Games break marriage!?!?!?

[Shoma]

Although best-selling online role-playing game World of Warcraft boasts over ten million subscribers, it's also leaving in its wake an increasing list of casualties.

 

Even though she's never played the game, 28 year-old Jocelyn is one of the fallen. A well-spoken California resident, she divorced her husband of six years after he developed a crippling addiction to the smash online RPG.

 

"He would get home from work at 6:00, start playing at 6:30, and he'd play until three a.m. Weekends were worse -- it was from morning straight through until the middle of the night," she told Yahoo! Games in an interview. "It took away all of our time that we spent together. I ceased to exist in his life." Jocelyn had been friends with her ex-husband Peter since the age of 13, but it took only nine months for her marriage to collapse.

 

"I bought the game for him for Christmas 2004, when it first came out. By May we had our first serious discussion about where our marriage was going, and by September I had moved out," she said.

 

Jocelyn recalled one particular incident that was typical of Peter's habits. "I had set aside 30 minutes for us to watch a television show together, and he couldn't. He was stuck on a raid, and completely failed to understand why I was upset," she said.

 

Peter's domestic duties also suffered. He stopped paying bills, she says, and refused to do his share of the housework.

 

Jocelyn doesn't hesitate to cite Warcraft as the main reason for her divorce and remains emotional about its impact on her marriage. "I'm real, and you're giving me up for a fantasy land. You're destroying your life, your six-year marriage, and you're giving it up for something that isn't even real."

 

Despite their differences, the couple remains friends, and although Peter still plays World of Warcraft, Jocelyn says he made an effort to cut down after their split.

 

Watch "Wrath of the Lich King" Trailer

 

A gamer herself, Jocelyn briefly worked for World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment, although not on the title that proved so damaging to her relationship. "I recognized that this was a game that would never end, and that's why I chose not to play it," she said.

 

"They build it in such a way that you have to keep putting more and more time into it to maintain your status. I remember thinking when I was married that it was downright exploitative to people who couldn't control themselves in that way. It's set up like a drug."

 

Asked if she would consider marrying another Warcraft player, Jocelyn laughed. "That's actually one of my primary criteria now -- I don't want to marry someone who is a gamer.

BRoken marriage cuz of Warcraft

 

It's was kinda funny when i first read it but I never met a couple who broke up over such a thing. But wow!

Edited February 16, 2008 by Shoma

[Devia Eleven]

WoW sucks, I've played it.

[TapeWurm]

I work with two guys. 1 getting divorced said he attributes his WoW addiction to more than 50% of the reason of his divorce. The other was getting divorced and said it had less impact but greatly affected their relationship, all the same.

I also work with a guy who has a good friend who lost his job, house and fiance' when Everquest first came out. He still playes to this day.

Just goes to show EVERYTHING needs to be done in moderation or it can lead to a negative outcome.

Edited February 16, 2008 by TapeWurm

[L.S.D]

Which is why I never play MMORPG. They tend to suck the life out of you

[Ahmad89]

Which is why I never play MMORPG. They tend to suck the life out of you

Preesh brotha

[Diso]

wow sucks too many people into the game. Too much time spent playing one particular game rather than playing many games (which eventually stop). I guess people have a fascination with getting the high end items and such because mmorpgs can only provide so much entertainment before they get tedius and boring for me.

[TapeWurm]

wow sucks too many people into the game. Too much time spent playing one particular game rather than playing many games (which eventually stop). I guess people have a fascination with getting the high end items and such because mmorpgs can only provide so much entertainment before they get tedius and boring for me.

Knowing the two guys at work, I would actually say that they both, especially one, suffer from low self esteem. You can see it in their daily presence. But if they are a good player in an MMO, then they basically have the ability to re-write who they are, at least virtually. Imagine being a total dork or 'social loser'. But now you're in an MMO where nobody knows the real-world you and you are a great and hi-end player/ruler/guild owner, etc. Of course you will spend every moment you can in the game since real life is the polar opposite.

It's not only an escape from reality, it's total submersion in a better, yet false, reality.

[Shoma]

I truly thought south park was just bored when they made that warcraft episodes...

"These are people........with no lives!"

[Inky]

I've tried WoW a few times. once on an official server and on a few private servers. and I just don't get how people can get so wrapped up in it. How some people can loose their families and in some cases their lives over WoW is totally beyond my comprehension.

[gavin19]

It's was kinda funny when i first read it but I never met a couple who broke up over such a thing. But wow!

 

Yeah, well you haven't me me yet

[OverlordMondo]

I've heard of people getting married because of WoW, and know a few couples who play together. I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that WoW ruins relationships.

[Tynvar]

I usually play when I'm alone then when my wife gets home I try to finish to a safe area and log out. It's hard for me but I know that my wife is more important than a game. This is one of the reasons I don't play retail WoW anymore. It was too much money to pay for a game I was only going to play once in a while. But yeah my suggestion is turn the darn game off when you have family involved. It is addictive, but sometimes we have to stop it and get on with our real lives. On weekends I'll play Wii while my wife is on the computer it's in the same room so we can talk while I play and she works with her pictures and sends emails to her friends, but it's only for 2 hours at the most. She doesn't mind the Wii or other games, but she sort of hates WoW because of what she has heard it does to people. If I didn't limit myself with games, I'm sure it would hurt my marriage very much. So I give time to everything

[Shoma]

So there is no limit in WoW?

I thought you keep fightin, level up to the max level and then u cant do anything else after that...

[Tynvar]

There's just too much content on Outland, if you add that most of it you need a good team to get anywhere, imagine the time you need. Also getting that "special" item may take hours. Now do everything with different classes, alliance and horde. You could play for years.

 

I'm not too much for team play so for me playing alone on my pc as a serv... ehem never mind, well let's just say that I have control over the game and I can solo instances.

Edited February 16, 2008 by Tynvar

[Sybarite Paladin AxL]

There's just too much content on Outland, if you add that most of it you need a good team to get anywhere, imagine the time you need. Also getting that "special" item may take hours. Now do everything with different classes, alliance and horde. You could play for years.

 

I'm not too much for team play so for me playing alone on my pc as a serv... ehem never mind, well let's just say that I have control over the game and I can solo instances.

 

He means private servers which are = phail. Defeating the purpose of a MMORPG, heh.

 

My WoW experience was mediocre to very frustrating for the almost 3 years I played. I played as a Paladin, a completely aimless, badly designed, piss poor class up until 2 months ago. Stuck it out for 3 years, got shaft after shaft then I simply quit because there's only so much crap someone can take before being fed up. Very few moments were actually enjoyable. I've quit for almost 3 months now, never felt better. And I was way too casual for the amount of money I spent on it, just like Tynvar.

 

On the flip side, I've made many friends, people I still keep in contact with. Even tho I quit the game I am still a member of my old guild, because it's greater than WoW. People still ask me about playing my class, because I am still relatively knowledgeable in it, and I'm glad to dispense advice.

 

Regarding the marriage thing, that's not even close to bad. I've heard a story about a family who left their 2 baby children to starve, bills unpaid, derelict house just to play WoW. They only ever got out of the house to buy cigs. How fvcking irresponsible is that?

 

Given the chance to recuperate my 3 years though, I'd not really take it, because of the people I met. However I would probably play a different class, even though I still adhere to Paladin principles and it's part of me now.