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How To Help a Friend With an MMO Addiction?
sammydee writes "I have a friend who is addicted to an MMO (Pirates of the Burning Sea). On a typical day, he will wake up around 9am, browse the forums for a bit, then go online and stay online all day, playing until about 3am the following morning, taking only toilet breaks and stopping to eat ready-meals. While the rest of the house works hard revising for exams, this friend will be playing his MMO instead. Now, I am pretty confident that this comprises an unhealthy addiction; unfortunately, I have no idea what to do about it. Any attempt to physically prevent him from playing the game would most likely result in an outburst of anger and possibly physical violence. Attempts at telling him he has a problem have been met with derision and angry retorts. Slashdotters, what would you do to help out a friend in this situation? Perhaps you are a reformed addict yourself — if so, how did you break out of the habit? Or maybe I should just leave well enough alone and allow him to continue? Any thoughts are gratefully received."
Slashdotters, what would you do to help out a friend in this situation?
I used to live in a bad part of the Franklin neighborhood in Minneapolis. As I pulled up next to my house, two squad cars were parked in a V in my front lawn with their cherries on. I had just worked until 2am at a parking garage on the U of MN campus. There was an adolescent in front of my house being stared down by a policeman. As I walked up the cop was staring him down and holding a bag of weed saying very loudly and very forcefully, "... yeah? And what skills you got? What has this shit been doing for you? How long have you been using? What are you going to do when you're a grown up providing for yourself?"
... but maybe they aren't. I know how someone would approach me about this, they wouldn't try to stop me. Instead, they--being my friends--would appeal to things they know that matter to me. I'll try to list them in order that I think you can evoke a reaction from your friend:
While that's a lot more melodramatic than you need to be, you can put your friend in the same situation.
A man's got priorities. Your friend's sound screwed up
I've seen people give up several of these for an MMORPG (Star Wars Galaxies ruined lives). You need to sit down and talk to him and try to realign his priorities. You have to know him and know where he's going to bring that logic. If things don't matter to him anymore there's not a lot you can do once you've made all those appeals (and you may know more).
Slashdotters, what would you do to help out a friend in this situation? Perhaps you are a reformed addict yourself -- if so, how did you break out of the habit?
If I was spending too much time in a game it would take very little to cause me to get up and walk away: "Since you started playing that game, how much closer are you to being the person you want to be when you die?" Don't think that would work on your friend--especially if he has low self esteem.
... although I cannot fathom how that would be.
Most importantly if you convince him to stop, you need to be there for him to fill up that part of his life or to help see the value in realigning his goals.
Last thing is that if he isn't screwing up or endangering any of these things, you're going to have a hell of a hard time convincing him out of the game
My work here is dung.
Get some buddies, make some accounts, grief him until he quits.
Play Command HQ online
Sounds like this is taking place in a college setting. Don't worry about it. Darwin will always win. Your MMO addict will be getting a permanent chance to play all day forever back in Mom's basement after he flunks out. It's not your problem and don't try to make it be otherwise.
Girlfriend?!? Get him a hooker instead!
A hooker will see the money and perform. A girlfriend will want to evaluate his character, tell her friends, make him want to go out on dates and shit like that... and if all is good, will "perform".
You don't understand addiction if you think it something to be fought with logical persuasion. And you are probably normal in saying to ditch him, but really, I'm disgusted by how callous people are today. Friendships and relationships involve a little inconvenience, not just saying, 'well, I told him it's a bad idea, fuck him!'
Absolutely agree with this - sex is the remedy. Make the point that the guy isn't getting any and you are (hopefully), and it'll probably hurt enough to get him to start thinking about what he's missing out on by spending all his time playing Pirates.
Sex is an integral part of almost all humans, and we need it. Use this to your advantage.
My suggestion would be, in one of the breif moments when he's off the game, get him to just come and talk to you, heck maybe even get some of your other friends to join, and keep him occupied in a social discussion for an hour or two to at least break the cycle once in a while. If that doesn't have a lasting effect, just talk to him by himself and say you're concerned about his wellbeing, ask him if he wants to spend all his life eating ready meals and sitting in front of a computer like a zombie.
Usually any addiction is a sign of something missing from the persons life, if you can find out what that is, maybe you can help him get over the cause rather than the effect.
Damn... the potentional for real life social interaction with ladies was all it took for me. Were my standards too low? You mean I could have gotten sex out of it? Damn...
