Addiction much? My opinion.Follow

I agree with you on that, I was just stating the obvious difference between a WoW addiction and a drug addiction.
And I doubt that the amount of endorphin/adrenelin your body releases during WoW is large enough to really get addicted to that part of WoW.
Sure, when you beat a hard raidboss you get that rush, or when you win a tough arena match or other fairly large accomplishments in WoW but I don't think that's such a massive part of why people play WoW.

Point taken, also is this a picture of you?

You're absolutely correct. Cocaine by itself isn't addictive, it's the endorphins released at ultra high levels in your brain that is addictive. Cocaine is just the delivery system to allow your brain to release natural chemicals in high doses. Same with nicotine and cigarettes. I'm personally addicted to hiking and climbing due to the adrenaline rush that I get, but unlike drug addictions, this is a healthy addiction; unless of course I fall to my death. Some people may think it's unhealthy, or unwise, and eh, they are entitled to that opinion.

I use the term "simpletons" or "small minded" when it comes to video games because even though you may get a small rush from downing a raid boss you've been working on for a month, the game itself doesn't release the same amount of chemicals as drugs, mountain climbing, extreme sports or even working out. The addictive quality in WoW is being in a fantasy world thus escaping the real world. To me anyway, this is very small minded and these people are simpletons to have been caught up in it and became hopelessly addicted and even lost in that fantasy world.

The small minded/simpleton comment is of course my opinion. It's simply how I look at those type of people. We all know that they do exist on the planet whether they are a wow addicts or not, so we cannot deny that fact! :)

I agree 100% with you!



I'd say it's more that we as humans just enjoy having a little fun every so often, escaping reality, hence geeking out on WoW and killing stuff we normally cannot do in real life. I wouldn't call it addiction, but rather being human. :)



Exactly! And this can became a serious problem; just as doing too much cocaine or heroin can be. And it would be time to reevaluate your game playing and life when playing WoW got to this point.



LOL! Wouldn't be the first..........but I'm sticking to my guns!

I guess that makes me the old hippy in the corner with his legs crossed Guru style. Alcohol is no good >.>
Addiction is, apparantly, a very misunderstood condition. There's lots of ideas floating around here about what constitutes addiction, and what constitutes a JUSTIFIABLE addiction (lol).
Every single addiction is an addiction. You ARE getting the same chemicals released when you down a boss as when you go for a hike, the EXACT SAME ONES, except for sweat. Usually.
To say one addiction is simple minded when another isn't is just a fool's words.
I could start bagging on how people who drink are just too weak to overcome their addiction. Whereas in SOME cases that's true, some people truly do drink as a social activity and nothing more. So saying that everyone who drinks is weak minded is around the same as what is being said about 'weak minded gaming addicts.'
I'm addicted to speed. Not the drug, I don't do any drugs, just Marijuana (Marijuana has no chemicals that cause a physical addiction!). I'm talking about balls to the walls, hitting the hairpin at Arroyo Seco with the RX's wheels just hopping up enough to point me in the right direction before that ******* SHO next to me.
This is a raw addiction to a VERY primal matter, a simple conveyance of the rate of movment from point A to point B. Does that make me simple minded?
Does an addiction to burning pre-packed paper tubes filled with 40% chemicals and 20% tobacco make those people simple minded?
Does an addiction to a liquid made out of rotting grains make alcoholics simple minded?
Does an addiction to moving (aka hiking, walking, whatever), the MOST PRIMAL of our abilities, make that person simple minded?

Actually, THC can be addictive for some people. And marijuana is a drug. Anyway, that's off topic so lets move on..............



There are simple minded (or weak minded), people all around us. To answer you're questions, yes, some of those people are simple minded, some of them are not. There are tons of non-addicted people that are weak-minded as well, just as there's tons of strong-minded people on this World.

I'll try to explain what I said better: My statement saying that if some simple minded person got addicted to WoW (in a bad way), this is not Blizzards fault, doing or a conspiracy as the OP was intending. The simple minded statement I said was an opinion that I feel about people that actually get an unhealthy addiction to a video game. I find it incredible weak minded to become addicted, in an unhealthy way, to a pixelated fantasy World. To me, that's weak minded, in my opinion. Does this make them bad people? No, not at all.

I never said all addicts are small minded and for some reason, a lot of replies are trying to assume that I feel that way about all addicts; and now, people who smoke, drink casually or like to do activities. I'm being asked if I feel they are small minded. Again, yes, some of them are, some are not, because the World in which we inhabit are filled with both types of people.

But I still stand on what I said: If you are hopelessly addicted to a the fantasy World of World of Warcraft to the point it controls your life, your emotions, your time and your energy, you are a small minded person (weak minded), to be that easily controlled. It's a video game, come on! It's not Morphine, it's not ***, it's not cocaine, it's a durn video game that is meant to entertain.

BTW: Not all addictions release the same chemicals. There's serotonin, adrenaline and endorphins. Different drugs release high doses of one or more of those chemicals. Downing a raid boss would probably release the same amount of serotonin as a good laugh does. Getting pissed off your couldn't down a boss would probably release the same amount of adrenaline has having to stop your car suddenly.

Edit: Typo yet again


Edited, Jan 31st 2011 10:03pm by Seculartwo

LOL! I was just answering your comments/questions about the whole "simple minded" statement I made. But now that it's gone further:

I do get it:

First: Physical addiction refers to someone that has taken a drug so much and built up a tolerance that once taken off they will go through withdrawals. Wow in itself is not a drug, but it can release natural drugs that both of us have already discussed. With this said:

You're still wrong about a severe wow addiction. It can certainly be a physical addiction when they stop taking care of themselves, losing friends, wives, jobs, money, eating, living to only play WoW, etc., etc. If you take the game away from them, there will be withdrawals, sometimes very very bad ones. It can be just as physical and as bad as a cocaine addiction.

Methadone is still used BTW, and over the past two years, methadone abuse has gone up 400% by both opiate users and non opiate users. In the United States, government junkies are methadone users. Methadone is an opiate blocker as you should know, but it's very dangerous to someone that does not use opiates like heroin.

And again, you're wrong about pot! It can for some people, become a physical addiction to THC. But as a pot smoker yourself, it's easy to go into denial because you don't want to admit that. Most pot smokers are all the same: They preach about how safe and "nonaddictive" it is, but in reality, it can be very addictive, it can cause physical harm and if the person is hooked enough, they live life to smoke pot, just as a cigarette smoker has the cigarette crutch in their lives. Take that pot away from them and the withdrawals (jonesing) will start within hours. This is physical addiction. I find it amazing that you listed cigarettes as a physical addiction but not pot, when they are both similar with the exception that pot has an stronger drug in it that actually gets you high for a couple hours. Cigarettes relieve the brains need for nicotine, which in turn can reduce stress and relax you. But it doesn't alter perception like pot does.

But, yet again, for the 4th time now, I'll stick to my mace and shield on this: True physical WoW addicts are small minded people. /rolleyes

Originally my "horse" was saying that Blizzard doesn't have a conspiracy to addict WoW players as the original OP clearly stated in his post. Blizzard is a business to make money and games first and foremost. My first reply clearly states this opinion.

The rest of the debate stemmed when I called wow addicts simple minded (in my first reply post) and some people seemed to of taken offense to that statement.

None-the-less, professional or not, in my opinion as a human being, I feel it's incredible weak minded (and a bit funny) to physically become addicted to a video game. This is my second horse after all the replies. LOL

I think this horse has been well beaten though, and I know some of you do not agree with that opinion, but it won't change. If you are one of those people that are physically addicted to WoW, then IMO, you are a weak minded person that needs help; no offense of course. :)