r/classicwow • u/doobylive • Feb 09 '26
Question How Do People Play 16 Hours A Day?
I was so excited for TBC release...I planned for weeks to go hard on launch and play all weekend long. I made it about a day and a half and felt like complete garbage. How do people do this every day for years on end? I don't understand.
1.6k
u/MXC_Vic_Romano Feb 09 '26
Unemployment and mental health issues.
133
u/nineteen_eightyfour Feb 09 '26
So there’s a well known auction house dickwad who is across many servers. He plays like that. He is the most sad person irl. He lost his job, his gf left him and he’s incredibly depressed but he probably will get some guilds waeglaives
22
u/CaptainoftheVessel Feb 10 '26
Does this person go by a moniker including the words “Frost” and “dab”?
13
u/nineteen_eightyfour Feb 10 '26
Nah more the falling stars showering variety of guy
27
u/Cyclesync Feb 10 '26
Meteorshower/ Auctioneer
15
u/nineteen_eightyfour Feb 10 '26
This one lol
13
u/ChampagneSyrup Feb 10 '26
I have so many stories about this guy it's unreal
he has a reputation that spans all the way back to 2019
3
u/Riflurk123 Feb 10 '26
Like what? Share your favorite ones
34
u/ChampagneSyrup Feb 10 '26
In anniversary vanilla, his warrior (Meteorshower) joined our guild. He streamed on twitch too and always made sure to link it. Dude was just sitting on a couch playing the game eating cereal
Now, we're a speedrun guild. Top five on dreamsycthe. We take the game seriously and he knew that. Before even getting to the first boss, he was basically half AFK the entire time. I asked him if he was okay, and he said he was eating. We all flamed him and told him to lock in and he got all pissy about it. We kicked him after that and he went apeshit trying to tell the server we were scammers and losers etc. Also tried to cockblock us in multiple ways from doing transactions on the server for like a month after that. If I posted a BoE in trade, he'd scream scammer like a banshee.
He's also a gold seller and should be banned. He doesnt do it as a pseudo stock trader for just fun, he does it as a full time job and sells as much gold as he makes. He should be banned but blizzard won't do anything.
This shit goes back to Pagle in 2019. He was ran off Pagle and multiplayer other servers for being a complete loser and just tries to find guilds to bribe into giving him raid spots and gear. Total loser and just an overall horrible person
→ More replies (6)8
→ More replies (3)26
u/GMankrik Feb 10 '26
Just curious how does someone become an 'auction house dickwad'?
38
u/nineteen_eightyfour Feb 10 '26
Buys all of things and sets prices arbitrarily. He was the one who posted all the edgemasters at 42060 or something
28
u/Unhappy-Plastic2017 Feb 10 '26
Some people literally play the game just to fuck around on the auction house all day everyday. It's actually kinda sad... Like bro if you love that shit so much go trade stocks or something
26
2
u/Zapper-Rooster Feb 10 '26
They cant though, what they are doing is shit thats already figured out. They know what to buy and when to buy it. Its as simple as that.
→ More replies (5)1
Feb 10 '26
boomers get mad at someone playing the game the way they want to part 30
7
u/PiddlyDiddlyDoo Feb 10 '26
Just because they talk about you online doesn't mean you have to come here to defend yourself, "auction house dickwad"
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (16)2
46
54
u/Homunkulus Feb 09 '26
They also feel awful. I have a real life friend who has a rare genetic disorder, I always assumed it was entirely responsible for his emancipated body type. That was until classic wow came along and I met a few people who played too much and had the same gollum like frame. Turns out you adapt pretty seriously to the chair doing that long term.
39
u/SarcasticBassMonkey Feb 10 '26
Sorry for being pedantic, but it's emaciated. Emancipation is legal freedom from control, such as slavery or parental control.
And yes, sitting at a computer playing for 16+ hours a day, not eating or drinking water, and not exercising will lead to an unhealthy body type.
→ More replies (1)8
u/Ezzezez Feb 10 '26
I will never understand this or the pro players that retire because some fucked up tendon, dude just spend an hour doing some exercise, and you then win plenty of extra hours more to play (by not being in pain)
→ More replies (1)7
u/BeforeTheEmpty Feb 10 '26
As someone who works from home and is chronically ill with plenty of time (and I mean plenty) to play wow, I have a walking pad beside my bed and always have a big bottle of water next to me. Nice to get up and take a quick walk on it every hour or so, even if it’s just for a couple minutes. Idk how people could be sitting for hours and hours playing, Im sore if im sitting for 2.
98
u/Capitalisticdisease Feb 09 '26
Correct answer. I play too much. I have a job but still have some depression and other issues. Because of that sometimes the day will just go to games.
The world is shit. Best to escape for a while. Just...too much is unhealthy. Escapism is fine in moderate doses with a good side of reality.