Seriously though, you need to start going out, and often, to meet up with ladies in order to fix this. Since he won't be going with you, you don't have to be successful at all at meeting up with the ladies, just make sure he knows your intended goal every time you go out, be sure to have adventures, and be sure to talk about them non-stop around him.
At first, you should neglect to invite him, but be sure to have exchanges like "Should we invite Jim?" "Nah, he'll just say no and stay home to play his stupid game" within earshot of him. Then a few weeks later, actually ask him to go with you. By then he will probably have gotten jealous, and just might say yes. If so, and you can actually get him to have real-life physical relations with a lady - and I'm talking waaaay less than sex here - he'll probably lose interest in the game. Real life will be more exciting. ;)
On another note, is POTBC any good? I haven't played a steady MMO since I quit SW Galaxies, but I always wanted to play that one...
Security is mostly a superstition... Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. - Helen Keller
Your friend needs help. Professional help. Your school probably has a psychological counseling office, but that's the sort of thing that he needs to seek himself. Confronting him, wrecking his account, getting him banned, or anything else is not going to help you or him at this point.
I say this because I've been that person. Same academic issues, same fixation on a game for social reinforcement (a MUX, in my case), and I'd wager that he's feeling just as depressed and afraid as I did when I was in that situation.
If you want to help him, get in touch with his family. Get in touch with his professors and the dean of his faculty. If he's religious, get in touch with his pastor. Chances are, none of them have any idea what's really going on. It's really easy to just grunt and shrug when someone asks how classes are going. They may have suspicions, but between their desire to treat him as an adult, and the shame and frustration he's feeling at being unable to cope, he doesn't feel like he can ask for help, and they don't feel like they can successfully confront him.
So you're advocating hacking his account. Classy. Where do you people get off? Christ, given some of the people I've known in MMO's when I used to play, if you were found hacking their account, you would be dead. Seriously, I know several people who if you did that to you would lose it and kill you where you stand.
Nobody has any right to hack into someone elses accounts and delete it. Honestly, advocating that is sickening.
Regardless of the fact it's only a game, imagine how YOU'D feel if some asshole deleted the product of a year or two of your hobby. Like say you're into Warhammer and I come along set fire to your models "for your own good".
God you people are sick.
Unless this guy has a personal bankroll that he's using to fund his lethargy, his parents are likely paying for the lifestyle he's leading (in part or whole). Angry parents can do quite a bit to motivate a person. Maybe it's time someone called his parents.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
The hooker took one look at us, laughed, and walked out the door with our money.
You gave her the money before the services were rendered? Amateur.....
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
And women will be receptive to a random MMO junkie because _______?
Information theory is life. The rest is just the KL divergence.
I started playing everquest in 2001. At first I refused to play, but friends pretty much bought the game and installed it on my PC. I refused to play because I figured I'd get addicted... and sure enough... 7 years later... I went cold turkey. There are a few things that I realized about my own addiction that helped me break it.
First, MMOs are Skinner boxes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber They let the player feel like they're accomplishing something. This is a huge motivator when in your real life, the rewards are missing from any effort. For me, I had just got divorced and had a company I help start shoot down the toilet. Suffices to say, I was at a motivational low.
So, to figure out the trap (Skinner box), you need to figure out how to get the rewards in real life that are missing. A psychologist might suggest sitting with your friend and actually setting achievable, short term, real world goals. Even if it is as simple as going for a 30 minute walk. Then emphasize the "Hey, I did something today." You might even want to try something that gives other rewards, like adrenaline, through running, or some sport.
Next, there was the social aspect. People in MMOs believe the social context missing from their lives is real - that you actually have friends in the game. This is pretty far from the truth. Sure, I got to know a few people well in my EQ experience, but not one of them has participated in a relationship outside the game. So, some brutal realities there...
Anyway, I've been EQ free over six months. I refuse to play another MMO, ever. When you look at the total time played, and you see that you've been online 300+ days... ask the question, if you had a year of time back, what would you do with it? Sit in front of a computer screen like a zombie? Or actually try accomplish something. People often say they don't have time for stuff. Pretty sobering to look at some metrics. And real addicts underestimate how much time they play.
/\/\icro/\/\uncher
Persistence. Intervene adn then do not stop.
/terrible/ advise: dangerous, unethical, and inconsistent with human nature.
This is
There is lots of research on addictions, and there's lots of ways to approach treatment, but *nothing* works unless your friend asks for help. That has to be the first step. It's nothing personal, just something to do with the way the brain processes information about the self. Any action you take will elicit defence mechanisms if it is based on downward social comparison.
