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Prince of Persia Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC Release Date: 12/2/2008 Genres: Action, Adventure Developer: Ubisoft |
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Damnation Platforms: PS3, PC, Xbox 360 Release Date: 12/16/2008 Genres: Action Developer: Blue Omega Entertainment |
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Bomberman Ultra Platforms: PS3 (PSN) Release Date: TBA Genres: Puzzle Developer: Hudson |
| Breaking a Habit |
| Defender, Publisher |
| Sunday, June 22 2008 |
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It's been a few months since I've stopped playing World of Warcraft. To be honest, I don't miss it one bit. While MMO games involving hours of grinding levels and questing can be quite intriguing, they can also take over your life, making you pretty much a "slave" to these virtual worlds. While the games are fun, they got me so addicted that I would find myself avoiding family, friends and even my girlfriend.
In the beginning, it was Counter Strike: Condition Zero. I couldn't stop playing it -- I even purchased a 16 slot server and built my own clan! Then I got into World of Warcraft. I was unemployed and working as a freelancer at the time, which gave me just the excuse I needed to waste hours upon hours playing the game. It got pretty bad -- some nights I would play from 6 PM until 4 AM just trying to reach that next level or get that next piece of great equipment. WoW had just came out; it was fresh and exciting, and there was nothing else quite like it. When I finally reached that highest level, my life became a never-ending WoW cycle; every night I would venture into dungeons, kill gigantic bosses, collect loot, and distribute it among the guild, at infinitum. I don't think MMO games are evil in the least bit. Other types of games can be addicting as well -- any game that is "never-ending" could take over your life in the same kind of way. It's all about personal choices. There's really a time for everything; some people can find the time to play online games while also balancing out their real lives, while other people can't. On the other hand, console games actually do have an end; since I have no commitments to my Playstation 3, I can turn it off whenever I want and come back right where I left off. If something comes up, I can pause the game and take care of it. Although I miss all of the friends I made on WoW, I realized that MMOs make you not only commit to the games, but to the players. If I wasn't around for a scheduled raid, as a key player to the success of everyone else, I'd let the entire guild down. That's why I'm glad that when I turn off a game now, I'm letting down a virtual world; not people. Share/Bookmark: 
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