is it possible to play World of Warcraft and not get hooked?

i duno i thought it was boring as hell.. i only played it with my friends which was incredibly boringdarkfox101

Amen brother! I thought it was the most overrated and boring game I had played in a long time.

I think i could play and not get addicted.. but then i'll never know till i try the game.Rattlesnake_8

Weird, i thought playing any game with friends would make the experience a bit better. 

Yes, there is a way.

Play a better game. And don't pay by the month for it. 

[QUOTE="darkfox101"]i duno i thought it was boring as hell.. i only played it with my friends which was incredibly boringCrosader

Amen brother! I thought it was the most overrated and boring game I had played in a long time.

Yes by having a STRONG WILL.I played till level 9 and started to realize it's damm addictive.I threw off my disk and del my account.

Hmm, seems to be alot of WoW haters here.

I quit WoW awhile back after reaching 70 with 2 characters, but if you have any interest in RPG's, then you will probably love it. If you really are good at managing your time, then you should probably forget about it, as you need more then an hour a day  to play WoW, if you really want to experience everything the game has to offer, you need to live it.

Personally, I got hooked. I started becoming less social & left assignments & homework. Now that I have left WoW, & play games like Guild Wars cassually, I still feel like im missing out... 

Hmm, seems to be alot of WoW haters here.

Twin-Blade

Funny how someone instantly gets called a WoW hater just because they felt the game boring! Guess you can add me to the "Hater" list as I felt the game was boring as well!

I've been on WoW for several months now, and at first it was really awesome, with the questing and all. Then after a while it was kinda tiring trying to level up. WoW most definitely is preeminent among other MMORPGs, and I recommend it above any other. To answer your question directly: yes, it is possible to play WoW and not get hooked.

I havent really gotten hooked by it.. or at least so my friends says so...

i play a little bit but after like... 30min everyday i just cant play anymore cuz it gets so freaking boring....

my max lvl is 42..... and ive had WoW since its release...

Well if you say to yourself that you'll only play 1 hour than do that and you won't have a problem.jorgeluisbl

 But thats what people say before they take drugs, they say they'll do it once and they'll be fine, then get turn up being a junkie.

[QUOTE="jorgeluisbl"]Well if you say to yourself that you'll only play 1 hour than do that and you won't have a problem.ElectricNZ

 But thats what people say before they take drugs, they say they'll do it once and they'll be fine, then get turn up being a junkie.

lol

Where did you learn that?  D.A.R.E.? :lol:

Seriously folks, WoW is not addicting.  If you have any self respect and control, WoW, like everything else in life that is abusable, will be absolutely no problem at all.

I played for almost a year, maybe a few times a week for a couple hours a sitting.  Got to lvl 60, did some raids, found out I was bored of the game, and quit no problem.

If you like the game, you will NOT be able to hold off to 1 hour a day. I'm very good at self-control, but I couldn't help myself. It's simply the way the game has been built. Don't play WoW no more, but the same thing is happening to me now in LOTRO.

  It's just that there's always something that you're close to attaining, so you spend that extra time getting it, and when you get there, theres a new area, or a new interesting quest, or a new skill unlocked that will keep you on a little more.

Of course it is possible to play WoW and not get hooked. Personally I thought the game was garbage (one of the worst MMORPG's I've played) so there was no chance of my getting too wrapped up in it. Even so, if you have even a modicum of self-control, playing any MMORPG shouldn't be too much of a problem.

I've played more MMORPG's than I care to admit in the past 10+ years and I have never let any of them dominate or affect my personal life. Yep, it's called self-control.

[QUOTE="jorgeluisbl"]Well if you say to yourself that you'll only play 1 hour than do that and you won't have a problem.ElectricNZ

 But thats what people say before they take drugs, they say they'll do it once and they'll be fine, then get turn up being a junkie.

How can you compare a video game to drugs??? Drugs create a physical dependance on the people who use them, and profesional rehab is needed to cure their addiction. A video game is just a game, if you get addicted is because you spend too much time thinking about it instead of focusing on other activities.

