Do you think a game can "ruin" lives?

I am making this as a result of an off comment in another post saying something along the lines of:

"Stop playing WOW (World of Warcraft). That game ruins lives"

Well, no offense to the poster, but that statement is ignorant. No game, TV show, movie, etc, can ruin a life. People ruin their own lives because they have no self-control.

If you lose your job because you were sleep deprived from playing WoW all night, that's your fault; not the game.

If you lose your car/house because you spent too much money on Star Trek memorabilia, that's your fault; not the TV show.

Seriously. People need to take responsibility more these days. There are a lot of people that like to justify themselves with bad reasoning and blame anything or anyone but themselves for their own mistakes.

I've been a gamer all my life. I've played WoW for 4 years and have suffered no financial or social damage from it because I have my priorities straight.

So what do you guys think?

I think a game, or any other hobby, can easily become a life-ruining entity given an addictive and/or obsessive personality type. Yes, people are ultimately responsible for the decisions they make in life, but there are definitely those who are more susceptible to certain types of unhealthy behavior than the average person.

I know that I have a somewhat elevated tendency in that direction, and that knowledge, along with the fact that I get annoyed by the pricing model of WoW (and just about all other MMORPGs), keeps me from playing it. Are there people who can play it and be completely healthy about it? Of course. Are there those who can't? I'd say yes. Personally, I fall somewhere in between; I don't think I'd completely wreck my life if I started playing WoW, but I know I'd play it more than I should, and consequently it'd put a strain on my relationship with my girlfriend.

I agree with you...and also feel the same way about violent video games & music...Parents need to stop blaming a child's bad behavior on that...I've played violent video games & listened to rap & metal since i was relatively young..and it hasn't affected me in a negative manner one bit.

agreed, you can't blame anything but the person themselves. i don't play wow, but i've been 'addicted' to dragon age since i got it last week. 50 hour profile already, hows that for addicting lol.

too many good games came out this month! I really haven't touched my 360 in weeks but then this week I bought Assassins Creed II, L4D2 and Dragon Age, haven't touched the first 2 yet. Next on the list is MW2, I don't have live so i don't care that much atm.

I agree.... It is not the GAME itself that ruins lives. It is the addiction to the game that ruins lives.

But you can't say don't do it because it will ruin your life.

Maybe they should say if you are a weak minded, self indulgent person, with an addictive nature, don't play this game.

I like to play video games but I get bored after a while. My brother however does nothing anymore but play xbox live or some weird internet game. He will sit in front of the computer all night playing that game.

Moderation is a lost concept these days.

Pfft. Ill stick behind my statement.
WOW ruins lives. As does anything that people become dependent on. Congrats, you have a life and can turn WoW off. Some people can't. Self control means jack ish with an addiction. That's what makes it an addiction, the fact that it becomes something they depend on and CANT control. So YOUR post is ignorant because you are a gamer and not an addict, which pretty much means youre just speaking out your A dash S.

I think it's the persons fault for playing that long.


I DO, however, think that the game studios need to be a bit more mindful when creating certain aspects of these games.

I recall (I think it was Everquest) an expansion coming out for a game, that had a very hard boss. A guild of people spent OVER 24 hours on it before giving up.

THAT seems ridiculous.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

Pfft. Ill stick behind my statement.
WOW ruins lives. As does anything that people become dependent on. Congrats, you have a life and can turn WoW off. Some people can't. Self control means jack ish with an addiction. That's what makes it an addiction, the fact that it becomes something they depend on and CANT control. So YOUR post is ignorant because you are a gamer and not an addict, which pretty much means youre just speaking out your A dash S.

---

AHAHAhahahHHAHAhahahAHAHAHAhahahahaHAHAHHAHAhaahahHAHah

Thanks for the chuckle pavlov.

