some people are going to just latch themselves onto something, because they've got addictive or compulsive disorders, i don't think it's wow's fault that this poor guy happened to latch onto wow.
and to address the OP's sentiment, wow is'nt made for hardcore players, it's made for casual players. EQ1 and ff11 are made for hardcore players.
RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.
Currently Playing EVE, ESO
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.
some people are going to just latch themselves onto something, because they've got addictive or compulsive disorders, i don't think it's wow's fault that this poor guy happened to latch onto wow.
and to address the OP's sentiment, wow is'nt made for hardcore players, it's made for casual players. EQ1 and ff11 are made for hardcore players.
I like playing game but how anyone can prefer that to a night at the pub still puzzles me.
But I don't see it as an indication that there is problem with the games themselves, There were no MMOs in the 80s and still were some people spending all their time in front of a C-64.
Some people have an imbalance in their brain that makes it easy for them to get addicted to stuff. It could be worse, he could be smoking crack.
In the Guardian online a WOW addict who would spend 60 hrs a week tells his tale
"At the height of his addiction Ryan van Cleave had little time for his real life. World of Warcraft, a video game, had crowded out everything: his wife and children, his job as a university English professor."
Is this not an indication that modern MMORPGs need to cater better to the casual crowd to prevent this type of addiction. Surely the rewards from the game should not demand the sacrifice of your family, friends, and job.
Blizzard declined to comment on the addicts case. But maybe they have designed a game that is an addictive time sink that can cause these symptoms in people.
"But already online gaming was taking its toll: he and his wife were late for her first ultrasound scan because Van Cleave was playing Madden Football, a sports game"
Thats a quote from the article, the poor guy already had issues. WoW is not to fault, its his weak mind to blame.
Weak mind? Only if you call alcoholics and drug addicts "weak" minded. They have an illness that is demonstrated by them self medicating in these endeavors.
lol did nobody else spot his name? Like the last boss in Deadmines? Guy's gotta be trolling... plus "He spent $224 in real money to buy fake gold so he could get an "epic-level sword" and some "top-tier armour" for his avatar."
If he was racking up the kind of hours he claims he would have more than enough gold without having to buy it, and any gamer who plays that many hours is more than likely raiding, therefore able to get access to much better gear than the so called "Top tier" armor from the Auction House.
I call bullshit on this one. or stupid.
Last boss in Deadmine's is Edwin VanCleef not Van Cleave. I think that's purely coincidental, the closeness of the names. I can completely believe that someone weak-willed with no real world things of importance or truly needing attention, which apparently he didn't feel his family needed, could become addicted to a game.....any game, not just WoW. Why is that so hard to believe, or are you in denial about your own weaknesses, perhaps?
The virtual world gave this guy a sense of CONTROL that he didn't have in RL, which, in my opinion, would go a long way toward explaining his need to play the game.
Is any of it the game's fault or Blizzard's fault? No, not in my opinion. If you blame Blizzard it makes about as much sense as the fat girl blaming Godiva for making delicious chocolate. People have got to be responsible for their own actions and reactions. If I eat a pound of chocolate, is it the chocolate company's fault that I gain weight? No. Same with this "game addiction" shit.
just go on WoWdetox.com and read some of the stories on there. some of the stories are unbelivable. there have been thousand and thousand of people addicted to this game.
"But already online gaming was taking its toll: he and his wife were late for her first ultrasound scan because Van Cleave was playing Madden Football, a sports game"
Thats a quote from the article, the poor guy already had issues. WoW is not to fault, its his weak mind to blame.
Weak mind? Only if you call alcoholics and drug addicts "weak" minded. They have an illness that is demonstrated by them self medicating in these endeavors.
vices affect the weak-minded more. it's a well-known fact.
Vices afffect the weak minded more ?!? You know when you make sweeping comments like that all it does is show how immature you are. Please in the future do a little research before you make a stupid comment like that. It is a commonly known fact that Alcoholism is highly influenced at a genetic level please read the link below.
I know being an addict yourself it might be hard to pull yourself away from your MMOADDCTION to actually try and do some research but come on give it a try.
op:i bet corporative at blizzard were gaga when they see people like him(cheer keep coming friend) it is all about investor,and investor want money in even if the country goes bankrupt,investor are like:who care about country ,there is allows another country to invest in? yep our world, sense of priority is mmm;bipolar capitalist!
