Advice columnist covers WoW addiction
by Michael Gray 
Aug 14th 2008 at 1:00PM
This just keeps coming up. This time, anonymous husband "Walking on Eggshells" wrote advice columnist Amy Dickinson for help. His wife of 20 years has succumbed to the dread WoW Addiction, and is forsaking both Walking and their mutual children. Apparently, she's had an affair with a Guildmate and everything.Of course, Walking is feeling dejected, and especially burdened since he's picking up the slack around the house. He wants to get therapy, do something to help the relationship -- but his wife's just saying that he needs to love it or leave it.
It's always a little frustrating as a WoW player to read about this kind of thing. My personal stance is that if they're having this kind of problem from World of Warcraft, the same would have cropped up with something else eventually. Issues like these don't appear magically on their own, wrecking houses as the login screens comes up.
Amy does direct Walking to Online Gamers Anonymous. As she points out, they've got a 12 step program and everything. Well, good luck to them. I really do hope they manage to get the problem worked out. Quitting WoW can be done, but they'll need more to solve their family issues.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Asa Aug 14th 2008 1:09PM
If she's playing 12-15hrs a day consistently I couldn't imagine she's bringing in any money. If that's the case, the solution is pretty simple. Stop paying for internet access and her account.
Nizari Aug 14th 2008 1:34PM
That would only fix a symptom and not the underlying root of the problem. It seems to me that this woman, not just playing every waking moment but also sleeping with a guildmate, is just trying to find an escape from a life she doesn't like. Take away the WoW, and it'll just become something else.
glorft Aug 14th 2008 1:12PM
WoW is the most common target, as it has the largest player base.
haircute Aug 14th 2008 1:13PM
Well hopefully the impending divorce will free up some more game time for her. Her guild probably needs and her she shouldn't be bothered with all these RL problems like marriage or kids. You Go Girl!
Todd Aug 14th 2008 1:18PM
um she cheated and obviously doesn't make any money yet she tells him to like it or leave it? 20 years or not thats over.
Of course once they divorce she now gets half of what they own plus vaginamony (and child support) so she still ends up not working and freely sleeping around. Guess it's lose-lose.
Nizari Aug 14th 2008 1:32PM
Not specifically. If the husband could document to the courts that his wife is spending 12-15 hours a day playing WoW, that would pretty well establish that she's not going to fulfill the child-rearing requirements that custody entails, and he'd get the kids. And the details of whether or not she'd get "vaginamony," as you so misogynously put it, depends on what kind of pre-nup agreements they made.
zappo Aug 14th 2008 2:15PM
She doesn't do anything productive all day, but you still have to feed her... I'd say dump the woman and get a dog. At least it'll possibly get the paper and play with the kids. Oh, and he more than likely would get the kids since they'd end up neglected sooner or later.
If they actually ask the kids it's quite likely they'll end up supporting the father's case.
Verodio Aug 14th 2008 1:19PM
Definitely have your internet disconnected or take the router to work with you. The account will take care of itself.
ohitefin Aug 14th 2008 1:21PM
Is it possible to get addicted to WOW? yes. Is it possible to get addicted to work, drugs, alcohol, gambling etc? again yes. Its not a matter of what the addiction is. I'm not comparing wow to crack, but again you can get addicted to anything and everything. One of my guildmates is horribly addicted to wow. I know it, the rest of the guild knows it and im sure he knows it too. However there is little to nothing i can do(don't know him personally and its not really a topic you can bring up with a person you don't know that well).
WOW is an escape, just like any other medium including TV or other video games. All addictions are equally harmful. If this person is truly playing wow 12-15 hours a day then she is addicted. there is no question about it. She is ignoring her family, her job(He says she is an expert in addiction, so im guessing this was her previous job) etc. She does need help, just as a drug addict needs.