My advise is to go talk to a clinical psychologist about your friends case. They may be able to suggest appropriate reading materials, or communication strategies.
I am dedicated to helping people and understanding the human mind - it's a passion for me, and why I returned to school after working for years as a programmer. In my experience, the only way to truly help someone is to get to know them better, without any sense of agenda.
Like all pain, suffering is a signal that something isn't right
This is a house mate. I'm assuming they had a reason for rooming together in the first place. Oh that's right, it's called friendship. And if your friend is addicted to something, then the friendship dissolves.
Losing a friend to game is no different than losing a friend to any other addiction. If they're gone, they're gone until they return to their senses.
Buckle your ROFL belt, we're in for some LOLs.
Sounds like a way to get your ass kicked and to permanently lose a "friend", or worse. The effect that has may not be what you intended, and could easily be worse than the "addiction" you thought existed.
A friend is not a person who has a right to destroy your stuff, just because they feel you're doing something with the stuff that they would consider unhealthy or unnatural.
Anyone who would contemplate such treachery is not a friend.
I am sorry for you. I really am. This kind of callous and shallow behavior shown by so many people saying "fuck him" "not your problem" and so on is EXACTLY why our society is so totally fucked right now. People have problems, serious ones. In fact, most people have serious problems at some point or another, the fact that everyone around them is so shallow and callous that they abandon them in their time of need is what makes our entire society fall the fuck apart.
Will you ever need people that are that dedicated to your well being in your life? Maybe not, if you don't you are pretty lucky. However, just knowing that you have people standing next to you that WILL march into hell to save you is invaluable. I have been that person before, and the one I tried to help hated me for it...for a while. However, now I have someone that I *KNOW* will always be there if I need them, and who has no problem calling me out on the carpet if I start going down a bad path. The pinnacle of arrogance is not so much believing that you can never make a mistake in your own life or go down those roads, but that you will know when you are doing it. Sometimes it takes someone close to you to give you that swift kick in the jimmy to let you know you are doing something stupid.
Additionally, I think being one of your "friends" would be depressing. Knowing that if my life goes foul for some reason and I start making bad choices, that I will be abandoned rather than helped. That kind of thing is typically what feeds directly into suicidal thoughts during the aftermath of some kind of traumatic event. Maybe this guy isn't just making stupid choices and addicted to a game. Maybe he just lost a family member, maybe he found out someone close to him has cancer, etc, etc, etc, and he is looking for an escape. The people that will make an impact in his life are the ones that will press the issue and help him. The reality is, half the time, you don't have to march into hell, you just have to let them know that you are ready to do that.
Your definition of friend seems to be pretty watered down. I call those people acquaintances, not friends. Friends are the people that WILL go to hell and back for you, and that you will go to hell and back for.
The only change I can believe in is what I find in my couch cushions.
I think people should mind their own bloody business personally. It's not like he's poisoning his body with drugs or alcohol or hurting other people with his "addiction".
How to help a friend? Leave them the hell alone to live their life how they want and stop being so bloody pretentious in thinking this person needs to be "saved".
I'm pretty much on board with this perspective. At some point he's an adult and takes responsibilities for his own actions. He might look back years later and lament the lost time (and quite possibly a delayed education), but that will have been his choice. The potential to be doing other things doesn't mean that he'd be happier not doing what he is now.
If he was spending all his time shut away in his room reading books, this wouldn't be post-worthy, it'd just be someone with a reclusive personality. If he was out getting smashed at parties and getting laid all the time, it wouldn't be post-worthy either. Still, it's just as easy to look back with regret on a year of partying as it is a year of playing an MMO.
I think as sad as the game addiction is, the attitude of many to simply give up on him and let him fail at life is at least as sad. Friends and family are supposed to care; the profound alienation some geeks have from the rest of humanity except at the most distant and constrained levels is really tragic.
My suggestion to the OP: fortunately, game addiction isn't like other addictions, and it often doesn't take the same bottoming-out to get things under control. Most game addicts (I don't want to mince words: on the short to medium term, it is practically indistinguishable from addiction - pedantry about it is unhelpful) seem to stop playing addictively when they start building social skills and active lives, which of course creates a positive feedback loop. My suggestion: get him out of the house. Vacations, nights-out, activities. Work with him in getting a busy activity calendar. This seems to be effective in getting people to stop obsessive playing, because it scratches the "itch" of sociality that MMOs always promise to scratch but never quite satisfies.