I suppose free will doesn't enter into it? Coffee ruins lives. Smoking ruins lives. I've heard that internet porn ruins lives too. I've never seen any, being pure as newfallen snow and all as I am, but I've heard the rumors....

Seems to me that you can't blame a game for your weakness. But then, I'm not named for an experiment that proves intelligence doesn't always have much to do with the decisions we make.

This will be proven by your next post in response to this post.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

Pfft. Ill stick behind my statement.
WOW ruins lives. As does anything that people become dependent on. Congrats, you have a life and can turn WoW off. Some people can't. Self control means jack ish with an addiction. That's what makes it an addiction, the fact that it becomes something they depend on and CANT control. So YOUR post is ignorant because you are a gamer and not an addict, which pretty much means youre just speaking out your A dash S.

---

so according to your sig you're an ADDICT and not just a herper? you depend on ball pythons & their discussion, and can't control it? So that means any opinion you have here on bp.net is ignorant because you're addicted and not just a herper?

hope you get some help bro, I've seen snakes ruin lives. Being interested in something can be danjerus, careful

Do you think a game can "ruin" lives? ... Yes... Russian Roulette...:D

other than that, no. It's the same as any other addiction. Peoples lives can fall apart because they obssess over a car, sports, gambling, collecting, etc...it's the person, not the object, game or activity...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wilomn

I've heard that internet porn ruins lives too.

---

That's just a vicious rumor!!!!!!!!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

Pfft. Ill stick behind my statement.
WOW ruins lives. As does anything that people become dependent on. Congrats, you have a life and can turn WoW off. Some people can't. Self control means jack ish with an addiction. That's what makes it an addiction, the fact that it becomes something they depend on and CANT control. So YOUR post is ignorant because you are a gamer and not an addict, which pretty much means youre just speaking out your A dash S.

---

You have to be joking :rolleyes:.I bet you are one of those that will want this issue to be recognized as a disability next :weirdface.Sorry if the person does not have enough brain cells left to be able to turn these stupid games off and attempt to have a real life ITS HIS/HER fault! So if the sentence before this one describes anyone THEY are responsible for there own lives NOT the game :rolleyes:.

Too much of anything can ruin a life...

People need to take responsibility for their actions and that is the end of the story.

I play MMOs, currently playing Aion, and I can definitely see how someone can get hooked. However, if you don't have enough drive in your life to keep your reponsibilities in sight; well then I'm pretty sure if it wasn't the game that ruined your life it would have been something else.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by sho220

Do you think a game can "ruin" lives? ... Yes... Russian Roulette...:D

---

This can also be know for clearing out the gene pool of idiots :8: :8: :8:.

Anything can ruin a life; it depends on the person and how things effect that particular person.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wilomn

AHAHAhahahHHAHAhahahAHAHAHAhahahahaHAHAHHAHAhaahahHAHah

Thanks for the chuckle pavlov.

I suppose free will doesn't enter into it? Coffee ruins lives. Smoking ruins lives. I've heard that internet porn ruins lives too. I've never seen any, being pure as newfallen snow and all as I am, but I've heard the rumors....

Seems to me that you can't blame a game for your weakness. But then, I'm not named for an experiment that proves intelligence doesn't always have much to do with the decisions we make.

This will be proven by your next post in response to this post.

---

Free will is an absolute huge factor in any addiction. After all, it's the person's choice to smoke that first cigarette, drink the first cup or pay for their first WoW subscription. I cant say that Ive heard of coffee or cigarettes ruining lives besides the associated health risks, but there's enough of an internet porn addiction problem that there are recovery programs in place to treat it.

