespace prefix = v /> 
.
I'm not out to say that MMO's are bad at all, I have played many and plan to play many more. I do however realize the inherent problems that go with them. Some are designed better than others. Eve for example allows you to live a real life with progressing in the game world. You still may be addicted but at least you can go outside and talk to real people with real voices and faces. All I am saying is that companies that release products should really be liable for the product they release. If someone buys a car with a defect that causes them to crash. I am sure as hell the company that made that car is liable. Maybe there needs to be regulations on some MMO's or even laws passed. As it stand now company's can absolutely destroy a weak willed persons life. Many may say that that is not their responsibility, if it is not then whose responsibility is it? The person who is addicted and cant stop? Well thats no way to help your fellow man.
Anyway I was really bored and thought I would share my observation.
This being the Wow forum ....Flame on
!!!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Science has never proven that what we see in front of us is in fact real.
Comments
im not over powered! look it took me 10 minutes to kill that guy
It's an mmorpg. There all like this.
Hello there,
I feel that you have hit upon a very important, and generally overlooked issue with our "Hobby".
We, as players, do not exist in a vacuume. We have lives that we must lead, responsiblities to tend to, obligations to meet etc. These games, especialy ones that demand so much time to interact with, do not help us with meeting the demands of real life.
What you hit on here is a great example of how a game design in the larger sense, promotes it's players to be failures in the game of life.
Regards,
Saxondragon
Yeah all mmo's are like that. If it's lvl's, money, items and ranks you have to commint massive amount of time to achieve it. But noone forces you, you always have a choice not too. Unless you have become very addicted to the game.
He's either high as a kite, the greatest troll ever, or possibly insane.
I loved the line about companies having a moral responsibility for their product. So companies should be able to be sued when someone uses their product to harm themselves, or someone else? If only I could convince my girlfriend to take my computer into the shower with her. Just think of the laundry list of companies I could sue for failing to uphold their moral obligation to protect their customers from their own stupidity!
Or maybe we should all write our Congressman/woman, and get them to pass a law. Because, god forbid people take responsibility for their own actions when we can just legislate for the lowest common denominator, yeah?
Personally I dont know how anyone can play any game for that long. I start to feel woozy after playing any game for about 2 hours. Even when I was kid I couldnt play a game all freakin day. I think its an unhealthy obsession and they should seek help, unless they want to end up a 40 year old virgin living at mom's house.
And what do you do about the guy who watch TV 10 hours a day for 6 month in a row?
What about the guy who is jobless for a full year?
What about the guy who raise a family of 10 childs for more than 30 years?
The problem is not the game, the activity or the choice the person make, but prior to that. If you cant solve the real problem, you will just be moving peoples with problem from 1 activity to another. I rather have them play WoW than watch TV or do nasty stuff, in WoW they are harmless.
Oh, and what about peoples trying to find problems on others and make them consult psychologists? I mean, my grandpa and his generation were certainly not more healthy than ours psychologically, with all the goodies we have, so why do we consult more? Charlattans are trying to find new problems and some of them are against games...what a sorry lot!
The peoples saying there is evil in a game like WoW are like peoples who were saying sex is a sin...a very sorry lot!
PS: WoW would be a LOT better if it would have non-raiding server nonetheless, so more folks could make FUN!
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
I can't wait til Blizzard releases new content that's better than the rank 14 rewards and the 70+ hours a week for months that it took to get to rank 14 becomes useless.
And that's why I quit MMORPG's. The addiction takes away from the fun. I can play FPS, RTS, SP RPG's, and still have fun. The only thing I really miss is the communities which these days in almost all MMORPG's is.... trash.
i totally agree with pheonixes that all mmo's are like that with the levels and stuff but they are highly addicting but still totally awesome.
I think it is a little adictive whenyou start but as you get forther in it takes longer to lvl ect i play around 1-2 hours a day sometimes if i even play at all.
lol 40 year old virgin
but i used to play everquest but then i found out the addictivenes of it... and it never ends, if u can see in the name lol "Ever Quest"
but i agree with this post i usully only play 1-3 hours a day
Yes, WOW is promoting unheathly addictive behavior. Dont give me this shit that WOW is not responsible. They not only encourage this behavior, they DESIGNED the PVP system so that you have to play 10 f**kin hours per day, every day for 6 god damn months to get to rank 14. They are responsible.
Anyone who does not believe WOW is promoting THIS unhealthy addictive behavior is a brain-washed moron who cant think for themselves.
You know M.A.D.D.(Mothers Against Drunk Drivers), you're gonna see a M.A.W.O.W. (Mothers Against World Of Warcraft) soon.
Its pretty sad that the WOW game developers dont give a f*** about the health and well being of its players.
Why should Blizzard care about moral responsibility. Most local governments run lotteries and gambling mechanisms to generate tax money, do you know how many bums on the street are addicted to gambling, everyone who is homeless where I live is either addicted to drugs or massuchusetts state lottery, also, what about casinos.
