Marital Discord from World of Warcraft

Riot · Post by **Riot** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:39 pm

SoDeepPolaris wrote:
Riot wrote:
Fluffyumpkins wrote:Riot is beautiful just the way he is. A fatty with a heart of gold.
I am huge. And my heart is 24 karat.

On that note, I can't wait for Warhammer!

More like AoC.

AoC should be okay too. I will probably play AoC until WAR comes out. I have done 3 of the Technical Beta tests for AoC (am I allowed to say that?) where they test PVP arenas and stuff, and so far it seems pretty solid but I don't think it will have near as much polish as WAR will.

Soma · Post by **Soma** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:43 pm

I dunno guys, I think it should totally be within my rights to sue NeoPets for the demise of my last relationship. My kougra needs more attention than anything other than a cute cuddly pixelated pet deserves.

Original Sin · Post by **Original Sin** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:24 am

Even if the game IS addictive, it's not the games fault this relationship ended. The people involved fucked up...all there is to it.

So what if some people take the game to the extreme? That doesn't represent everyone involved, and it's certainly not the games fault. If so many people want to play it, and play it a lot...I'd say the game served it's purpose at being good. A developer shouldn't strive to create a mediocre game that people want to play for an hour, and give up on. The developers did their job....it's up to the consumers to regulate how much they do it, same as any past time.
For example, I love playing guitar. I can sit and play for hours on end. I write and record music, and have a habit of holing myself up in my studio and just playing. If I don't see my girlfriend for a few days, or I miss work to record a new song....is it my guitar's fault that I'm being irresponsible? Fuck no. It's MY fault for making bad choices. End of story. If you let it get the best of it, it's YOUR fault. You can choose to play it casually, or you can choose to play it non stop. It's all on you.

I love video games, and I love RPG's. I know how time consuming they are, but I also know that you CAN put it down and go on with life. I still love to play them, even when I work full time on third shift. I typically play an hour or two when I get home, then go to bed. I play the most on weekends when I don't have to work, usually after midnight when most of my social activities are done.

I game, I still make it to work 5 days a week, and still see my girlfriend, friends, and so on and so forth. Besides, if your social life is so boring that you can replace it so easily with a game....well, I reckon that's kind of sad. I love my games and all...but I'd much rather go out and have fun, or spend time with the people I care about. I can play the games when they're busy or get tired of me.

BigBadOrc · Post by **BigBadOrc** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 9:19 am

Hm that's an interesting point. Kinda like the old argument "guns don't kill people, people kill people". I agree, people should be smart. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone had the willpower to always make good life decisions?

My position is that no, you can't blame the game for the addiction. However, you MAY be able to blame the designer IF he blatantly lies or misleads you while promoting the game. Government regulation is very necessary to ensure truth in advertising. I'd even draw the line at an ad that shows a bunch of hot girls playing the game (who don't ACTUALLY play but were paid to) just as an enticement to make the game more popular.

But that happens more often with other products.. not video games I don't think.

letshavetea · Post by **letshavetea** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:55 am

The fact is, is the game is addictive. No, it's not BLIZZARD's fault for creating an amazing game, but it's not Marlboro's fault for hooking kids on their drugs either.

From an extremely narrow minded mindset you could say that it's entirely the smoker's fault for getting into it, and that other influences had nothing to do with it. "Come on billy just try one!" Then to stay "cool" he keeps with it.

"Come on billy, just download the demo!" WoW is just a more intense addiction. An addiction that requires more time, and it's easy to slowly lose sight of things during that time.

SoDeepPolaris · Post by **SoDeepPolaris** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 12:42 pm

Guys I've been rep grinding with Scryer and running TK/SSC nightly, what'd I miss in reality?!?!

malictus · Post by **malictus** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:15 pm

letshavetea wrote:The fact is, is the game is addictive. No, it's not BLIZZARD's fault for creating an amazing game, but it's not Marlboro's fault for hooking kids on their drugs either.

I'm not sure the analogy is entirely accurate. For one thing, WoW is not going to KILL you. And, smoking creates a biological, physical addiction that makes it nearly impossible to be a 'casual smoker'.

WoW, like other psychological addictions such as gambling, can be enjoyed 'in moderation'.

However, you could easily argue that the play mechanics of games such as WoW, where you progress primarily based on pure number of hours played more than skill or technique, are definitely conducive to additive behavior.

