World of Warcraft Should Have Session Length Restrictions

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HERE'S WHAT I THINK

World of Warcraft Should Have Session Length Restrictions

I am not sure on this one but I would like to hear your views.It seems to me that addictive play of this MMORPG is destroying lives.

Standout Argument FOR -by Andrew

I lost my wife to this game. It is 100% her responsibility / to blame. But just like alchohol there should be a warning on using in moderation.
At some point Blizzard and other MMORPGs will face a class-action suit on this issue. They can protect themselves and serve their players by presenting them with warnings and enforcing some high session limits (e.g. no more than 8hrs in a 24hr period).

Standout Argument Against by April

April says:

Why make Blizzard responsible for the things people choose to do to themselves? Building a huge safety net just encourages people to dodge responsibilities for their own actions and the consequences. We have too much of that already in society. You don't learn self-control and responsibility from having someone force you to change; you learn it by suffering from your own decisions.

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World of Warcraft Should Have Session Length Restrictions

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dan says:

yes there should be limits my girlfriend play from wne she get up untill about 5 in the morning and it has been realy pissing me off. the thing is she is making me pay for a game i dont even like.

totalmuscle says:

Agreed, I used to play it for hours on end and I've now come to the realization that it was a big waste of life for me. What benefits do you get out of it? Virtual socializing and possibly de-stressing is all I see that comes out of it. I can tell you everything that's wrong with sitting in front of it all day long: bad health, a life devoid of real socializing, eyesight strain, junk food binging, loss of sleep, and poor choice of investment. At 15 bucks a month, or 180 bucks a year, you could set that stuff aside for stock and forex investing!

dogbark says:

I think it should, because playtime over a certain length is harmful to a person. Your choice or not, 12 hours a day every day is going to impact your life. Think of it like being at the bar..if the bartender sees you've had enough, he doesn't have to serve you any more, for your own good.

Jackoff mcinley says:

SKEET SKEET SKEET

mak says:

if your at the age where your going to be studying for your future you SHOULD quit asap.

just take it as advice

James P says:

16 hours of your life to run a raid? That's not dedication. Dedication is working towards something real and useful. If you've been playing this game for more than a few hours straight there's something wrong, you're damaging your eyes, your muscle and bone structure, your career and social life.

The big counter argument is that people should be able to do what they want, whenever they want. But the sad reality is that a lot of people don't seem to be able to stop. The only saving grace is forced down time on tuesdays when the server goes down.

sunshineday says:

chill dnev,I was just asking since although WOW might be great for in game relations it does nothing for your REAL social life and relationships which to be frank matter a great deal more

aaron says:

The game should have some limitations. Lets say after 2-3 hours everything you earn, xp, gold, rep, and honor is cut in half. After 4-6 hours you get nothing at all. This forces you to either log, or play for absolutely nill (account wide).

Another option is Blizzard charging by the hour. For those who are casual players, it would be easier on their wallet, and those who play more will feel it on their credit card every month.

If anything, WoW should have a warning like Guild Wars does which pops up on the screen every hour or two. "You have been playing for X hours, please take a break"

Andrew says:

I also think as an alternative Blizzard should not charge a flat fee. They should charge a base rate and then charge per hour played over say 40hrs a month.

Of course, they could be accused of taking advantage of addicts, but if you want another drink you have to buy one...this should be no different.

I bet lots of people would put this game's crack pipe down sooner if there were immediate financial consequences...only the real sickos would play until they were ruined financially (in addition to loosing their jobs, friends, family, etc.).

Andrew says:

I lost my wife to this game. It is 100% her responsibility / to blame. But just like alchohol there should be a warning on using in moderation.
At some point Blizzard and other MMORPGs will face a class-action suit on this issue. They can protect themselves and serve their players by presenting them with warnings and enforcing some high session limits (e.g. no more than 8hrs in a 24hr period).

masterofnone says:

I had to bring my 14 year old son a bed pan - that's how ridiculous WOW is. I burned the Softweare and threw the program in the trash!

sunshineday says:

Perhaps it should indeed be considered

sunshineday says:

Perhaps it should indeed be considered

No way, Monkeybrain!

Panda says:

.... No they shouldn't have session length, but they have an optional one for parents. So maybe you should just research the game more so you can find out maybe? Yes, yes? Yeah. You should do that. Go to the WoW homepage and find it. Yeah RIGHT THERE GOD DAMN IT! No one's gonna limit our rights, we're all Americans people are Alcoholics, and there's druggies, and there's all different types of addicts, you can't restrict them to anything. They'll just get it. We should be able to restrict ourselves anyways. xD Lost your wife over World of Warcraft? xD Sorry that's funny but I'd get with a girl anytime over WoW. xD

wowpvper says:

No way man, why should they? People need to know how to play responsibly.