I have to respectfully disagree here. When you make a lifestyle out of anything, when that thing is suddenly gone you notice it. All the time. ALL THE TIME. It might not be a physical addition like nicotine, alcohol, or hard drugs, but it is still an addiction.
checking for libvirus... no
ERROR, libvirus.so not found, terminating
Except that MMO is not an 'addiction' . . . it is a 'habit.' His friend will go through no withdrawal if his account expired tomorrow.
I see that you've obviously never been really into a game...
It's only an addiction when it hurts the people around you.
You obviously don't know much about addiction.
Amnesty International
As someone who has lived a good chunk of his life on the "wrong" side of the tracks, allow me to give him some advice given to me long ago by a wise ex junkie- You can't make ANYONE stop being a junkie. They have to want to stop being a junkie themselves. You just try to be their friend if you can, and if you can't you simply walk away. It sucks, but so does life a lot of times. I have known guys that have spent 5 years in prison and gone straight from their release to their dealer. If he doesn't WANT to quit all you are gonna do is piss him off and drive him away.
But trying to make someone quit something because YOU think it is bad for them will simply never work. They have to decide that THEY think it is bad for them. And their are those that can become just as big a junkie to an MMO than to crank. A buddy of mine told me a few years back his sister was having to divorce her husband because he was addicted to Warcrack. He would come straight home from work to the game, and had even gotten bad enough that he wouldn't even drive anymore because when they would go anywhere he would play Warcrack from the passenger seat on the $4K laptop and cellular card he bought just so he could Warcrack wherever he was. Even though this guy had a nice wife with 2 kids by her when she finally got fed up and say "Warcrack or me" he chose Warcrack.
So there is really nothing you can do, he has to decide he has a problem. Until and unless that day occurs all you are going to do is drive him away. Because if you give him the choice of your friendship or the game, you are gonna lose. And if you try to interfere with his gaming that is what will ultimately happen.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Meh.
Addiction is addiction, whether to drugs, women, or games.
The only thing you really need to know, is that there is almost nothing you can do if it's someone else. They have to come to a place within themselves where they don't want to be like that anymore. Once they're there, they can quit. If they never get there, they will never be able to quit. Ever.
Just be honest. Tell them you think they're fucking up their life. Don't be afraid to tell them exactly how disgusting you think they are. It may sink in. It may not. Even if it doesn't, at least you'll be able to face yourself afterward.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
Maybe it was posted by his boyfriend.
This whole "addicts need to hit rock bottom" thing is a meaningless trope spouted by a bunch of 12 step folks who are pitching a faith, not science based approach to dealing with a particular addiction. Then taking this faith based approach to a particular addiction, and extrapolating it to other addictive behaviors.... So while it's not an entirely worthless hypothesis, it's far too vague to really be a useful statement. Certainly it shouldn't be trotted out over and over as a "FACT" It's got damn little to do with science and it's a pretty difficult to define or test thing anyway. Also since at least a good portion of the people we're talking about here have much more of a mental illness problem, and are in fact depressed or developing some kind of OCD, and are not "alcoholic" or game-oholic or whatever, they don't need to hit "rock bottom" and one shouldn't expect them to follow this religous 12 step regimen to get better. Depressives don't need to hit "rock bottom" they need help, "bottom" probably means a succesful suicide attempt in that context. It's way off topic but I don't doub that AA does help folks and that it may be a useful vehicle for people who turn to it and follow it's 12 step program. That's not the same thing as pointing out that it's not at all a scientific approach, a peer reviewed treatment plan etc. Just 'cause they say some things does not make those things so.
He's playing the game because it gives him something he can't find or get enough of in Real Life. Behind the keyboard he can be daring, bold, brave, clever, and receive a regular helping of the success, joy, and adulation that come with those things. There are puzzles to solve, people to help (damsels in distress?), buds to hang with, and he can get it all, now.
How can Real Life compete with that? What are those things that make life worth living if the computer is more validating than your regular existence? That's the problem. Real Life becomes a maintenance issue serving to allow time with The Game. Now you are dependent on the game -- You're avoiding the Real Life stuff, The Game has become your buffer, your filter, your shield -- You are addicted. You don't merely need it, you require it. The Game is How you Live.
