World of Warcraft Addiction *How I Beat It*
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ย. 2024
- World of Warcraft was the best and worst time of my life and with WoW Classic being released I felt inspired to share my story of addiction to help anyone else who is struggling.
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Have you played WoW? Did you find it addicting? Share below 👇🏼
Played WoW for 4 years non stop when it came out. Uninstalled many times but I really only with when I sold my account. Now I realise games are just human Skinner boxes. The brain circuits will always be there like so really the only way to win is to not play.
tdreamgmail thanks for sharing
I played wow since classic beta until cataclysm, I thought Pandaria was a joke and I quit before buying it. The problem with wow is endgame progression is like a job, guilds take things way too seriously, and you need to not only be dedicated to the guild, but you need to know your class well, be well geared, know tactics etc, or you're easily replaced/benched. Also you need to apply to guild through forms/interviews and go through trial peroids, you need repair gold, prepots, flasks, food, etc so you need to grind gold a lot outside raids. The game is designed to require all your time. I seriously couldn't keep up with 1-2 hours a night. I came back to try BFA and over the course of 6 months I played 3 months, and quit again. Addiction came back quickly, the game is designed in such a way that if you want to do endgame raiding you need to play it non-stop. Good job not going back to the nostalgia Cam, definitely right about it, if you can't handle moderation no one should go back to this game. If you can have fun leveling 1-120 and quit the game (call it completion) then it could be fine to explore as long as you have a finish line. Also please take into account no video game is worth £120 a year, the content you get isn't justified especially with a £30-40 expansion that doesn't come with included game time. THE SECRET TO WOW is Most of the game is time gated and progression is slow to increase your ilvl's ever so slightly on recycling/repeating dungeons over and over again, until the next patch/expansion comes out to make all your grind obsolete. There is no point to any of it, I'm not even sure if people are having fun repeating bosses over and over again, because all I saw is how much people rage at a raids and dungeons, the toxic crowd is more vocal and transparent. Safe to say with my BFA experience I will not go back to classic, been there, done that, it's even more of a waste of time redoing it all over again.
Dylan Tazzioli good to hear from you bro
E Erazor thanks for sharing really good insight
"The price of your new life, is your old life"
The ultimate quote that got me through quitting WoW and League.
Finally somebody understands what I’ve been going thru for the last 7 years!!! I almost lost my marriage and family over Wow. I quit cold turkey and although I haven’t played in forever I still crave playing. Yes I know I said CRAVE. My wife even asked me recently if I missed it. Luckily I have great nephews and grandkids to take up all of my spare time but I had to tell the truth to her and I said yes I do but I don’t have time for it. Life is out here and I gotta live it!! God bless and thanks for listening!!
I resonate with this video too although I’m not one the other side yet. I gave my PS4 to a friend today (literally drove to a friend’s house and gave him a box to keep-we had an interesting conversation to say the least) and plan to not return to FF14, at least until I have grown as a person. I have lost many of my friends, and am on the razor edge of losing my job. I’ve gained weight, my apartment is a train wreck, and I have tons of unopened mail, email, unreturned phone messages and have generally neglected many areas of my life. I don’t have tons of hope and will miss the community I had/have in FF14, but I hate the version of myself that I have become when I’m not playing and suicidal ideation is not fun.
@@bate01071 my Dude I pray that things turn out well for you. I know it’s a tough time right now but you are heading in the right direction even if it doesn’t seem like it right now. The road is definitely tough but it is absolutely worth it in the end. Keep striving and know that there are others out here who understand and we are pulling for you!!!
WOW did break up my marriage. My husband had an online affair with another woman in his guild. Eventually the courts put a stop to child contact
Very cool bro! Intro: Former hardcore gaming addict turned family man!
I didn’t quit WoW but WoW quit on me.
I got married , I got a life and a new baby born ❤️ I’m happier 😊
What if I prefer a fantasy world to a real one? Due to autism and not understanding humans I like the predictability of games.
@Daniel G thank you for your comment..and yes to be fair I clicked on this video because in a way I feel like I have been escaping for too long. And like you said it starts to feel like a job. Calculating how many hours I should play in a day to get certain goals. And I always find new goals. It's never ending. And do I really enjoy playing ? If Im honest... No. It used to be fun, exploring and stuff like a noob. But now it feels like I need to be the best, get the most xp.
On the other hand, the game is my safety blanket for so many years. I'm scared to be without it if that makes sense. It's part of a very long routine.
Lol, loser
@Professor raccoon is a wife xD
@@spaketticarbonada9651 Thats pretty much Addiction, if you want to work on it or not, thats your decision.
Since WoW Classic's release (08/26/2019) to today (07/01/2020), I have clocked in 65 days and 17 hours time played. 65.7/311 = .211 - I have spent 21% of all the time that has transpired from August 26th, 2019 until now playing Classic World of Warcraft. I am the main tank of my guild, a guild officer, and generally a community figurehead to those who know me in-game. I canceled my subscription today as well as informed my guildmates that I will no longer be playing. Like the speaker in this video, I have had a lot of depression during these past 10 months, and I view quitting as the first step in the right direction. I wouldn't say that playing WoW causes depression, but for some (like me) it exacerbates it and does absolutely nothing to fix the problem. I'm glad you made this video and it made me realize that there are many people who feel the same way I do. I do not harbor anger for those who continue to play WoW, but for me, I'm glad it is out of my life.
How's going?
hows it going?
Give us an update!
Today I canceled my subscription... I think my new journey begins today
I've been addicted to gaming for 10 years. I quit just 2 weeks ago and I have no cravings for it. The way I quit was by actually forcing myself not to enjoy the games. I have no idea how I done it but I just got on the game and got my self banned to force my self to hate gaming and eventually quit. And also you have helped me get that motivation. I tried quitting gaming about 10 times but I kept coming back after 2 days. But now I have stopped for about 2 weeks now and my life is totally different. Random people come up to me and talk to me. I'm still working on my social skills. People say in socially awkward sometimes but I'm working on it. Thank you so much cam my life will definitely change because of you.
Great job on quitting for two weeks, keep it up!
