Quitting - Online Game Addiction

I'm addicted to Travian. I know it's a bad addiction. Yet knowing that, I still don't quit. I write that line and think, "is it really a bad addiction?" Why is it bad? If I could convince myself it's a bad thing, I'd have a much easier time quitting.

I want to do something else with my time, but I also want to preserve my investment in the game. I want to keep growing. I'm close to several big, short-term goals in the game, and I want to keep going until I get there. I don't throw away perfectly good clothes, or a working LCD monitor, or books, or even old computer games that I've already played. It's weird with a game, because what's there has value -- but only to me (but see below), and only in that game world. It's not like I could put this account up for sale on craigslist. It's like sentimental value in that regard, like a useless trinket purchased as a souvenir of a fun time that I once had.

I quit World of Warcraft three times. The first time was because guild drama made playing frustrating. The second time was because I wanted my life back. The third time I quit, it was because I lost interest in spending the time in the world and I found something else that I wanted to do more. I'm ok with playing games. It's like watching movies, or TV shows, or whatnot.

The thing about online-game addiction is that you can't really "sleep on it." I think it's best to quit cold turkey -- to announce to everyone that you quit and get on with your life. Often there's sufficient value in the game that you might want to preserve your progress, to sell your characters off or give them to friends. (No sense in all that value going to waste.)

That value is why I don't want to leave. I have a level of progress that others might envy. (Obviously a great many players wouldn't envy what I have, because they already have more. The same is true with level 70 WoW characters, for example. My point is that there are people, and a good number, that would want a shortcut to a high-level character and/or account.)

--

I decided to just take a break and leave the game for a few hours. It worked. I haven't deleted the account, but I don't feel the pull to sit and watch constantly. I don't know if a cold break is better than slowly toning down doses, but if the rest of me (ie my conscious mind) has decided that I don't want to play any more, then I just need to give it time. Eventually my desire to play will go away.