I get it Wes, youre from the old school. It seems ridiculous to you that people nowadays are becoming porn addicts. But it IS a growing concern, enough to the point that rehab centers are being set up to help people overcome it.
I take responsibility for my actions and the things I do. When I was in the Navy in Missile Tech C school my roommate played WoW every waking moment that he wasnt in school. He ended up failing out and getting sent away to the fleet because he couldnt keep up with the real world. A game that he couldnt stop playing took his job away from him. I cant understand why he couldnt stop playing, just the same as I dont get why people around the world can just shut the damn thing down and limit their play time. It doesnt make sense to me, same as you. Free will right?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aybe.sea

so according to your sig you're an ADDICT and not just a herper? you depend on ball pythons & their discussion, and can't control it? So that means any opinion you have here on bp.net is ignorant because you're addicted and not just a herper?

hope you get some help bro, I've seen snakes ruin lives. Being interested in something can be danjerus, careful

---

Uhhh I dont know if you ever read that one thread about the guy who took in a BP and then ended up with a slew of animals and then lost it all, but yeah I do classify my collection as an addiction. I rescued one, found out about morphs and spent the last 7 months trying to acquire as many BPs as I could afford, and sometimes couldnt. At one point I had 19 BPs. My sig needs to be updated, Im actually in the process of downgrading and selling off most of my collection besides the breeding projects that Im focusing on. So yeah, I realized my problem, accepted it and am now working to fix it. To answer your question, yep, Im an addict. Or was. My wife's arguement prevailed, and looking back on it now I was in the process of putting my family in financial ruin, and got on the right track.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by joepythons

You have to be joking :rolleyes:.I bet you are one of those that will want this issue to be recognized as a disability next :weirdface.Sorry if the person does not have enough brain cells left to be able to turn these stupid games off and attempt to have a real life ITS HIS/HER fault! So if the sentence before this one describes anyone THEY are responsible for there own lives NOT the game :rolleyes:.

---

I dont care what it's recognized as, I dont play it. I dont play any games and the last console I got was a PSP so I could do something in deployment. Bu to be fair, it is already recognized as an addiction, google WoW addiction and enjoy the resources. It's not a question of brain cells...and unfortunately your mentality isn't one that the addicts share in. If they did, we wouldn't have this topic/conversation and there wouldn't be marriages and lives ruined due to that game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BrandonsBalls

Anything can ruin a life; it depends on the person and how things effect that particular person.

---

Exactly what Im saying. Not everyone thinks the way the people on this thread do. Id invite someone that's addicted to say something, but Im sure they wouldnt be able to shut down their game to come participate.:8:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BrandonsBalls

Anything can ruin a life; it depends on the person and how things effect that particular person.

---

Really? Explain.

The only things that can effectively ruin peoples like that are not their own fault are external events that are outside of their control.

If a tornado rips up your house, it can ruin your life. But it's not your fault.

If you get laid off because your emplorer is no longer making enough money to pay you, it can ruin your life. Not your fault though.

No thing that you, yourself, control, can be blamed for the problems caused by said thing. If you swing a hammer, miss the nail and hit your finger, you have no one to blame but yourself. Same goes for anything else in life that is a result of your own decision making.

Even when it comes to drug abuse, unless someone points a gun to your head and makes you take that first hit or that you were lied to about what you were taking (which is unlikely with the proliferation of information about drug addiction), it's no one's fault but your own.

/side rant
Why teenagers these days ever start smoking now is beyond me. You've got to be dumb as a doorknob to start smoking in the 21st century.
/end side rant

That's all I have to say on it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

I dont care what it's recognized as, I dont play it. I dont play any games and the last console I got was a PSP so I could do something in deployment. Bu to be fair, it is already recognized as an addiction, google WoW addiction and enjoy the resources. It's not a question of brain cells...and unfortunately your mentality isn't one that the addicts share in. If they did, we wouldn't have this topic/conversation and there wouldn't be marriages and lives ruined due to that game.

---

Excuse you :rolleyes:.If anyone blames a game for ruining thier lives there brain cells were screwed up BEFORE they even bought said game.So we have groups set up to help these losers but we cant come up with a proper health care bill :O.What a waste of money.Here is an idea for those that blame a game for ruining thier lives PLAY Russian Roulette :please: :rofl: :rofl:.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MasonC2K

I've been a gamer all my life. I've played WoW for 4 years and have suffered no financial or social damage from it because I have my priorities straight.