I have read stories like this for years now. Is it the games fault or the person playing it? Games are developed to keep your ass in the seat as long as possible and developers do some questionable things to make you feel you need to be there. As seen in this article that was posted here awhile back http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html
In the end though it has to come down to personal responsibilty. People in todays world would much rather blame someone else for their problems instead of just admiting they were weak. People have flaws and the worst would be not being able to admit to them.
^^ Thanks for that link. Greatest article I ever read on the subject.
It sounds like he was severely depressed and WOW was his outlet. I know it has been argued that video games cause depression, but as someone who suffers from depression, it's more that depressed people are drawn to video games.
In the Guardian online a WOW addict who would spend 60 hrs a week tells his tale
"At the height of his addiction Ryan van Cleave had little time for his real life. World of Warcraft, a video game, had crowded out everything: his wife and children, his job as a university English professor."
Is this not an indication that modern MMORPGs need to cater better to the casual crowd to prevent this type of addiction. Surely the rewards from the game should not demand the sacrifice of your family, friends, and job.
Blizzard declined to comment on the addicts case. But maybe they have designed a game that is an addictive time sink that can cause these symptoms in people.
This is a sad article to read. I remember that I once was addicted to WOW and had to be on 30+ hours a week. Raid leading every night and a real affair (not just online) with one of my guildies nearly destroyed my family and allienated my friends from me. At some point though you have to look in the mirror and realize whats more important. I banned myself from WOW and will never play it again. While I still play MMO's I limit myself to how long I play and how I interact with others online.
Everyone one this site can blame whomever, but what it comes down to is the individual and thier ability to just walk away from the game if its too much. A game is never more important than Life, Family and friends. Nuff Said.
***Raving Rabbid raises a plunger in salute to any person who has had an MMO addiction and walked away cold turkey!***
All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care. Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes
lol did nobody else spot his name? Like the last boss in Deadmines? Guy's gotta be trolling... plus "He spent $224 in real money to buy fake gold so he could get an "epic-level sword" and some "top-tier armour" for his avatar."
If he was racking up the kind of hours he claims he would have more than enough gold without having to buy it, and any gamer who plays that many hours is more than likely raiding, therefore able to get access to much better gear than the so called "Top tier" armor from the Auction House.
I call bullshit on this one. or stupid.
Last boss in Deadmine's is Edwin VanCleef not Van Cleave. I think that's purely coincidental, the closeness of the names. I can completely believe that someone weak-willed with no real world things of importance or truly needing attention, which apparently he didn't feel his family needed, could become addicted to a game.....any game, not just WoW. Why is that so hard to believe, or are you in denial about your own weaknesses, perhaps?
Denial about my own weaknesses? Jesus Christ what are you a psychiatrist or something? I said "Like" the last boss, not "the same as"... my post was written in a light hearted manner.
It's not hard to believe people get addicted to wow, I used to play for 8 hours a day easilly back in vanilla, but now I have a family, a job and responsibilities I only play around 8 hours a week, if that. Just to get some pvp jollys.
The only reason I posted was to point out the rediculous notion that someone who played that many hours a week would need to use a gold seller, but excuse me for trying to be a part of the community. The fact that you point out the link to my supposed denial say's more about you, and your evident need for intellectual superiority. Which as we all know is a pointless argument over the internet. But thank you for cheering me up on an otherwise dull journey to work, you have yourself a great day now
One can become addicted to anything and let that one thing destory their lives. But something like an MMO, is an easy target because they are now vogue precisely because WoW did cater to the more casual crowd to a greater degree than previous MMO's so damned if you do and damned if you don't.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I have seen so many people go down this path. People I played with and real life friends. I have seen divorces, break ups, friends losing their jobs, living completely dependent on others, and not teenagers. I mean dudes in their 30s living off their parents, all kinds of bad stuff that you wouldn't think would happen to "normal" people.
Well it can happen to anyone. It's not just some rare anomoly or something that happens only to people who are prone to addiction. It's not even a pre-existing mental condition, but the obsession can certainly turn into a mental disorder.
It's a great game but ALOT of people have let it destroy their lives.
I remember reading a while back about how California was trying to get warnings on video games with swear words and excessive violence in them or something like that, and my first thought was that they really are targeting the wrong game...
Blizzard declined to comment on the addicts case. But maybe they have designed a game that is an addictive time sink that can cause these symptoms in people.
The guy was a weakling who hated his life. Period. And I'd bet any amount of money he hated it BEFORE WoW came along. WoW was just a vehicle for him to escape from his responsibilities, and he allowed it to happen.
