When my wife and I first played WoW, it was a fun solo experience. We met a few nice people in the beginner areas, but didn't have strong social ties. Progress was slow, and not all that important to us.
That changed when we met a mage and priest who actually knew how to play. They taught us concepts such as "pulling" and "crowd control" that let us take on tougher areas and have a more exciting experience without dying constantly. Oh, they were also really nice people. We later found out they were the alts (alternate characters) of very experienced guild leaders.
Without that mix of camaraderie and role models, we probably would have played for a couple of months, then moved on to something else. Instead we "leveled" with our friends, joined their guild, and eventually started raiding with them. When a friend of ours started playing, we created new Horde-side characters to play with him and soon had similar social experiences.
As happyemoticon said, life changes at the maximum level. When the guild needs 40 (or even 25) players to "raid" a dungeon, you don't want to be the person who makes everybody else wait. If you are late - or don't show up at all - it frustrates everybody else.
You also don't want to be the one who causes everyone to fail, so in between raids you spend your time preparing for them. You study videos, read strategy articles, gather materials for potions and enchantments, and so on.
The game is still very fun, but it now also feels like an obligation. You start scheduling your life around raid times and generally treat WoW as you would a professional commitment. That's because you have made a commitment - to the other people in your raiding group. This is especially true if you are a raid leader or fill a critical role (tank or healer) in the group.
Is this addiction or an odd form of social responsibility? I'd say it has elements of both.
Slashdot Mirror
Excellent post, happyemoticon.
When my wife and I first played WoW, it was a fun solo experience. We met a few nice people in the beginner areas, but didn't have strong social ties. Progress was slow, and not all that important to us.
That changed when we met a mage and priest who actually knew how to play. They taught us concepts such as "pulling" and "crowd control" that let us take on tougher areas and have a more exciting experience without dying constantly. Oh, they were also really nice people. We later found out they were the alts (alternate characters) of very experienced guild leaders.
Without that mix of camaraderie and role models, we probably would have played for a couple of months, then moved on to something else. Instead we "leveled" with our friends, joined their guild, and eventually started raiding with them. When a friend of ours started playing, we created new Horde-side characters to play with him and soon had similar social experiences.
As happyemoticon said, life changes at the maximum level. When the guild needs 40 (or even 25) players to "raid" a dungeon, you don't want to be the person who makes everybody else wait. If you are late - or don't show up at all - it frustrates everybody else.
You also don't want to be the one who causes everyone to fail, so in between raids you spend your time preparing for them. You study videos, read strategy articles, gather materials for potions and enchantments, and so on.
The game is still very fun, but it now also feels like an obligation. You start scheduling your life around raid times and generally treat WoW as you would a professional commitment. That's because you have made a commitment - to the other people in your raiding group. This is especially true if you are a raid leader or fill a critical role (tank or healer) in the group.
Is this addiction or an odd form of social responsibility? I'd say it has elements of both.