World of Warcraft Addiction

So, World of Warcraft addiction.

After inundating myself in WoW for the past few months as a result of wanting to save money and not having anything else to do I've reached the point where my daily schedule is based upon my WoW schedule and the primary focus of my leisure time is progression in WoW itself. So I think that I have reached a point of qualification to answer the question addressed by this article on MSNBC entitled "What makes video games ‘addictive?’". My answer? I do not grant the premise of the question.

World of Warcraft is not addictive.

About a month ago a friend of a friend was convinced to play WoW. So a group of us started new characters and began the task of leveling him. Through working together we got his character to level 60 at which time it became his responsibility to level his own character through questing. Shortly thereafter he effectively stopped playing.

When this happened I felt personally betrayed. I had invested the time and effort required to aid him in reaching level 60 and so afforded him the opportunity to reach Outlands and access content the majority of players focus upon. Had I not spent time leveling his character, which now sits unplayed, I could have worked on my own character and completed tasks necessary to my own progression.

After pondering this feeling for a few weeks I took notice of the language I used: "invested", "time and effort", "required", "tasks", "worked", "progression". I was not talking about WoW in terms of an enjoyable hobby or game or drug but rather discussed WoW in terms similar to those one would use to describe a job, an obligation. This point is the foundation for my argument that World of Warcraft is not addicting.

I will not go so far as to call WoW a "job"; I do not think that WoW is a job. But WoW certainly has job-esque characteristics. An example I use to describe this situation is that a friend participates in a bowling league. Now, this league is not a job. But certainly there are days when his obligation to attend motivates him far more than a simple desire to attend. Certainly performance in this league is enhanced by practice which, again, may stem from a need or obligation rather than a desire. The Bowling League is not a job or a game but rather a chosen obligation with its own benefits and requirements.

And I think WoW is this same sort of thing.

I think that the time individuals invest in WoW is the result of not an addiction but rather an acknowledged embrace of the requirements placed upon individuals by the structure of WoW. If a player requires more gold then that player must do that which is required to obtain more gold. If a player requires better gear then a player must do that which is required to obtain better gear. The game presents obstacles and hurdles which are overcome fundamentally by an investment of time. But then, you ask, why would an individual care? What fundamentally motivates a player to engaged in WoW and see these pursuits as worthwhile? Must not this fundamentally be an addiction?

I do not think so.

Plenty of activities require an investment of time and degrees of sacrifice which are not classified as "addictions". A successful guitar player, bowler, painter, or adult film actor must spend hours practicing their craft in an effort to do their best when the opportunity arises to perform. Yet these pursuits would not be classified as "additions". They require time and sacrifice yet this is not perceived to be a sign of addiction but are rather known requirements of these activities.

Certainly we can take the definition of addiction, "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", and apply it to bowling given that when we leave the realm of chemical dependency we're basically just making shit up. But it would be very odd for a person to argue that bowling, painting, or cancer research were addicting activities.

When we label a non chemical dependency as "addiction" we're really just assessing the merits of the given activity with regard to the amount of time required and sacrifices made. Then, based upon our own notions of what one ought concern one's self with, we either deem an activity addictive or not addictive. If a person spends 30 hours a week playing World of Warcraft then they are addicted. If a person spend 30 hours a week practicing the guitar then they are dedicated.

Fundamentally we need to address the reasons why people spend time engaged in any activity rather than simply assess the activity itself. I supposed that a person could be addicted to bowling, guitar playing, or World of Warcraft; it is possible. But that possibility does not mean that these activities themselves are addicting. Were that the case everything would be addicting.

Except for writing misinformed articles. That's not an addiction so much as being a fucking dipshit. "Even though Lalji became the best — the No. 1 priest character on his server." No. 1 priest character on his server? What the fuck does that even mean?