Runningbandit says:

WOW and every game should never be limited to play. It's that persons own problem if they're "ruining their lives". I'm glad they would never do that though.

mike says:

Blizzard should not tell people how much to play. There must be some sort of self-conciousness (hard to spell). But sure go outside and take a deep breath every once in a while. Here is another funny thing. wow leveling guide

bob_g says:

The problem has nothing to do with MMORPG games, it is down to the individuals in-ability to control himself.
I f there was no such game as Wow, such an individual would become as obsesssed by some other from of hobby or entertainment.
There are good points on the otherside, warning message ect. However charging per minute to play, well that won't solve the problem.
as it has been mentioned before most people play with moderation. It is not up to me or you to police other peoples actions in they're own time. Many people spend as much time playing Golf and many a divorce has come about from the afore mentioned activity. Does this mean you have the right to determine how long a person spends per day, per week playing Golf.
No it does'nt. I live in a free country where i have the right to spend my free time, where i want, with who i want and how i want. Nobody has the right to limit that freedom of choice.
I have played Wow since the begining and i use the game as relaxation time and escapism. It is not the games that are the problem it is the individual and even if you restricted the activity, you would find they would simply move to another avenue to fill the void and not address the problem.

greg2213 says:

Nope. Not at all. April has it right. Besides, over 99% of people playing WoW handle it just fine. If we limited or banned any activity that doesn't have people abusing it then we'd all live in highly padded rooms and all of our "needs" would be taken care of by some android.

Mattx da huntard says:

NO IT SHOULDNT!!!
Just because you cant control yourself and GET OFF THE GAME dosent mean you have to ruin everybody elses fun. If you are so angry about WoW destroying lives, QUIT! This is never going to happen

VornTheUnspeakable says:

no. I can play it as long as I want. Plus, I HAVE seen warnings about playing in moderation on loading screens (Yes i do play. Madmartigin, lvl 56 rogue, elune realm).

fefe says:

It's not Blizzard's responsibility to teach people moderation. It's common sense.

Chadrew says:

I believe there shouldn't be any restrictions. I think China already has something similar: they limit your time you spend playing computer games. I think I'd see this as violating my rights somewhat.

I think it's everyone's choice to make. Companies shouldn't limit your play time just for the sake of people who have weak will.

Caia says:

Andrew so your lost your wife to a game, I guess that reflects on you as a husband that she found a game better company than you. Don't blame the game.

Arizona-Snow says:

I do not play WOW but I do play other MMORPGs. It is not the place of companies who run these games to impose limits on us. We are human beings, we have our own brains and we should be able to set our own limits. As for people loosing their spouse over such games all I can say is it is their own damn fault. As they say it takes two to tango and to loose some1 over a game it is both parties fault and it is definitely not the games fault. No1 is holding a gun to your head and saying 'Play this damn game or your brains will decorate the walls'. So to all those who blame the game... take the thumb out of your mouth and grow up.

One other point to make here is if the company imposes limits on players then these players will just go to a private server where there is no limits. Its like a drug, if they cant get it legally they will try to get it illegally.

I myself have made a lens on MMORPGs over which is best free or pay to play and one of the replies has already said he plays a WOW private server, imposing limits will only push more and more ppl to these illegal servers.

BAzz says:

There are warnings about playing too much, not very large ones, but then I expect that people who play World of Warcraft can all read.. Almost certain. it's probably, right? I mean.. possibly?

Anyway, to the guy who lost his wife.. nice relationship there. Could it possibly be something YOU did or did not do that caused your wife to seek an alternate? But of course, it's a lot easier to blame Blizzard for not making your marriage work, isn't it? And hey! maybe you can sue someone for your own failing. Asshole.

Woodie says:

I think there are some instances where a limited *version* of the game would be appreciated. I think a lot of parents would feel better about letting their kids play if a time limited version were available so they could limit playtime to whatever they deem appropriate. Restricted playtimes across the board is a bad idea, though.

Adults should be able to run their own lives and make their own dumb choices... as long as they don't make other people pay for those choices. Perhaps the government should restrict anyone on welfare from playing WoW.

Just kidding... I think.

D says:

Should the internet itself have time restrictions? It's also extremely addicting, as is watching TV. Yes, people get addicted to this game, but it's not Blizzard's responsibility to monitor how much time people put into it.

April says:

Why make Blizzard responsible for the things people choose to do to themselves? Building a huge safety net just encourages people to dodge responsibilities for their own actions and the consequences. We have too much of that already in society. You don't learn self-control and responsibility from having someone force you to change; you learn it by suffering from your own decisions.

dnev says:

Who the hell has an argument about WoW session length restrictions. If you have a problem with the amount of time people spend in the game, then give them something more entertaining and affordable to do. In fact, I challenge you to find something that you can do for $15 a month that is as much fun and has the social side of guilding and questing with other players.
If you're worried that kids are spending too much time playing, then give them some "parenting". The game isnt responsible for your childrens behavior, YOU ARE!. This is the lamest argument ever!

63 shaman says:

Any regulation will soon lead to more and more regulation until finally it will extend to things not related to games, like our real lives. So please if you don't want the ESRB to get wind of a way to ruin the lives of teenagers, dont support their constant growing stangle hold on the gaming industry.

Lurline says:

Addiction is what is destroying lives, not World of Warcraft. Addiction often comes down to what is easiest for a person. For some people it's World of Warcraft and for some people it's casinos. Nobody dares thinking about implementing blanket time limits on time spent in casinos, gyms, school, etc, so why should WoW be any different? I pay 15 dollars a month to play as much as I want, not to have someone decide that if I want to play for 2 hours one day I need to be punished.

If someone is so addicted to WoW do any of you honestly think that hiking up the price per hour is really going to deter them? Heroin is ILLEGAL and will KILL YOU- but that doesn't stop people from using it.

The real issue here is that people that are "reformed addicts" still want to play WoW. And if they can't/wont do it nobody can. But news flash guys... YOU ruined your own life... not WoW and not anyone that still plays WoW.

 
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