So what do you guys think?

---

i think you are the first person i know who is able to live a normal life while playing "that" game ;)

most people just dont know when to say when, its that simple.
my little brother when he was between the ages of 8-13 would not get up from the computer all day long.
the kid would crap his pants, im not joking, and when i would ask him why he couldnt getup and leave for 5 mins he said, he couldnt get his mind out of the game and just didnt want to lose any time playing.
needless to say i was flabergasted and disgusted all at once, but congrats to you.

i think the statement should be instead of "games ruin lives" it should be "games give you the option to throw your life away", its just up to you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Joey'D

i think you are the first person i know who is able to live a normal life while playing "that" game ;)

most people just dont know when to say when, its that simple.
my little brother when he was between the ages of 8-13 would not get up from the computer all day long.
the kid would crap his pants, im not joking, and when i would ask him why he couldnt getup and leave for 5 mins he said, he couldnt get his mind out of the game and just didnt want to lose any time playing.
needless to say i was flabergasted and disgusted all at once, but congrats to you.

i think the statement should be instead of "games ruin lives" it should be "games give you the option to throw your life away", its just up to you.

---

Thank you :gj:.On a side note i hope your brother outgrew his issue :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by joepythons

Thank you :gj:.On a side note i hope your brother outgrew his issue :P

---

:rolleyes:
lol, well i hope so, i think so, im 10 years his senior, and he still lives back in Brooklyn, so i dont see him so often, but i havent heard my mother complaining about it for a while, so i assume he did..... i hope at least.
i think after the first year of smelling like crap at highschool may have had something to do with him stopping, that and his computer privledges were reduced a crap load (no punn intended i swear LOL).

i used to be a hard core gamer, as in ive logged thousands of hours on games like Halo and grand theft auto, and i never lost sleep, missed work, missed a bathroom run lol, but i was also a teen, so i had the time.
these days, i like to read more than play video games, aside from tiger woods golf :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MasonC2K

I am making this as a result of an off comment in another post saying something along the lines of:

"Stop playing WOW (World of Warcraft). That game ruins lives"

Well, no offense to the poster, but that statement is ignorant. No game, TV show, movie, etc, can ruin a life. People ruin their own lives because they have no self-control.

If you lose your job because you were sleep deprived from playing WoW all night, that's your fault; not the game.

If you lose your car/house because you spent too much money on Star Trek memorabilia, that's your fault; not the TV show.

Seriously. People need to take responsibility more these days. There are a lot of people that like to justify themselves with bad reasoning and blame anything or anyone but themselves for their own mistakes.

I've been a gamer all my life. I've played WoW for 4 years and have suffered no financial or social damage from it because I have my priorities straight.

So what do you guys think?

---

You are very much like me then. I play but I know how to keep my responsibilities in shape. Of course I get lazy with some things sometimes, but it's not the game, it is definitely me.
If anything, I have had made a couple best friends through that game that I hang out with frequently now. Social damage? I don't think so.

It is a person's choice, however I do know someone who went to therapy for counterstrike addiction, but that is not the games fault, he just made some poor choices, and is now cold turkey and dry for 2 years and doing great!

Joey'D, I know that myself and many of my friends maintain a normal life playing WoW. I do it in my free-time when no one is available to hang out directly, like during the school week if I'm done with my work.
I'm also always busy with my friends over the weekend, as I'm a very social person.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

Joey'D, I know that myself and many of my friends maintain a normal life playing WoW. I do it in my free-time when no one is available to hang out directly, like during the school week if I'm done with my work.
I'm also always busy with my friends over the weekend, as I'm a very social person.

