Overcome an MMORPG Addiction

Game addictions are currently the fastest growing class of addictions, with MMORPG addictions being the most common. MMORPG stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. They can have very harmful effects and should be treated just as seriously as other addictions. Here are some measures that you can take to overcome an addiction to an MMORPG.

Steps

  1. Determine if you are addicted to an MMORPG. If you can control the amount of hours that you play, then you are probably not addicted. Some typical symptoms include the following:
    • Continuously thinking about a MMORPG
    • Missing work, school, or a social activity to devote time to a MMORPG
    • Playing a MMORPG for an excessive duration in one sitting (more than 5 hours)
    • Spending real money on in-game items (This in and of itself is not a sign. It's OK to spend money if you have money. If you should be buying food and you are buying in game items instead, you might have an issue)
    • Psychological distress attributed to lack of game play (feeling upset/angry if you can't play)
    • Loss of sleep due to excessive gaming
    • Putting more time into the game than important things like schoolwork, friends, family etc.
    • Other major lifestyle change that results in playing the MMORPG more often
  2. Recognize your addiction. Even if it is just a game, it is still an addiction that is affecting your lifestyle. In recognizing the problem, you become aware that it needs to be fixed.
  3. Tell your MMORPG friends that you are quitting, whether for a certain time period, or permanently. They may give you the emotional support that you need to recover. If you can't bear parting from your e-friends, keep contact with them via e-mail or chat.
  4. Start your long journey to recovery. Depending on how addicted you are, and how much time you have to beat your addiction, you have several methods of approach.
      • Decrease your overall time playing. What seems to be the most common is to slowly lower your playing time until it is down to a reasonable amount. However, this may not work for people who are unable to control their addiction.
      • Force yourself to quit playing. Quit playing the game for a few months, and then your addiction will soon dissipate, provided that you don't slip back to the game.
      • Uninstall the MMORPG. If you cannot trust yourself to keep away from loading the game another time, then your best bet is to remove the program from your computer completely. In conjunction with this, delete your highest level characters or the characters most important to you before deleting the software and, in certain games, canceling your subscription.
      • Keep the installation CD out of reach. You might lock them away in a drawer, or give them to your parents, sibling, or trusted friend. If you are very determined, you might even destroy, or sell the CD even donating to charity/charity shops works.
      • Find new hobbies. Look for another hobby like reading or riding a bicycle. It is best if you find something that will keep you away from the computer, in effort to keep your mind off of the MMORPG.
  5. Avoid triggering your addiction again. After your addiction is beaten, keep it at bay. If you're sure that the addiction won't come back, whatever you do don't try the MMORPG again,it is too risky. Also, don't look for starting another MMORPG. You'll only end up funneling your addiction from the first MMORPG to the next.



Tips

  • Try to help other addicted friends if you can, as it can have very serious consequences.
  • Don't be afraid to seek help. Many people are embarrassed about being addicted to "just a game", and many others don't take MMORPG addiction seriously. It can have the same implications of drug addictions.
  • Moderation: It is okay to play an MMO once in a while, but once you start thinking about it too often and choosing it over your friends, you know you have a problem.
    • Remember: The countless hours you put into this game will simply go down the drain. All of your efforts merely result in a magnetic charge on a hard drive somewhere, and should you start a more viable hobby, when people ask you what you do in your free time, you will have novel material items to show them and be able to gain some credibility in this world.
    • Be sure to recognize that the MMORPG was not the cause of the initial motivations or desires that brought about the addiction and without treatment these issues will only become increasingly unmanageable. Something was sought in your addiction, it was not forced upon you. Realize that your problems are your own and must be handled correctly and professionally because it is not the game that did this, a mentally and emotionally healthy adult would not become addicted to an MMORPG.
  • Remember that this is a game, not the real world. Anything that happens in the game won't affect your real life.
  • If none of the above works for you, try some more extreme approaches. Deleting your account/character is one method that might help the transition process.

Warnings

  • If an MMORPG is seriously damaging your mental or physical health, seek professional help as soon as you can.
    • There have been news stories about people dying from starvation and suicide due to extreme gaming. If you want to play for long periods of time take breaks for food, fresh air, and the restroom.
    • Do not rebound your way into another MMORPG, several other MMOs can be just as or even more so addicting than the one you are currently playing. If you have a problem with one, they are all bad for you.
    • Overcoming the addiction won't occur automatically It will take anywhere from a month to 1 year to destroy the habit. Don't be angry at yourself if you feel the urge to play again. Getting mad at the people around you will only make things worse.
    • If it's too hard for you, try to do it gradually and be disciplined about it. For example, reduce your playing time by 20 minutes everyday and get a friend or family to help you keep track and pull you out if you play overtime.
    • Just because you've cured your addiction, doesn't mean you can't get addicted. Don't go back to the MMORPG you were playing before or you will suffer a relapse.
    • After you quit, If you start suffering major headaches, and are constantly depressed... get outside for some fresh air.
    • Please pay very close attention to your symptoms and also understand that this is simply a video game and all symptoms that have occurred while playing or from lack of playing are not a product of any game. They are serious emotional and mental health issues that need to be discussed and treated by professionals. *Lack of playing a game should not make anyone depressed unless for example you were motivated by reasons of curing your own existing depression through game play and once your self cure has been removed the symptoms have increased and you can be in even more danger than you were when playing.
    • It is very important and this can not be stressed enough that any sign of depression or mood alteration based on MMORPGS or recreational activities more than likely stems from problems best treated by a medical professional.

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Sources and Citations

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