I'm sure they'll have some "expert" that nobody ever heard of from some organization that nobody ever heard of telling us how bad EQ is for our society.

There was a similar story on the news about the time SoL was released. Funny how there's another story coming out now that PoP is coming out. Hmmmm, media sensationalism... You bet ya!

Jenia
48th Druid of the Karana
Quellious

An addiction is when someone needs something to feel normal. I personally dont have any physical addiction <checks pulse...... nope normal> to EQ, nor do I have any mental addiction causing me to see elves and ogres in my real world. Have I ever planned to play EQ on a certain evening? sure. Have I ever played EQ to long and been late somewhere? sure. Have I ever played EQ gone LD and gotten physically abusive? nope. The difference between a game and an addiction is being able to realize whats going on and being able to make a rational decision. Ive had all these same situations posed to me in relationships, athletic teams, work and they have all been answered in the same way.

Now I realize that their is a large number of people out there who look at this as a large waste of time and think that for anyone to spend 20 hours a week playing a game it must be an addiction. My response to those individuals is, is it an addiction or an enjoyable past time that one has chosen to partake in? I work with guys who spend 80 hours a week at work. Know what we call them? Work aholics? Dedicated? Succesfull? It all depends upon ones values and the choices they make in regards to what they wish to accomplish and whom they wish to socialize with.

Now Ive gammed online since the days when we were still playing on BBSs and dialing up friends with our modems to connect for a quick doom match. In highschool I was on a nationally ranked enginering team, ran varsity cross country, varsity wrestling, acted, and was a student ambasador to eastern europe and south east asia. I ran Varsity cross country in college, was an RA, and toutored. Now days I am a single 25 year old, I works 60+ hours a week, go out at least twice a week,try to run at least 5 miles a day, and sleep 4-5 hours a night. On top of all that I play EQ at least 15-20 hours a week. I pay all my bills, have no debt, and have enough money in a money market for a house. Cant say that this addiction is effecting me all that poorly.

Perhaps if the press stopped trying to attach generalizations to things they dont understand they would draw me away from eq and back to the newspapers and televison they so desperatly wish to promote.

~Shep Bladesiinger ~ Arias'tama
<53 Wizard - Fennin Ro - EQ>
~Kardox Bladesiinger
<47 Cleric - Fennin Ro - EQ>
~Faledor Bladesiinger
<40 Warrior - Fennin Ro - EQ>
~Izzam Bladesiinger
<40 Necromancer - Fennin Ro - EQ>
~Onmar Bladesiinger
<30 Paladin - Fennin Ro - EQ>

~Kardox Bladesinger ~ Chivalry
<45 Cleric - Guinevere - DAOC>
~Faledor Bladesinger ~ Chivalry
<40 Armsman - Guinevere - DAOC>
~Dallaron Bladesinger ~ Chivalry
<39 Wizard - Guinevere - DAOC>

Shim Goodfree
<12perserv/12druid/12psion ~ Darksun Online>

Mic/Maverick/Mutrana/Mufassa ~ Kali

Anything that can be enjoyed can be addictive. It is natural human reasoning to assume that if you enjoy something, then having twice as much of it will be twice as enjoyable.
However, this is essentially wrong. Take chocolate cake, for example. Your friend gives you a delicious piece chocolate cake. You think about the calories and how bad it is for you, but it's just one piece of cake. And everybody likes cake. So you eat it. Nothing wrong with that. You were hungry, and there was some yummy food, no harm done. So you have another piece. No worries. You can just go the gym later. But then you eat the whole cake. You've spoiled it. You might get sick now, and no one else gets any cake.
The bible says "All things in moderation." The greeks said "Know Thyself. Avoid Excess." The Buddha taught people to deny their desires.
The bible says "All things in moderation." Many people and cultures have found the wisdom of taking things in moderation.
This brings me to my point. Everquest is a good game. It helps people interact, socialize with friends, and learn positive attributes and skills. But if taken in excess then it is evil. So if you find that EQ is the only thing you do, you need not just stop playing it. Get another hobby. Do other things. Get a god. Go on walks in a nearby park. Feed your child/spouse/parent/fish. Read a book (That's a good one- always read books- they're good for you!) Or just relax and listen to music. But if you live only for everquest, and something goes wrong, like an accidental character wipe, then you might do something like the guy who commited suicide.