I can really relate to this. I haven't played wow in 4 Years, but with te classic release I just had to go back.
I told myself that I can just play for a couple of hours in the weekend, but that just doesn't work with wow.
The game seems to be designed to completely consume you.
When you play wow, and you have some free time, you are automatically drawn to the game instead of socializing or improving yourself.
Which is a huge problem when you are self-employed.
I love this game and everything about it, but I must sacrifice it if i am to live a fulfilling life.
Thank you for sharing your experience with game addiction, I really needed this to start being honest with myself.
Sounds like me lol own a flooring business and have been neglecting it alot since playing wow classic
I don't currently play WoW, but I'm a drug addiction in recovery and WoW was my first addiction ever. I was 11 when I got hooked. Although I'm not currently addicted to video games, I hit the minute and 15 seconds mark and instantly realized that you were for real because it's exactly how I'd describe my relationship with drugs.
This helped me cement my decision, thank you man
Yes, video games pay you zero dollars per hour, Sleep and Work and Cooking your own food is more important, we only have 24 hours per day which we will never get back.
Better to never play than to ever do -JACK
@@MoneyMan28 we spend it how we wish, but at what cost -JACK asks you ehatcost did you make to enjoy life a little or alot until it came crashing downward at you again like it does for all of us
Went 10 years without playing, missed it everyday. Started playing 3 days ago and realized i wasted alot for a video game lol
Are u addicted now again
I'm glad I saw this. I started playing WoW just as Wotlk was coming out and spent a good few months on it when I was 18. On and off over the years I came back for a month or two, and I have come back for Classic.
Like you mentioned, I have also found myself thinking what I need to do in the game as soon as I wake up. I have all of these in-game priorities that I feel now that are affecting my life. Back when I was younger I didn't really think about it, but now I have realised that it really is detrimental. It takes away so much from my real life because I can't exercise moderation with it; if I play just a little bit, I end up wanting to keep playing. I need to liberate myself from this and focus on things that better my life and benefit me. I know that in the end having all the best gear and mounts in the game won't matter. It won't impress anyone or make my life better. None of it matters or really means anything. Time to let it go.
How did this happen? It isnt wow that does it you just have a addictive personality like most these people do, we must strive for change rather than going back to "what just worked at the time" -JACK
I played wow since I was 12 years old. WoW was a big part of my life and all my friends did play too, so I never felt that i dissocialize or something like that. We also often met outdoors and did other stuff. I stopped playing computer games when I was 18 and did some voluntary work as paramedic(support). Work made me tired so I didnt feel the need to play games, I just wanted to relax after work. Then I started to study medical engineering and used all my time for my studies. I did my bachelor thesis at my dream company, because a professor of mine recommended me. I'm now doing my master thesis at the same company in software engineering(medical stuff, geometric modeling). I started playing WoW a year ago since I stopped when I was 18 ( I'm 25 now) and my head tells to to commit to my master thesis completely (which I will do of course). But the urge to play WoW is so big. I still love this game and rediscovered it with classic(retail lost me a long time ago) and it feels strange to say, but what I really want to do, is play WoW the whole day every day. It's kinda sad I guess
Hey, thanks for sharing your story dude! I've been addicted to wow for years as well and quit in 2013 when I almost lost my hand muscles due to a trapped nerve in my elbow, from gaming hours on end in wow. The surgeon gave me a 5% chance my muscles would recover the atrophy (which they did!). The cravings are hitting me hard this week and it actually scares me how strong the urge to play wow is after all these years and the physical reminder I have with a still not 100% functional hand (tho I do have the strength to do calisthenics!)
thanks for watching
I calculated the time spent on one of my characters and it was more than the time it would take me to get my Master degree. Go figure!
Thanks, Cam. It was good to see this, today especially. I will always have great memories of my time in Azeroth, but I'm in a different phase of my life now. It's important to identify just what it is that you're wanting out of your desire to return to this game or that game. For most of us that played WoW, I think it was the community. WoW had the best community out of any game I ever played, and it forced you to socialize. I crave to go back to it to find a guild, to help build a community. I know that this will take time & effort away from my real life, and will be worse for me in the long run. Everything in my life improved when I got rid of my gaming computer. It's a lonelier road, so far at least, but that has been the only drawback. Thanks again for the video. You're not alone in your pangs of WoW nostalgia.
Spencer Nation well said! The community was a big part of it all. I still stay in touch with friends from back then.
I really admire your fortitude! I got divorced from a gamer. The last year of the marriage was so awful. He went to work but the rest of his time was spent on a computer gaming. It was terrifying watching someone be so addicted..like being married to a heroin addict. I moved out and for years i never wanted internet or computers in my house. I have 2 sons that are gamers. They do both have a life outside of gaming which is good but...The funny thing is i have bought lots of games for both kids growing up, was married to a gamer but have never actually played myself. I love your blogs and the deep understanding you have of why people game. What seems like harmless entertainment becomes soul sucking addiction
Thanks Mary! Sorry to hear things didn't work out with your husband.
I started seeing a guy who’s more addicted to gaming than me....now after hearing your story it’s definitely a good time to get out
It's your own mind. If you can't resist the addiction then it's your fault. I was also addicted but I moved on. Now I only game for 2 hours a day.
My story:
I've been playing World of Warcraft since 2003 beta, became a GM in 2005, and joined Vanilla private servers like RetroWoW until the present. After leaving the game, I still had dreams about it. And even though I’ve acquired every item, played every class, and achieved every rank, I still want to play. It’s sad, because there‘s more to life than playing something that isn’t real.
As someone once eloquently put it:
“Quit right now. Stop playing this game. Because if you get to 60 and you get to experience the game, you’re going to hate all those other games that you were gonna play. And it’ll be the only game you wanna play, and you’ll be like me, playing one game for 13 years. Don’t get to 60, don’t do that, you’re gonna ruin your life and you’re gonna love it.”
I will miss the staff, players, and the great memories we made together.
Rest In Peace to a friend who used to play with me. Heavens waiting for a G.
