View From the Bottom #5

In the fifth "View From the Bottom" feature on RPG Vault, Spiderweb Software's Jeff Vogel offers some advice to those of us who have an MMORPG addiction.
The only difference between World of Warcraft and EverQuest is that, when I raided in the latter for many hours, I was the only person I knew who did it. I was the lone misfit, spending hour after hour raiding, while friends and family looked on... and shook their heads sadly. But with World of Warcraft, everyone around me has been sucked in. People, male and female, who looked at my addiction with sympathy and mockery, are now playing more hardcore than I do. The sensible person I am married to is raiding several nights a week now. This is not a sign that humanity is headed in the right direction!

The other day, someone in the game saw my character and told me how impressed he was. He was embarrassed that he had only bought the game the day before, and he wasn't uber yet. I told him, "All you need to do to get this cool gear is to spend lots and lots and lots of time. I suggest uninstalling the game, returning it to the store, and living your life." Unsurprisingly, I didn't get a response to that. But hey, he can't say that nobody warned him.