real life?

I always seemed to have time for WoW before... So why do I now have about 10 minutes to log in check I didn't lose anything from my post box and then log out again? It just seems like days have got shorter, I used to have lots of spare minutes where I didn't do anything. So hey, who stole all my time and would they please give it back?!

I suspect it's called having a life outside WoW. The question is just how do you balance play-time and real life? It's a subject of much discussion at home at the moment, since my partner and I both play WoW and both our previous relationships really suffered because we played too much. Yes, we can play together but WoW-time is down-time and you don't always want to spend that with your nearest and dearest -sometimes you just need to be in your own little world. I don't think anyone realises how much "life" WoW takes not when you play hardcore or even casually hardcore.

I think there is a balance. I think you can be a gamer and have a successful relationship, despite horror stories like "World of Warcraft was the reason for my divorce" because in my experience if you were playing that much WoW when you had a significant other there was something seriously wrong in the relationship in the first place. That was certainly my experience. I played WoW as escapism because I wasn't happy and it was a very good excuse to put on the headphones, stare at the screen and let life pass me by. That's why WoW is addictive, if you aren't happy then why look for something better when you can just numb the futility of your life with a MMORPG?

So, I guess the number one way to balance WoW and life is to be happy in real life because if you aren't then WoW will just become anaethestic. I suppose the other big thing is just to be aware of what effect the game is having, once you stop doing anything together to sit down and play then things have gone wrong but it doesn't have to be that way. Problem is that it can easily get to that situation without you really noticing.

WoW doesn't have to be a life-breaker. It's like everything else, it's great in moderation. I, honestly, doubt I would have even started playing WoW if my life had been as idyllic as it is now, misery seems to be a great motivator to play MMOs, it's not the only reason but it's certainly a common one. Can I play WoW without misery in my life? I hope so, I just hope it won't cause me any in the future. L2balancewowandirl.