World of Warcraft: The most dangerous game on the market

[Bubba Grizz]

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/127518
World of Warcraft "as addictive as cocaine"
Tue Mar 3, 2009 2:24PM EST
See Comments (33)

Buzz up!on Yahoo!Cocaine is a hell of a drug. And so is World of Warcraft, at least according to a Swedish youth organization, which has dubbed the diversion "the cocaine of the computer games world."

The report (which the Youth Care Foundation has not yet formally published), bases its findings on anecdotes from gamers, their parents, and its own observations, not a controlled study that actually compares the effects of playing World of Warcraft vs. the inhalation of powdered cocaine. Nevertheless, the group says that the addictive characteristics of WoW are powerful, with the foundation's Sven Rollenhagen noting, "There is not a single case of game addiction that we have worked with in which World of Warcraft has not played a part." He has also added that the game is "the crack cocaine of the computer game world" and "the most dangerous game on the market."

The foundation runs an addiction treatment center that is one of several that in recent years has expanded to include computer gaming.

To be sure, World of Warcraft has been the center of attention of numerous allegations that it can cause psychological or medical harm to players -- up to and including death. In 2008 a Swedish kid collapsed after playing the game for 20 hours straight. Reports were similarly aghast when one Korean child died while its parents went to a cafe to play the game. And there's plenty more where that came from. For some players, the game certainly does appear so addictive as to require an intervention from someone.

But is it really "as addictive as cocaine?" Well, that's probably just a convenient metaphor... not a literal comparison.

[Fairweather Pure]

20 hours of playing a video game killed a kid? What a fucking lightweight. Talk about sorting out the weak...

[Xouqoa]

20 hours of playing a video game killed a kid? What a fucking lightweight. Talk about sorting out the weak...

No kidding. I still remember doing caffeine fueled 48 hour EverQuest benders on the weekends.

Kids today have it easy! No XP loss, no risk of corpse loss. WoW is fun, but hardly addictive. Parents need to take responsibility and not let their kids play 20 hours though.. that's crazy.

[Winnow]

20 hours of playing a video game killed a kid? What a fucking lightweight. Talk about sorting out the weak...

No kidding. I still remember doing caffeine fueled 48 hour EverQuest benders on the weekends.

Kids today have it easy! No XP loss, no risk of corpse loss. WoW is fun, but hardly addictive. Parents need to take responsibility and not let their kids play 20 hours though.. that's crazy.

Nothing comes close to EQ for me and marathons. Still amazes me that 1/4 of my entire life for four years was logged into EQ (and no pussy afk vendor trading, all active) 365 RL days played on Winnow alone, not including Winni and Weena.

What's even more amazing is the camping etc that people would endure in EQ compared to the quests handed to you on a silver plate in WoW and other games. That fucking worthless Shaman quest armor took many many hours to obtain with week(s) spent in South Karana chasing down rare spawns, but was still fun looking back.

Nowadays, If I so much as yawn in a game, I'm looking for the log-off button.

[Zaelath]

Nowadays, If I so much as yawn in a game, I'm looking for the log-off button.

My druid enabled me to get a lot of reading done in the 15 minute sessions of meditation ><

[Bubba Grizz]

Being a Dwarf it was hard as hell getting on the boat in Freeport back to Butcher. I'd have to wait 45 minutes if I missed the leap into the boat.

Remember when dying meant 1/4 of your exp loss before they fixed that? I lost 6 levels running through Kithicor at night and trying to get my corpse(s).

[Spang]

I had two separate 36-hour sessions of WoW back when I used to play.

I didn't die.

[miir]

I had two separate 36-hour sessions of WoW back when I used to play.

I didn't die.

You sure?
You're seem a lot different.

[Spang]

You're seem a lot different.

How do you mean?

[masteen]

You're easier to troll now.