BigBadOrc · Post by **BigBadOrc** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:24 pm

I think smoking is the perfect example of why it is the designers fault for using intentionally misleading advertising to get you to use their product. Consumers should be able to trust that companies will not lie to or mislead them. This needs to be regulated better.

But with respect to things like gambling and gaming addictions.. I call that natural selection

malictus wrote:However, you could easily argue that the play mechanics of games such as WoW, where you progress primarily based on pure number of hours played more than skill or technique, are definitely conducive to additive behavior.

It's amazing how little interest I have in such games. There are also simpler online games where you have to log in once or twice per day in order to use your resources. I lost patience with them almost immediately.
But then, I got completely addicted to starcraft

Fluffyumpkins · Post by **Fluffyumpkins** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:27 pm

letshavetea wrote:The fact is, is the game is addictive. No, it's not BLIZZARD's fault for creating an amazing game, but it's not Marlboro's fault for hooking kids on their drugs either.

Those aren't even close to the same. The nicotine in tobacco has been proven to be physically addictive. Nothing about World of Warcraft has come close to this. WoW is apparently a really good game (though I don't care for it) that people enjoy.

ITGMS Mike · Post by **ITGMS Mike** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 5:09 pm

hmmm.... i dont know. have you ever tried to talk to someone playing WoW? like not about it, but about something else? most of my friends dont even answer after me talking on and off for a good 5 minutes. and then didnt even know that i said anything. people tend to focus on it alot as if its really THAT important. actually if you think about it, this kinds goes along with the fact that the person playing the game plays a role in what happens. i have now decided that WoW is addictive to certain people.

Fluffyumpkins · Post by **Fluffyumpkins** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 5:22 pm

Addiction was a term used to describe a devotion, attachment, dedication, inclination, etc. Nowadays, however, the term addiction is used to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences to the individual's health, mental state or social life. The term is often reserved for drug addictions but it is sometimes applied to other compulsions, such as problem gambling, and compulsive overeating. Factors that have been suggested as causes of addiction include genetic, biological/pharmacological and social factors.

I guess, according to Wikipedia, you could call WoW an addiction for certain people. To further debate what it takes to be a psychological addiction would take some research into the DSM IV.

Addiction is now narrowly defined as "uncontrolled, compulsive use"; if there is no harm being suffered by, or damage done to, the patient or another party, then clinically it may be considered compulsive, but to the definition of some it is not categorized as "addiction". In practice, the two kinds of addiction are not always easy to distinguish.

Upon reading this, I'd have to agree that WoW could very well be an addiction for some people. Regardless, I still claim that it is unfair to lump psychological addictions to physiological ones.

Also dongs.

hascoolnickname · Post by **hascoolnickname** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 7:27 pm

BigBadOrc wrote:I think smoking is the perfect example of why it is the designers fault for using intentionally misleading advertising to get you to use their product. Consumers should be able to trust that companies will not lie to or mislead them. This needs to be regulated better.

I don't like when you lie either, so I'm going to start regulating your speech, K?

Fluffyumpkins · Post by **Fluffyumpkins** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 10:10 pm

hascoolnickname wrote:
BigBadOrc wrote:I think smoking is the perfect example of why it is the designers fault for using intentionally misleading advertising to get you to use their product. Consumers should be able to trust that companies will not lie to or mislead them. This needs to be regulated better.
I don't like when you lie either, so I'm going to start regulating your speech, K?

He isn't selling a product. Cept butt saix.

ITGMS Mike · Post by **ITGMS Mike** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 10:26 pm

interesting thing just happened a few minutes ago. my friends ex girlfriend(whom used to hate WoW because my friend would always want to play it instead of her.) called and asked who made ragnarok. after finding the answer to that question, we also find out that she now plays WoW lol. and she stated. (not in these exact words) "I can now tell that you really loved me because of the times you put me in front of world of warcraft. Because its so ADDICTIVE." How great is that lol.

SoDeepPolaris · Post by **SoDeepPolaris** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:13 pm

ITGMS Mike wrote:interesting thing just happened a few minutes ago. my friends ex girlfriend(whom used to hate WoW because my friend would always want to play it instead of her.) called and asked who made ragnarok. after finding the answer to that question, we also find out that she now plays WoW lol. and she stated. (not in these exact words) "I can now tell that you really loved me because of the times you put me in front of world of warcraft. Because its so ADDICTIVE." How great is that lol.

What a bitch.