The guy was a mess from the start. Blizzard or MMOs are not to be blamed. People are responisible for their own actions, and as "reasoning" human beings we should know if we re playing to much and it might be a problem. This guy had a problem before he even started playing WOW.
I do on one hand think it is pretty sad how many time sinks certain companies put in the games but it is no one else responsibility to save you from yourself.
I can spend way too much time in MMOs myself in periods but after a month I take a looong shower and head back into real life again, I usually can't look on a MMO for a month after that (then we are talking 8-14 hours a day).
Everyone must take responsibility for their own life. Just like it isn't anyone else fault if you use heroin or crack it is no one else fault if you play Wow every waking hour.
I don't think I could get that addicted myself, I can only run the same raid or dungeon so many times without getting bored beyond belief.
In the Guardian online a WOW addict who would spend 60 hrs a week tells his tale
"At the height of his addiction Ryan van Cleave had little time for his real life. World of Warcraft, a video game, had crowded out everything: his wife and children, his job as a university English professor."
Is this not an indication that modern MMORPGs need to cater better to the casual crowd to prevent this type of addiction. Surely the rewards from the game should not demand the sacrifice of your family, friends, and job.
Blizzard declined to comment on the addicts case. But maybe they have designed a game that is an addictive time sink that can cause these symptoms in people.
WoW in vanilla I was on a 2day on 1 day of schedule I doubled 60 hrs a week easily this kid needs to stop being a noob IRL and learn to balance things if you are losing friends in family its because of YOU not a video game if you are neglecting your financial responsibilites again its because of YOU and not a video game, Addiction is just a word gamers use to cope with the fact that they lack the ability to use their self control BY THE WAY when I played had a job a gf (who didn't play) and everything was and is still peachy nothing was sacrificed in my gaming days people just need to take responsibility for their actions
There are times when one must ask themselves is it my passion that truly frightens you? Or your own?
Comments
some people are going to just latch themselves onto something, because they've got addictive or compulsive disorders, i don't think it's wow's fault that this poor guy happened to latch onto wow.
and to address the OP's sentiment, wow is'nt made for hardcore players, it's made for casual players. EQ1 and ff11 are made for hardcore players.
RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.
Currently Playing EVE, ESO
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.
Dwight D Eisenhower
My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.
Henry Rollins
And pre-Trammel UO
I like playing game but how anyone can prefer that to a night at the pub still puzzles me.
But I don't see it as an indication that there is problem with the games themselves, There were no MMOs in the 80s and still were some people spending all their time in front of a C-64.
Some people have an imbalance in their brain that makes it easy for them to get addicted to stuff. It could be worse, he could be smoking crack.
Addictive personalities are addictive...
He who keeps his cool best wins.
I spilled WoW on my lap once, sued and won.
Weak mind? Only if you call alcoholics and drug addicts "weak" minded. They have an illness that is demonstrated by them self medicating in these endeavors.
Last boss in Deadmine's is Edwin VanCleef not Van Cleave. I think that's purely coincidental, the closeness of the names. I can completely believe that someone weak-willed with no real world things of importance or truly needing attention, which apparently he didn't feel his family needed, could become addicted to a game.....any game, not just WoW. Why is that so hard to believe, or are you in denial about your own weaknesses, perhaps?
The virtual world gave this guy a sense of CONTROL that he didn't have in RL, which, in my opinion, would go a long way toward explaining his need to play the game.
Is any of it the game's fault or Blizzard's fault? No, not in my opinion. If you blame Blizzard it makes about as much sense as the fat girl blaming Godiva for making delicious chocolate. People have got to be responsible for their own actions and reactions. If I eat a pound of chocolate, is it the chocolate company's fault that I gain weight? No. Same with this "game addiction" shit.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
he is not the only one.
just go on WoWdetox.com and read some of the stories on there. some of the stories are unbelivable. there have been thousand and thousand of people addicted to this game.
Vices afffect the weak minded more ?!? You know when you make sweeping comments like that all it does is show how immature you are. Please in the future do a little research before you make a stupid comment like that. It is a commonly known fact that Alcoholism is highly influenced at a genetic level please read the link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism
I know being an addict yourself it might be hard to pull yourself away from your MMOADDCTION to actually try and do some research but come on give it a try.
op:i bet corporative at blizzard were gaga when they see people like him(cheer keep coming friend)
it is all about investor,and investor want money in even if the country goes bankrupt,investor are like:who care about country ,there is allows another country to invest in?
yep our world, sense of priority is mmm;bipolar capitalist!
