World of Escapism

World of Warcraft has become a gaming phenomenon that has captured an audience approximately the size of Ohio. With so many followers, it has become a part of our culture, but how did this video game sneak into the hard disk of so many Americans? The primary culprit is the game's use as an escape from real life. While playing World of Warcraft, users suspend disbelief as they are whisked away into the magical world of Azeroth. Inside this world of fantasy, players act as elves, dwarves, orcs, and even humans to slay dragons, find treasure, and protect the kingdom. However, just as in the similar world that is associated with the Lord of the Rings, players must bind together with their allies to accomplish amazing feats of valor.

The entire experiance of World of Warcraft is very fun. However, because the world is a game, a set of rules govern it just as the real world is governed by rules. For example, just as we must save thousands of dollars to buy a new car, players must save gold coins in order to buy a horse. Because the game is carefully constructed to allow players enough freedoms to have fun while having enough restrictions to make the world at least partially mimic the way the real world works, many people slip into Azeroth as a way to escape from their normal lives. In Saturday Night Fever, Tony slips away from his mundane life by disco dancing to his heart's content on Saturday night. In a very similar manner, World of Warcraft players play the game in order to leave their regular lives behind. For most players, their normal lives are nowhere near as interesting as a life of using ancient magic and enchanted weapons to slay horrible beasts. At its core, disco dancing and World of Warcraft do almost the same thing for people; they both provide a setting where all participants are living a much better life filled with fun.

Although Tony definitely used disco as an escape from his life, he was willing to admit that disco could not completely replace his normal life. Unfortunately, many players of World of Warcraft let their playing experience turn into an addiction. At this level of escape, the real world ceases to be important as Azeroth becomes the only thing that the player cares about. Regardless of the source of escape, completely running away from the real world is a horrible thing. Although escape such as disco dancing and World of Warcraft may not be directly harmful to the person engaging in these activities, when a person's life becomes consumed by these things, the people that are close to that person can become hurt. Whenever a person becomes so engaged in escaping from the trials and tribulations of real life that he begins to neglect his responsibilities to others, then legal and safe forms of escape become just as dangerous as drugs and alcohol. Although everyone needs to have an occasional escape from real life to unwind and relax, a complete escape is a horrible thing that should be avoided at all costs.