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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Game or Hobby?
by David Nelson 
Oct 20th 2006 at 8:00AM
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Is playing WoW more of a hobby or more of a game? Playing an MMORPG is vastly different than playing any other kind of game. You buy Splinter Cell, you play it a couple hours a day, and in a few weeks you beat it, get sick of it or just move on to another game. With WoW, you play it, you level and if you like it, you could possibly play it for years at a time. I hate to use the cliche of it being similar to golf, but in a way it sort of is. And looking at it from that point of view, it resembles more of a hobby than a game. Like a guy working on his golf game, you slowly build up your character from nothing to uber, or you build him up to 60 or whatever. If you are really into it, you will make some more characters, join a guild, make friends, etc. Then again, you could make the argument that gaming as a whole is a hobby, and WoW is just a part of that. But I just don't view WoW like I do my games on my 360 or Half Life 2.
So what do you guys think? Do you view WoW like you do the rest of your videogames? Or is it something more, like an actual hobby? Or is it just a darn game?
[Thanks to Mordiceius for sending this topic in. And a reminder, please feel free to suggest Breakfast Topic ideas anytime via our tips form!]
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DÖT Oct 20th 2006 8:27AM
For one to get any sort of pleasurable experience from playing WOW one has to make a seriously commitment (even if you are just a casual player like I am). So, to call World of Warcraft a hobby is very accurate because a hobby is something one enjoys doing time and time again. However, I believe it is also accurate to call WoW at way of life because, seriously, if MMO's weren't fun, exciting and social experiences people just wouldn't play them.
Chef Oct 20th 2006 8:49AM
I've often heard WoW called much more than a game, even a way of life. While true, I think "hobby" is the best word when explaining to people how I can spend so much time playing. To say I'm busy because of a game sounds extremely foreign to my non-WoW friends, but as the above analogy says, it's not much different from blowing off a friend for a game of golf. Except in golf, you only have 3 friends waiting on you, as opposed to 39. :D
Mordiceius Oct 20th 2006 8:54AM
Yay! My suggestion made it to breakfast topic!
So now my chance to go with my viewpoint. I wholeheartedly see WoW as a hobby. When I think game, I think of playing Nintendo, where you can play, come back in a month and start exactly where you left off. Or I think of stuff as a kid such as Tag or Red Rover. Things that will not amount to anything.
When I think of WoW I think of hobbies such as golf building models, crafting or collecting. It is also a great place to socialize. To be honest, if I didn't have the guild that I have, I would not play WoW. It is the people that keep me coming back, not the 'phat lootz'. This is why I am such an advocate against gold buying and cheating. Someone buying gold in WoW reminds me of someone cheating in sports, and thus I simply do not tolerate it. It is also why I am so against the 'I deserve everything' mentality. Many people think that since they bought WoW and it is a 'game' they should be entitled to everything in the game. It is a hobby, and thus, you are only entitled to what you put into it. Should those who put in more time get more? Yes. Should you not get as much as them because you cannot dedicate the time? Yes. Just like any hobby, if you can't find the time to dedicate, you do not deserve everything.
I would elaborate more, but I have a meeting to go attend. I am sure I will respond with more later.
Lori Oct 20th 2006 9:28AM
Well, I wouldn't call it a game because, as far as I know, there is no point at which it will say 'Game Over'. Perhaps it would once all the bosses have been killed, all possible quests completed, all rep is maxed out and the gold limit reached, but for some reason I doubt it. So, it seems more like a hobby where one keeps going until you loose interest or die.
roger3 Oct 20th 2006 9:35AM
Golf? More like Baseball, Futbol or Football. It's a team game at its heart. After explaining to my g/f that I treat WoW like other people treat their active sports hobbies, she 'got it'. This is especially true if you run a guild, which turns you into a team manager. The PvE aspect of the game really drives this home: you're a team playing against the computer. With the advent of truly competitive PvP in the Xpac, the PvP game does this now too.
Groucho Oct 20th 2006 9:51AM
It's a matter of semantics really, isn't it? There are so many things that are equally well described by both terms that there may not be a point in trying to differentiate. Additionally, both share a major characteristic: they are activities that usually take place during non-work time (never mind that I am at the office right now..) At most you could say that sometimes hobbies have no objectives and rules (reading, listening to music), while games usually do.
What was the question again?
Draegan Oct 20th 2006 9:48AM
It's definitely a hobby. Joininng a guild online is much like joining a Golf Club or a Hunting Club or what not. It's just not a game because it also has social aspects to it that transend playing Halo with your buddies.
The only reason why there might be a stigma to this, especially to parents or older adults that didn't grow up with gaming is that all your social interaction is based on in game computer visuals and a voice on vent/teamspeak. They still see this as nerdy or silly. However this is a new age of social interaction that will become, if it hasn't begun already, the norm.
Greg Oct 20th 2006 10:02AM
I agree, it's semantics. If you look up the dictionary definition of a game and a hobby, then WOW could be classified as either.
bliSSter Oct 20th 2006 10:03AM
Definitely a hobby versus simply a game. I've not played any other video game (possibly because WoW is my first MMO), that offers such breadth of activity or deep social interactions. Not to mention the replayability factor, as many people have multiple "alts" to their primary character. It's just the best game that I've ever played, vaulting it into a new category of hobby. To merely call WoW "a game" trivializes the things that make it unique.
That said, I still approach my hobbies (illustration, painting miniatures, gaming), for their entertainment value. The second that they become "work" I usually find a new hobby to occupy my time. ;)
Zestallion Oct 20th 2006 12:01PM
I'm going to be taking a break from WOW tommorow. I'll be doing my other hobby that I don't get to too much any more. I'll be taking my tandem kayak up near Sacramento and launching it to go Salmon fishing with an old high school buddy that just got into fishing. Kayak fishing is a great hobby, if I can just put the computer away long enough.
Then, next Sunday, I'll wake up early and play golf with 3 buddies. Then, when we are done, 1 of those buddies and I will go to our other friends house, where he has 4 desktops networked. We will spend the majority of the day playing WOW. That is, after a nice walk in the park, chasing little white balls around.
Definitely a very addictive hobby (WOW that is)!
CiM Oct 20th 2006 2:24PM
Well, psychologists would not see the distinction (between "game" and "hobby") as purely semantic. A game is something you pick up, have fun with, and put down. A hobby is something you invest in, grow in, take interest in. The distinction is important (though not always terribly well-defined) from a psychological point of view!
The book I was reading this morning for my course was making a distinction between diverting, enjoyable activities ("games") and fully-fledged hobbies (or interests) - but the bottom line is, you're probably healthier if *both* are part of your life!
Wootzors Oct 22nd 2006 8:18PM
Actually the choices should be:
1. Game
2. Hobby
3. Job
BlankFile Nov 2nd 2006 8:40PM
Hey there. Happened apon this from a link from another blog. I can see this going either way for different folks. On the one hand you have casual players who almost treat it like an RPG. They play it once in a while and just lvl up when they can. Then there is me in my hayday when I would sleep and play and eat when I got into a groove, and I really didn't have much else on my mind. That's the kind of groove I got into with Baseball for a long time, and I can deffinatly see WoW being a hobby for someone