Now World of Warcraft Free for 1 year!!!
If you read my previous "Breaking the Addiction" blog entry I wrote you will know that for 2 1/2 years I was completely and uncontrollably addicted to World of Warcraft. The important piece of information to take away from this fact is that for those 2 1/2 years I didn't play any other games. My poor GameCube and PS2 just sat below my TV gathering dust. What's worse is that during those 2 1/2 years, not only did I miss out on a slew of great games, I also missed the launch of the XBOX360, PS3, and Wii. The entire PC and Console universe was passing me by as I was running around Azeroth. It was time for that to change.
Since I have quit WoW my entire video game life has changed. First I spent some time revisiting my old consoles, the PS2 and GameCube. I played and beat God of War, Metal Gear Solid 3, Final Fantasy 12, and Metroid Prime 2. It was refreshing to see that my old consoles still had some life left in them. Unfortunately after playing these games there really wasn't much else I wanted to play on these old systems.
Then I went out and bought a Wii and played and beat The Legend of Zelda: TP. That game was great but then I hit a snag that there was nothing else on the Wii I was even remotely interested in. So next I went out and bought a PS3. I made sure to buy the original 60Gb version so that I could play all my old PS1 and PS2 games on it. On the PS3 I played and beat Resistance: FOM, Rachet and Clank: TOD, and Heavenly Sword. These were all also great games but then I hit 2 major problems with the system. There were no other great games out to play, and not a single one of my friends owned a PS3.
Finally I decided to ask my parents for an XBOX360 for Christmas, and like the great parents they are, they bought me one. Since then I have gone on an XBOX360 rampage. I have played and beat Mass Effect, Forza Motorsport 2, Halo 3, Assassin's Creed, and Bioshock. I'm current playing GTA4. I also sprinkled in a little bit of PC Gaming in there for good measure, beating Portal, and playing a lot of Team Fortress 2.
What I am trying to get across here is that since I have retired from World of Warcraft I have discovered the wonderful and exciting world of gaming that exists outside of Azeroth. In Azeroth I could only be a Night Elf Hunter, or a Dwarf Priest. Outside of Azeroth I am able to be Kratos the God of War; Samus the Bounty Hunter; Nariko the Sword Wielder; Master Chief the Spartan; or Jack the Big Daddy Killer.
I'm not trying to say that playing WoW isn't rewarding, but unfortunately if you want to truely get a lot out of WoW you have to put a lot of time into it. The side affect is that you don't really get to enjoy the rest of the console/PC game universe. Well I'm done with WoW, and for now I'm done with MMORPGs.
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I applaud your journey sir! Welcome back to the rest of gaming. I too was afflicted with years of my gaming life lost to WoW raids and I am also proud to say I am about 2 years clean now.
You should look in to Shadow of the Colossus for PS2 if you are interested in find a gaming gem you may have missed during your WoW days.
Nice read. A continued good luck with your addiction.
Ah yes Shadow of the Colossus. I completely forgot about that game. I remember reading nothing but rave reviews for it. I'll definately try to pick that one up when I get a chance. Thanks for the heads up Demtor.
Sweet. How has your real life changed, if I may ask?
Yeah I didn't mention how my real life has changed since this is a video game blog and I didn't want to bore people with the details. But let me think ... I work out a lot more and spend more time outdoors with my dog. My girlfriend is happier since I can pause my console games (you can't pause WoW and she hated that). Lastly, I spend a lot more time with my fiends and family. Not playing WoW has really changed every aspect of my life.
It's a beautiful thing.
They'll still probably get me when Lich King comes out, though. Dammit.
Ah wow, I also am about a year free of WoW (I think it's been 11 months).
The game is entirely disproportionate in how much return you get for the ridiculous amount of time devoted. While I was a subscriber, I literally played WoW exclusively except for about a week when Resident Evil 4 was released (and that was barely after WoW came out).
I found myself in the same position as you, though! I started playing dozens of my games, which was surprisingly rewarding. I began exploring tons of things that I didn't even know would interest me and ended up becoming a huge cinema fanatic, went back to playing my instrument of choice, read a dozen books, etc.
I purchased a 360 about 7 months ago and played games that I never would have otherwise if I continued playing WoW. Now I'm looking forward to getting a PS3 (midnight tomorrow!!!)!
I'd played a couple MMOs for years before WoW, but none of them drew me in as much or left me half as empty. It's definitely refreshing to break the addiction.
@Arttemis: That's great to hear man! It's nice knowing someone else has quit WoW and has had a similar post-WoW experience. I hope you enjoy your new PS3 when you get it. :-)