-Love
thanks for sharing
Thanks for the video. I played WOW and I believe it was the game that started my video game addiction. I have managed to quit wow but unfortunately the addiction still exists through other games. I quit and go back all the time and have not managed to quit for 90 days. It’s not as bad as previously in my life but I still struggle. Please continue making more videos they help tremendously.
Kelly Arendt I definitely will - keep going you can overcome this :)
I would turn it around in my head. Imagine if you would return to WoW Classic or whatever other MMORPG. Imagine playing the game at a 'normal' pace, a.k.a. 2-5 hours per week. How fast would you progress? Pretty much nothing at all. These games are build to reward game addicts to give them advantage over others. It is never designed to enjoy at a 'normal pace'. So don't start MMORPGs, even if they are free to play.
well said
@@GameQuitters Well, thanks to you after putting gaming for 30 years as priority number 1, I am now 1 week away from my 90 days challenge. It gives you time to ponder about things.. ;)
Ronald Stoute huge accomplishment bro well done
I disagree to be honest, some people can play WoW casually without any issues. What is 'normal' pace? Its what you define to be normal. I work a normal 40 hour work week, go to the gym 3-5 times a week depending on my workout schedule, I have a girlfriend, I have some friends in real life and many friends ingame. And I want to play 2-4hours of WoW Classic per day. Is that normal or abnormal? And who is to decide whats normal? In my opinion, as long as you can maintain a healthy relationship with your real life, there is no problem with playing WoW.
@@Kylemathews1 Yes, I will get back to you when it happens alright? Until then I enjoy my life, working hard, lifting heavy and playing WoW casually.
I've been addicted to video games since I was born. I've managed to cut back quite a bit though. That false sense of accomplishment and satisfaction of progress is addictive as hell. I needed this video for motivation.
glad you've been able to cut back
@@GameQuitters Thanks! I sold my entire gaming collection and only have a tiny amount of games on Steam now. I'd like to get my life on track and start volunteer work somewhere.
I appreciate your honesty to gaming addiction and being open and honest about to truth from your point of view.
Respect from a ex gamer.
thanks mr money! :D
I quit 4 years ago to get a better life and be more happy.
so good to hear that
Game Quitters I hope you keep strong and made your company bigger and better for others and yourself too
I don't wanna argue but I wanna ask: Why did you quit gaming in the first place? Did you become addicted that even sticking to singleplayer or offline game doesn't even change you still?
Cam,
Thank you for this video. There are not enough similar videos, and this type of honest, thoughtful advice is sorely needed. I am sure that you have helped many people and you should be proud of that. I miss MMOs too and I often consider returning. I too have had to constantly fight the urge to return. I too am happier staying away. I have spent the last 8 years building a business with my new wife and my life is much richer for it.
I love games such as WOW and I loved the time I spent there. I wish that I were able to balance real life and game life. Maybe in the future I will return, but in the meantime it is important to express the experience of game addictions.
I admire your honesty here. Best of luck to you. If you happen to be in the Los Angeles area let me know. Maybe we can meet over a beer to reminisce once the coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
Jeff
Thanks Jeff!
I started playing wow about 4 years ago. For me its something that will keep me awake during the weekday evenings after work. Im in my late 50s and after working 10 hours during the day I found myself falling asleep in front of the tv 1/2 hour after I got home and then getting up at 2am. I tried some of my childhood hobbies like building model cars and reading and such but always ended up falling asleep. Then I tried minecraft and it worked. After a couple of years on minecraft i got bored and switched to wow. I play about 2 hours a night and not much on weekends.
I quit today again, hopefully for the last time. Thx for the vid mate.
still quit?
Just deleted all of my characters. It was tough, but this game was slowly starting to destroy my life. Time to move on....
good decision, i feel that
Good for you mate. I wasted a year of my life playing it and I wised up and hit the delete button after I took a look at myself in the mirror as I put on 25 pounds that year and was ignoring true life pleasure. As far as i am concerned the game is pure EVIL.
i too quit when I looked in the mirror and saw I was becoming the South Park character as I invested much more no-lifer-time into my character and "got good"
South Park - I love the corporate shrills question in the WOW episode when he asks, "How do you kill that which has no life?" Lol
Damn, really needed this. Thank you.
WoW addiction is BAD, bad news. I hope I can pull away. I always feel like I am "investing" in the "value" of my account... But there isn't any outside of nostalgia! I need to break this. Been playing since TBC on and off. I was able to get away from retail turning me off so bad, but now they reintroduce TBC. And even though it is a mess, it will be hard to stay away. It is DEADLY addictive.
This was eye opening and really help in my decision to stop playing WoW. Every fiber of my being wants to go back and just keep going but the things im sacrificing to play was becoming to much and this was a true help to know im not alone with this
glad it helped! come join us on the forums or discord, the extra support will help a lot: forum.gamequitters.com or discord.gg/gamequitters
i feel very fortunate my parents didn't allow me to play WoW. I just refused when my friends asked. I know if I got into it I would be cursed with life-long cravings... how lucky to have never taken a bite
sometimes parents actually do a lot of good :)
It's kinda sad tho WoW is still a one of a kind experience you don't know what you have until you lose it and if you've never had it to begin with how can you truly be fortunate.
@@firofiore6638 there are many once in a lifetime experiences. Things like a day at the park with your family. Or a road trip with friends. I think what makes things feel good is knowing it's the right thing to do, in the moment. For people in the hayday of WoW, playing was the right thing to do for them at that time. It's the holding on to that thing, the living in the past, that causes the thing to become an unhealthy addiction. Because we know it's no longer the right thing to do.
Thank you for sharing story ...wow is very addictive,,, I stop playing 2 year now but not because I want to stop because I want to do something for life, still play every month because I still hope to get back on the game again later .. well done you to totally cut off
Friend got me to come back, roll my WoW account. Literally he told me that the solution to my irl problems at work, being stalked, harassed, and npd abuse at work was to play WoW. This was the end of WoD, it was like come back to WoW, devs put in flying, and you can get an LED moose. Legion, BFA, and Shadowlands added way more FOMO. Shadowlands has seasonal mount FOMO, KSM etc. While it was an escape it's not cured my problems lol.