Is EQ an addiction? Probably, if allowed to exert too much control over one's mind. But let's be reasonable here. Ironically enough, a television program is doing the finger-pointing here. How many people do you suppose are addicted to TV? I know I was, to the degree of neglecting other, more important things in my life (Soap Operas were my particular weakness). I know so many people that will sit on the couch for hours upon hours, slack-faced and glassy-eyed, staring at that screen while nothing but sex, violence, obscenities and just general trash spouts itself at them. Or what of the myriad of other addictions there are in this world: drugs, alcohol, over-eating, gambling?
I was there as well, (with the exception of over-eating) and as a rational, intelligent, outgoing, pretty well-adjusted and even fairly attractive 38-year old woman, I have this to say. All of those other things were harmful to my mind and my body, but what harm does being addicted to something that at least uses my capacity for reasoning, stimulates my mind, and even brings a smile very frequently to my face be? As for the large number of young(er) people that play...I'd rather have them using their minds, honing their socials skills, and yes, even learning such things as teamwork, cooperation, and other important traits than being out on the streets doing drugs, drinking, committing crimes, and the many other things I see today's youth become involved in. (And ask yourselves how many scenes of violence involving teens you see on TV everyday, just as an interesting aside.)

That being said, I have no trouble with saying this: I am an EQ addict, and I can think of much worse things to be addicted to.

I am addicted to golf

pay greenfees = $30 per play
I play 4 times a month = $120
pay practice balls = $5
practice twice a week = $40
my golf expense per month = $160

I am addicted to everquest

pay monthly fee = $13
play unlimited time of everquest permonth = $13
pay allakhazam = $3
my everquest expense permonth = $16

$160 vs. $16 .. well.. am gonna quit my golf and play more everquest :P


"Did I sing when you ding? or did you ding when I sing?"
Bombom Bombom
Minstrel of the 52nd missed note
Ayonae Ro

Ya i would agree that it is addictive, but then again im really really really addicted to Paintball. You cant beat the rush of adrenaline while flying projectiles are zinging past your head and whaling all around you. :)

I play eq evertime I get. So yes you can call me an addict. But I would rather stay at home playing good old EQ then be out in this unsafe world being addicted to worse things.

Wulfbaine Fangfear

everquest isn't addictive its just fun the same way some jock plays a sport likes and keeps only playing but since its computer game and not going with the cornfield, jocky, every boy plays sports and every girl wants to be a cheerleader american thing of cross the press gets on it. They just say that to get ratings with this new "conterverse". its just stupid ratings boostes

The truth behind the EQ addiction scandal is this. Verant has subtely taken over every computer company on the planet, and the are somehow modulating the graphics cards to put out extremely high levels of the newly discovered drug edecrest, code named EverQuest. Now the only way to activate the graphics card is through VI's software. Their plan seemed to be working flawlessly until one executive of VI realized something. Who would willingly subject themselves to an extremely addictive and zombifying drug? The answer to this puzzling problem was to disguise the software with a game. The game known as...EverQuest. The truth is that we EQ players have been enslaved by Verant's evil plan. With the release of Planes of Power, a new level of the drug edecrest will be released. This will drive the EQ player mad and force him to go on a killing spree until the only people left are the EQ players themselves. And then Verant will produce a race of superhuman slaves to CONQUER THE UNIVERSE!!!

Yes EQ is addicitive. but as exsaan said anythign can be and that is true. I think its bad when some one starts passing up friends and stops going out side for it. Im 14 and i have a life and ihave great friends btu i still love eq. I started to lose friends and not do anythign for a while and when i went back to my dads and had to leave it for a month i stoped playing as much.
It also lets me spend more tme with my mom and my sister who both play. I know i live withmy mom and could talk to her any time but we do not have that much in common. My sister lives in another state and i see her ever chance i get but thats only when i dont have school. So i end up talking to her on the computer and we do stuff together.
But it also saves us money. If me and my mom didnt play eq we would probaly go out shopping or go to dinner all the tiem and spend alot more money a week but instead we play eq and have fun on that.

I really think Eq addicts (the real ones, those that you ve seen online whenever you log for the last few years -you usually find em in the so-called oobah guilds) are addicts by Nature and would prolly be addict of something else if they werent Eq addicts (narcotics, gambling .... or, addict to their job, their family or whatever ... some socially acceptable, some not ...) these people need help, and shouldnt be allowed to play that much. Would sux to be them. Ouch. Seen some of those in cybercafes, man they've become zombies.

EQ addiction is merely a quasi-reality that people often use as an excuse for other underlying problems, as the last one posting has said. Yes, Everquest (or EverCrack, as some of my friends call it) can be rather engaging, but a person has to be really weak-minded to ever let it affect their everyday life. It's not going to be easy to make those that don't play EQ see that, and I doubt it will ever happen.

Tugurce
Barbarian Warrior of the 32nd Season
Battle Forged
Solusek Ro Server