WoW and Addictions

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So, I saw this video the other day. I thought it was both funny and disturbing.

Funny cause I've been there. Not with Halo, but with WoW. So, I can relate.

Disturbing cause I've been there.

I guess what has me posting this today is a kind of confession. I still keep up with some of the folks I played WoW with. I made some "good" friends when I played WoW. That is to say, I made friends with folks that I enjoyed spending time with online and who understood my obsession with the game. They obsessed over the game, too.

I still talk to a lot of these folks, either via forums or IM. But, I noticed something yesterday: When I talk to the ones that still play the game, we don't talk about anything but the game. When I talk to the ones that have moved on from the game, we can talk about other things, but I don't talk to them as much.

Further, I still marginally enjoy talking about the game. I still keep up with the patches and changes that Blizzard makes and I can still relate when folks tell me what kind of "problems" they are having in-game. It still fascinates me what I could be doing in this mythical world.

I guess the question is, should I be worried that I still take an interest in this game?

Right now, I don't think so. I'm not obsessing over it as I used to (when I played) and I do get tired of talking about it when the conversation lasts more than about 10 minutes. Therefor, to me, it seems like it's a "normal" or "average" interest. It's when it becomes obsessive that I feel I need to worry.

Beyond that, I don't see it becoming an obsession again. I follow football more "obsessively" than I follow WoW. I definitely spend more time watching football! But, football doesn't consume my life, it's merely a passing interest.

So, is it possible to move from obsession to healthy interest? I don't really know the answer to that, but I do know that I don't ever really want to be obsessed with something to the exclusion of life again. I guess I'll find out eventually if it's possible to be healthily interested in something that you used to be obsessed with.