Guild Wars 2

A few days ago as I was salvaging luck I asked myself “what for?” I have more gold than I’d ever spend and would better drops from the same content really make the game more enjoyable? I realised then that I playing out of a compulsion rather than deriving any sense of fun; I was addicted.

Whether it be from chasing achievement points, completing your daily, or anything else, does anyone else feel the same unpleasant necessity to play the game?

Sounds like you’re Anet’s model customer considering their focus on lottery boxes and mindless zerg grind “content”.

I can not say I am addicted. I play most days, but I am never bothered if I miss a Daily or miss a day for whatever reason. I play because I enjoy it, not out of any sense of need.

But…that’s just me. =)

I am addicted, but I am also having fun. There is one huge difference between us: I don’t have nearly enough gold. I wonder sometimes if being able to buy anything I want would bore me. I’ll probably never know.

Substance E.4852:

Sounds like you’re Anet’s model customer considering their focus on lottery boxes and mindless zerg grind “content”.

Better drops from dungeons and fractals is what I meant by “same content”. That’s the least zerg oriented PVE content there is, but I’m not exactly having fun doing them anymore.

Garambola.2461:

I am addicted, but I am also having fun.

Hey, if you’re having fun, then there’s no problem

I’m probably addicted but I have no problem with stopping playing any given moment. Which I’ve done before and will do again, for the time being though this is a nice way to relax in the evenings for me.

I’m addicted to my guild. I’m enjoying the game.

Dondarrion.2748:

I’m probably addicted but I have no problem with stopping playing any given moment. Which I’ve done before and will do again, for the time being though this is a nice way to relax in the evenings for me.

Spoken like a true addict “I can stop anytime I want really”, “It’s all under control really” :P

Every mmo player is an addict by their very nature.

As long as that addiction doesn’t effect your education, family, social life etc, you are just devoted to your hobby.

kult.3465:

Every mmo player is an addict by their very nature.

. . . what? That seems a remarkably narrow viewpoint to take of “every MMO player”.

As long as that addiction doesn’t effect your education, family, social life etc, you are just devoted to your hobby.

Well then it’s a hobby and not an addiction, isn’t that so? A hobby which may be detrimental to your wallet, but a hobby. Like LARPing. Or Warhammer.

If you can walk away from the game, and function normally for extended periods of time . . . you are probably not an addict.

Ben.2685:

A few days ago as I was salvaging luck I asked myself “what for?” I have more gold than I’d ever spend and would better drops from the same content really make the game more enjoyable? I realised then that I playing out of a compulsion rather than deriving any sense of fun; I was addicted.

Whether it be from chasing achievement points, completing your daily, or anything else, does anyone else feel the same unpleasant necessity to play the game?

I’d firstly congratulate you on recognising the difference (so many times I’ve seen farmers or people asking for more rewarding content claim that it would in some way make the game more ‘fun’) But on point.All MMOs are essentially Skinner boxes. They have to be, fun is not engaging long term I’m afraid. I do find that the structured nature of achievement (be that whatever) is psychologically calming I guess. Compared to the real world where achievement is at best murky a MMO like GW2 makes it clear for you: Kill X get Y achievement points. It’s kinda nice after a long days work (with it’s real world uncertainty) to sit down for a hour or two and get the feeling (however fake it might be) that I’ve either achieved something or I’m working towards achieving something.

Anyway by definition (as in literally by definition) it’s only an addiction if it interferes with your normal routine. So if say you sacrifice sleep, proper hygiene, or cancel on usual social activities in order to play GW2, your not addicted.

I tend to only form addictions with products that are actually satisfying in some way.

Yes I am addicted

This game doesn’t have things needed to make player addicted in my opinion. Crappy skins,useless weapon stats, and content that rewards you with trash instead of something more valuable. After a while you realize that spending hours of your life to gain few gold an hour is just not worth it.If the game wasnt so much “pay 2 win” then maybe ok, i would spend hours of my life farming that gold trying to get that cool skin, but they are without any meaning since everyone with money can buy them from TP instead of play the game to get.

Thats the issue with this game, not even lack of content but that skins which is the endgame?? here can be gained with real life money. Until they introduce something like “kill wurm x times to get this cool skin that cant be gained any other way” i wont be addicted. This game needs a grind that is account bound. For example farm 30000 geodes to buy this skin that can only be recieved by trading geodes for it. Until then no, i will only login to talk to people and nothing else.

I can’t get addicted to this game. It just doesn’t work for me. There aren’t many long-term goals except for maybe building a legendary, which I don’t really care to.

