With over 10.5 million registered players each paying $14.95 a month, World of Warcraft is one of the most successful video games of all time. Players from all over the globe create characters that play through a vivid fantasy adventure world. The game requires players to ban together to take on quests and dungeons of increasing difficulty on the quest for gold, power and victory over the opposing clans. The gameplay starts out simple but grows in complexity. At first you are pretty much on your own, but soon you are surrounded by dozens if not hundreds of friends. The game always has new rewards just in front of you. Every even level you get new abilities and spells. Professions such as cooking, fishing, and first aid add to your income. At level 10 you start getting powerful talents that allow you to customize the characters abilities based on your own style.  At level 20 you get a mount that allows you ride more quickly into battle. World of Warcraft has a way of pulling people in and keeping them there. You don't get 10.5 million subscriber base if you don't have a compelling game. The word that comes to mind is addictive.

Game addiction sounds like a joke to many people. It's certainly not taken seriously at the level of alcoholism or drug addiction. Ironically this contributes to much of the danger that the addiction can become quite detrimental to people's lives. Someone who would never think of allowing alcohol to destroy their career and their family can watch 12-15 hours each and every day going into playing World of Warcraft and lose their job just the same. It sounds hard to believe but it does happen and thousands of World of Warcraft players have allowed the game to consume them to the point they have put it ahead of their jobs and their family.

"...I have ruined a relationship, lost respect from my parents and family, lost many of the best friends anyone could have, ignored my education, ignored my dream to continue my basketball into College, and much more." - Wow Addict on WowDetox.com

Part of the issue is just the extreme amount of time the game can consume. To take a single character from level 1 to level 80 will typically take a player 2-3 months of dedicated daily play. Some players will spend 10-12 hours a day and still spend four to six weeks to get a character from level 1 to level 80. If you think that would mean the end of the game once you make it that far, you would be mistaken. Once you are to level 80's there are plenty of player to player battlegrounds that keep players using that same character long after they have reached level 80.

Another aspect of World of Warcraft addiction is that each race of character has an entirely different starting location with new quests and a fully realized fantasy world. Many players can't resist starting alternate characters to see these new areas. Even more compelling is that each character class has a very unique style of play. IF you are a hunter for example, you get to use bows and guns and attack your players from far away. A warrior however gets to have all sorts of great gear and fight close range dealing massive damage with swords and axes. A rouge sneaks through unseen, hiding in the shadows and uses a variety of skills to take down opponents with surprise attacks. It can be very addicting and time consuming for a World of Warcraft player who wishes to try out all the various races and classes to their full extreme given the combinations.

It may seem insignificant to explain why World of Warcraft addiction is an issue. But hopefully for those that have never played the game but have a friend or loved one who is spending many hours of their day consumed with quests and completing objectives, they can begin to understand what the motivation is. Game addiction can happen even in single player games. Back when Astroids came out there were people spending hours and hours trying to get the highest scores. So far we have mostly talked about the gameplay elements that make World of Warcraft addictive to some. But the primary source of World of Warcraft addition for many is the social aspect.

When you log into World of Warcraft the first time there is nothing really addictive about it right at first. It's fun to do the initial quests but even for most gamers, this is not a great part of the game. In fact some gamers have been spared WoW addiction because the initial part of the game is so simple and easy.  This is very effective though at bringing in many beginning gamers and people that otherwise are put off by the difficulty of many video games. World of Warcraft is easy for people of all ages to get started in. But as you progress the social aspects of the game begin to really take center stage. You group with people to beat difficult quests. You trade with other players to get gear you need. You talk and ask questions of other players when you are not sure where to go. Blizzard even goes further in creating good social interaction inside of World of Warcraft by having seasonal and holiday fesitvals and in game social events. The game ties this altogether with a guild system in which players join and create a social identity in the game. Many of the most addicted World of Warcraft players not only strive to improve their own character in the game, they also work to improve the reputation of their guild, recruit new players, and expand the guilds influence in the game.

Trying to recognize World of Warcraft addiction is difficult and very subjective. The game has addictive qualities and there are perhaps tens of thousands of people that spend on average 10-15 hours a week playing the game. Does this mean they are addicted? Not necessarily. Like other addictions, the real criteria has to do if you are having negative consequences in your life because of playing the game. If someone has a trust fund and no worries for money, no kids, and no obligations... playing World of Warcraft 10-15 hours a week is likely not disruptive to their lives. Now if someone however has six kids and decides to skip an interview for a new job so they can get their character to level 50, they may be making decisions that are negatively effecting their life.

So what are some signs you may be addicted to world of warcraft:

·        Things that need to be getting done around the house are not getting done because of the need to play

·        Missing out on important family events

·        Missing work or school to play the game

·        Your diet and food choices begin to be influenced by World of Warcraft. For example eating lunch meat or junk food rather than taking the time to cook a full meal

·        Friends or family have expressed concern you are playing the game too much

Fortunately World of Warcraft does not create any sort of physical addiction. Getting off the game requires first recognizing that too many hours are being wasted. It's perfectly fine for someone to spend a little time playing the game after a hard day work. Like watching TV, entertainment and diversion can be a good thing. Where the trouble starts is when there are other important things that must be done in your life and they are getting neglected out of a desire to spend more time playing World of Warcraft.

Best of Luck!