World of Warcraft Community Magazine Issue 1 | Page 68

ARTICLE

68 // World of Warcraft Community Magazine

confined to WoW, but the nature
of the game and it’s popularity has
led to it’s image as an addiction
rather than a pastime and it is
exactly the sort of topic that attracts
attention of the media. When a
clinic opened up in Amsterdam
in 2006 which specifically treats
for money. But how to amass the

Obviously the practice is far from

people with an addiction to games,

huge amounts of currency needed

limited to World of Warcraft, but

World of Warcraft was an obvious

to turn a profit? Pay people next

with such a large player base, it

choice for news reporters to go

to nothing to spend all their days

inevitably became the focus of the

with. Conversely, World of Warcraft

collecting or ‘farming’ for gold and

issue. Blizzard have always taken

employs parental controls that can

items to sell. The often poor working

a hard line with any who seek to

limit children’s play time at least.

conditions that the farmers faced

abuse their game systems in these

Unfortunately humans will always

inevitably led to attention from the

ways, but they can only do so much.

get addicted to things they enjoy

media, and even gave rise to the

As well as gold farming,

and video games is no exception.
On the lighter side of Warcraft’s

2010 documentary ‘Gold Farmers’

WoW has been associated with

which delved into the lucrative world

addiction to games. Much like the

influence on other entertainment,

that had largely remained hidden.

gold farmers, this is not a problem

is South Park. It takes a lot to make

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