I just left WoW permanently. I was a leader in one of the largest and most respected guilds in the world, a well-equipped and well-versed mage, and considered myself to have many close friends in my guild. Why did I leave? Simple: Blizzard has created an alternate universe where we don’t have to be ourselves when we don’t want to be. From my vantage point as a guild decision maker, I’ve seen it destroy more families and friendships and take a huge toll on individuals than any drug on the market today, and that means a lot coming from an ex-club DJ. — The View From the Top (Soul Kerfluffle)

I have so far resisted multiplayer online games, simply because the demands of a job and family make mowing the lawn, showering, and sleeping challenging enough. I typically save my game-playing time for the summer breaks, and even then only play after the kids are in bed. I am conscious that I am missing a huge part of online culture, but quite frankly there is so much culture out there, all the time, that one has to be selective.

Of course, I speak as someone who has spent hours and hours using Google Sketchup to designing an imaginary monument that I might possibly use in a puzzle in a text-adventure game that I’ve been working on since 1999. But I digress.

Obsessions are fine, as long as you can turn them off when you have to. The author of this piece couldn’t, so it’s a good thing he finally stopped.