A video game addicition can be easily cured by something called self-control. Comparing it to drugs is just nonsense.

[QUOTE="ElectricNZ"]

[QUOTE="jorgeluisbl"]Well if you say to yourself that you'll only play 1 hour than do that and you won't have a problem.SYdoggXxX

But thats what people say before they take drugs, they say they'll do it once and they'll be fine, then get turn up being a junkie.

How can you compare a video game to drugs??? Drugs create a physical dependance on the people who use them, and profesional rehab is needed to cure their addiction. A video game is just a game, if you get addicted is because you spend too much time thinking about it instead of focusing on other activities.

A video game addicition can be easily cured by something called self-control. Comparing it to drugs is just nonsense.

That's not true. Not all drug addictions are physical, some are psychological, some are both physical and psychological. Doing drugs is about getting high, which is all about loosing self control. Why do people get drunk? They do it to turn off their conscience and loose their self control. I used to do Angel Dust back in high school, believe me I know. I also know that rehab is all about weening you off the drug and teaching you the self control to not get back on it.

MMORPG's are a bit different though. How you get addicted to them is you get sucked into their community. You meet people that you party and quest with and they make you feel needed so you feel important to the game, which compells you play. So before you know it all you are doing is playing this game. Maybe all of your friends are on it, which is even worse because then its really hard to quit. That stays true for drugs as well. However, if you weren't playing the game what would you be doing? Going out to bars and parties and getting drunk, high, stoned, or crunk? That's what everyone I know who "has a life" does. How is that any better? How is that demonstrating self control? 

"However, if you weren't playing the game what would you be doing? Going out to bars and parties and getting drunk, high, stoned, or crunk? That's what everyone I know who "has a life" does. How is that any better? How is that demonstrating self control? "

You need new friends or surround yourself with different types of people then...

And to answer your question, "if you weren't playing the game what would you be doing?"

Riding Bikes

Spend time with kids (if you have any)

Spend quality time with wife (again, if you have one)

Sports

Reading

Studying and schooling

Dating (the movie/dinner kind)

Sex

Go to the beach

Go swimming in a pool

Working

Hanging out with friends

Go to a bar and just have a drink or two

Go dancing at a club

Take a walk with your significant other

Watch some tv

Invite friends/neighbors over for dinner

Go to a play

Go to a comedy club

Catch up with friends/family on the phone

Go boating/skiing/canoeing/base jumping/sky diving/fishing/camping/or other recreational activity

See a movie

ect..ect...ect...ect...

How in hell do you compare a video game addiction to a drug addiction.  One is purely mental, solely resting on the shoulders of the participant, while the other addiciton is mental for the first hit, then chemical for the remainder of the time.

Last time I checked, you cant smoke, snort, and shoot up WoW.

And you cant die from WoW withdrawel, but if youve ever seen an addict go cold turkey and see how their body physically needs the drug then I think you might change your mind.

However, if you weren't playing the game what would you be doing? Going out to bars and parties and getting drunk, high, stoned, or crunk? That's what everyone I know who "has a life" does. How is that any better? How is that demonstrating self control? Cerza

At what moment did I say that going out to bars and getting drunk or stoned was "having a life"? In fact, at what moment did I say "get a life" or that "people who play WOW have no life"? And why do you assume I'd be doing that stuff?

There's a lot more to life than games or getting drunk (dnuggs40 listed plenty in a previous post), so I'm not sure why do you limit your comment to those 2 activities. And where did you get the idea that by self-control I meant getting drunk and stoned?

For the record, if playing WOW makes you feel special (like you stated in your post), that's great. In fact if people wanted to play WOW nonstop, I don't have a problem with that. They're not harming me, and they only negative aspect of it, is if they end up neglecting their other obligations. If they find a proper balance (that's where self-control comes in), between gaming and other obligations in life, then they can play as much as they want. If someone can't properly balance the ammount of time he/she dedicates to a game, with other personal duties, then they're just irresponsible, not addicted. For what it's worth, playing a game is much more productive than getting stoned or drunk.