For me it’s more about having fun doing WvW or SPvP and the ocasional dungeon, while doing other things on the side like achievements and map exploration.

I say PvErs in this game have it worse. Eight dungeons plus Fractals is not what I would consider replayable. In a month or two you can run all dungeon paths at least twice which leaves you with nothing to do, unless you enjoy repeating the same dungeons over and over. World bosses are nice but they don’t really fight back. At least with PvP it always feels different because you’re playing against people, not AI.

I’m addicted to the fun I have while playing with my friends and guildmates. Sometimes I log in to play, but I don’t find anything interesting to do, so I log out. I assume I’m not addicted to the game per se, but rather to the fun the game offers.

Well i was, i tend to have an addicitve personality and considering the giant skinner box that mmos are, it’s not rocket science i got hooked on. But the next feature patch really made me reconsider how i play the game and view this company. Gonna try to go cold turkey on this one for some time, maybe log in once in a while for my friends or nostalgias sake, but otherwise if nothing major changes when it comes to the content and quality of the updates, i’m out.

Nope,i dont care about gw2 titles nor mindless redundancy, i despite that kind of content.

No, I have periords where I play extensive (6-10 hours a day if I have a day off), but then I have periods where I don’t play at all. I have around 2400 hours played – friends of mine who don’t play MMOs think it’s a lot of time. And it is. But if I read the forums here it’s utterly questionnalbe. There are players here who play 10+ hours a day ON AVERAGE. This is just unhealthy and a clear addictive behaviour. Others define ‘casual players’ as players who play 2-3 hours a day. A casual player plays 2-3 a week, not a day…

At the moment I don’t play at all, I have a full time job and a girl friend, business trips, friends, holiday trips etc.

Ben.2685:

I realised then that I playing out of a compulsion

haha that is exactly how I feel- I feel like I NEED to do all my dailies, make gold and grind PvP or whatever and I am not happy until I have. I still do enjoy the game very much, but it does feel like I play because I have to rather than because I want to, even because of this I only have 2k and a bit hours in 450 ish days so I don’t play very much compared to some, still.

It wouldn’t devastate me to miss a day or a week here and there.
kitten, I took a whole year off when my wife and I were down to only one decent computer between us.

I do enjoy the game, I enjoy roaming in areas I’ve been in, and exploring new ones, but I’m not addicted.

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

kult.3465:

Every mmo player is an addict by their very nature.

. . . what? That seems a remarkably narrow viewpoint to take of “every MMO player”.

As long as that addiction doesn’t effect your education, family, social life etc, you are just devoted to your hobby.

Well then it’s a hobby and not an addiction, isn’t that so? A hobby which may be detrimental to your wallet, but a hobby. Like LARPing. Or Warhammer.

If you can walk away from the game, and function normally for extended periods of time . . . you are probably not an addict.

Anyone willing to spends hours grinding away killing virtual boars for the sword of light and truth is an addict.

An mmo player that is not an addict has a character no higher than a level 10. Lol

Well I have 5,086 hours over the past 738 days, but I really wouldn’t consider myself an addict. There have been times I simply stopped playing it, sometimes weeks or months even. At the moment I’m a college student so I have a lot of free time, and in that free time I enjoy playing gw2. This is pretty much the only game I play now, which is nice because it does help me save money.

No, I do not feel any “unpleasant necessity” to play the game. I’m definitely not addicted to it, although I do enjoy it immensely. Still, it doesn’t bother me if I miss a daily (or even a monthly) or can’t play a couple of nights after work (due to real life responsibilities).

ShadowPuppet.3746:

Dondarrion.2748:

I’m probably addicted but I have no problem with stopping playing any given moment. Which I’ve done before and will do again, for the time being though this is a nice way to relax in the evenings for me.

Spoken like a true addict “I can stop anytime I want really”, “It’s all under control really” :P

Exactly xD
First stage is recognising you are one, I’d say the addiction is most dangerous when you’re unaware and letting it get in the way of the rest of your life..
There’s times I’ve been really enveloped in the game and been thinking about it too much, but I can also put it on the shelf if something else needs attention – whether for a short time or permanently

But yea, I agree, the statement “I’m addicted but got in under control” is contradictory

the irony of addiction is that in most cases the “addict” isn’t the best person to answer the question if they’re addicted or not, and that’s because usually there is an element of denial involved, its easier to say i’m not addicted and continue in an old pattern then to say ive been fooling myself and actually then have to become accountable for your actions.

