Addiction:
1 : the quality or state of being addicted
2 : compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal; broadly : persistent compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful
I’m pretty certain that it’s only a matter of time before I’m on Intervention.
I’ve struggled for years with my addiction. It’s been a shameful burden.
I’ve had to hide it from loved ones and friends. Ashamed to admit it to others.. it’s embarrassing. Pathetic. And all consuming…. my addiction to……. online games.
Let me tell you how it all started….
With Neopets.
About ten years ago, the kids started playing Neopets.. and as kind of a joke, set up an account for me. At first, I didn’t care.. just a kid’s game.. but I started doing it.. for the kids. That way I could send them stuff.. the books.. the food.. you know.. I was HELPING.
But.. Neopets is a slippery slope I found.. suddenly.. I was spending more and more time in Neopia.. but my time on the games .. some you could only do them once a day. I NEEDED THE WHEEL OF EXCITEMENT!!! I wanted to go to the Ice Caves as many times as possible.. visit the Snowager.. spin the Wheel of Mediocrity.. play the Tombola…So I got another account. But it wasn’t enough.. I needed more,, and more.. .. and eventually.. I worked my way up to ten accounts.. starting looking up “cheats” and tips all over the internet.
I’d spend hours buying pets, training them, battling them.. searching out various treasures.. buying things… setting up shops.. They LOOK innocent enough.. little various multi coloured virtual creatures… but.. no. They engage you with their perky good looks and smiley faces and their entertaining games and prizes.. and then… you’re HOOKED.
Then I sunk even lower.. I started turning friends onto Neopets.. and they, too… got addicted. I still feel so dirty….
But I eventually got over it. I moved on.. started real friendships… not just my Neopian friends..Had a real life.. REAL friends..
However.. something’s happened recently that’s threatened my time on the wagon.
Zoo World.
It started innocently enough. One day, BFF Jodi mentioned that she was playing Zoo World and I should try it.. because it was “FUN”.
Well.. I like fun. Fun is GOOD.
Zoo World. The bane of my existence...
So I accepted the application.
However, I suddenly realized today that it’s become a problem.
There was a post on my wall that said
It’s official. I’m addicted. I’m hooked. (oh, and by the way. yes. I have a gig. I’m self employed. I have the best boss ever.. LOL. She takes me out for drinks often…)
Suddenly I’m obsessed with checking the stream for friends who have lost capuchin monkeys and fennec foxes from their zoos.. buying kiosks and zoo managers.. making my zoo bigger and better and more profitable.. I am searching other people’s streams for their baby marmots who need food so that I can obtain growth formula and such.
It’s pathetic.
I once mocked all those who played Farmville, and Mafia Wars and the like. Now….. I’m one of them.
Making new friends on Facebook so that I can creep their profiles looking for things to make my Zoo bigger and better.
Real conversation between me and BFF Jodi:
“Okay, I just found a beluga whale.. and go get it.. NOW!”
“I got it! I just found a Stingray!”
“Oh! I’m going to get it!!!”
“Jodi! I just received a baby Anteater from the Wildlife Care Network. He is separated from his family and is lost. The baby Anteater is scared and needs someone to adopt him!!”
I’m going into my Facebook account to delete posts about Zoo World so friends won’t mock me (I mean, any more than they do already…) HIDING my addiction and how much I play the game.. it’s one of the first signs.. hiding it.. because when I post comes up about how a baby wombat in my zoo needs food, I get comments like “DIE BABY WOMBAT DIE!” and “How much longer are you going to subject us to this sort of thing?”….
See? Not normal.
Tonight I was talking with Katy and it devolved into a 15 minute conversation about Zoo World.. the highlight of which was when she asked was level I was at.. I said “12”.
And she proceeded to go on a curse laden rant that would shock most sailors. All had to do with the fact that she was at level EIGHTEEN, yet MY zoo was worth more than HER zoo.
“ZOO WORLD IS A @#$@# SCAM!!!! @#$%YOU ZOO WORLD!!!”
Something like that. Oh, and she misread. Her Zoo is worth more.. even though she started after me.. Apparently the game addiction runs in the genes. Also explains her brother’s obsession with Call of Duty. We have issues. We obviously need a 12 step program for online game addiction..
And I’m going to look that up…..
Right after I go save a baby speckled bear that’s lost in my zoo…..
Life: Excellent Love: Interesting to say the least Pants: I was told yesterday that it looks as though I’ve lost weight. Hmmmm….
Life, Love and Pants 