At War With World of Warcraft: An Addict Tells His Story Ryan van Cleave, a former video game addict, speaks out in this article about how he came so close to losing everything in his life. Cleave, an English professor, almost lost everything—his wife, children, and his career—because of his game addiction. He would squeeze in time to play World of Warcraft whenever he could.

He would often times eat while playing, only choosing to eat foods that required only one hand so that the other hand could be used to play his games. With the feeling of despair when it came to real life because it was so laborious, Cleave said playing WoW made him feel “godlike” because he could have “ultimate control and (could) do what (he) wants with few real repercussions.” With all of the time he spent on WoW, his wife described his addiction as “disgusting” because he chose to spend more time in a virtual world than with her and their baby daughter.

Cleave describes that he was so captivated with the game because it offered different perspectives. For example, WoW users have the option to look at the game from a bird eye’s view, which looks down at what happens during the game. Users can also choose to zoom, pan, and look at the scene as if someone does in real life. During the third year of seven years of game addiction, Cleave’s addiction began to crumble the life he had. For example, he felt his colleagues did not like him, and thus took out his frustrations through the game instead of facing those problems in real life.

In the article, Cleave also talks about how WoW was his escape, and how he channeled all of his frustrations and anxieties in life through the game. The article also features excerpts from therapists such as Hilarie Cash, a Washington state therapist who works directly with video game addicts. She said, “People pay those games often in a desire to meet their social needs.”  Though I personally do not understand that statement and how one can possibly get addicted to games because I do not like video games, I read on and found that individuals like Cleave who are addicted see these games as a way to satiate social needs and interaction.

WoW in particular is so addicting because the game never ends. Characters roam around different realms, and meet new people consistently. With all of the users currently on WoW, and with all of the new incoming users who enter WoW, life on WoW never ends. Not only are the people and the experience of meeting new users something that makes the game never ending, but WoW gamemakers also create new expansions each year, which means that there are new places to explore each year. With these new expansions also come with users’ wants to explore and achieve new levels.

Cleave and other game addicted users state that game addiction is similar to that of a gambling addiction. As mentioned earlier, Cleave’s wife was pregnant with her second child when Cleave’s addiction started to spiral out of control. At that time, he spent approximately 60 hours a week on WoW. A few months after, his employers did not renew his contract, and thus got a job at George Washington University, which means he had a more time to play games because he was teaching only one class. Moreover, with the stress of real life of trying to find a job, Cleave played and spent even more time on WoW. Cleave also spent loads of money on playing. Because he did not want his wife freaking out about how much he was spending, he kept two private PayPal accounts, and even spent $224 in real money in order to buy an “epic-level sword” and “top-tier armour.”

In 2007, Cleave found himself at rock bottom as he was staring down at the icy water on the Arlington Memorial Bridge. With all the stress piling up from sleep deprivation, his wife threatening to leave him, his kids hating him, and having his career go down the tubes, Cleave could not take it anymore. Realizing that he had a serious problem, Cleave pulled himself back from jumping, and immediately went home and deleted the game.

During the following week, Cleave was having “withdrawals” from the game, such as intense sweating and stomach pain. After uninstalling the game, Cleave has never looked back. Instead he worked towards rebuilding his family and professional life. He was hired three years later as an English professor at the Ringling School of Art and Design, and has published the book Unplugged, a tell-all about his past game addiction.

When asked about games, Cleave does not think that games are “evil,” but believes that “games are fine if they are a part of balanced life.” My thought on this article is absolute shock. I cannot believe that someone would spend 60 hours a week on games, and could not believe that he lost his career over it. However, I gained some insight into the seriousness of game addiction as I read about how Cleave almost took his own life because of his game addiction. I was also really proud that Cleave ultimately chose to not jump, and get his life back together. His recovery and success story is remarkable, as he cut himself off from the game “cold-turkey,” and am glad that he does not see games as the problem, but self-examined himself to realize that the problem was his own addiction. It takes a truly strong person to admit when he or she is wrong.

Link to this article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/aug/29/world-of-warcraft-video-game-addict