Dude i'm in this right now, my life is being destroyed around me. I googled how to quit, having finally realized i'm addicted to the escape. 1/4 throguh the video right now when i'm writing this.
Still playing WoW while i write this, your story is similar to mine right now. I'm unsure what to do, but your video has inspired me. I feel so achived in thegame, but everytime I achive something greater, i just want something even further, it never ends. I've realized its not worth my time. Anyone have advice to quit? Going to try quitting for 3 months.
thanks for sharing - things can get better. follow the advice we have on our website: gamequitters.com/respawn
I think I'm the same... I would like to play in moderation but I can't REALLY! Because even if I play just a few hours, then I will spend so much time THINKING about it. And it just consumes mental energy that I could spend thinking about my goals, or friends or etc...
I quit for some years to achieve some important goals, but recently I got addicted again. Now I'm 30 days clean.
Thanks, Cam!
Leonard Burca agreed I find myself thinking about games way more than I would expect... in addiction criteria it’s called preoccupation
cam i used to watch your videos years ago i officially quit for 2 years and i have picked up my passion in music production thank you for ever video
way to go!
I've lost a relationship cause of this game, I can't stop crying at the moment. I just don't understand how a person can prefer imaginary world to a real one. Any kind of addiction is bad and should be eliminated right when it starts getting out of hands. There is nothing wrong with having 1-2 drinks a week, but drinking every night is a problem. I don't see how gaming is different from this. Playing a few hours a week is perfectly normal, playing a few (is 5-8 hours even a few?) hours a day is an addiction. This is just unbelievable.
sorry to hear that :(
if aims mythic, I see no reason it is less than 4 hours a day(it apparently is a great obstacle to realistic career).
I’ve been playing MMOs since the mid 00’s. I’m 33 now and able to play more than ever the older I get.
Thanks a lot for sharing, I was also addicted to WoW and then diablo, starcraft 2 and variety of other games. There was a time when I closed myself off from my family as well, so I can get more time gaming. Then one day it just occurred to me that I am wasting the golden years of my life, reading your articles definitely helped me and going cold turkey was the only way out for me (I tried restricting bunch of times earlier but didn't work). Now, I am more in control of my life than ever! Thanks a lot for sharing, and your emails are a constant reminders if I ever get a craving to get back.
Thanks for sharing Rahul - glad the articles have helped you out!
All games are addictive, but you have the choice to stop or control it. That what I did is to control it and play a most 2 hours if I did not have any thing to do.
I did not discover wow until after I left college, although I am aware of my friends playing during the school year, I decided to wait until graduation. It paid off big time, I have been gainfully employee for 8+ years now, married with two kids. Only issue is my wife sometimes complains I make wow a priority over her but she eventually got used to it and we are forever greatful. I still play wow but I am afraid of my kids watching me as they grow. I havent decided what to tell them yet.
wish you good luck
In 2007 I picked up a copy of WoW on a whim and when my girlfriend saw it, she actually started crying. I literally just threw it away and didn't play. Reading all this, I probably owe that girl my life.
@user-lp4qv6jh2r She got fat and I left her
I am clean from games, i have huge progress in university, games are addiction, you help us, the comunity say you thanks for you support
way to go!
i have stopped playing for about 3 years but still to this day i think about going back and olaying my rogue but when i think about the thinks i achieved in these 3 years it kinda changes my mind.
I didn't play wow, but I did get addicted to Fortnite, watchdogs, Terraria, Minecraft and clash of clans, I am glad I quit
btw nice hoodie
Beamish Foreman thanks! It says seek discomfort but that was cut off I didn’t notice until the end lol. From Yes theory
Chasing the past, good times, good feelings, BUT IT IS DESIGNED TO BE THAT WAY. YOUR LIFE IS WORTH MORE!
Excellently spoken. I was also a wow addict from vanilla through wolk.
Was also really addicted to WoW, never couldn't stop, also League of Legends. I tried to quit gaming already 4 times (reached max 1 month now) Now it's my 5th time, 16 days now, huge cravings again, but now I'm better prepared. I'm going to start read books for the first time ever, I'm much better for my family, I'm going to travel a lot, Improving my social skills at school and paid for 2 years gym at once, so i cant go back anymore from the gym. And I have now new goals, I'm going for a roadtrip in Europe next year and I want an internship in a new country. The 5th try I really see the benefits because I'm better prepared! I hope I can hold this forever and only see myself more growing. Thanks for your help!
glad you're feeling better!
I have been playing since 2004. I can't stop.
I quit WoW in 2017 after playing since 2005, on and off, I realized that the game was on endless repeat, every single expansion being the same thing, you always lose your progress, now it's a new shiny raid for you to do! So I kind of gave up on it, I still had "Friends" there though, so I kept playing, and after falling out with them, I had nothing left... so yeah, kinda grateful for that, now I can do other things, starting with repairing the damage 12 years of that game did to my body, still working on it, and still gaming, but I enjoy a great bit more variety, and play with real life friends now.
Hey, thanks for watching. Focusing on your physical health will be great - hang in there.
I had a several problem with this game. I've played since 2012 and I am a shy and lonely people and this game gave me some reconigtion and relationships, nowadays nobody of my online friends play anymore, though. But I used to play it for 12h or 17h per day, I got like 20 reprovations in my college and I didnt care about study, health, or anything. Just my character and my objectives in game were important to me. It almost destructed my life. I used it as a drug, and I dont know if someday I will play this game again.
how are you doing now?
Thank you for ask and grats for your work!
I found professional help, dont play world of warcraft since september of this year, trying save what I can at college and go back to society. I used the game as a drug to forget life, and when I decided repair this, would want kill myself because Im 28 years old, no job, 0% relashionships, unless people of my home. Now, I want to try change this. Its very hard and the will to open the game to try be something is big. But cant bring the achivements of wow to real life. And I dont have friends in the game anymore, found only toxic people in last 2 years, specially because Im brazilian and called me "monkey" and other racist words much times. Its a dark side of online game.
