I Kept Playing - The Costs of my Gaming Addiction

This story isn't directly related to WoW or Runescape, but applies to any MMO.

It's a fairly lengthy read, but a fantastic story. Please don't post if you haven't read the entire thing.

http://kotaku.com/5384643/i-kept-playing--the-costs-of-my-gaming-addiction

If you play any MMO to a serious degree, you will relate.

 

I just read the whole thing, and I'm amazed how far certain people will take their gaming addictions.

I can't actually relate to all of that, however, I will agree that games (MMO's) can be good to have when you're a bit down (for some).

 

That's really a great story, thanks for posting this!

I can't relate to this, although I was addicted to Runescape, but not to this extent.

 

Wow.. I can relate a bit, but not this much. I've never flipped my life upside down over a game.

 

I cant really relate... i Used to be a bit addicted to Runescape like 2 years ago but not to this degree thanks for posting

 

I felt i was reading my life there..

I got introduced to WoW by a friend of mine in 2006 just before the summer started. It was amazingly fun but i only played a few hours every few days.

Then one night we had a run in with he local gang and i had been accused of abusing the gang leaders girlfriend. This basiclly ment if i went outside i was dead. So i sat inside for a year and played WoW. You think i'm joking.... that's exactly what i did.

My mum got very worried about me. I had put on a lot of weight, i never went outside, my whole personality had changed and i couldn't see any of it.
She tried to help me by taking away the ethernet cable form my modem but i soon hid the house phone and demanded my cable back. This was when my mum new i wasn't the same person anymore.

I'm not entiarly sure what it was that clicked but one day i looked in the mirror and just broke down in tears. I saw how over weight i had become , my abs were now like pregnant woman's belly , my pecks like deflated armbands. I had become angry to my parents for no reason. I refused to go to family events. My band had broken up because my personality had changed so much. I went from achieving A's in every class to c/d's.

I quit WoW.

That was in 2008. I played on and off till 2009. I now do not play mmo's. I'm on my way to gaining back my former body and will begin competing in power lifting competions again. I don't think my personality will every compleatly heal , i had anger managment problems before i started playing but the game had mad it worse and it is still the same to this day and i feel it will take a long time for that to fix itself.

 

I can relate to this story alot as I was the same when I started college, I was getting alot of homework and when i wasn't in college I was playing WoW and not doing homework. I would stay up to the very very early hours(5-6 AM) when college started at 9 and would go in tired and not pay attention at all. Thankfully im good at I.T and passed the first 2 years without any hassle(yes I can use a mouse and keyboard so I pass) those sort of courses.

At the time I started the 3rd year I was 42(now 38) waist and weighed alot and would skip college alot just to play WoW.. Once the inevitable happened and I was kicked out of college those I realized that WoW was the reason why and have kept it as a more activity based thing and play not as much(2-3 hours a day) and have a job working at the local council

Thats my story anyways so I can relate to the issues this guy has had to a degree.

 

i can relate to this completely, i got so addicted and careless with wow that i spent 1500$ on gold/membership/expansions and xfers faction changes etc i no longer go to this extent of extreme-ness, whenever my chars run outta time i just trade em off to ones with time..

 

This is fucking epic.

How sad can you get.

People say its a cheap way of entertainment, yes, but people take it so fucking seriously.

 

everyone has there own choices to make. i can relate somewhat, playing wow creates kind of a trance. wow doesn't take away my problems or anything but its kind of a middle ground between life and death. i did enjoy the article, even though i don't understand why some people react so strongly to this, its natural human behavior to become addicted with something.

 

Omg jesus this is sad :O

 

I can relate somewhat, that is a good read, and I guese it all worked out for that guy. Everquest sure fucked up that guys life. feel sorry for him if Im honest. I spent most of my teens playing RS, I think back now and I'm thinking of all the time I played legit, and how bots are doing it all for me now, makes me think how much of my life I've wasted, proberly from age 10-14 i've been playing not to the extent of that guy, but alot. But it's nice to re-assure me that I'll proberly get around $500 for my account, so its not so bad. but hey $500, for 3 years of my life, I wouldn't trade if I had the oppurtunity.

 

Coming from someone that dropped out of high school to pvp on RS, this shit is happening to kids every day. I went to juvie and jail because of the same thing. After being in and out of both for 5 years I finally got a girlfriend determined enough to help me. For most people it's just a phase, but for some they end up working at gamestop, with their half bald half 3 foot long, wavy, greasy hair, 2 inch thick glasses, and morbid obesity. We should all be thankful that's not us.

 

I can definitely relate to a certain extent. I played Runescape from the start of middle school to the end of my high school years. The game cost me a lot of my social and family time. I refused to hang out with friends and sometimes my family. I skipped out on every school dance including both Prom's. Not only this but I also didn't join as many extra curricular activities as I wish I could have. In the end I can't say I regret it as I had fun but it definitely ruined some parts of my life. In the end though, if you can balance a game out with your real life, it's always the best option.

 

I like many of you can relate to that poor man, Runescape took up my young youth but I've grown out of it but I'd give anything to go back in time and repeat the last few years of my life without playing Runescape so much

 

I can kind of relate but I've never lost a girlfriend or job over a game. It is like an escape away from the world though when you're down.

 

That was long
I can relate as well, I started playing Runescape in the 6th grade until my High School years.
I'll admit I blew off my friends/family just to play Runescape.
Yes I also admit it ruined parts of my Social Life.
Yes I also admit it kept me from getting a Girlfriend.
I stopped playing them hardcore though, and I'm getting back into my Social Life/Physical Activities
Yay me haha

 

I can somewhat relate. To both runescape and wow.
(I don't want to get into major details)
I first started playing runescape in....early 2005. (This was during my young life) I'd sometimes waste a very good amount of time playing and PKing.
In late 2006 I finally said screw it. Then in early 07' Me and brother both started playing WoW. Before I was level-cap I would only play a couple hours a day. Then whenever I started raiding hard-core I would sometimes play from 9-10 hours. (Raiding,heroics,leveling alts,playing the AH) (At this point I was in a semi-"HC" raiding guild)
I knew I had to stop.
But now,I barely even play. I only hop on to do raids,do dailies,check my mail.
I know people on xboxlive who will play CoDMW2 from the daylight to the next day.

 

In some ways I can relate to this, but I never got this addicted. I used to play alot but never went out of my way to play.

Very good story though