Break a World of Warcraft Addiction

Psychologists are still debating whether video game "addiction" is the correct term, but most agree that excessive play can cause serious issues.[1] When a game like World of Warcraft starts having major negative effects on your life, it's time to admit that you are no longer enjoying harmless fun.

Steps

Breaking Your WoW Addiction

  1. Join a WoW addict community. Visit the reddit "no WoW" community or Online Gamers Anonymous for advice and support from other gamers.
  2. Get real life supporters. Reach out to friends and family, especially anyone who's drifted away because of your addiction. Ask them to encourage you.
  3. Make a list of benefits from stopping. There are so many ways your life will improve once you are no longer obsessed:
    • More opportunities to see friends and try new things
    • A healthier sleep schedule and activity level
    • Clearer focus at work or school
    • More money to spend or save
    • No back aches, wrist pain, or eye strain
  4. Identify what keeps you hooked. Often, it's the social obligation to your friends and guilds, the sense of control and power, and the constant goals to work toward.[2] Find ways to get these in real life, using the advice below.
  5. Track your progress in real life goals. Daily goals and rewards are good motivation in productive activities too, such as exercise, real-life social interactions, and job searches.
    • Try HabitRPG, the productivity software for gamers.
  6. Find a different hobby. Read a book, toss a basketball at some hoops, or ask a real-life friend to teach you his leisure activity. Even another, offline video game can sometimes work as a temporary measure.
  7. Start a fulfilling activity. If you feel depressed about your life, change it in ways that are fulfilling, not just distracting. Here are a few ideas:
    • Take classes online or at a community college.
    • Volunteer at a soup kitchen, or donate a month of WoW subscription to charity instead.
    • Offer to listen to a friend's problems.
  8. Visit a therapist. Look for a cognitive behavioral therapist, who can help you change your thoughts and feelings toward the game.[3]

Quitting the Game in Stages

  1. Take a break from your guild. Leave the guild for a week, and tell your guild mates you won't be available. At the end of the week, consider extending the break, or starting a "week in, week out" pattern.
    • Set your chatty friends to "ignore" during these breaks. They'll survive.
  2. Give away your WoW items and gold. Give these to strangers who won't return them if you come back. This reduces the sense of progress and accomplishment.
  3. Delete your favorite character. Steel yourself and delete one of your highest-level characters, taking away one more emotional attachment to the game.
  4. Set up parental controls. Most operating systems have a parental controls setting that restricts when you can log in or go online. Have a friend choose the password to keep it secret from you.
  5. Block router ports. Access your router settings and find the firewall or port protocol settings. Block ports 1119 and 3724, and no one on your wireless network can access WoW.[4]
    • If you can't find these settings, search online for instructions specific to your router brand.
  6. Uninstall the game. Many former WoW addicts do not find it possible to play the game in moderation. Uninstalling the game and letting your subscription run out is often the safer path.

Tips

  • If you're trying to break a friend's addiction, he has to admit he has the problem before this can happen. Ask him to answer these questions to find out how much his life revolves around the game.
  • Don't feed the addiction with Warcraft-related forums and articles. Remove them from your bookmarks.
  • Stop doing recurring activities like daily quests, weekly raids/raid finder, checking garrisons, and PvP. You'll quickly find that much of your time in game is spent doing the same thing over and over and if you limit yourself to things that aren't repetitive there's not much left to do.

Warnings

  • Don't forget to unsubscribe from the monthly payment system.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/features/video-game-addiction-no-fun
  2. ↑ http://www.pixelpoppers.com/2010/12/doing-my-dailies-why-i-quit-wow-and.html
  3. ↑ http://www.psychguides.com/guides/video-game-addiction-treatment-program-options/
  4. ↑ http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/1869565164
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