WoW: Too Much Online Adventuring Can Lead To Collapse!

I picked up my son’s reserved copy of Blizzard Entertainment’s second expansion for its online juggernaut, WORLD OF WARCRAFT (www.worldofwarcraft.com), when it launched last Thursday. THE WRATH OF THE LICH KING has been anticipated for a very long time by fans.

For those of you unfamiliar with WoW (as it is affectionately called by players), it is an online virtual world of warriors and warlocks, humans and orcs and night elves, swords and sorcery—all inspired by the Granddaddy of them all, the original EVERQUEST.

More than 10 million people worldwide play WoW, a subscription based game where players log on to quest, level their characters up, and hang out with friends to fish, fight, or freely roam the massive countryside of valleys, deserts, swamps, and tundra.

I remember buying the original WORLD OF WARCRAFT the day it launched back in November of 2004.

People are STILL playing it…subscriptions keep increasing by the millions…because it is a game that never ends. Content is literally added on a weekly basis, if not more frequently. New quests and locations are added constantly. The game day operates on a true 24 hour clock. So if you play at night, it's night in the game, etc. Talk about an immersive environment.

That’s what leads many to be addicted to it.

I know when I first started, I could barely put it down. It offered me a nightly escape from a collapsing marriage and stressful days.

My son started playing in last year and soon got sucked in as well.

Thank God for parental controls. A password protected setting allows parents to block in AND out times when younger players can play. We use this with our son. And I would have to guess many people try to use it with their spouses as well.

And you thought people only lost their partners to football on TV?? Think again. Games like WoW and Everquest have claimed many relationships, jobs, and other real world events.

But like anything else, people HAVE TO KNOW THEIR LIMITS.

I was inspired to write this because not only am I a fan of the game (I am currently a level 70 warrior—the highest you could get until this latest expansion raised the cap to 80), I am concerned that people taint a good thing through their own irresponsibility.

Case in point—a story I saw on the news this week about a 15-year-old in Sweden who COLLAPSED from playing it. He had some friends over and they played, pretty much nonstop, for 24 hours!!

Don’t you think doing ANYTHING for that long would lead you to collapse??

Try reading a book for that long or studying your algebra or brushing your teeth. The human body and mind were not meant to be pushed like this!!

But it makes it easy for people who already hate games like this to blame the industry for poisoning our children (and adults).

The boy’s father was somehow oblivious to the fact that his son and half a dozen friends were in HIS house, playing a game for 24 hours straight.

The father is to be blamed in this case.

He claims he will limit the time his son can play WoW.

GREAT idea, Dad! Too bad you waited for your son to collapse and jeopardize his health before taking a stand!

Our son plays when homework and chores are completed and for mapped out, supervised periods of time. Isn’t that just common sense??

As for me, I am no longer addicted.

But I AM anxiously awaiting my Collector’s Edition which comes in a beautiful box filled with a hardcover book on the art, a DVD on the making of the game, the soundtrack, maps and a special in-game pet that only owners of the very limited edition get.

Hey, I am just completing my set! Leave me alone! Don’t you have something better to do than snicker at me?!?! Go level your Rogue or slay a Murloc, for goodness sakes.

I would go play the game for a few but the servers are down every Tuesday for several hours. Wonder how that kid in Sweden will possibly get by and cope.

Motivational Monday: You CAN Lose Weight!

As many of you know, I had already made the commitment to lose significant weight. Specifically, 50 pounds. Realizing I was fast approaching 40, the time to seize control of my weight couldn't WAIT any longer.

I was halfway there, having lost nearly 25 pounds and was so proud of myself. I kept you updated on the web and on the air regarding my progress.

Then life reared its ugly head. Personal crises, including the sudden death of my beloved mother in July put this goal on the back burner. I tend to be a stress eater, and I packed every pound I lost back on, and then some.

I found myself heavy and sluggish again. Right back where I had been for too long.

My wife and I made the decision about a month ago to give to give a well-known, celebrity endorsed program a try. My mother-in-law lost nearly 80 pounds on the plan (NOT a diet, more of a LIFESTYLE) and the food was yummy from what we had sampled.

So off we went. We signed up, we got weighed, we got the encouragement that we needed.

And almost a month later, the pounds are falling off. I am fitting into pants I haven’t even been able to look at in months.

People are starting to notice that the bounce in my step is more pronounced and that my neck isn’t as thick. How nice. Thank you!

The beauty of this plan is in its elegant simplicity (not to mention their TO DIE FOR lemon cake…haha)—we all tend to consume far too many calories each day. I know that in my case, without specifically counting my calories any given day, I must have been packing at least 3,000 calories plus each day.

That is WAY more than anyone needs. I am now on a 1,500 calorie plan.

The first week was hard, but not as hard as I had thought it would be. And now entering the fourth week, it is all getting to be second nature to us.

I have been amazed to learn what a SINGLE SERVING actually looks like in front of you. It’s a LOT smaller than what we eat at home and, especially, in restaurants. Knowing now what a SINGLE serving of lasagna looks like (yes, I can still eat pasta), I realize that all these years I have been more likely been eating 3 or 4 servings at a pop! Same with pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches, and that side of mashed potatoes…you name it. Chances are I have overindulged my entire life.

Another plus is I can eat all the vegetables and salads I want each day. If I get hungry now, instead of going to the pantry for junkie comfort foods, I will grill myself some veggies or quickly toss myself a simple salad.

Why am I telling you all of this? To motivate you. It IS, after all, my Motivational Monday blog! ANYONE can do this…if they BELIEVE they can and APPLY themselves to it. And if you STICK with it and don’t stray (some straying is allowed, within REASON), you WILL see results.

And you will FEEL the results, too. Sometimes before you notice them in the mirror. You will feel an added boost of energy. You will start feeling better from the inside out.

In less than a month, I have even stopped craving burgers and milkshakes. And you will, too. I can actually pull into a fast food joint and order a simple salad with healthy dressing without feeling self conscious.

Whether it’s plans such as the one we are on or just changing even little things in your daily eating habits, you CAN change your LIFE.

The YOU staring at you in the mirror is the YOU that is the product of all your past ways of thinking about food, life, philosophy, etc. That means that the YOU that smiles at you in the mirror next week, next month, and 10 years from now is the YOU you are creating TODAY.

You are a MASTERPIECE of creation. Start treating yourself as the magnificent sculpture that you are. And remember always that you hold the all the tools you need in your hands right now. They have always been there for you.

Make your life what you WANT it to be, not what you think it HAS to be. OWN your life. Start NOW!