MMORPG Players - How many hours a day do you play?

drew64 said:
all these horror stories of addiction make me cringe.
been playing WoW since the closed Beta, never got "addicted"
when i look out how much time i put into it, i realise its just time id have spent watching tv anyway.
self control isnt that hard
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Dont so be ignorant.
 
I imagine for many people, they dont recognise addiction until they try and go without the thing in question for a long period. Had a friend of mine once, used to drink alcohol 5 of the 7 days of the week.

He never drank a lot, just a little bit each of those 5 days. I used to tell him that he was addicted to alcohol and he would laugh it off. Until one day I said, alright..go for 4 months without alcohol and prove that you dont "need" it. He lasted about 3 weeks.
 
The only thing I'm addicted to is the internet. I can't go a single day without being online unless I'm away from the house doing some else.

As for MMOs, I used to play almost all the time when I first got into them. Now I rarely play any and if I do I usually get bored very fast.
 
I used to play WoW for at least 6-7 hours a day back in 2006 when I first started playing but after TBC it was on and off. I've quit now though, and when you do try to start playing again I find it gets boring a lot quicker so I don't bother these days.
 
Tombstone said:
I imagine for many people, they dont recognise addiction until they try and go without the thing in question for a long period. Had a friend of mine once, used to drink alcohol 5 of the 7 days of the week.

He never drank a lot, just a little bit each of those 5 days. I used to tell him that he was addicted to alcohol and he would laugh it off. Until one day I said, alright..go for 4 months without alcohol and prove that you dont "need" it. He lasted about 3 weeks.
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Would that make him an alchoholic though?
I drink a glass or two of red wine every day with my evening meal which I guess makes me addicted to alchohol (which I've done for the past 3+ years), yet surely if i was an alchoholic the first thing I'd think about when waking up in the morning would be booze?
3 weeks is impressive if you ask me... not sure I'd manage it tbh
 
only ever played one mmo in my life

guild wars the 1st original. mainly being because it wasnt subscription fee based and i dont justify paying to play a game on a monthly basis. (xblive is an exception)

since then ive tried to play wow and other mmos and i just find it boring. you know what to expect, having to grind long hours for stupid **** for you e-****

i only play fps and arcade game now
 
Rimsy said:
Just sounds like you're living in denial and are exactly what makes you cringe ;)
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and how might that be good sir?

i play games for a few hours most nights, if there is nothing else happening, i shift my gaming around my social life, not the other way around.
 
drew64 said:
and how might that be good sir?

i play games for a few hours most nights, if there is nothing else happening, i shift my gaming around my social life, not the other way around.
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If that is truely the case (and of course only you know that) then I congratulate your self control. For probably 90%+ of WoW players that really isnt the case at all.
 
Rimsy said:
Would that make him an alchoholic though?
I drink a glass or two of red wine every day with my evening meal which I guess makes me addicted to alchohol (which I've done for the past 3+ years), yet surely if i was an alchoholic the first thing I'd think about when waking up in the morning would be booze?
3 weeks is impressive if you ask me... not sure I'd manage it tbh
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Absolutely it would make him an alcoholic. Alcoholic would be defined as someone who HAS to have alcohol. You dont have to drink a lot to be an alcoholic, you merely have to be someone who HAS to drink.

He obviously HAD to drink, as when he tried not to, he couldnt do it. You say you have a glass of wine, thats fair enough..but ask yourself, could you not have that wine, or is it a case that you MUST have that wine. That answers the question of addiction to alcohol.

MMO addiction is much the same, the key is between HAVING to play and not having the play. If its a must play, a requirement in a persons life that they must play game X, that they cannot go without playing game X. Then by its very definition, thats an addiction.
 
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Rimsy said:
If that is truely the case (and of course only you know that) then I congratulate your self control. For probably 90%+ of WoW players that really isnt the case at all.
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tbh i was expecting everything i said to be shot down.
so thanks for not doing so.
key to WoW (and any other mmo) find a social guild, with people who also have jobs/families.

everyone is generally a lot more friendly/relaxed, and people tend to organise their time better, to get the most done in the amout of time they have to play.
we nearly cleared ulduar with 1 and half raids a week, later on a sunday night and then some went a bit more on the monday if needs be.
 
What consitutes addiction to MMORPG is quite subjective really.