World of Warcraft is rapidly becoming outdated by games that simply have better MMORPG gameplay architecture. Meanwhile, Blizzard slaves away making level 70 content fun, leaving players who still actually have level 1-69 to go through wishing they could put a drill through their skulls.

I think that simply put, Ultima Online, a game that's "obsolete" by graphical standards, still beats WoW unconscious by pure brute strength of features.

Thus, WoW quickly becomes old and stale because you find there's nothing to do but grind your level over and over. There aren't any non-battle things you can do for fun. The game practically sets itself up to burn out the player in a rapid amount of time, leaving the only players remaining ones that are amused by that sort of repetition.

I for one couldn't stomach it, nor could I stomach the forceful teaming up you inevitably run across half the time. Yes Blizzard, you've given us thousands of quests, but how many of them can I do solo? 1/5th, at best? Telling your user base how to play will always be FTL.

It's possible. I wanted to see why it was soo big and what the hype was about, so i bought that 99cent 2 week trial thing. It's a cool game, I could see how you could get into it, but I chose not to because I have better things to do.

I don't blame people for getting hooked, I could see myself getting hooked if I wanted, but I didn't, so yes, it is possible.

World of Warcraft is rapidly becoming outdated by games that simply have better MMORPG gameplay architecture. Meanwhile, Blizzard slaves away making level 70 content fun, leaving players who still actually have level 1-69 to go through wishing they could put a drill through their skulls.

I think that simply put, Ultima Online, a game that's "obsolete" by graphical standards, still beats WoW unconscious by pure brute strength of features.

Thus, WoW quickly becomes old and stale because you find there's nothing to do but grind your level over and over. There aren't any non-battle things you can do for fun. The game practically sets itself up to burn out the player in a rapid amount of time, leaving the only players remaining ones that are amused by that sort of repetition.

I for one couldn't stomach it, nor could I stomach the forceful teaming up you inevitably run across half the time. Yes Blizzard, you've given us thousands of quests, but how many of them can I do solo? 1/5th, at best? Telling your user base how to play will always be FTL.

CaptainDingo

I usually dont pull the "numbers equals quality" argument since its a logical fallacy, but just look at the scoreboard.  6 million people and growing.  Lets face it: WoW is the standard by which MMORPGs should set themselves to beating.  Its the easiest to get into, the funnest to play through, and despite what everyone says the endgame content is awesome.

And concerning the level 70 addition, I was level 58 when the expansion came out.  But was I angry because the level cap that was two levels away was now 12 levels away?  No.  Thats because WoW is a good, solid, and fun game.  You make it sound like getting to 70 is the whole point in the game where for the past two years I have only gotten to level 63 and I couldnt be having more fun doing it!  Its the journey, man, not the destination.

And have you even played the game?  A fifth of the quests are soloable?  I would say that most of the quest, atleast 90% of them, are soloable.  That leaves a small yet adequate amount of quests that do require other party members.  And you sound upset about having to group with people for quest; I tohught that was the point of MMOs in general, to create a game where you interact with thousands of people in a persistant world and play with them.  If you want to play an online game where you quest by yourself go play Guild Wars (no offense to Guild Wars intended, but you dont need a party of real people to do PvE content in general).

I have tried just about every single free trial out there, from Anarchy Online to SW: Galaxies, and from LOTR Online to Vanguard, and nothing comes close to touching the near perfection of WoW.  I really am hoping the Age of Conan or the Warhammer one knocks WoW off its pedestal, or at least gives it some competition, but until then WoW is just fine.

How many of these WoW-addiction-related topics does there have to be?

And yes, it's possible to play any game, sport, hobby, lifestyle, trend, song, movie and not get hooked. 

im really good at managing time, like if i say to myself, ill only spend 1hour on this game, i will, i dont lie to myself or anything. do you think ill be able to play Wow and not get addicted?qoakzmwisjxneud