I'm not saying playing wow 20 hours a day is considered an addiction. Another one my guild friends(this one i personally know) is on playing pretty much all weekend, but i rarely ever see him during the week and there have been weekends he showed up for maybe an hour or so to check his mail, auctions etc. This is because he has a job, wife etc.(doesn't have kids though, so hence the time on weekends). This can't be classified as an addiction. It could be, by the extreamly cynical, but in my opinion if your doing what needs to be done, what you do in your freetime is up to you.
Sorry for the long reply. I don't know why your angry over this article to be honest. She clearly has an addiction. That the addiction is WOW and not something else is just incidental.
miked Aug 14th 2008 1:31PM
I think Michael Gray is angry about the article because the finger is being pointed at WoW and not at the person with addiction problems.
Kaylek Aug 15th 2008 9:51AM
I'm with this guy, I don't feel WOW is being blamed for this. They don't seem to imply that the design of WOW is the root of the problem. At most, they're saying the nature of the game facilitates her destructive behavior. But responsibility is still placed on her to change the situation, not WOW or Blizzard.
Even so, the core design of WOW, or any game that focuses on long-term character development for that matter (especially when placed in a social setting like an MMO), greatly tempts addictive behavior. Also, the average player fits in perfectly with the textbook definition of an "addiction" (including most of those who call themselves "casual players").
If you can't acknowledge that, you're just fooling yourself.
jefeweiss Aug 15th 2008 10:42AM
The problem with WoW addiction as far as the media goes is that it doesnt make THEM any money. If you watch TV for 12 hours a day, then you are just being a good ad target. I think TV is a far bigger problem in the vast majority of families then anything else, but you aren't going to see any reports on TV about it. Or from other media outlets that have any kind of shared fiscal interest with TV for that matter.
Andy Aug 14th 2008 1:48PM
The fact that she would refer anyone to Liz Wooley's OLGAnon program is amazing. That is the last place I would send anyone with serious addiction problems. It is hardly what I would call a positive environment.
anonymoose Aug 14th 2008 2:14PM
I was curious why you would say this?
Raukus Aug 14th 2008 1:28PM
Pot smokers like to think it isn't bad for them, alcoholics like to think they drink socially, hardcore wow players like to think they're not addicted.
Own up to what you're doing with your life, rose colored glasses won't help anything.
Liel Aug 14th 2008 1:32PM
@Raukus /amen
I used to play a lot last year I even fess up to it, wow addicts like other addicts try and find ways to make their addiction "socially acceptable". They say an addiction is harmful when it starts impacting other areas of your life. I know people who have flunked out of school, got in trouble at their jobs because they were dragging ass from raiding all night etc, etc.
Not saying Wow is different but like other addictions it can be harmful by certain people.
deviationer Aug 14th 2008 1:31PM
L O L
at least it's not another TV news story or web "journalist" spouting crap and making WoW seam like the devil.
jeffwatson Aug 14th 2008 1:47PM
In the 80s, it was the fundie-matics dumping on D&D and how it was all devil-worship and a cult that demanded all of your time - "an addiction to evil" they called it. In the 90s, people were "addicted" to ther Internet in general. Now it's a combination of the two it would appear. And yet no one says anything about the countless hours the average Joe and Jane American waste doing nothing in front of "reality television". And just how many people have actually met anyone IRL from their guild? Not many, so the whole story about having an affair? Highly doubtful. Sounds to me like hubby just doesn't get the game and feels left out, and since she's having fun and he's not, he's letting paranoia run its course. Boo-freakin'-hoo.
Jim Aug 14th 2008 1:53PM
And that she ignores the kids and shows no inclination towards engaging in family life...yeah, boo hoo, you big baby, it's not like 20 years of marriage are falling apart.
Mitch Aug 14th 2008 2:36PM
Jeff, people do cheat on their wives/husbands by meeting people through this game. I knew a young couple that got married a few years ago and then the chick meets some other guy in WoW and she ran off with him.
So in other words, it does happen and he could easily be telling the truth.