I dont think anyone needs to play wow, we all just want to play it and when we do time just goes by.

I used to play quite a bit of wow, to say I was addicted would be quite extreme. I only stopped because I was on holiday, but after I just appreciated the time to do other things other than wow. 2 years later I've started up again but not nearly as much hours.

I guess each person is different, but I think most of us want to play for such long hours and its not that we need to play.
 
Tombstone said:
Absolutely it would make him an alcoholic. Alcoholic would be defined as someone who HAS to have alcohol. You dont have to drink a lot to be an alcoholic, you merely have to be someone who HAS to drink.

He obviously HAD to drink, as when he tried not to, he couldnt do it. You say you have a glass of wine, thats fair enough..but ask yourself, could you not have that wine, or is it a case that you MUST have that wine. That answers the question of addiction to alcohol.

MMO addiction is much the same, the key is between HAVING to play and not having the play. If its a must play, a requirement in a persons life that they must play game X, that they cannot go without playing game X. Then by its very definition, thats an addiction.
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I've thought about gaming addiction quite a lot over the years, and what I've always maintained is that there is a difference between being an addict and just REALLY REALLY enjoying something. Quakeworld used to give me a massive rush, I'd spend the majority of my free time on it. But aside from a brief period where I was probably addicted (getting the train back to uni during holiday period to play in the labs, staying up all night playing and letting my grades suffer) I was in control.

I think that's part of the perception issue people have, they assume that just because someone really enjoys something and spends a lot of time on it that they are addicted. It's just common sense though, if there's something that gives you a lot of pleasure, that's something you invest a lot in. Most men love shagging and can't get enough of it, but very few of them are perceived as sex addicts.

The real borderline for me is when the game starts becoming the overriding factor in people's lives, where physiological needs (food, sleep etc) and family/friends start playing second fiddle to the game. My sister was an addict, she'd get incredibly angry if my father asked her to stop playing, she'd let her dinner get cold, be totally oblivious to the effect it was having on him.

As for alcohol, I'm actually toying with the idea of asking my wife to stop drinking to see if she's heading subtly down the path to addiction :) She's never been that big a drinker but just lately we seem to be drinking with every meal (so 1/2 glasses of wine/cider/lager at least 5 times a week) and sometimes comes home after a bad day at working saying "I need a drink". That's something I've never done, so it worries me a little.
 
Yeah, its that little word. Need.

Once that comes into the equation things start to get blurred. As you and some others have said theres a big difference between wanting something because its fun and needing (not being able to go without it).

In the example of alcohol, I enjoy a drink when I'm out with friends sometimes, but I dont need to have a drink regularly (as my friend does). In fact the last time I had a beer was...not entirely sure but if I recall correctly it was November 2007 at a work party. Dont get me wrong, I like a beer, its just not something that I must have regularly.

There was a time in my life where I felt that I couldnt do without an MMO. It was something I simply had to play. The very thought of not playing the MMO for a 3 month period was unthinkable. I made a variety of excuses to justify why it was ok for me to play it most days. These days, I am not fussed, I'll play an MMO from time to time, but if someone said to me..I bet you cant go for 6 months without playing that MMO, I would have no trouble doing so.

Chocolate on the other hand...there is something which I am actually addicted to (daft though it might sound). Theres no way at the moment that I could go for 6 months (6 days even) without some chocolate. I get irritable, argumentative, sullen if I dont have chocolate for a period of time.
 
i pretty much only log on for raids now xP still like 15 hours a week xP if we organise one of tues thurs and sun :) i have cut down my time a lot since i got a job as i used to be on a lot more
 
I have an addictive personality - if I start watching a TV series that is available on DVD I *need* to watch it till I fall asleep on the couch, and will keep watching each night until I have seen it all. It's the same with games. If I am playing an MMO then I will play every sensibly available moment until I have accomplished my aims, or it becomes too much of a grind. In some ways it's kind of bordering on OCD...

But....I have made many great friends thanks to EQ, DAOC, WoW, EQ2 that I never regret a single moment. It's a large part of my social life, and I play for the social aspect of chatting with people from all over the world, I have learned a great many things and had my horizons broadened.

Yes it is an addiction, and can be damaging as any addiction if taken too far, but I am happy with mine :)
 
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