@@DanielSilva-hl9qm maybe that can help you I saw this powerful image the other day, it was something like this:
ANXIETY REGRETS ACTIONS
YOU decide
When u gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back - Selena
In my highest state of addiction during university I was like: „Man, I could also just quit Uni and play WoW for the rest of my life that’s even better!!“
was the worst Semesters of my life for sure, had to retake them. I was playing WoW for 80-100 hrs a week.
Then I just cancelled my subscription and stopped.
Now, 1.5 years later I started again during Covid... guess what my weekly game counter says? 80hrs. Im still in Uni and kinda have the time but man, I need to stop asap again.
did u get good college grades?
An addiction is like a rope that constantly surrounds you. The more you get involved, the more the rope tightens and the more it keep surrounding you. Before you know it, you can''t move and you can't breathe. It will suck the life out of you. And...... it will always affect others.
I still struggle with wow. Although I quit playing last year, I still find myself thinking about it and thinking about wanting to play. I have to fill that gap of playing with something else. That's the only way to get past it.
Wow literally ruined my life and my family relationship that I still struggle to fix. I quit school because of wow and now i work in a shitwork bcz of this. For a guy like me wow was like heroin. If u think ur kid can get addicted, consider it as if its heroin and do not let them start. They will hate u, but they will be happier.
Sorry to hear that man.
And hopefully they will punish you for taking away what they like because of your fears.
I started in 2006, quit in 2007 and game back in 2008 then i quit and game back for wotlk and quit again and i was free since 2009. However i continued on private servers and the cravings was still there and oh boy did classic get me hooked, fortunately i quit when just before phase 3 and it feels like i finally put an end to my wow addiction. Seeing what vanilla actually was like has killed a lot of memories and it made me realize how much time i wasted into this game during my youth. This addiction generally applies to every game though, csgo and competetive games can be very addicting. If you are a person who is prone to addiction as in you have addiction in family history (alcoholist, drug users) then stay away from wow, it can absolutely suck you in just like heroin.
thanks for the honesty Can, everyday every hour every minute is a choice to chose not to follow your addiction
thanks bro!
Wow, I had no idea games caused all these problems for people.
I binge play for a few hours a day for weeks at a time then won't play for months.
Seldom play during summer months, always during the winter as it saves spending money going out.
Never experienced WOW, think I will now.
Cheers fella!
great to hear you are able to keep it in balance. most people can, just some people can't. enjoy!
That is were I fall into as well.
you should just quit, games are horrible. you'll be this guy if you keep playing
@@fatkidsittinginachair4259 he can make decisions for himself
@@beamishforeman9425 yeah, let him make the bad decision..
Thank you so much for sharing! This really helps!
I think more people struggle with this issue than we see.
glad it helped 🙏🏼
I feel like alot of modern gaming now a days is a toxic/unfriendly environment. Alot of people in these games especially MMOs constantly have these game egos that are unnecessary. Trying to leave the gaming environment is very difficult as well, most of your online buddies only want to talk about the game or push you to come back to complete xyz.
the toxic environment is a fair point and I think still not spoken about nearly enough
To me term "toxic" associates with the current extreme tip-toeing PC culture that is being pushed on the culture, which *naturally* created this authoritarian-like censorship across the board...
I almost never game anything any more, so this change was really noticeable to me, especially, when on Overwatch I received a warning that I'm close to getting permanently banned, after I went on a SINGLE rant about the game balance and Blizzard shoving all the LGBTQABCDEFG down our throats with the characters, simply *because it's popular* lately...
So that's *my* rant.
I would like to say that I was wrong about what I said on one of your videos. I thought to play video games in moderation was the solution for everyone but over the past few months, I have come to realize that this just isn't true. Depending on the severity of your prior addiction some of us may have to abandon video games for a very very long time, maybe for the rest of our lives. The same rings true for any other addiction. So with that said if you know that your addiction was so powerful that it had completely taken control of your mind and in the process started to destroy your life. It may take more than a few years to safely face the demon again. Some of us may never be able to return safely, so know yourself and what category you fall in. If you are trying to build a better life and video games are the Kryptonite you might have to put them in a box and seal it away forever. Good luck out there.
thanks! wishing you well
My relationship with that game is incredibly toxic. Video was pretty helpful and guess I needed that extra push to put it away. Pretty much hit every nail on the head.
I quit wow because of college. I majored in 3d art and had no problems getting a job afterwards. No way any of this was possible if I kept playing wow. I'm much happier now, but I have to admit I still think about wow and the friends I made and the good times I had. Truly an addictive game.
I quit wow today, had 102 days played on my main and realized i needed to do school or i would be completly helples when i have to move out and live on my own. Hurts very bad.
it will get better :)
Keep in mind it helps to acknowledge that video games are often intentionally designed to be addictive to keep you playing. New content updates, cheap sales, sequels, and a whole universe of media content related to gaming support it. The video game industry is significantly more popular and profitable than the movie industry and you don't even have to leave your house.
The identity aspect should never be underestimated. I had this realization hit me hard.
Not wow but another MMO. I told myself, "This is it. You're going to put your account up for sale. You're going to move on." I had six characters on multiple servers.
I hadn't listed it for more than five minutes before I took it down, crying. It honestly felt like I was killing a part of my identity. The characters were parts of me and had identities, and the real world me struggled with identity, social anxiety and ptsd.
