Do people actually starve themselves to play games like World of Warcraft? (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 months ago by Buttflapper@lemmy.world to c/games@lemmy.world

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[-] Sundial@lemm.ee 44 points 2 months ago

Like gambling, gaming can be an addiction that can really affect people's lives.

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 30 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

If you have a choice of buying food for a month or buying a video game, and you choose the video game, I am not sure the problem is with the game.

Not having enough in-game smut is a bigger issue.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 3 points 2 months ago

There's definitely some problem with their critical thinking skills.

It's not like the game is going to become unavailable at some point you can save up and get it later there's no risk with doing that.

[-] Sylvartas@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

FOMO can be a bitch for some people. The fact that it is so widely exploited in tech/videogames is no coincidence

[-] antmzo220@lemmy.ml 19 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

When I starve myself for a week to be able to buy and consume the new game DLC and there isn't even enough smut

(╬ಠ益ಠ)

[-] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago

This may or may not be a real screenshot, but it definitely feels accurate based on my time in the game.

Yes, people would actually starve themselves to play WoW. They will pee in diapers to not stop playing WoW. Definitely not as much now, but 15 years ago some people were seriously addicted to it.

[-] Grangle1@lemm.ee 12 points 2 months ago

I've been a part of two different friends' attempts to quit addiction to MMOs. A high school friend had a problem with Everquest back before WoW. His brother recruited us friends to help give him alternative stuff to do like movie and other game nights. We succeeded, and he was able to put the game down. Some college friends and I were not so successful in pulling one of my roommates away from WoW. Activision Blizzard have it literally down to the science of addiction.

[-] Coelacanth@feddit.nu 4 points 2 months ago

I remember EverQuest being called EverCrack back in the day before WoW.

[-] flicker@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

I read "EverQuest" and my brain commented, "You mean EverCrack," immediately.

My cousin was horrifically addicted. Luckily for me, my opinion on subscribing to a game was, "no matter how good a game is, I'm not paying for it over and over, " even in middle school, so he couldn't convince me to try it.

[-] helloharu@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

I have a friend that refuses to play FFXIV again because how addicted they felt towards it. That came off the back of a WoW addiction that led them to mix up their priorities between food, alcohol and playing the game. The whole addition to both of those was a way for dealing with other mental health issue, yet only made matters worse with how those games work.

I also had my own issues with game addiction when I was dealing with grief over a death. Fortunately it didn’t impact my physical health but it did impact other areas. I certainly wasn’t looking after myself and my surroundings as best as I could back then, and neglected a lot in my life.

My friend found a way of dealing with game addiction by removing them entirely, I found ways to prioritise other areas of my life and continue with that while keeping gaming strictly as a hobby.

Often I think people become addicted to games like any other substance due to dealing with external factors in life that they’re not getting help for. It takes a lot to realise there’s a problem, it takes even more to deal with the root causes. Some people also have low thresholds for addiction and which exacerbates it.

[-] Jaderick@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago

I agree with Blue. #SetGoldshireFree

[-] etchinghillside@reddthat.com 8 points 2 months ago

Some people that play MMOs rely solely on government disability as an income.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 3 points 2 months ago

I've seen how much people get on disability, I don't understand how it would even be possible to live on it. It's barely possible to live on it when people are using it to buy food, pay rent and stuff they need. To buy food and games, no chance, they must have some other supplemental income, even if it's just from sympathetic family members.

[-] etchinghillside@reddthat.com 1 points 2 months ago

EBT/SNAP could be used for food. But you’re correct - the cases of this I’ve come across with guild members it seems they are paired up with an equally not thriving SO or are in a relatives spare bedroom.

[-] linearchaos@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

I played heavily back in the day I don't think the money was ever really the problem It was the time. When I finally settled down and had a family I had to stop. $15 a month for service and $50 every 2 years for DLC isn't really all that much money If you consider 60 hours a week of entertainment for that price a deal. If you are that close to the edge you're going to be on the edge anyway.

[-] Phegan@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

I feel like this would be better suited for a WoW sub like the greentext sub and not the general gaming sub.

[-] vonxylofon@lemmy.world 20 points 2 months ago

This could be any game, and anyway, does this sub get so much traffic it's a problem?

[-] antmzo220@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Y'all making me hungry for a jersey mikes sub

[-] Dindonmasker@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 months ago

Any way to stop playing is good i guess. Starving sounds like a painful alternative tho.

[-] BombOmOm@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

Yeah, kinda sounds like he should put the whole game down. That monthly sub isn't cheap either. Shit adds up.

[-] 7355608@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

While monetarily the subscription is stupid expensive, several years ago blizzard added a way to pay in-game gold for an item that's worth a month's game time.

If this person is putting off eating to play they're would be considered "hardcore" in my opinion. And if that's the case, they probably have way to get around the monthly cost, or they could have bought mass time all at once on discount.

[-] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Wait. They what? I used to make bank on the auction house and always wished that was an option.

I wonder if ol' Bafu Fatsi still exists on that server. 🤔

[-] MutilationWave@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

I would buy all the enchanting mats below a certain price, buy all the items that rewarded those mats, disenchant everything, then list all the mats much higher than I paid. Bank.

[-] PunchingWood@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

It's not exclusive to MMO games or anything. Although I do get the addiction of MMO games, I still play WoW but I used to have phases of playing it at unhealthy amounts of time (like over 12 years ago), but only as long as I could afford throwing money away.

The amount of times I've seen beggars show up on social media when a new game launches is ridiculous. Like dude, if you can't afford gaming then you should seriously have other priorities in liffe, and probably spend the time you'd game on more productive things. Like work, to be able to afford stuff like gaming in the first place.

[-] Minnels@lemm.ee 3 points 2 months ago

Imagine saving money before a game releases. Oh no.

[-] Fizz@lemmy.nz 2 points 2 months ago

Some guilds expect their members to be ready for new expansions I'm sure they would make an exception for this fella but he seems to proud to admit he can't afford the expansion.

[-] SgtAStrawberry@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

As I have seen similar statements about purely singel player games, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to hear it about an MMO. Were there dose exist a minuscule level of reason being it, not good reason but there is still some reason in it. With the singel player games there is no reason what so ever.