What now? The Game is dominant, but it's skills don't translate much to Real Life. Trying to deal with Real Life is an embarrassment. It doesn't work the way The Game does -- no reset, second chances, saves, spells -- you can't get and keep the upper hand. The physics don't match, the interactions aren't predictable, and you can't hide behind the keyboard. People see you, not your avatar. How can you live up to that? Why don't they understand? In The Game, they do...
See "Social Phobia" to appreciate how grasping at the one good (they think) thing in one's life can screw up the rest of it.
Pacifist paratroopers yell, "Ghandi!" when they jump.
Make the point that the guy isn't getting any and you are (hopefully), and it'll probably hurt enough to get him to start thinking about what he's missing out on by spending all his time playing Pirates.
I can only speak for myself, but being harassed about how I am "not getting any" and everybody else is has never bothered me much at all. Certainly not enough for me to do something about it. And I am not even addicted to an MMO (you could maybe argue for a general internet addiction by stretching the definition a lot).
Climate Progress - Hell and High Water
As someone else who had a former MMO addiction (SW Galaxies, FFXI, WoW, to name a few), I concur. I had my parents, friends, etc, all telling me I had to unplug, but I would get angry when they told me I played too much. It took me gaining 40 lbs. sitting on my ass playing games that made me wake up and realize what I was doing to myself. Well, that, and nearly losing my job to a fucking game. That was a big wake up call too.
Having dealt with addiction in myself (twice) and once in a good friend, I can tell you in no uncertain terms that there's absolutely nothing you can do (not legally anyway). The person has to hit bottom. "Bottom" means different things to different people so some have to pretty much ruin their lives before they straighten up but in the end, the person who is addicted has to want to fix it before you can do anything. Addiction is a like a short circuit or malfunction in the brain, rationality has nothing to do with it and you cannot rationalize with an addicted person who has not realized they have a problem, nor can you make them see the problem. One day, the light bulb will come on but until then, you're screwed. The only thing you can do is not help them feed their addiction in any way (like giving them money). The faster they hit bottom, the better.
Are agnostics skeptical of unicorns too?
Actually most "religious" wars are just conflicts over resources or land, and religion is used as an excuse.
"It's simple."
Find out what he's doing in the game, that he thinks he can't do offline, and then find a way to let him do whatever it is offline, in a way that won't interfere with his exams.
I got addicted to World of Warcraft for a while because playing a Survival Hunter allowed me to vicariously deal with my sense of inadequacy over the fact that I am unavoidably a civilian. (I've since also come to realise that having said sense of inadequacy was really dumb to begin with, but it was a childhood thing)
I was able to play a leadership role in a number of battlegrounds and instances though, and have some really positive experiences while doing so, (I was also GM of a levelling guild for a bit, which was good) which allowed me to process that neurosis, and also take from it a few elements which to some extent may have improved my personality as well.
That, however, is primarily what people get from MMORPGs, and it's the main reason why they play them. Most people are fairly disempowered and helpless offline. They might have two or three jobs, (that they usually hate) a wife and the proverbial 2.4 kids, station wagon, and labrador dog, and said existence can feel like a jail sentence, especially if you have to work long hours. They're also doing said jobs, most of the time, purely to keep their head above water. There's no creativity there, no enjoyment, and no recognition from the boss. They're not allowed to feel special, to feel like they're somebody important, or to really feel fulfilled.
But in Azeroth, (or Norrath, or $WORLD) it's different.
Offline, I'm an autistic, overweight, single, balding, largely socially isolated UNIX Beard with shortsightedness, a single kidney, and a leg length difference of three inches. I've had a single girlfriend, three years ago, which ended badly due to a combination of her and my baggage, and my father being a narcissistic, amoral, interfering $%^& as well. I largely haven't come across a single woman since who hasn't made fun of me when she's found out I'm interested in her, and whenever I've tried to interact socially with anyone else as well, or develop independence, I've usually gone fairly close to being killed as a result.
I couldn't participate in grading matches in terms of martial arts as a teenager due to said single kidney, and when someone tried to teach me one on one, because of the leg length difference I nearly dislocated my knee the first time I tried to do a kick.
In WoW, none of that matters. I have a far more attractive body, which is athletic and functions with perfect agility. I can travel anywhere I want, within a fairly large environment. Most of all, I can actually do the things that Army recruitment ads talk about, in terms of being part of a group, and eventually developing sufficient knowledge of the game to successfully and positively lead said group. I'm playing a class (the Hunter) which I love and find fulfilling, and I'm also meeting my social interaction and group belonging needs in terms of the instances and battlegrounds I do as well.