Hence, it's obvious the gov't doesn't give a damn about moral responsibility, so why should WoW. Now i'm not saying that i agree with the OP's post about Blizzard being morally responsible, but why should they care about addicting people when the state gov't don't care.
Furthermore, Blizzard wanted rank 14 to actually mean something, that's why they made it so hard.
Cryomatrix
You can see my sci-fi/WW2 book recommendations.
So, what you're really saying is that grown adult shouldn't have to take responsibility for their actions? Because last I checked, no one from Blizzard had come to my house, held a gun to my head, and forced me to keep playing.
You, and you alone decide that you want to play 10 hours a night. You are, I assume, old enough to know when you need to stop playing, so then why don't you? But of course that line of thinking would put the blame squarely where it belongs, on yourself, and we can't have that, now can we. Must have been Blizzard sending secret mind control waves through your monitor. I'd contact an attorney immediately. I'm sure, given the legal systems desire to protect the stupid from themselves, you'd win a good chunk of money. Just like the fat bastards suing McDonalds.
Sex IS a sin!
SWG RIP
moctodumegws
Can't WAIT!
It seems that the general consensus is that "everyone is responsible for themselves". Well mankind(most of them anyway) has been using that mentality for centuries now. You know what? Look at our society, look at the current state of the world. It is nothing to be proud of. This "every man for themselves" moto that so many live by is just plain ignorant. Some people just can't help themselves. So what of them? They are just left helpless because noone gave a sh*t about them? What has every enlightened person ever said as their message? We are one. What you do for another you do for yourself. Or the idea of Karma: the idea that every action you take causes a reaction in the future. Positive caring actions will bring positive results back to you, whereas negative hurtful actions will result in your suffering. Why not try and at least be beneficial to the cause instead of selling out for capital gain and be the cause of the problem(eg. GREED!).
Saying that companies are not responsible for the products they release is ridiculous. Lets say for example, I made a new beverage that is 100% addictive and causes death. Oh well people are responsible for themselves. I made the product but I am not responsible for what happens to people when they drink it. Yes this is an extreme example but it illustrates a point. Blizzard is 100% in my opinion responsible for their products. They created the game the way they did they chose it. They designed the game with the intent to get people hooked, and damn ... it sure worked.
CaptainRPG, I am not conservative(hah that one made me laugh). I do understand the reasons why people feel the need to bury their sorrows in a bottle of booze or zone out for days playing video games. This world can be pretty rough sometimes. Though, in this particular case I do not feel that Blizzard is doing anything in the way of helping these poor people.
Cyromatrix, Just because your government doesn't care about its people doesn't mean you have to follow their lead. Create your own path
.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Science has never proven that what we see in front of us is in fact real.
Lol, this is almost as good as the 'McDonalds made my daughter fat' lawsuit last year. The argument is morally corrupt. Personal responsiblity people!
If you think government and corporations should be responsible for your actions, you're in a sad state of affairs.
Ico
Oh, cruel fate, to be thusly boned. Ask not for whom the bone bones. It bones for thee.
All of this discussion is moot, as everyone overlooked one very simple fact(myself included).
World of Warcraft is NOT addictive.
Heroin is addictive, as is tobacco, alcohol, pain killers, etc.
There are no physical withdrawals suffered from not playing WoW. You'd be hard pressed to prove there was an actual mental withdrawal as there would be with the aforementioned actual addictive substances.
Saying WoW, or any other game MMOG or not, is addictive is simply a cop out for people to weak willed to control their uges. And in no way, shape or form is Blizzard morally responsible for your poor impulse control. And for that matter, neither am I. You imply that myself, and others, are saying 'Every man for themselves'. That is incorrect, at least where I am concerned. No one is saying people shouldn't help each other, anything of that sort. People, particularly here in the U.S. just need to stop laying blame for their unsatisfactory lives, and the choices they make on, everyone elses doorstep, when they need look no further than their own doorstep.
It's just like the Jack Thompson, and the rest of his ilk saying that GTA makes kids go on kill crazy rampages. No video game is going to make someone do that sort of thing. Hell, before video games, it was Elvis, The Doors, and Ozzy Osbourne. And before that it was something else. As others have pointed out, if it weren't WoW, it would be something else to fill whatever the void in their life is.
World of Warcraft is NOT addictive
I agree with this 100%. An addiction requires a physical desire or need.
World of Warcraft becomes an OBSESSION. Every post so far has over looked this fact. An obsession is much worse than an addiction could ever be.
Someone who feels they have no choice but to play 10 hours a day for 6 months straight is obsessed. They feel they have no choice but in reality they are just ignoring the alternative.
Hopefully this helps to get this topic sorted out a bit, if not it's some food for thought.
"A day without denial is a day you've got to face."