I want to work on my real world character, and grow skills, and make the identity. Then maybe one day I can completely leave the game behind. Thank you x
You just have a identity crisis, it's ok to not know who you are yet, just try and find it out there more than in the game -JACK
Let me tell you this story that my dad told me.
so my dad and my mom started playing wow together when it came out or got popular and my dad would work at his job then come home and play WoW with my mom again. Sometimes he would not go to work though and just play wow. idk if any of you guys go to church and believe in god but my parents do and that's how I've been raised but anyways. My dad one day was sleeping, god gave him this dream where he had died and was being judged by god. He said aye (my dad's name) don't wanna share that) I have given you so many gifts what have you done with them during your life. My dad said, "well, i have a level 60 paladin god and a bunch of good gear." God said (my dad's name) why haven't you done anything meaningful in your life? I gave you all of your gifts. Then my dad said that he went to HELL after that in his dream. He then woke up scared and sweating and told my mom about the dream and they agreed to never play WoW again. Well sometime went by and my dad deleted everything the one night whole account and everything he was even willing to smash his computer that's how much he wasn’t going to play it. My mom however didn’t delete her account and she would sneak on to WoW every single day for around 8 months or like a year. I don't remember the exact time. 8 months sneaking something that's a long time to be sneaking something. Then one day my dad was sus and decided to search my moms computer when she wasn't home one day. HE FOUND IT. after 8 months of sneaking a pointless video game. See i was really young when this happened and i do remember a time in my life when my mom would play on her computer until my dad got home, of course i didn't understand this. But I also remember them fighting, like bad fights screaming yelling smashing stuff cussing all that and more. Over a pointless video game WoW. I know most of you guys reading this probably played or play wow. You can play the game idc (i don't care) but that's your choice not mine and i'm not telling you, you can't play either. It is just an addictive game though and has ruined people's lives. Back to the story. My dad decided he couldn't trust her as much anymore, because if she could do that she was capable of anything. Eventually years later or two I don't remember though, My parents divorced. My dad moved to Seattle. My mom was in the same town and then moved to her moms aka my grandma. Anyways she continued to play wow still. ADDICTED. She then met this guy from her work and they both started to play wow together a lot. Then down the road the two WoW lovebirds got married irl. (in real life) later they had two kids. And now they play wow all day every day. My step dad is a raid captain or something and yells at people all day long and it's really nerdy. Even at work he plays wow when he's not working but at a hotel because he goes far away for work. They play almost every day all day from like 8 to 1 am sometimes. My mom and step dad are addicted to WoW. It's sad because they don't really do things with our family and they make lame excuses about it too. Like before covid hit we stayed home almost everyday except to go to the store. And my mom said to my dad yeah we are gonna stay home now so we don't get sick. That's what we were already doing so nothing changed for me there. But yeah they are mega addicted and don't really spend quality time with us kids. My dad has friends he hangs out with and stuff and he's a pretty decent guy hasn't touched wow since. My mom has no real friends she ever hangs out with literally since my dad was with her. She only has online friends now. Meanwhile my dad hangs out with his buddies a lot and he works with one of them,(he's the family friend now though) and my dad knew him from middle school and my dad is close to 40 years old. I play video games. I enjoy them but i will never play wow because i see what it has done to my mom semi ruined her life. I was watching a hoarder show and this guy had so much stuff it was a level 10 they said, and there was 20 year old food, wrappers, and garbage and his wife couldn’t breathe right. He said, i've never been a hoarder and never will be.” i told my mom once she's addicted to wow and she said she's not and she doesnt play that often and she just enjoys it and is not addicted to it.
Anyways my point is WoW is an addicting game for some people and it can ruin lives i mean think of what my mom could have or still could accomplish with her life, I just don't want more people to end up like that and i fear that my mom will have the same fate my dad did in his dream. So maybe try and take a break from the game or quit or play HEALTHY amounts of time on the game i would say 4 hours max each day. But just think all the amazing things you could do instead of playing WoW all day. At the end of the day it does nothing for you unless you're a streamer (who actually makes a stable income) then that's different. But for the people who are not i encourage you to do something with your life, try something new maybe or make something cool. My dad made this really cool table once. But anyways the game can be addicting but you can break away from that just start off playing less everyday or just stop for a whole month and see how you feel because its like smoking if you can go without it a week or two then you should be good, i mean this game does almost nothing for you in the long run so why waste your time. That's all video games are, something to do that can be fun and waste some time.
Bye and thanks for reading this. I strongly suggest you stop playing this game.
Anyways thanks and bye
The story of your parents is similar to the story of me and my husband, your words are very realistic and true, I am currently suffering from addiction and I want to leave wow sooner rather than later Please pray for me I really want to change my life..
i play it to remind of when i lived with my dad it reminds me of my real life that was tooken away from me
Hey, Cam. I been following you for some years now. I read your letters from time to time. I like the work you do, yet sometimes it seems that the message is that addiction is the root of the problem.
It is not. Addiction is not an illness, it's a symptom. You can't just quit addiction and think it fixes something. I think if someone sees that some addiction destroys his life, one should search for reasons and deal with them, otherwise just quitting might not have the lasting effect.
Hi Alek, I think in basically all of my content I constantly talk about identifying underlying reasons and fixing them as a means to break the specific "addiction" you feel. But maybe I need to phrase things better, will look into it.
We always outgrow some aspect in our life and that is normal.
the virtual life, fiction makes more sense, real life only brought me pain and misery, rejection, actually world of warcraft saved my life, it gave me a reason to be, compose part of my personality, to move away of my real life habits. When I was younger I was really addicted to this game, but nowadays I can weigh things without letting the game intervene in my choices and responsibilities, but gaming experience is still very important to me to this day, it made me who I am.
Good
Ya I relapsed about 3 months ago but only played for about 3 weeks then quit again. Last time I’m logging in for good. Love that game but can’t even express how much time I’ve wasted...
i never reached a 2.1k rating in wow. this was the first season. i just deleted all my 226 items...
I played wow in 2015. I was one of the best healers on my server, having the best equipment (ilvl 698) during patch 6.1
I had 950 000 gold, I had everything in this game. But then, patch 6.2 came out. My gear immediately became shit ) And then I finally understood: I spent 6 months doing NOTHING! And I need to stop playing this game... it was very difficult, because I had a very friendly guild, I wanted to save contacts with my friends, but they just wanted me to stay in wow and heal their raids. I refused. You know, this aspect of the game is very important. You want to help your friends, you want to have fun with them, to kill huge monsters with them, to save the world with them... but real life is more important.
I know about classic wow and I am literally shaking right now like a drug addict. My god, these urges...
Blizzard made the best MMORPG of all time... Virtual Heroine.
Human brain is not supposed to play online games.
hang in there bro you've got this
It is definitely nothing like heroin. If you think wow is anything even like heroin you've never been around heroin addicts.
