There’s a new book out called “World of Warcraft and Philosophy.” Now as a former philosophy major and an avid World of Warcraft player, how can I possibly resist?
World of Warcraft and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy)
Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most popular MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) in videogame history, World of Warcraft is everywhere — from episodes of South Park and The Simpsons, to online series like Watch the Guild, accolades and awards from game critics, and prime-time commercials with Mr. T. Inevitably, such a cultural phenomenon triggers deeper questions. When does an assumed identity become real? Does the Corrupted Blood epidemic warn us of future public health catastrophes? What are the dangers when real life is invaded by events in the game? What can our own world learn from Azeroth’s blend of primitivism and high-tech? In these lively essays, a specially commissioned guild of philosophers, including Yara Mitsuishi, Monica Evans, Tim Christopher, and Anna Janssen, tackles these and other complex questions arising from WoW.
The only thing is, I wish somehow it would be required reading. Unfortunately, I suspect it will by and large be the sort of read that will attract only those that have no pressing need for the book’s enlightenment. But, isn’t that always the way with philosophy?
So I’ve been reading a little around the internet on the topic of World of Warcraft addiction and I’m amazed at how harsh and drastic most of it is. It makes me think I need to backtrack and repurpose before I’ve barely started.
myworldofwarcraftaddiction.com will NOT be an extremist, ban warcraft, twelve steps to freedom kind of thing as long as I have anything to do with it or until I have a major change of heart. I now currently play World of Warcraft and I have been addicted. I have made it through the addiction to the point where I can now play in moderation. That’s not to say I don’t struggle with the urge to play rather than typing this blog. Sure I do! But I am able function within the parameters I set for myself. I am in control of my play time (most of the time) rather than it being in control of me.
Do you know what I think it is? I think that World of Warcraft is not yet recognized as a legitimate hobby. Maybe I could broaden that statement to be true of the whole video game scene. We and what for some of us is our passion are somehow looked down upon as some sort of ill adjusted segment of society. But what about the guy that is gone all summer long with his softball team or again, the guy that watches umpteen football games every week all season long? My wife is a “theater addict.” When she is involved in a play, we hardly see her for weeks at a time. How about the golfer that spends hours a week playing or practicing? What about the expensive green fees, often the travel on exotic golf vacations, the money spent on sport specific equipment and attire?
See? All these other things are seen as legitimate hobbies while our hobby is looked at as this huge waste of time… dangerous addiction. I think in part what needs to happen is that we need to start advocating for what some refer to as our hobby. I’m reminded of the bumper sticker that says, “Skateboarding is not a crime.” Well neither is playing World of Warcraft gosh darn it!
So now that being said, let me swing back the other way. World of Warcraft is most definitely addictive and for those who simply can not come to terms with its addictive nature the best course of action very well might be complete and total abstinence. But for many of us, finding that place of balance is the key. For instance, I’ve had to come to grips with the fact that I may never again be a raid worthy equipped player and therefore I might not ever see some of the end game content. Can I still have fun playing given that? Absolutely!
As I read those extreme, anti World of Warcraft sites, I was tempted to challenge them here. But that would be following a rabbit trail. I’ll leave it to others to take that on. Here we’ll talk about how to have fun in World of Warcraft without it completely taking over your life.
Full time WoW addict
I’m guessing i will slowly get more fun out of playing Wow now i start to see it like a game again instead of a second job.
What an interesting post to run into on the eve of launching this site. Welcome to world of warcraft addiction. What’s this blog going to be about? Well the long and short of it is that it will be about my personal struggles (as well as guest contributions) in maintaining balance in life while playing World of Warcraft. Will I be advocating complete and total abstinance? Not necessarily. Yes, my personal World of Warcraft addiction was such that I had to take an extended vacation away from the game. (More on that later.) I’ll also readily admit that as someone prone to obsessive/compulsive behavior, I need to check myself constantly in order to stay on the tightrope. I’m sure there are many that are better off to stay away from the game completely. But primarily I’ll be targetting those that realize the game can be enjoyable and rewarding when taken in moderation. Its this moderation which will be my main focus.
So what is World of Warcraft anyway? It is currently the most popular of a genre of computer video games known as mmorpgs (massively multiplayer online role-playing games.) To give you some idea of its impact, the latest figures I read claimed the game has over eleven million subscribers world wide. Often times games of this type begin to wane in popularity with time but World of Warcraft passed its fourth anniversary November 23rd, 2008 and is still increasing in popularity.
What makes it so addicting and popular? Well, we’ll delve into this topic much more as time goes by. Its difficult to capsulize in just a few words. World of Warcraft emerses you in an alternate universe. In it, you escape your real life problems and challenges for a time and have the freedom to recreate yourself replete with a new reputation, a new status, a new set of quantifiable goals and achievements, and not least important, a new set of friends who are often times much more supportive than the real life variety.
I’ve played the game since its final beta test phase only to wait eagerly for the released version to hit the shelves weeks after the beta test shut down. It was during those earliest times of commercial release that I was most addicted. For a time there I was indeed a big shot in Azeroth (The World of Warcraft world.) and all but disappeared in the real world.
Mostly I would like to give others trapped in Azeroth hope that there is an alternative to completely stepping away from the game or completely losing yourself to World of Warcraft addiction. Again, I welcome you to follow along, to participate in any way that benefits you as we delve into the topic of World of Warcraft addiction.
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