Yes, this is a guide on how to play addictive games. I have been addicted myself before, luckily not anymore. It just came to a halt. Became boring. Maybe it was my personality or limitations that made me think the game was worthless.

But anyhow, I am not here to tell you its boring or worthless. Cause its not. It has qualities that few other role playing games can boast. In this article I will discuss the negative sides of playing World of Warcraft (now shortened to WoW) and how to avoid the possible implications. I will present a way to play the game that will make you independent of the game. You will be able to stop playing the game and go shopping without thinking about that dungeon you just skipped.

Rule number one, friends are people you can rely on. They are not distant and you know where they live. You know what clothes they were and what soccer team they cheer on. And you definitely hang out with them a lot. Or once in a while.

This is not the case with the “friends” addon in WoW. They do not know you and vice versa. What they say can be totally banana talk. It can be rubbish from start to end. You can’t really distinguish the players that are actually honest from the once that is not. People that are bad in reality can be good in-game and the other way around.

But what if you connect with them? By phone or by meeting them personally? Well, then you have broken out of the box of unsocial life and actually has got some value from it. But sincerely, you could have got a lot more friends by playing on your local soccer team. Which is more fun and adds to your physical health.

Rule number two, there are more important things in life that status or reputation. Good people do not care about what other people have and they definitely do not want bigger or better items.  They care about helping other people and how they can use the items they currently have a disposal for that purpose.

Using endless hours grinding for that very rare piece of item is wasting alot of precious time. You could have done something very important in the same amount of time, like helping your little sister reassemble her broken barbie or something like that. Be a good brother, a good friend or a good wife. Most of the time in WoW is used to chase after some abstract items that in the end will only add to your character stats. So what? Did you get bigger muscles in real life? Come on.

Rule number three, beeing with your wife or husband is very very important. Or else your relationship will come to an abrupt end. You will forget your intimacy and how you loved each other when you first met. You must not let your game be your way out of the troubles or arguing. You should have closed the game many weeks before that.

Many players marry in WoW. They make special relationships and even meet and marry in real life. That is just fine. But if you already have a wife or husband, engaging in special relationships ingame is very very bad. It is cheating. So if your that person, stop playing for a month or even for ever. The last option is the best.

Conclusion:

The trick is to balance playing a game you like and at the same time fullfill all your real life duties. If you for some time have no time to play, you should be able to think about other things. Like your wife and how you can kink up your relationship. Do not go around in your own abstract world, but disconnect from the game both physically and mentally. So, when you sit down for an hour or two with WoW, your only goal should be to have fun. You should not care about reaching a new level or getting that special item. Maybe you can go to a very special place and take a photo, and then upload it to your blog. Get some real value from the playing. Great views.

In the end your playing will be fun. Its up to you how. If you follow my guidelines I am sure you will succeed.

Good luck!

(yes i have bought the game but that doesn’t mean that I am back to my old habit. I wanted to check out the game improvements and wow … the updates take foreveeever man. In the end I was sitting bored after a short minute)