OP my experience is I use to feel that need to satisfy the completionist in me, until I just stopped caring as much and let it go, some days I don’t even log in, I do log in for new content tho and if there is something I feel I need to chase, but lets be honest this games gone the way of the casual gamer in pretty much every shape and form, and theres nothing wrong with that, there are a lot of ppl looking for a casual game and its good that gw’s fulfils that need, so let this experience be what its intended to be, a casual one.

Well, from my perspective… aren’t a lot of games like that?

It’s the sense of getting outside the normal life and immersing yourself in a video game.

Consider, Call of Duty games… are they not the same after so long, but people play them even if they stink at it? They are just prestiging their level over and over to have a nice shiny emblem by their name?

DC Universe… grinding the same dungeons over and over to get tokens to buy a single armor piece to increase your CR so you can grind the next level of dungeons over and over.

Minecraft… build a house… outgrow it… mine materials… build a bigger house… outgrow it… etc.

Sports Games… I’m a huge sports fan (NCAA football) but that even gets boring after a while.

I don’t feel the need to give more examples, but every game loses fun value after so long.

Ben.2685:

A few days ago as I was salvaging luck I asked myself “what for?” I have more gold than I’d ever spend and would better drops from the same content really make the game more enjoyable? I realised then that I playing out of a compulsion rather than deriving any sense of fun; I was addicted.

Whether it be from chasing achievement points, completing your daily, or anything else, does anyone else feel the same unpleasant necessity to play the game?

That’s great an all and we’re glad you’re having fun don’t misunderstand but some of us have close to 300 and we still can’t get anything to drop most of the time, so the rewards changes and the changes to the crafting materials thing is much welcome.

As far as addicted, nope not I, I don’t have the desire to login yet right now because I became disgusted a second time with the way the patches were going previously, I think tho that the feature patch this time, and their newest interview, if at all used as an indicator about where this game is going in the future is going to get me to log back in. Here’s to hoping it’s true!

Ben.2685:

Better drops from dungeons and fractals …

That’s a paradigm. Models America pretty well. Not necessarily a good paradigm.

Considering that I have over 19k achivements points, yes I am addicted to the game which I view it to be a bad thing.

I wished they abolish the Achievement system, people should return the game for fun, not for the achievements! Yes I know not everyone are getting the points which is fine which you should keep playing the game for other things than the points!

Maybe in the past but ANet has done a pretty good job of breaking me away from it.

I am addicted to the feeling a great game can give me.

Currently GWII is giving me that feeling, which is why I play.

Pjwned.3601:

I tend to only form addictions with products that are actually satisfying in some way.

So you’re addicted to trolling the forums? Whatever floats your boat, I suppose.

kult.3465:

Anyone willing to spends hours grinding away killing virtual boars for the sword of light and truth is an addict.

An mmo player that is not an addict has a character no higher than a level 10. Lol

What . . . I . . . what is this I don’t even . . .

You must really have a low bar for defining “addiction” then.

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

kult.3465:

Anyone willing to spends hours grinding away killing virtual boars for the sword of light and truth is an addict.

An mmo player that is not an addict has a character no higher than a level 10. Lol

What . . . I . . . what is this I don’t even . . .

You must really have a low bar for defining “addiction” then.

Pray tell, what is this sword of light and truth and which boars do I have to kill?
Screenshots anyone?
Why is it not in the wardrobe!?! Whaaaaaa.

Rouven.7409:

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

kult.3465:

Anyone willing to spends hours grinding away killing virtual boars for the sword of light and truth is an addict.

An mmo player that is not an addict has a character no higher than a level 10. Lol

What . . . I . . . what is this I don’t even . . .

You must really have a low bar for defining “addiction” then.

Pray tell, what is this sword of light and truth and which boars do I have to kill?
Screenshots anyone?
Why is it not in the wardrobe!?! Whaaaaaa.

It’s a reference to a South Park episode lampooning WoW.

It’s also a flippant excuse for a reply just to be silly and keep the idea of all MMO players need to be addicted to the game if they play it regularly. (Because it’s completely not like coming home and indulging in your hobby over the weekend to relax.)

Nah.

Sometimes I feel like gold grind, sometimes I feel like wvw. Sometimes I feel like playing harp music…

annnd sometimes I feel like doing something else.

It’s a nice game, but far from addictive. breathtaking yes, habit forming, no. (for me.)

Azure The Heartless.3261:

Nah.

Sometimes I feel like gold grind, sometimes I feel like wvw. Sometimes I feel like playing harp music…

annnd sometimes I feel like doing something else.

It’s a nice game, but far from addictive. breathtaking yes, habit forming, no. (for me.)

