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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsSwedes say WoW is as addictive as crack
by Mike Schramm 
Feb 26th 2009 at 8:00PM
We've heard a few horror stories from Sweden already about excessive WoW-playing there -- we've reported on a 15-year-old collapsing after not taking any breaks, and we've even heard from a teacher in that country who's targeted World of Warcraft as a challenge to her students' attention. But now one group up there is claiming it's an epidemic -- the Youth Group Foundation has released a report comparing the game itself to cocaine, and says that of all the game addiction cases they've encountered, World of Warcraft has played a part in every one.Obviously, here at WoW Insider, we're fans of the game, and it's hard to blame an inanimate object like a computer for serious problems in someone's life -- while World of Warcraft is one of the easiest ways an addictive personality can manifest itself, millions of people around the world are able to play it and maintain healthy lives and relationships.
Still, if you're playing World of Warcraft (or doing anything else) so much that it's affecting your health or social life, it's time to stop and/or get help from an organization like this. We won't blame the game for causing someone to pass out (common sense says that doing anything for 15 hours straight isn't good for you) or do poorly in school, but if either of those things are happening to you, in Sweden or anywhere else, because you're playing the game, then cut it out.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Virtual selves
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
Passerby Feb 27th 2009 6:17AM
Isn't it interesting that whenever the press deals with drug addiction cases, they never blame the drugs?
Muse Feb 27th 2009 7:02AM
It's not addictive. Prone to causing troublesome usage, yes. But an addiction is a medical condition. WoW ain't.
AZShizzle Feb 27th 2009 8:33AM
They just realised it? It's in the name: World of WarCrack.
Verit Feb 27th 2009 8:51AM
I play too much wow really, and probably take it too seriously and really should cut back. I know others in the game who do likewise.
A lot of these comments seem to be about self denial in my eyes - along the lines of - the study is flawed, WoW is the result of other problems etc.
I think it was Nihilum who used to go on about how casual they were in one article (saying things like yes, they had girlfriends, and they spent all their free time away from the computer on weekends and during the summer) and revealing they worked on a raid boss until 3 or 4 am in another article for 7 days all week.
Its like the smoker or drinker who says I can quit whenever I want, or I just have one drink a day sort of thing.
Jariaji Feb 27th 2009 1:12PM
Hi my names Jimmy and i'm addicted to WoW. I just can't stop playing it. I have no money, no friends, and no job. I have to rob jewelry stores for the cash to buy game cards from the shady dealer on the street corner in the rought neighbourhood and internet cafe time. I sleep rough on the streets because everything i owned was pawned off just so I could play WoW.
I had a friend once but I hadn't got the cash for a game card that month so stabbed him to death and stole his...My family disowned me because I stole from them and I am being chased by various loan sharks because I took out loans I cannot repay.
I've tried to stop I really have but I just can't get enough of the thrill of those pixel monsters dying and giving me pixel items!!!
Nicolas Feb 27th 2009 10:16AM
Yeah sure, alot of us swedish people play the game. But that doesn't mean that we are addicted to it. They are seriously overreacting.
Fugmug Feb 27th 2009 12:58PM
Sweden said that?
Well, yeah.... A country who is as soft on drugs as they are would know if something was as addictive as crack, wouldn't they?
Krystyn Feb 27th 2009 12:51PM
I blame the parents not the Game! I am a parent myself and I do play WoW. My son plays and I make sure that we get plenty of food and sleep! The parents are idiots - TAKE CARE OF YOUR CHILD! I do hope that the kids okay but FFS - Don't blame the game!
Takuto Feb 27th 2009 12:53PM
LoL Noob, L2Eat.
csarcops Feb 27th 2009 1:42PM
I was diagnosed with major depression a while back; my therapist said that because I play WoW, I don't have to take antidepressants. GOGO dopamine!!! :)
mj Feb 27th 2009 1:50PM
There are a lot of people who play the game responsibly. Bless you.
There is a sizable minority of people like me who are addicts and who it's a problem for. My job performance has slipped by a lot. Not enough to jeopardize my employment, but still a lot. I've lost weight. I haven't been to the grocery store in months. My apartment is not clean.
I think if I had a substance abuse addiction I would be a lot worse, so I don't think the crack comparison is very accurate. I'd compare it more to cigarettes, it has severe effects but you can still function reasonably well.
I used to play games and it would affect my life for a week or two weeks and then I'd beat the game and things would normalize but WOW has had me hooked for 18 months. I'm sure I'll break the addiction when I need to but I haven't needed to yet. I'm not sure when I'll ever beat it or more likely get bored of it.
Exwow Feb 27th 2009 2:00PM
Regarding gaming addiction and gambling addiction:
The theoretical explanation for grouping together such phenomena is that computer games may be said to use a short-term reward system similar to that of one-armed bandits (Griffiths & Davies, 2005). One particular study (Koepp, Gunn, Lawrence, Cunningham, Dagher et al, 1998) claims that there is a secretion of dopamine during the playing of computer games, which could explain
addiction. Dopamine is believed to strengthen creation of addiction
on alcohol and drugs (Griffiths & Davies, 2005).
We lack current studies of the effects of high frequency playing. An older longitudinal study (Shotton, 1989) followed up on 127 players who described themselves as “hooked”. It showed that, five years on, most of them had done well educationally and found good jobs.
However, it should be stressed that even if researchers in the psychological
tradition use the concept addiction, this usage is in sharp contrast to some of the rhetoric of the popular press, and hedged around with reservations and pleas for further research.
Credit to: Living in World of Warcraft
– The thoughts and experiences
of ten young people
Jonas Linderoth
Ulrika Bennerstedt
From personal experience, I have fairly extreme and well diagnosed ADD and WoW was like an all consuming world custom made for my
personality. It gave me everything I needed and I found it very difficult not to withdraw into Azeroth entirely and completely. In my travels from VC to BT I met many kindred souls. Those fortunate enough to be able to maintain complete control over the game have a similar attitude that a casual gambler has to an person with a gambling addiction. "If I can do it you should be able to as well and why are you bringing my leisure activity into disrepute ?"
Deathomen Mar 3rd 2009 7:42PM
lol i love hearing shit like this.....
people should really try something (like crack, or other hard drugs) before using it in a comparison.
itsthemechanic May 14th 2009 9:16AM
Is WoW addicting? Well.
Once I had a job which wouldn't allow for any time to play since it involved a lot of trouble, and I didn't really miss it at all.
I wasn't really jonesing for a "WoW fix", because I had better things to do, which was surprising. This went on for about 3-4 months, in which I logged a few hours played at best.
Afterwards, I had more time again, so I played more again... so somehow, this addiction theory doesn't really wash.
It is however devious at making you spend more time than you initially wanted to. "Lets do a few quests" easily turns into "gotta finish this level" and then of course you have to train your skills and put all the stuff in the AH and by the time you are all finished, birds are chirping outside and it's 7am whaaa? ;) (You've all been there.)
Moogltonkers Dec 6th 2010 10:54PM
Let it be know that Zyban WILL suck the fun out of WoW and you will quit.