Gary Haran.com

As many of my readers know already I quit World of Warcraft a little over a year ago. When I quit a lot of people from my guild contacted me asking why I decided to leave the game. They too were fed up with the endless grinds, the drama, the immaturity and having to take days to get anything done.

They were so expressive to me in secret but kept their concerns very quiet before when we played together. You see they didn’t want to let any of their guild members down despite disliking the game more and more every day.

So I created wowdetox.com so that anyone could anonymously write their reasons for quitting the game. The first day I had about 20 posts. The second I had 400. The third I had over 900. Digg.com picked it up, so did slashdot, reddit and numerous guild web sites. My server kept up with the demand which was rather amazing to me.

In the last month as I was approaching 20000 posts I started receiving offers from marketers, gold selling companies and numerous other anonymous people but none would guarantee that the site would keep on going except one entrepreneur from Alberta. He can use the media attention the site gets to promote his online marketing company. I find this to be a smart way to leverage the site, something as a programmer I found difficult to do.

I’m quite glad the site is now in good hands and it leaves me more time and funds for future projects.

If someone would have told me a year ago that launching a site about World of Warcraft Addiction would generate so much traffic and make money I would have laughed at them. Turns out even trying to help out people can make you money. I love the internet.

Here is advice that has served me well so I thought I would share:

Invest Early

The earlier you invest the better off you will be come retirement time. For example if you invest a single dollar today in a mutual fund at 10% interest rate it will be worth 10$ in 25 years.

Walk More

Regularly walking even short distances is known to prevent cancer, glaucoma, diabetes as well as heart problems. A short walk after a light lunch can also help digestion.

Learn From Failures

Never fear failure. The rich know that failure is just a change of perspective. It allows you to see which new doors are open.

Travel To a Foreign Country

Aldous Huxley says it best when he said that “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries”. Travelling really opens up your eyes on different ways of doing things and helps explain why things are the way they currently are in your own country. It gives you perspective on where you came from.

Find a Job You Love

Don’t waste your time doing something you dislike so much. You spend most of your waking hours at work so unless you find it truly rewarding it shouldn’t be where you spend your time.

Live Below Your Means

Most people spend about as much as their credit cards will allow and then they end up paying the big man huge interest rates for years while living cheque to cheque. Next time you have a big cheque (income tax return, bonus at work, a raise) use that money to pay off your debt and start building your own security blanket. It can work like your own personal visa card that you can use when you need.

I’m the webmaster behind wowdetox.com, a site where addicts anonymously write their reasons for leaving World of Warcraft. I should be happy when I see the media bring some light to the problem of gaming addiction. Right?

Guy ditches gf in labor to play WOW, returns later for the important stuff

The story is that Sean and Autumn are having problems because he plays WoW way too much and neglects his wife. Smart as they can be they resort to a talk show to resolve this problem. As I had suspected nothing substantial came out of it. A single couple in the world might be on the road to fixing their problems brought on by gaming addiction but Tyra Banks and Dr Garry, by failing to portray the problem as it really is, exacerbate the problem.

First of all Tyra Banks reinforces the myth that all video games are a relationship between a computer and a player. The truth is that WoW is a very social game and understanding this helps us find solutions.

Then Dr Garry steps in and makes things even worse. The first thing he does is make sure the wife feel guilty for putting on some weight. Way to go Doc! Where did you get your Phd? Cracker Jack box?

Neither Dr Garry nor Tyra were able to raise awareness of the problem in a way that is beneficial to others. The little information they provide us with exacerbate the problem. After seeing this show more people will believe that addicts are loners who prefer playing a video game alone than socializing when in fact the social aspect of the game is one of its biggest features.

I was in Sean’s position at some point, ignoring my wife, friends and career because a guild needed my time. I was letting a character gain glory and fame inside a virtual world because I was under the illusion that it mattered more to me than the real stuff. When I understood that I had been wrong for so long that is when I unsubscribed.

Nothing was mentionned on the show about the chance based reward system, the auction house, the PVP system, the complex social networks or the feeling of importance when needed by a large group of people about to down a boss. These are all factors that help in understanding this behavioral addiction.

When Tyra Banks and Dr Garry expressed surprise (or was it disapointement) that there was no fight between the two I felt like I was watching some Jerry Springer love triangle show that just didn’t have the oomph you had come to expect from watching trash TV.

Are WoW addicts better understood thanks to this show? Are people in love with WoW addicts better equipped to deal with the problem? The problem isn’t fixed with sensationalist TV. The problem just gets worse with trash TV.

The first one is from an upcoming show called Dr Keith Ablow and is stated as being similar to Dr Phil except this guy is a real psychiatrist. www.drkeithtv.com.

I am a producer with a new talk show debuting this fall in New York City. I’m doing research on gaming addiction. If you are experiencing this or know someone who is, or if you want to help your spouse / partner with their addiction I would love to talk to you.

This could be your chance to share your story with the rest of America and receive advice from our host (a licensed psychiatrist).

Feel free to call me at our toll free number: 1.888.372.2569 (ext. 4294), or you can email me at newnytalkshow@yahoo.com.

Thank you!!!

The second is MTV True Life

Lindsay Udo
Associate Producer
True Life
212.654.7229

True Life: Video Game Addict
Call For Participants

Are you or someone you know suffering from a serious video game
addiction?

We all play video games, but some people don’t know where the controller
ends and where real life begins.

MTV’s “True Life” series will explore the world of video game addiction.
Are you on the verge of flunking out of school or losing your job
because you can’t break away from the screen? Does your
girlfriend/boyfriend neglect you in favor of their favorite game and
it’s causing serious problems in your relationship? Do you know someone
whose life is spiraling out of control because of their video game
addiction?

Whether you are unapologetic about your addiction, looking for ways to
finally break the habit, aren’t even sure how to tackle the problem, or
looking to get your loved one help and haven’t taken the steps… we’d
love to hear from you.

E-mail us at VideoGameAddict@mtvnmix.com with your story. Please be
sure to include your name, age, location, phone number and photo if
possible.

I have no idea what these shows are like as I don’t watch too much TV. But I do believe that if you fit the description you might make a few dollars by looking like a fool on national television or perhaps get a free trip out of it or something. If that’s your idea of fun…

Both producers were too cheap to purchase an ad on wowdetox.com and honestly they don’t seem to be in the game to help people out but more to find people who are photogenic and/or can give a good show. So the more f’ed up you are the more chances you are of getting on the show.

Either way I’m glad that shows dealing with gaming addiction are being made. The question is will they deal with it properly or really make it more of a problem by treating it like a drug addiction and not dig deeper into it and help everyone understand it better?

PS: I really have faith in American television.