I feel the same way… except maybe the harp bit.

But yeah, the game is awesome (in my humble opinion) but not something that drives me to have to play it.

I don’t think I’m addicted. For one thing I was away from home last week and couldn’t log in at all and I didn’t think twice about it. I’m going to miss this entire weekend too and that doesn’t bother me either.

But then I also play very slowly. I’ve been playing since launch and still haven’t done a lot of stuff, so getting bored with the game has never been an issue for me. I can think of at least a dozen things to do at any given time. And if none of them appeal to me I do something else and come back to it later.

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

It’s a reference to a South Park episode lampooning WoW.
(…)

You mean … I can’t have it? sweat … shivver

It’s … it’s … ok, I still have 20 legendary weapons to go yes. Yes, I will hold onto that. Phew, that was close.

I define addiction as something I do that is harmful to me or that makes me neglect other important things. I define what is important as well. I’m doing fine btw, thanks for asking.

@ Tobias: Thanks, guess I have to watch more TV in order to keep up with those references. Although I would run into the danger of becoming something park addicted.

Rouven.7409:

@ Tobias: Thanks, guess I have to watch more TV in order to keep up with those references. Although I would run into the danger of becoming something park addicted.

It’s some years old by now, made a splash as the bulk of the episode was done in World of Warcraft machinima-style. I’m sorry, I should say, made a splash within a certain demographic.

I watched it because I got linked to it five times by friends and family. Kind of like how I’ve now been linked to Amy’s Baking Company four times thanks to the same people.

But by the definition of kult’s “addiction” protocols, yes, we would be addicted if we so much as kept track of these things. Or bothered to remember them after we watched. (Almost reminds me of the misguided “The West Wing” ‘trek fans are fetishists’ scene . . . but that’s another story.)

Ben.2685:

A few days ago as I was salvaging luck I asked myself “what for?” I have more gold than I’d ever spend and would better drops from the same content really make the game more enjoyable? I realised then that I playing out of a compulsion rather than deriving any sense of fun; I was addicted.

Whether it be from chasing achievement points, completing your daily, or anything else, does anyone else feel the same unpleasant necessity to play the game?

Not even. The game is about running out of fun for me. Nothing new, only things they focus On are Gem store, and Living story, and armor skins…. on the gem store and weapon skins on the gem store….

Heading for AA.

M… maybe… No! I can stop whenever I want. See?

About the luck essence; what else are you going to do with them? Destroy the essences you get from salvaging? Might as well consume them.

kult.3465:

Tobias Trueflight.8350:

kult.3465:

Every mmo player is an addict by their very nature.

. . . what? That seems a remarkably narrow viewpoint to take of “every MMO player”.

As long as that addiction doesn’t effect your education, family, social life etc, you are just devoted to your hobby.

Well then it’s a hobby and not an addiction, isn’t that so? A hobby which may be detrimental to your wallet, but a hobby. Like LARPing. Or Warhammer.

If you can walk away from the game, and function normally for extended periods of time . . . you are probably not an addict.

Anyone willing to spends hours grinding away killing virtual boars for the sword of light and truth is an addict.

An mmo player that is not an addict has a character no higher than a level 10. Lol

I am not an addict, and I have 3 level 80’s what does that say?

Nah. I have fun doing events with guild mates and playing PvP. I don’t really feel any compulsion to play out of habit or anything like that.

Nerelith.7360:

I am not an addict, and I have 3 level 80’s what does that say?

Playing the devils advocate here I’d have to say it says we’re probably looking at a case of denial.

Hello, I am Rouven, I have 8x 80’s and I am not an addict.

Rouven.7409:

Nerelith.7360:

I am not an addict, and I have 3 level 80’s what does that say?

Playing the devils advocate here I’d have to say it says we’re probably looking at a case of denial.

Hello, I am Rouven, I have 8x 80’s and I am not an addict.

Oh well… if number of 80s is the criteria here….

I have 16 level 80s, 25 total characters…or is it 26 now? Meh, I’ve lost count.

LanfearShadowflame.3189:

(…) Meh, I’ve lost count.

Good news, not keeping count shows a relaxed lassez faire mindset that it clearly not that of an addict.

Rouven.7409:

LanfearShadowflame.3189:

(…) Meh, I’ve lost count.

Good news, not keeping count shows a relaxed lassez faire mindset that it clearly not that of an addict.

Oh good. I was worried. XD

Substance E.4852:

Sounds like you’re Anet’s model customer considering their focus on lottery boxes and mindless zerg grind “content”.

And adding new achievements to get people to do content that’s already been there.