---

LOL, allow me to correct myself by saying that only because i know one or two people who can live a normal life while playing that game, does not mean i think everyone that plays it cannot.

that being said, i do know many lives and marriages broken by WoW,a nd i am only happy i got off the wagon at warcraftII :taz:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Joey'D

LOL, allow me to correct myself by saying that only because i know one or two people who can live a normal life while playing that game, does not mean i think everyone that plays it cannot.

that being said, i do know many lives and marriages broken by WoW,a nd i am only happy i got off the wagon at warcraftII :taz:

---

I know 3 very good marriages that were created through WoW. There's always a positive to a negative! ;)

i was hooked on CS for a month then i started realize that i became a bum so i stopped playing and havent looked back since

i know a married couple in their late 20's who you would look at and never expect them to love wow so much, but lo and behold they enjoy it on their 24" computer screen whenever they can. they somehow manage to take care of a child, work and live in a very big house. amazing!

its the person's fault no matter what. not the game. if you're dumb enough to let a video game ruin your life, its probably going to be ruined by something equally as stupid. theres no hope for you

if theres help for these idiots i presume its nothing more than demonizing video games with a little brainwashing on the side. just like other bullcrap rehab programs they have for drinking and really bad drugs like cannabis. heres some southpark wisdom, its about alcohol but can really be said about lots of things, like video games

If you devote your whole life to completely avoiding something you like, then that thing still controls your life and... and you've never learned any discipline at all.

"But, maybe I'm just the kind of person who needs to have it all or nothing?"

No. All or nothing is easy. But learning to (play) a little bit, responsibly? That's a-discipline. Discipline comes from within.

My opinion is a little of both. Can a GAME ruin a life? Sometimes. I'd say 99.9% of those times where this game ruined a life it is the persons fault.

I used to play wow, and my old GM has been playing it ever since release. I'd say this game, mixed in with his lack of self control is ruining his life. But, he's ok with it. Why? Because he's addicted. He's currently blowing off one of the best girls he'll ever find for himself, all because of his addiction to the game. He up and moved across the country where he has no job or friends. All he does all day is sleep and play wow. That's HIS fault.

I was addicted to the game at one time. Do I blame it on the game? NO! I had nothing else to do, didn't want to make a social life for myself so I sat on my butt and played the game.

The part where I blame WoW, is Blizzard knows that people will get addicted to this game. They cover it in their Terms of Service, saying they are not responsible for lost jobs, marriages, kids, etc... They prey on the weak, which I guess is a money play. But whatever, all it takes is a simple click of a few buttons and people can log off. Some just don't have that will power, or want to ignore their real life.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

I know 3 very good marriages that were created through WoW. There's always a positive to a negative! ;)

---

O my say its not true :O! The agony they must feel :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by joepythons

O my say its not true :O! The agony they must feel :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

---

Ahahaa, well, no agony there. One specific couple out of the 3 is one of the best marriages I've ever seen. They act like best friends all the time and have a great charisma and never fight or argue. They're really comical too, I love em to death. They lived states away, met through WoW and Vent, and ended up meeting, falling in love, and marrying. :]
I couldn't see them any other way now.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MasonC2K

Really? Explain.
/side rant
Why teenagers these days ever start smoking now is beyond me. You've got to be dumb as a doorknob to start smoking in the 21st century.
/end side rant

That's all I have to say on it.

---

I started smoking a pipe as part of a costume (pirate) because I work out at a Ren Faire for extra money for seven weekends out of a year. I found out I actually enjoy smoking a pipe. Do I do it daily? No, do I do it weekly, maybe some weeks, and then not for months. I enjoy smoking it. That is why I started. I am not, however, addicted to it. I could stop completely if I so choose. Do I know the health risks of smoking? Yes. Will I continue to do it? Probably. There are health risks in everything we eat, drink, and in every breath we take. Every person has to choose what risks are acceptable to them. I have friends that wont drink or eat out of styrafoam or aluminum. Some friends that wont eat fast food. Enough of that rant.

