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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: When do you refuse to play WoW?
by Josh Rose 
Dec 28th 2010 at 8:00AM
Hopefully, people have other interests besides WoW. Many of us are nerds, whether it be movies, TV, books, or cartoons. Some people refuse to log on during their favorite TV show or miss a night to see a movie premiere or have to finish reading their favorite author's new book. These other forms of entertainment outweigh WoW in terms of importance to some people. Others just log on WoW and catch up on other media when the servers are down or they are bored with lack of new content.
I do not log on Sunday nights, mostly because I am watching Boardwalk Empire and The Walking Dead. Sure, I could record these programs and watch them later so I could maybe get in an alt run Sunday night -- but besides these being something I enjoy, I also take Sunday as a break night. One of my friends is an avid follower of a band (I don't really remember the name; they are pretty underground), and every time they have a show close by, he goes out of his way to see it. Another guildie announced that he would not raid one night because he was going to the midnight showing of the latest Harry Potter movie with his girlfriend; he claimed it was her idea, although I have my doubts.
So are there certain things you will not miss even to play WoW? Do you schedule your raiding or PvP nights around your favorite TV programs or new movies? Or do you just log on and figure you can always see whatever it is later?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 6 of 6)
TD Dec 28th 2010 3:02PM
I take time away for other games from time to time. When Starcraft 2 came out I spent somewhere around 3 weeks stuck in the top end of the silver league (ranked between 1 & 5) trying to get OUT of that stupid leauge. I also played out the campaign.
Other hobbies include writing. I love to write and am working on finishing my first book (well more like 1/2 way there so idk if you can really say finishing but you get the idea) which I'm rewriting from a 1st person point of view to third person point of view. I actually am working on Archeaology while working on the book. I hop on a FP in EK or Kalimdor (depending on what i'm looking for) and fly to the closest point while I spit out stuff for the book.
I have missed time for movie primeirs, or to spend time with family (mainly wife aggro *cough* *cough*) or simply to play another game b/c I'm bored with content.
Zarabethe Dec 28th 2010 6:11PM
Husband and I only turn on WoW at night after the kids are in bed. We make a few exceptions, like when it's Hallow's Eve, because the kids love to watch us kill the Headless Horseman every day :D.
Willow Dec 28th 2010 3:19PM
I don't think there's a time when I absolutely REFUSE to play, but I play a lot less when I know there's a school break...and 3-9pm server time. Other than that, I record the shows I like so I can skip commercials, so that's not an issue. I'll skip play-time if there's time to be had out with friends as well.
Jonas Dec 28th 2010 3:29PM
I take time off from Wow to watch The Walking Dead and Top Gear!!!! I love those show!!!!
Luxe Dec 28th 2010 3:44PM
Things i would log off WoW for:
-Anything with the bf- sex, datenight, mealtimes, arguments
-Glee
-Anime
-Sleep.
When I first started playing this game, my addiction was rather unmanageable, when i was still school it was a great procrastination tool. As i get older and fill my time with other pursuits its easy to make it 2nd priority. I quite WoW for now cuz im losing my job and wanna relocate to a new city.
Danielspivak82 Dec 28th 2010 4:06PM
As an Orthodox Jew, I don't roll on Shabbos. And other holidays, also I don't let WoW get in the way of work or school, but that is about it.
Lorekin Dec 28th 2010 4:11PM
Generally I don't play much on weekends. I reserve the weekends for seeing friends and family, going out or doing other activities- from reading books to playing other video games (my poor, poor neglected consoles...). I also don't play much in the evenings between 5pm-7pm on the weekdays because that is reserved dinner time and time spent with my husband, since he gets home from work at 5. Like many people have been saying, time with the significant other completely trumps WoW.
My main rule is friends and family -always- come first.
Adox Dec 28th 2010 4:21PM
I'm a huge K-State Wildcats fan, so if there's a football or basketball game on then WoW is on the back burner. Other than that (being single and well out of school) it's WoW time.
That said, Cataclysm just didn't spark my interest much when it first hit the shelves. I don't know why. Perhaps burnout from WotLK? Too much hype? Who knows?
But in the last two nights I have sunk my druid deep into Mt. Hyjal and I must say I am thoroughly impressed.
It's so epic the way they start you out alone and you keep gaining more and more powerful allies. The quests actually go together in a cohesive thread of story telling that was just not there in the previous expansions.
Tonight I finish the zone. Then on to Deepholm! Can't wait!
Matt Dec 28th 2010 4:29PM
College FTW. I try to not let wow stall me on that.
Trelteth Dec 28th 2010 5:46PM
I refuse to play while my 4 kids are awake! Well, I don't do any serious playing. I make sure I can log out at anytime while they are awake wreaking havoc around the house.
I don't know how many times I was in an instance and one of them caused some kind of problem and I had to leave the party before finishing to go settle some kind of kid dispute.
So yeah, now I either wake up really early in the morning or stay up late after they go to bed before I do any serious playing.
Rhüarc Dec 28th 2010 5:52PM
Wow is pretty much my life these days, sad to say.
Stuck in a wheelchair, compromised immune system that has me getting sick at the drop of the hat, and still having a job.
Though if I'm going to unplug from the system, it's because my wife wants to do something together. Our first baby is due beginning of February, so these are the last of the "just the two of us" days and we are trying to enjoy them as best we can.
I'd say I unplug for work as well, but I usually am on WoWInsider, EJ, or some other WoW related site while at work (yay for getting paid to sit around doing nothing) and I consider the theorycrafting and taking part of the overall Warcraft community to be a part of the game.
jhurst747 Dec 29th 2010 4:13PM
I enjoy sitting in bed with my wife once the kids are asleep and reading on the nook. We generally will do that at least once a week just to have some downtime.
rodmin Dec 29th 2010 4:19AM
@Allan: Well, i understand what you say, but having to make 9 (or worse, 24) friends wait every single time, or not enjoying the encounters with full potential (and i'm on healing duty btw) would make me feel a "bit" embarrasing.
Also, my scout activity ends up pretty late on that day, so i don't have much of a choice. I don't want my guildies to lose about 2 hours of raiding just because of me.
rodmin Dec 29th 2010 4:21AM
Hang in there matey. Wish you the best of blessings and luck that lady Fate can bestow.
ord Dec 29th 2010 10:24AM
idk, imo RL trumps WoW all the time. I have a friend come into town, I don't play. My fiance wants to see a movie I don't play. I want to read the latest book in a series I enjoy, I don't play.
LytLady Dec 29th 2010 7:11PM
I refuse to log on before 9pm on weekdays, unless all chores are done or I am on vacation/sick. Yes this makes it impossible for me to raid, but it also keeps my real life in check. I play 9pm till 12 midnight, except on Fridays, where I may play to wee hours in the morning. The guilds I am in and pug with are well aware I am rarely on early. I have been looking for a guild that raids starting at 9pm pst, but it seems most or all start no laterthan 8pm pst.... But I have fun anyhow. Many times I will fill-in for a Healer or DPS that needs to leave due to real life. My guild is big about that though we are a raiding guild. I actually will bug a player if he/she has someone they need to pay attention to ..like a girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, husband, child, etc... and try to force them to log off.. lol
Jackie Feb 9th 2011 8:02AM
I don't log in when I have a quilt project I'm drooling over completing.