[redpoint5]

I specifically avoided WOW knowing I wouldn't have the willpower to set proper boundaries. For years that was half the conversation in the office. One coworker told me how much he played (WOW keeps track of it for you), and it worked out to 8hrs per day, every day. That means on days he didn't play at all, he made up for by playing more than 8hrs on other days. He also worked 40hrs, and presumably slept somewhere around 56hrs... that leaves 16hrs to do everything else. He shared this with me after I was skeptical that his character had a street value of $500. Most I'd had ever paid for a video game up until then was probably $40. The concept of a subscription to play was newish then.

I've spent thousands of hours playing games though. Too soon to tell if I regret it; many of my memories playing are quite fond still.

You'll notice I said nothing about reducing WOW spending. It goes along with my principle of spending money where you enjoy it most (as long as other financial responsibilities are met).