Can WoW ruin lives? Yes. An addition to it can. I am not talking about my own personal addiction. I have a WoW tattoo and haven't played in months. I have no problem with that. My ex, however, was always playing WoW and met her new man on WoW. So in essence, had I truly been in love with her, WoW would have ruined my life. Same can be said for anyone who has married an alcoholic. Alcohol can ruin their live. It is not the fault of the game, but the person addicted but its just that, they are addicted. With out the item to be addicted to, then the lives may not have been ruined. Or that person may have found another addiction instead.

As somebody who is in school for game design and has many professors that are still working in the industry, I feel like I should comment. Though, here's a quirk for you, I have not ever played WoW but my boyfriend used to be glued to it 24/7.

Games are designed to sell and to be played. WoW is an immense success for Blizzard (albeit, not the first. Starcraft, anyone?). The continued expansion of the world, the community, and the immense amount of time that is poured into this game is what keeps people playing. Endless achievements are rewarding. Blizzard, nor any other game company that is successful, is at fault for making a game fun to play. Also, the amount of money that some people have invested into the game is a deterrent to dropping it. (Though you can make some big bucks selling your leveled, awesome character to some n00b)

I know a TON of people that play WoW. Some play casually, many play hard core. This isn't something that is unique to WoW as you can find this gradient in most popular games.

I'm going to reiterate what has already been said in this thread. The game is not what ruins somebody's life. IF the individual in question is so attached to their online persona/life and is loathe to be torn away from it then they have much deeper issues. It is not fair to say "OMG WoW is EVIL and ruins lives!!!1" because that is simply not the case. The large majority of the population playing WoW regularly are stable people and it's the small percentage that ends up on the news.

Violent video games do not make murderers, either. ;)

IMO it depends on the person, the game doesn't ruin your life, you could stop playing if you wanted, but some people just don't want to.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by coldblooded

I'm going to reiterate what has already been said in this thread. The game is not what ruins somebody's life. IF the individual in question is so attached to their online persona/life and is loathe to be torn away from it then they have much deeper issues. It is not fair to say "OMG WoW is EVIL and ruins lives!!!1" because that is simply not the case. The large majority of the population playing WoW regularly are stable people and it's the small percentage that ends up on the news.

Violent video games do not make murderers, either. ;)

---

Well said :gj:

Just because WoW doesn't ruin lives doesn't mean that it still doesn't suck :P

So all and all was the poster really ignorant?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

I know 3 very good marriages that were created through WoW. There's always a positive to a negative! ;)

---

to add to it, i know of 2 myself.
so all in all it seems this game has it pro's can con's just like all things in life.
and like all things in life, too much of anything can be bad :weirdface

i think that the only time a game can "ruin" a person's life is when it preforms tasks that they can do without it. Im talking about the Wii- theres Wii fit, then there are the games (monopoly) and then nintendo DS where you go shopping and stuff... i think those are way worse then anything like WoW or Left for dead or Forza 3 ( the last two being games my BF plays)- im only 21, but wat happened to exersise outside, or games on the floor with yur family? I know when I was a kid I loved that, and when I have kids, im never getting a Wii- but thats just my personaly choice I guess

lol since this was posted in one of my threads lol I ring it the game(S) can ruin a person life if they don't have the control to turn it off and do other things. THat being said I play more than I do much else mainly cause I never had much of a social life. I can bet i put about 90-120 hours easy playing a week. Most the time I get up get dress and play until I get a call or mom ask me ot take her somewere. I do make time to make sure my snakes and rodent are health and fed. ( why the rats conitue to eat their young ican only guess. and get irked over since I need pups to feed the bigger bps since i had t o toss most my frozen rodents out. )

But about all I for in WOW is fly around and mine most he day since i not geared/skilled enough to tank the heroics.
But I do not buy the gametime out of bill or house money. I do get my game time only in the summer months with the extra odd jobs I can grab this gets any game time cards, snakes and anything I consider a pleasure item. I do pay my bills first then reptiles supplies , if any thing left it usely goes to a new shirt or something for the trailer.

