Do you think a game can "ruin" lives?

[joepythons]

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 ! The agony they must feel

[blackcrystal22]

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

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.

[stormwulf133]

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.

[coldblooded]

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.

[Jaydizzl05]

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.

[joepythons]

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

[mainbutter]

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

[BPBandit]

So all and all was the poster really ignorant?

[Joey'D]

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

[LaFilleClochette]

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