Kick your World of Warcraft habit for just $14,000!

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Home World of Warcraft

7:00 PM on 09.07.2009, Jim Sterling

41 comments | 12156 views

Kick your World of Warcraft habit for just $14,000! photo

#Gaming Addiction #MMO #PC #Science #The almighty dollar #World of Warcraft

Where there are World of Warcraft players, there are people with dollar signs in their eyes lining up to take advantage. Cue Washington State's ReSTART clinic, a rehab center that aims to help WoW players beat their addiction and break the hold that Blizzard has over them. The best part is that it only costs $14,000!

"We've been doing this for years on an outpatient basis," aptly-named ReSTART director Hilarie Cash tells the AP. "Up until now, we had no place to send them."

I love how so-called experts try their best to take money from WoW players. I guess they feel that if someone's prepared to pay a monthly subscription for a computer game, they're gullible enough to pay for anything. If this venture has been going on for years, perhaps the con-merchants behind this scheme are actually right.

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41 comments | showing # 1 to 41

timtheterrible

For fuck's sake...

Naim Master

I for one fully support this project, any kind of rape to WoW players should be encouraged, and I'm pretty sure it counts as charity tax-wise...

Xtian

I hate to say this, but it's cheaper for those addicted to keep playing.

guillermo316

money to be made when you become a developer!

able_to_think

The fact of the matter is that no one is going to use this and because of that it's probably going to close in less then a year.

Hriki

This annoys me, because I'm a WoW player, I love playing it. It's one of the only games I play. What annoys me is when people who play other games for 10 hours a day or smoke tell me I'm a loser addict. I might play 6 hours, shit if I have the whole day off 10 with breaks. But what makes it different to those who play all manner of games alllll day! I mean most here would be like that....or you wouldn't be here. Also $15 a month is way cheaper than the $150 I would spend every week on new games before wow and it's more worthwhile.

Trebz

Video game rehabilitation is a sure sign that you need psychological help. Simple as that.

SadCheese

All I had to do to quit playing WOW was cancel my subscription and uninstall it from my laptop.

Seriously, what does this treatment warrant $14,000 for? By the time you're cured from WOW Diablo III will be out.

SydHartha

The fact that WoW is thought of being on the same level as crack nowadays is a little disturbing to think about....

Volomon

@SydHartha Understatement for sure, they have to be literally crazy.

Nitex

"I guess they feel that if someone's prepared to pay a monthly subscription for a computer game, they're gullible enough to pay for anything."

Seriously dude? This was the most douche thing you've said all week. I know you enjoy having your douche moments but come on. How about all those morons that pay for Xbox Live? It's the exact same thing. I love how incredibly stereotypical people can be about MMO players. How can you even compare a measly $15 a month to $14,000?

Naim Master

@nitex
He was saying what those douchebags must think, not his opinion.
lrn2read

Dr Terror

@ Hriki
Spoken like a true addict :P

Coldbrand

You could play for the rest of the entire game's lifespan, buying every expansion, and making use of the premium features countless times and it'd still cost nothing even remotely close to 14,000$.

Hriki

@ Dr Terror

Fuck yeh! Addicted to games in general. I mainly play wow, but if not that it's l4d, halo 3, killzone 2 or guitar hero and now rockband!

TheDirtyHeadband

Why do people either need to be addicted, or not play at all? can't you just limit how much you play? this is why i hate it when people day games like these are evil when they have no will power of their own.

Uzzy

Sure, $14,000 is a lot, and more then paying for WoW, but I think the addicts this centre is trying to help/fleece are the ones who are actually addicted, and have lost their job, their family etc from it. While I'm British, and therefore think that having to pay for Healthcare at the point of need is wrong, I don't think something like this is entirely unjustified. I'd be amazed if there weren't true addicts to games, particularly MMO's.

brainderailment

It's really easy to get into playing WoW a LOT. But I wouldn't say it's addicting. I'm just about to hit 80 and I can't wait to take a couple of days off.

Magnalon

@Brain
Leveling is not addicting. I managed to get 70, and in full raid-ready gear in BC in less than 7 days.

It's the 60+ extra days spent entirely raiding that was addictive.

