Bob the Great wrote:

I am. I really am. That's the first step, right? It's odd being the person addicted to something; usually you just hear about it. But I am, true and real. Why? Because compared to reality, the other world provided by World of Warcraft (hereinafter refered to as 'WoW') rocks socks.

Would you prefer 'r0xx0r my b0xx0rz'?

Any-hoo, I am trying to wean myself off of this game but I'm finding it hard. I often wonder, actually, if anyone else has these problems or if I'm just a unique little snowfake (shut up).

You are not alone. :) Though sometimes I find it helpful to classify "good" addictions and "bad" addictions. If you're having fun with the game and it's not interfering with the rest of your life, then that's a "good" addiction, like if you really enjoyed playing golf, or sailing. If, however, the WoW habit is interfering with normal activities and relationships, then that can be a problem. For example, if it's causing problems in relationships with friends and family, or causing your school grades to drop or work performance to suffer, then that's straying into the "bad" addiction side of things.

How long have you been playing? I generally find that these games will hold someone's attention for from 6 months to about 2 years, occasionally longer (there are some people who have been customers of my own games for over 15 years). Eventually what will probably happen is that you will find yourself getting unhappy/bored with the game, and then playing more and more trying to make it "fun" again, but with steadily decreasing returns. At that point you will probably either (1) Quit in a very high-profile way; (2) Find something else to play, especially if your friends have moved on to another game and you follow them; (3) Find something in RL that's more intriguing (like a significant other, or school/job).

In short, when I'm addicted to a game, I find it unhelpful to simply try to "quit," since that leaves a vacuum in my life which keeps pulling me back to the original addiction. Better is to try and find something *else* to fill the void (such as another game, be it online or console).

Meanwhile, if you're *enjoying* your time on WoW, by all means, keep playing! If it's not interfering with the rest of your life, there's no reason to feel guilty about playing.

Elonka :)

RE: World of Warcraft.