World of Warcraft = abnormally addictive?

I've seen people play this game like addicts. The game is sorta like a drug... plus it's 156-180 bucks a year... read my review for anyone interested...

Anyone agree? What is it about this game that makes everyone go ga-ga? It's sorta like Runescape if you ask me...at leat on the addicting level.

I used to be addicted to WoW so i agree crazytms16

im still addicted to wow so i agree.

WoW isn't the first MMO to hook people. Ultima Online and especially Everquest (Evercrack) were infamous for this.

I think what makes them so addicting is the fact that you're continually getting more abilities and cool equipment to show off and use. Plus, there's the whole social aspect of playing with friends and meeting people.

I actually get a little chill every time someone mentions a Blizzard game and addiction in the same topic. I took a game design class taught by a guy who works at Blizzard and there was an awful lot of talk/study about addiction and addictive properties in that class.

We learned about some interesting studies whererodents are sent through a maze that at the end may have cheese. The study found that the rodent that only received cheese at the end of the mazesome portionof the time were more determined to get to the finish on subsequent runs than those who received cheese 100% of the time. (not due to hunger factors) There is something addictive at the animal level about the element of chance/scarcity. This impacted the way the "drop" style reward system was implemented in Diablo. So next time you are sitting around hoping for a drop in WoW, remember, you and a mouse have more in common than you might think.

WoW isn't the first MMO to hook people. Ultima Online and especially Everquest (Evercrack) were infamous for this.

I think what makes them so addicting is the fact that you're continually getting more abilities and cool equipment to show off and use. Plus, there's the whole social aspect of playing with friends and meeting people.

Sooshy

I agree it's the genre that is addictive. It's the huge amount of content, the social aspects, the pure joy of levelling up, which in this case counts for something, as you feel you are getting recognized among your peers. WoW just happens to have all those little extra hooks that Blizzrd is so good at creating.

As a former player of EQ and Dark Ages of Camelot, yes these types of games are addictive. I've never had an issue with any other game but those two it was like I would think about them during my drive home and couldn't wait to get online to play them.

For me personally I think its the social aspect of the game. If you get a group of friends/guild you have a community of people with similar interests. As a 30 year old gamer I find that none of my coworkers play games so I either look to forums or games like MMO for interaction with fellow gamers.

Were it becomes addictive is that you need to keep leveling so you can keep playing with your friends.

i always wondered, if someone calls it addictive, shouldnt it mean the game is like a drug? which means you want more and it doesnt matter who you are.

because frankly, im guessing its like 50% of the gamers who play wow who are addicted to it.

I played for a long time, but really only because I wanted to. Recently, I've wanted to play, but just can't get hooked on it.
BoG_