Midgetsnowman

I dunno. I've been pretty addicted to levelling my new Gnome Warrior the last 3 days..but not so addicted that I neglect my schoolwork or RP guild on Coh, Mind you,

bluemeep

Two step guide to curing any internet-based addiction:

1) Unplug modem.
2) If subject attempts to plug modem back in, vigorously apply your foot to their groin.

Repeat until the desire to log in has been overcome.

/goes back to powering through Champions Online.

Laird

I've heard of WoW addicts that lost their job. How are they gonna cough up 14 grand?

Infinite Combo

I'm pretty sure Dr. Phil probably will have an episode about WoW addicts and afterwards send them to this ReSTART clinic.

TheDreadHawk

Here's a surefire way: kick them in the face whenever they mention the game.

theendofthewar

heres a way to quit sell your account and make money off of it!!! easiest way to quit or keep going and making sick characters and selling them for big cash sums

Arlek

hahaha!! Damn, Thats really funny, seriously, its so funny it probably will work. Ah well, capitalysm has real strange ways.

matrixdude171

fucking hell, is it that expensive to cut their internet? not give them the money to play it? there's a billion cheaper ways than paying $14000 to do this. The American Psychological Association doesn't count internet addiction so why would you pay someone to rehab a friend for something PHD holders won't agree even counts as an addiction?

dwolfwood

This whole ordeal reminds me of a quote one of the guys from Oasis said once about his drug habits. He basically said, in America when people wanna quit drugs and alcohol they go to rehab, in the U.K. we(he said we, I'm actually american) just "fuckin' quit."

I thought it was hilarious.

Seriously though, anyone who pays $14k for this obviously NEEDS the help. They're helplessly pathetic so, though I'm above the need for help in that type of situation, maybe people should be more understanding.

Magnalon

@dwolf
That's a fucking awesome quote.

Ikey Heyman

I doubt anyone addicted is going to even have that kind of money.

The Prodigal Son

@Ikey:: It's brilliant actually. They'll be selling this to people that have mental health covered in their insurance. They can market it as rehabilitation, which is sometimes covered. Completely valid. If someone really feels that their addiction to WoW is impairing their quality of life, then more power to them for being proactive about it. Of course, this is assuming they are willing to go through treatment, and said treatment actually helps. It's $14,000 I'm never gonna hafta spend, though.

Electrium

Given $14,00 and the choice between a new car (not brand new obviously, but you can get a nice, slightly used vehicle for $14K), WoW counseling, or more WoW, most WoW addicts will take WoW. That's ridiculous. I wonder if there's any health insurance companies that would cover some of this (if the need is dire enough)?

At least the option is there. I used to play WoW, and I didn't have a very hard time quitting...but I have a life, I have friends, and I realize there are many better things to be doing, or even games to be playing. I don't doubt that there are people who need this, though. Funny story, nonetheless.

bunnymud

WoW cured me of Wow

Nerdy Suit

Hmmmm...that's actually genius on the part of the clinic...except I wouldn't limit it to just to WoW but to all video game addiction. That will be a growing market. Hell, $14,000 is actually relatively cheap...similar places that deal with drug and other addictions run about $30,000.

I need to meet some shrinks and get funding...

TheToiletDuck

Best thing to break the addiction is for their accounts get hacked and their shit sold off. Win for breaking the addiction and win for the dirty hackers. Total cost $0.

Midgetsnowman

@TheToiletDuck: Thats..unlikely to work.
I got hacked once, and chances are, long as you can prove you own the account, Blizz will not only help you get the account bck, but they will usually mail you back all your lost gear and items within a week or so once they finish reviewing backup logs.

roriginal

It`s over 9000!!!!

socialnorms

@TheToiletDuck - I'd bet $14,000 that my roommate wouldn't quit WoW if all his shit were stolen. He'd take a few days off to fume, play the public servers or whatever, and be back at it soon after. Alcoholics don't stop drinking when you drain their bottles - they just rage until they get new ones. But I'm with you on wishing for a swift and effective solution. My roommate is useless when he gets hooked hard.

Kereth

I, for one, do not plan on going to video game rehab.

Mr Kite

lol, wouldn't it be cheaper just to sell your computer or something.

orbs

Yeah, trebz is right! But you will not need this kind of treatment, if you know how to balance your time on farming [url=http://www.epictoon.com]wow gold[url] at azeroth and on other life concerns. I am a WoW player too, but I haven't experience being addicted on this game. Probably, because I know my priorities and I value my time.

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