^^ Thanks for that link. Greatest article I ever read on the subject.
A MUST READ FOR TEH EBRYONEZ!
My brand new bloggity blog.
It sounds like he was severely depressed and WOW was his outlet. I know it has been argued that video games cause depression, but as someone who suffers from depression, it's more that depressed people are drawn to video games.
This is all so 2001: http://everquest.wikia.com/wiki/Shawn_Woolley
Even if this is true, the choices you make are your own, you cannot blame anyone/thing besides yourself. You do with your life what you want.
This is a sad article to read. I remember that I once was addicted to WOW and had to be on 30+ hours a week. Raid leading every night and a real affair (not just online) with one of my guildies nearly destroyed my family and allienated my friends from me. At some point though you have to look in the mirror and realize whats more important. I banned myself from WOW and will never play it again. While I still play MMO's I limit myself to how long I play and how I interact with others online.
Everyone one this site can blame whomever, but what it comes down to is the individual and thier ability to just walk away from the game if its too much. A game is never more important than Life, Family and friends. Nuff Said.
***Raving Rabbid raises a plunger in salute to any person who has had an MMO addiction and walked away cold turkey!***
All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care.
Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes
Denial about my own weaknesses? Jesus Christ what are you a psychiatrist or something? I said "Like" the last boss, not "the same as"... my post was written in a light hearted manner.
It's not hard to believe people get addicted to wow, I used to play for 8 hours a day easilly back in vanilla, but now I have a family, a job and responsibilities I only play around 8 hours a week, if that. Just to get some pvp jollys.
The only reason I posted was to point out the rediculous notion that someone who played that many hours a week would need to use a gold seller, but excuse me for trying to be a part of the community. The fact that you point out the link to my supposed denial say's more about you, and your evident need for intellectual superiority. Which as we all know is a pointless argument over the internet. But thank you for cheering me up on an otherwise dull journey to work, you have yourself a great day now
I got a kick out of this one too
http://www.cracked.com/funny-4-world-warcraft/
One can become addicted to anything and let that one thing destory their lives. But something like an MMO, is an easy target because they are now vogue precisely because WoW did cater to the more casual crowd to a greater degree than previous MMO's so damned if you do and damned if you don't.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I have seen so many people go down this path. People I played with and real life friends. I have seen divorces, break ups, friends losing their jobs, living completely dependent on others, and not teenagers. I mean dudes in their 30s living off their parents, all kinds of bad stuff that you wouldn't think would happen to "normal" people.
Well it can happen to anyone. It's not just some rare anomoly or something that happens only to people who are prone to addiction. It's not even a pre-existing mental condition, but the obsession can certainly turn into a mental disorder.
It's a great game but ALOT of people have let it destroy their lives.
I remember reading a while back about how California was trying to get warnings on video games with swear words and excessive violence in them or something like that, and my first thought was that they really are targeting the wrong game...
Blizzard doesn't have to comment. Some people have addictive personalities which is an issue for a pshycologist, not a game developer.
This
The guy was a mess from the start. Blizzard or MMOs are not to be blamed. People are responisible for their own actions, and as "reasoning" human beings we should know if we re playing to much and it might be a problem. This guy had a problem before he even started playing WOW.
He bought gold ! BURN HIM ALIVE !
Seriously, good read, i'm sure they are many WOW players with similar stories.... Playing WOW 18 hours a day, whoa.
I do on one hand think it is pretty sad how many time sinks certain companies put in the games but it is no one else responsibility to save you from yourself.
I can spend way too much time in MMOs myself in periods but after a month I take a looong shower and head back into real life again, I usually can't look on a MMO for a month after that (then we are talking 8-14 hours a day).
Everyone must take responsibility for their own life. Just like it isn't anyone else fault if you use heroin or crack it is no one else fault if you play Wow every waking hour.
I don't think I could get that addicted myself, I can only run the same raid or dungeon so many times without getting bored beyond belief.
WoW in vanilla I was on a 2day on 1 day of schedule I doubled 60 hrs a week easily this kid needs to stop being a noob IRL and learn to balance things if you are losing friends in family its because of YOU not a video game if you are neglecting your financial responsibilites again its because of YOU and not a video game, Addiction is just a word gamers use to cope with the fact that they lack the ability to use their self control BY THE WAY when I played had a job a gf (who didn't play) and everything was and is still peachy nothing was sacrificed in my gaming days people just need to take responsibility for their actions
There are times when one must ask themselves is it my passion that truly frightens you? Or your own?