Let me ask you; out of those two scenarios, which do you think you're going to want to spend more of your time in?
The answer to that question, is also likely very similar to the reason why the guy in your example is addicted to the game that he is, as well. For some of us, real life isn't exactly a barrel of laughs.
Amen. It's especially important to see that people don't get addicted in a vacuum. The are reasons people prefer games or drugs over life - it may be something temporary, like a depression, or it might go deeper.
There's a theory of a thing called "self-handicapping". People would sometimes rather fail with something to blame, than take the risk of failing without something to blame. Unlike "rock bottom", this is possible to define and test: If you give someone an impossible task, they're more likely to accept a drink halfway through than people who get an easier one.
I think this explains a lot of drug abuse and other addictions. If you smoke pot and party like crazy in college, you have an excuse for poor grades - maybe it won't work as an excuse for a potential employer, but it'll work for yourself, and that's what matters. If you're afraid of becoming a complete loser, it may be appealing to do something that will MAKE you a complete loser - because then you'd have something to point to.
xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
I was not trying to condemn the game, I was simply trying to point out that for him it really WAS Warcrack. If someone has an addictive personality then they can and often do become addicted to things which wouldn't be harmful to someone else.
I knew a guy who would blow through cash for pot like hardcore junkies blow through coke money. He would fire up before he even drew a single breath upon waking up and would keep going all through the day until he went to bed. To myself and most folks firing up the occasional joint is not going to be dangerous to anything but the cookie supply, but to him he just couldn't function without it. He was one of the few junkies whom I felt really sorry for because it was completely not his fault. Most go in knowing that a drug is potentially harmful and make a choice that they want the high more than the risk, but his mom was getting him high at 8 years old. Being high was pretty much the only way he had to cope with anything, as he never got a chance to grow up.
But if you are a player of Warcraft and took offense, that was never my intention. While I don't care for MMOs (prefer single player shooters and RPGs myself) I'm sure it is a nice game with plenty of nice folks playing it. And I wasn't meaning to imply that I "blame" Warcraft anymore than I would "blame" pot or booze for someone having a problem with them. I personally think all drugs, as well as gambling and prostitution should be legalized and taxed, with the money going to rehabs and counseling for those that want to quit. But for the person that the article was discussing the pirates MMO is just as addictive as any drug. Just as for my friend's ex brother in law Warcraft really was Warcrack.
And I stand by what I wrote and the words of the wise ex junkie I knew: You can NOT force someone not to be a junkie. Not by laws, not by nanny government, not by shunning or ridicule. Only THEY can choose not to be a junkie. And one man's recreation is another man's addiction. doesn't mean we should look down on the drug or activity. Hell I knew a guy that ended up in the hospital after nearly killing himself with his addiction to bodybuilding. Are we gonna ban gyms so guys like him can't hurt themselves? No of course not. All we can do is let them know that we are there to help them if they decide they need help and try not to be enablers. The rest is up to them.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Except that MMO is not an 'addiction' . . . it is a 'habit.' His friend will go through no withdrawal if his account expired tomorrow.
I see that you've obviously never been really into a game...
You have never been addicted to a MMO I hear.
I remember a few times when my internet connection went down, I got really frustrated I couldn't keep grinding instances, gold or consumables (WoW). I just desperately needed to get back online, and as soon as the connection was back up, it was like a blessing.
For me, I essentially got bored of the game, and when I realised I was spending all this time playing a game that I didn't even enjoy, I quit. I probably couldn't have quit unless I got bored of it, since I would have romantisised about the gaming while doing other things, wanting to go back to playing WoW.
It can be just as much of an addiction as many other things.
Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities.
Aristotele
If your girlfriend can't compete with a MMO, she's not trying. Whether she should be trying to make it work is another subject and varies based on situation. Usually, though, the MMORPG is a symptom, not the disease itself.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I only play maybe 10-20 hours a week now, mostly on the weekends. It's still fun, so I still play, but it's slowly getting boring, so I don't know if I'll last to the next expansion.
When it comes down to it, the only people I know who've quit ANY addiction are the ones who want to quit.
Rampant carbon sequestration destroyed the Dinosaurs' tropical paradise. I'm here to help repair the damage.
It appears I've split opinion. One moderator thinks that I'm quite informative, the other thinks that I'm a troll. I suspect that the latter also thinks that the grandparent post was insightful, which I think says quite a bit more about the moderator than myself.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.