Massively Addictive

When he quit the game, he sold his account and character to another player for $1600. It was a Christmas present from a mother to her son, who already owned four accounts. "I felt almost terrible to pass that off to him," he admitted. But even after quitting the game, Splint still kept up with his guild's online forums until his access was removed in late January, observing that "in two months I went from co-guild leader to just another guy. Interesting how quickly they're capable of forgetting you when you no longer play the game." He blames his banning on his tendency to encourage others not to play so much.

What's he doing with his new-found free time? "I never pass up work opportunities anymore, and I'm off to film-school soon. I'm currently hard at work with some real-life friends on a project of our own." How did his friends react when he quit? "It's about time," they said.

Splint's story is extreme, but is unlikely to surprise any heavy Warcraft players. To keep up with the big boys, you have to be prepared to put in the hours -- but there are plenty of Warcraft players who are content with an easier pace. Warcraft players number over eight million worldwide and some of them are finding out the game, handled carefully, has genuine educational and social value.

For one thing, it's a great way to teach teenagers about teamwork, planning, and self-reliance from the comfort of your own home. The workings of the game's economy can often mirror important real-world concepts like supply and demand. More importantly, they'll learn how it feels to be relied on by a team -- as any Warcraft player knows, a group is only as strong as its most careless player, and any team member can cause calamity by slapdash play or inattentiveness.

There are also widely known anecdotes of people meeting relationship partners through the game, and while Splint was eager to share his tales of trysts made and broken in Warcraft's virtual world Azeroth, we couldn't track any of the participants down to interview. They're out there, though -- it's not a coincidence that one of the garment choices in the game is a wedding dress. And in several instances guilds have organized Warcraft funerals for players who've died in real life.

Nielsen Media Research reports the average American watches television for four and a half hours a day. That's not a world away from Splint's excesses, although in this age of Tivo and VCRs, it's rare for even the most woeful of TV addicts to cancel social engagements to catch their favorite shows.

Likewise, plenty of Warcraft's eight million players enjoy the game without it detracting from their real-world lifestyles. Like many other leisure activities that can lend themselves to compulsive behavior, it's harmless when kept in the proper perspective. Or you could take the advice Splint wishes he'd taken when he bought the game two years ago: "Stop when you hit level 60," the game's maximum at the time.