@@Theforsakenmedia I've got a friend who swears he finds WoW more addictive honest to god.
shouldve streamed it to twitch
@@dorsia6938 ok yeah but you don’t have a physical withdrawal when you stop playing wow. Apple to orange
I started playing wow in 2004, and have played it ever since i currently play classic wow where i spend at least 14+ hours a day in game, i am currently grinding for GM PvP rank 14, i would say im addicted but i couldn't care ales that i am addicted, it for me is exactly as you said i am respected,popular and have people that love me on the server that i am on i achieve all my goals that i set myself within wow. in Real life i have been used abused lied to cheated on and many other things, also suffering from Social anxiety and having lost both my parents from cancer last year - wow has been there for me and is a place i can go that i can be the person that i feel like has faded away in real life i can be who i truly am. I have meet some of the people that i would consider to be my best friends now..
I logged on to my husband's level 70 warlock and found that in 2 years he's logged over 3k hours. Makes me so sad. Our kids are 7, 5, and 3 and he will not get this time back with them, and he doesn't seem to care.
Hi Taylor sorry to hear - I have an article here on a husband's gaming problem and there is a link on there to book a call to discuss a plan to get him back on track: gamequitters.com/husband-addicted-to-video-games/
I played WoW for many years! It was a love and hate kind of relationship. I picked WoW over GF's,work,family,friends it was real bad to be honest. I sold gold back before tokens were a thing so that helped with bills and etc. One day I woke up and looked in the mirror I was 22 and unhappy and unhealthy! So I sold all my gold then sold my account found other hobbies to help me with the withdraws. I swear quitting WoW was harder then quitting smoking cigs lol Anyways I'm 26 now I have a family and a really great life it's funny how in 4 years you can change years of damage and bad habits you made for yourself. XD
so glad you'e doing better!
I think it’s time, I’m starting to feel like my life is slipping away. 1. No friends 2. Procrastinating at applying to nursing school 3. I talk about video games constantly. I’m remembering how sweet my life was when I wasn’t playing them at all.
It’s hard because I don’t drink so I feel lost.
If your life was sweet when you weren't playing, I think that's a good sign something needs to change. You've got this!
Same here man. I’ve racked up about 20 days playing time in the past 2 months need to quit.
I started playing WoW in 2005. I played so much that I got tendonitis in my right wrist, and it was pretty bad because I was kind of in denial about it for a while. I had to stop playing all video games because of it, and it kinda messed up my wrist for the future. After other events that led to a recurrence of that same tendonitis, I lost myself in about 5 years of chronic tendonitis that stopped me from playing guitar, biking, writing, etc etc. It was awful. I felt useless and sad. Luckily I eventually found a physiotherapist (I had seen many who didn't help) that actually was able to help me. It was life changing. I want to be a physiotherapist now. WoW really fucked me up, but I guess it put me on a good path eventually.
glad you're feeling better. thanks for sharing
I've known personally a couple of families that broke up over this game or rather the husband playing it too much. Avoid at all costs if it's addictive for you
same :(
My friend recently lost his job as a club bouncer due to Covid-19 has been online playing 14-16 hrs a day, he doesn't even answer messages on socials. I heard that he even does drugs to stay awake to play longer. I constantly see him online on discord, playing. I don't play WoW myself and never have so I don't understand. I don't know how to help him and can't go to see him very often as I live in another city.
Holy shit thank you. I can’t believe I found someone like me. I can’t limit my play at all. It’s either I play 24/7, neglect literally everyone and everything or I don’t play at all. I’ve tried to limit it but I just can’t. Thought I was alone
hey glad to hear you resonated with the video - come join us on the forums, the extra support will help a lot: forum.gamequitters.com
Bro cold turkey is the only way to quit after 25 years of gaming stop before your becomes worse the respawn program is good you have to apply it and use it
I too have played wow during the TBC age and tbh, good riddance. That game put me into the dumps, literally - If not for my parents you could have justly labeled me a homeless person. *I am not proud of that timespan and I certainly don't want to go back there again* (imagine declining rl friends gatherings to "tank a raid for random people on the internet" LMAO!).
Adios, WarCrack!
Thanks for sharing
Well those random people were your friends! Show some respect! Just because it was a virtual contact doesn't mean it was meaningless! They were also people behind those characters, not AI!
I feel like after watching most TH-cam videos about video game addiction, I'm starting to stick more to playing singleplayer video game than multiplayer cause I know I'd be addicted instantly if I play online too often. Nowadays, I just play some old NFS game such as Carbon and Hot Pursuit 2010 for example, that focus more on singleplayer instead of multiplayer, or even so, it doesn't focus on making players addicted because of loot boxes, cosmetics, etc. I still do multiplayer though, don't get me wrong, but only some Minecraft multiplayer when my friend is online, but when they're not, I just play offline or even watch TH-cam at least.
The social connection we get from gaming is a major factor in people getting addicted. Especially now where every single game seems to be online, free-to-play, and competitive (Fortnite, Apex, LoL etc).
Congrats on finding a good balance, it's not easy!
Many thanks for your videos and comments... it's helping me a lot :)
thx!
Played A lot recently and with many breaks in a 10 year period. Last was vanilla , felt dated. just for curiosity some old raids but they where scripted for 5 men. Felt bored and finally managed to quit deleting ALL characters this was drastic... who knows may be one day will start again
Finding myself after tbc classic release 16h/day on my computer grinding through dungeons or farming other stuff. It even reaches the point that I start to have health problems because of the constant competition and stress.
I didn't make the decision yet. But I think I should quit soon. For wow classic, I could somehow stop after hitting level 60 and farming some blue gear. This was a fun experience. I have so many emotions to that game...
i understand for sure, check out my video on gaming nostalgia maybe it will help also
Thanks for sharing. Love the 90 day idea too.
Thanks buddy!