It is not the game's fault if its player becomes addicted! That said, everyone needs to balance their life so that gaming, real-life fun and work, among other things, are in balance. Too much gaming can affect your social life!

About all I know about WoW is what I saw on South Park, and after reading this thread, I see they were pretty accurate...

Wow i can not believe 25 people have voted yes that games do ruin lives :O.Cmon take responsibility for your actions and stop trying to blame others! Whats next a lawsuit? :8: :8: :8:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by joepythons

Wow i can not believe 25 people have voted yes that games do ruin lives :O.Cmon take responsibility for your actions and stop trying to blame others! Whats next a lawsuit? :8: :8: :8:

---

Well, the major game we're talking about is WoW, and Blizzard has it covered in their ToS that they can't be sued if your life is ruined. IE: Lost job, lost house, lost marriage etc.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Elise.m

Well, the major game we're talking about is WoW, and Blizzard has it covered in their ToS that they can't be sued if your life is ruined. IE: Lost job, lost house, lost marriage etc.

---

Which further proves the point. They cannot be negligent because it's not their fault.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MasonC2K

I am making this as a result of an off comment in another post saying something along the lines of:

"Stop playing WOW (World of Warcraft). That game ruins lives"

Well, no offense to the poster, but that statement is ignorant. No game, TV show, movie, etc, can ruin a life. People ruin their own lives because they have no self-control.

If you lose your job because you were sleep deprived from playing WoW all night, that's your fault; not the game.

If you lose your car/house because you spent too much money on Star Trek memorabilia, that's your fault; not the TV show.

Seriously. People need to take responsibility more these days. There are a lot of people that like to justify themselves with bad reasoning and blame anything or anyone but themselves for their own mistakes.

I've been a gamer all my life. I've played WoW for 4 years and have suffered no financial or social damage from it because I have my priorities straight.

So what do you guys think?

---

If there was no game, people would not be "sleep deprived from playing all night". People may have a choice, but if it wasn't for the game, they would have no problem. So, although people should have some "self control"...they don't..so the game takes the blame. If it wasn't there, they wouldn't need self control.

You could use your same argument with everything. Alcohol...etc.... If you take away alcohol, there are no drunk drivers, but there still are drivers.

Big Gunns has an idea. Ban every single thing in life that may be dangerous, addictive, annoying..etc...etc.... Wait......that's what's being done BG forgot.

This gives BG an idea for a thread.

Folks in the US these days are far too prone to blame their problems on something external, when the problem is in the mirror.

They develop an addiction, so they say 'this substance (or this game) ruined my life!'. No, your choices, your ADDICTION, ruined your life. No one forced you to play it to begin with, no one made you keep doing it...YOU did. The game designers did not sit you in a room and make you play for 12 hours every day until you couldn't stop.

Everyone is 100% responsible for their own actions. They are responsible for their addictions, as well--they CHOSE the behaviors that led to them.

Games do not ruin lives, people ruin their own lives. If it wasn't a game, they'd find something else to ruin it with.

Self discipline has become a very underrated skill. I personally think it needs to be deliberately taught in schools, because scant few people I've seen actually have enough of it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Elise.m

Well, the major game we're talking about is WoW, and Blizzard has it covered in their ToS that they can't be sued if your life is ruined. IE: Lost job, lost house, lost marriage etc.

---

They probably had to insert that after some idiot tried to sue them :rolleyes:.You know people are becoming a joke more and more each day with the stupid attempts to get rich :mad:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

Self discipline has become a very underrated skill. I personally think it needs to be deliberately taught in schools, because scant few people I've seen actually have enough of it.

---

Sad thing is someone would complain that its against thier religion or something :rolleyes: