Do you think a game can "ruin" lives?

[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?

[olstyn]

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.

[dreese88]

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.

[aybe.sea]

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.

[snakecharmer3638]

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.

[Denial]

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.

[Hulihzack]

Moderation is a lost concept these days.

[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.

[Soterios]

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.

[wilomn]

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.