Step 1: Admit your Addiction

I'm an addict!

Particularly, I am addicted to WoW.  I just thought I would finally come clean, hopeful that this will in the end set me free of my addiction.

To start with, let me clarify things a bit.  Basically, when I say I'm addicted, what I mean is, it's hard to get interested in another MMO, when I know that I can fall back to the wonderful entrancing-ness that is WoW.  

It's a drug that I just can't kick. 

Point in fact.  

I really like AoC.  The game has issues, but nothing that would really prevent me from playing it.  When I do play it, it is a lot of fun doing fatalities and kicking the crap out of PvPers.  But even knowing how much fun I will have while playing, its still a challenge for me to even get motivated to log in.

Where as, logging into WoW is second nature to me now.  It's like breathing out and breathing in.  Maybe, I've just grown accustom to its look, accustom to the play style, accustom to the game.  (Ok, so I like My Fair Lady!)

This was also the problem when I was started City of Heroes and LOTRO.  Both games captured my attention for a brief periods of time, but I just couldn't devote the time, because I was too busy logging back into WoW every chance I got.  They just didn't grab me the way WoW does.  Both those games did execute certain things correctly.  For instance,  City of Heroes has THE best character creation out there and  LOTRO has some of the best PvE quests and story emerson that are out there today.  But it just wasn't enough to get me coming back again and again.  Not like WoW. 

I am not giving up on AoC.  When I do log in, I have a great time, but its not a WoW time.  I'm hoping with all the news thats surfacing about WAR on the Massively site, it will be the game to capture my attention.  The problem is, WOTLK will be out around the same time, or shortly after and if WAR doesn't deliver on all cylinders, then its going to be spinning its wheels, losing people back to WoW.

Is it possible that I've just become a WoW drug zombie?  I log in, do some busy work, like run some dailies, do a few battle grounds, maybe even kill some time farming motes, then just log out.  The whole time, I feel I'm doing something of substance, but in fact, I'm doing a bunch of nothing.  I don't get anything out of it, but it still seems to fulfill my MMO needs.

 

Maybe it's peer pressure?  I've managed to find a great guild that raids two maybe three times a week.  I'm starting to get the gear I need to progress.  They are a great bunch of people, very friendly and helpful.  All my friends play, so I can easily keep up with what they have been up too.

I know the game is good, but its not spectacular, but yet, I'm compelled to log in and play, for no other reason than compulsion.  Maybe the game has hypnotized me into thinking its the only game I should be playing?  Maybe the new 2.4 patch code is effecting me in ways I've only read about in books or seen on really bad Sci-Fi Channel movies.

I really want to give other games a try.  But until WoW does something to really screw up or changes its addictive properties, I think I'm stuck playing.

Maybe WAR will be the methadone to help me break my WoW habit.