No, YOU caused your wife to leave you. Learn to prioritize. :/ You can play too much, and ignore other responsibilities. That's not a game's fault. That is yours.

Not to be harsh, but I hate when people blame their lack of self control resulting in losing things supposedly important to them on a game. We have to take responsibility for our own actions and not try to push the blame off on something else. :/

/end lecture

Uhm unless you were just being a troll, and in that case...I apologize for feeding you. :D

It could have been enginej's wife that was the hardcore player :)

Perhaps the parent post was a jest, but I can relate to the statement. My wife really did leave me, but for other reasons with WoW being just one of the factors. Maybe had I walked away from the game sooner, she would not have left; I'll never know.

And before I write a country song, I'll cut to the chase... Yes, most people CAN play wow comfortably and maintain a Real Life... but others, like me, have addictive natures and need to know when to walk away, or get help, before it is too late. Had I been the sort to experiment with alcohol or drugs, I probably would have got hooked to those. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I chose WoW and for me, it became exactly like a drug.

And now to answer the topic - I quit cold turkey a couple months ago and realized that I had nothing to show for the last three years of wow and progression raiding except a marriage that almost failed (she did come back...) 10 extra pounds, and an overwhelming sense that I lost a chunk of my life that I'll never get back.

I still 'like' wow and I still keep up with my guild through our website, but for me it's best viewed from a distance.

@Mindee I'm sorry but your thinking here is just plain wrong. If someone asks "how has cocaine changed your life?" an appropriate response might be "it caused me to lose my spouse, my health and my job." No credible addiction counselor researcher will tell you that addiction is a problem of will power and self control. We have many brain imaging studies and decades of clinical histories that tell us otherwise very clearly.

WoW and gaming or Internet addictions are a real thing. The structure of MMO games like wow triggers a cascade of dopamine in your brain very much like like the addictive effects of cocaine and heroin. Not everyone responds the same way, and there are obviously distinctions to be drawn between exogenous and endogenous sources of neurochemicals. However, the things that gaming does to your brain can, for some people, be just as real and uncontrollable an addiction as a drug.

I play WoW and I enjoy it. The fact some people get addicted doesn't make it bad or evil. This is a plea for tolerance, education and understanding of the real problem that is addiction. Part of recovering from an addiction is taking responsibility for your actions. Another part is recognizing the addiction as not a weakness of will, but as a function of brain chemistry.

Being an addict doesn't make a bad person, it makes you a sick person who needs help. If you (or anyone you know) has a problem with gaming or any other addiction, get help. People do get better.

Don't listen to all the people who claim you just need more will power: they are ignorant and wrong.