Man i didn't play classic but i wanted to play TBC because it's the most nostalgic for me. So i leveled a 60 character and started to prepare him for the TBC release. Everytime i play feels like i know i am wasting time and currently i'm struggling to choose if i stop or not haha. The hardest part is that a lot of my real life friends play it.
cleared my mind a little bit, i know exactly the same things, but it feels better to hear somebody say them out loud :) thanks man, i rly try to quit csgo and other games as well, looking for a job
thanks for sharing, hope you have a nice week
bruh the reason i play the game is to spend time with my dad and i like to remember when i was just a little kid 6 years old with my dad walking around stormwind during mists of pandaria it just reminds me of how happy my life is and it reminds me of real life stuff i used to do like my dads omlets, my warm bed, my old house, and my cousins thats the reason i play
You are the man, Cam! Watching your videos always helps me with my gaming addiction. Keep up the great work! 😆
Marlon Bravo awesome to hear!
To be fair man, addiction at it core from anything not just WoW or video games but in general it also includes really anything it has a negative impact on one's well being and health but at it core, the problem lies far past WoW but lies with yourself/oneself.
The reasons are not clear cut but different for everybody this can include trauma experiences, mental illness, real life difficulties with relationships among others, real life crisis or changes the list could go on and on with 1000's if not more reasoning's why a person life becomes succumbed behind (WoW) or anything else, I think the reason behind people are drawn to games or anything that takes away far more than anything positive is because it sense of escape from to deal with the above issues or countless others.
So much easier to escape from real life problems and MMORPG in general is great time sink for that, let me give you an example real life isn't fair if things do not go your way or being boned really hard in real life with fiscal finances, lose out on promotion, you get rejected from pursuing a lover in interest these things do not happen as you expected their only so much you as the person has control over the other part not really much you can do. whereas in video games it is ''fair'' spend a couple of hours doing this you get rewarded regardless if your shit or what not even if you don't know what your doing.
Real life is grueling at times where unfavorable and unexpected things can happen to really any of us at next to no notice at all whether that is ''death of loved one'' or''people are only out for themselves'' , '' who to trust information with '' so forth don't have those problems in game because through a linear theme park game like WoW have a predictable story/lore that everybody else who plays the game too has somewhat a relevant ending very similar.
Add all the above together you have a perfect storm of wanting to escape reality... with the person's own interpretation of the above of course.
I love the game. But I choose not to play it because it literally ruins my life. I only want to sleep eat and play. Nothing else. Its pathetic. There is something very dark the way it keeps calling me back but I know where that will lead to. Its almost everyday I battle this feeling.
Same bro I play 80 hrs a week currently and my life sucks. I’m only 21
it is a addiction so it will never truly go away sorry man
I put this video on background while I was playing wow and it helped me with... nothing :D But video was fine I guess, it was cool to hear your story
:) thanks for listening good luck with wow
The video isn't magic - it can't do anything on its own. It can only inspire you to make changes, not make them for you ;)
@@sirbattlecat I havent played wow in months now anyway.... I never felt much addicted to it anyway. :P
@@DaveMLG I've been playing since vanilla's beta (with big pauses around cataclysm, panda land and legion) and never felt addicted. Now I'm playing with friends I feel much closer to than those before and now I have to admit I have a problem. Considering quitting even though I paid for Shadowlands already.
@@sirbattlecat No point in quitting as long as the game does not intervene to your life. I have been playing all sorts of videogames troughout my life and never ever had a feeling I am wastig my time. I have a good social life, I never deny or neglect my friends or family due to videogames, and as of now I am learning webdevelopment. Thanks to videogames I met lot of new people and even visited them irl. I am actually planning to visit another one in three weeks, and we are both ready for Shadowlands :D Videogames have made my life better.
I Developed An Addiction To Many MMO's (Both Free-To-Play And Subscription MMO's). I Would Have To Say Diablo II: Lords Of Destruction, Perfect World, Everquest Live, Everquest II, Diablo III, And Guild Wars II Were My Addictions. I Stopped Playing One MMO/RPG When Burnout From That Specific Game Set In. Rather Than Taking A Rest And Getting Some Fresh Air, Once I Became Burned Out In The Current Game I Was Playing Religiously, I Would Rest For A Few Days - That Rest Period Included Looking For What Would Be My Next Challenge In MMO Gaming. Before I Knew It, After Browsing The New MMO Websites And Guild Websites For The Next MMO On My List, I Would Purchase And Download The MMO And I Was Off To The Races, Once Again And Refused To Stop Playing (Except To Shit, Shower, And Shave). Of Course Dinner, Snacks, And Soda's Is What I Lived On For Quite Some Time. I Have Never Played WoW Though, Not Sure Why ... I Was Enjoying My Time In Everquest II, Being The Richest Player (By Selling Harvests Rather Than Trade Skilling Like Most Players) On The First Roleplaying Server In EQII, Antonia Bayle. My Templar, Basstone, Was Among The Top Five Questers In Everquest II For Nearly Two Years, Across All Servers. Yes, I Am Bragging About My EQII Achievements From Many Years Ago BUT What Do I Have To Show For It NOW? After Becoming Burned Out On EQII, I Took A Couple Days Rest And Before I Knew It, I Was Playing Another MMO. Rinse And Repeat Until Two Years Ago When I Stopped Playing MMO's Like I Was Born To Play Them Forever. I Realized The Amount On Money I Was Spending On MMO's Was The Reason I Was Living Check To Check. I Also Realized I Had Fewer Real Life Friends. It Was In That Timeframe Of My Life Where I Realized I Had A Gaming Addiction. I'm Not Sure How I Did It Alone But I Made A Choice To Stop Online Gaming (Which I Did Successfully) And I Haven't Looked Back.
trying to moderate an addiction is never gonna end up well. You dont "moderate" your use of heroin when you want to quit, gaming is no different.
Thank you for sharing your story, Cam. Very insightful, inspiring, and helpful, will absolutely think of this on any days where I play WoW due to boredom and lack of motivation rather for the joy of play/recreation. Respect you and this channel tremendously
thanks Joe!
You know an airport filled with "smelly people" is much more exciting than sitting in front of a computer dude. 😌
Lol
I just drop out of high school due to mobile legend addiction /: i did 60 days without vidio games but i told myself to play for 1 hour & end up playing for week/month. Im gon try to quit for 90 & never touching a vidio game system ever again
Good on you for mentioning the allure of nostalgia. It is a drug like any other.