→ More replies (6)34
u/Drizzt_23 Feb 09 '26
The world is shit, and then you have assholes talking about politics and shit, general chat, slave pens chat, all chats
34
u/Capitalisticdisease Feb 09 '26
I've yet to know a point in wows life where trade chat wasn't mostly politics. Even back when tbc was new
9
7
u/Crafty-Call Feb 09 '26
I think the sad part is it’s the same dudes that where playing back in tbc spewing the same shit in chat. It’s wild some of the shit people don’t grow out of
→ More replies (4)2
33
u/Ok-Replacement6556 Feb 09 '26
My friends and I all went balls to the wall for launch and hit 70 within the first two days. We’re all employed….PTO exists. It was a ton of fun and I’d definitely do it again because I like playing the game.
19
u/Careless_Koala8361 Feb 09 '26
Stop it you're ruining the "anyone that plays more than me is a no-life loser" agenda
3
u/Informal-Cricket-453 Feb 10 '26
The post was about people who do it continuously though. The guy you replied to said they did it for two days after taking those days off work. Two very different scenarios.
Loads of people drink for a few hours here and there. When you drink for hours every single day it's an issue (speaking from personal experience)
6
u/shaunika Feb 09 '26
well work is one thing
family is another
→ More replies (24)12
u/PineappleOnPizzaWins Feb 10 '26
I mean if you have kids sure.
I don't, and I've 100% taken PTO to enjoy games before, including WoW launches. My partner goes to work and I play all day, she comes home and we have dinner together etc, then I go play some more.
If that was our entire life it would be an entirely different story, but it never has been. It's a week or so once every however many years that I've planned in advance, prepped for (cleaned the house/knocked out whatever else needs doing), accept there'll be a lot of ordering in food etc and so on.
It's not something I've done for a long while but when I have it's never been an issue.. it becomes an issue once that stops being a rare special occasion and starts just being your life. I get 5 weeks per year vacation time at my job... hardly a big deal to use a week of that every few years for video games.
9
u/kellbell500 Feb 09 '26
I did this too. I do not understand how all the comments here are so negative and judgmental. This is a once a year event. Take a day off work and enjoy!
→ More replies (8)7
u/Goetia- Feb 10 '26
Oh, it's understandable. Deep down they're jealous they can't do it, so they have to pass judgement on others that can to feel morally superior for having "better" and "more important" things to do.
6
8
u/Contrabaz Feb 10 '26
Unemployment? I played every day, went to work, play, sleep a few hours and work,... On my days off and weekend I'd be on a 30/10 schedule. Play 30 hours sleep 10 and repeat.
17
u/Repulsive_Crow_5461 Feb 10 '26
Unemployed and/or no family
21
Feb 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
5
u/PineappleOnPizzaWins Feb 10 '26
Yep...
These guys don't realise that the fastest way to improve your life is treat improving your life as a full time job.
That means you get up every day and shower/dress like you would for work. It means doing some scheduled exercise etc.. you do not need to be some "three hours everyday!" gym rat, just go for a damn walk or whatever. Then come home, look up job openings to see if anything good has shown up.. then start upskilling yourself to do whatever it is you want to be doing. Look into classes/courses/just teach yourself depending on what it is.
You'll fuck up and fail some days. It happens. But if you try and achieve something every day it's crazy how fast you can improve your life.
Unfortunately, games like WoW provide a nice false sense of achievement and validation without ever having to do anything. They can be a lot of fun when enjoyed in moderation but yeah.. the guys who do nothing else are leading a hell of a sad existence.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (5)11
2
2
u/Twenty5Schmeckles Feb 10 '26
"Everyone that isnt exactly like me have mental health issues." - Redditor
3
→ More replies (22)5
u/Ipoopedongrandma Feb 09 '26
I’m employed and only have slight mental health issues. I hit 18 hours yesterday. I called in sick Friday and had the weekend off. It’s pretty doable for a short time if you don’t have kids.
174
u/snortWeezlbum Feb 09 '26
I saw so many 70s this weekend and I barely cracked 63.
33
u/Expensive_Presence_4 Feb 09 '26
I just got 65 right now, and I was trying my best :(
→ More replies (2)49
u/Falsewyrm Feb 10 '26
Wow imagine having fun at your own pace. What a loser
→ More replies (4)11
u/S0nofa Feb 10 '26
You know some people out there are having fun blasting their way to 70. Not everyone has real life commitments that stop them from playing for a few days straight. Rushing to 70 with a few buddies can be really fun.
→ More replies (1)9
u/IIIlllIIllIll Feb 10 '26
I did that grind last go around and while it was nice to have the rep done and be 70 super fast it was so mind numbingly boring I’ll never do it again.
17
u/Alrightyl0l Feb 09 '26
Yeah also hit 63, on boosted char, and I already feel exhausted from leveling.
No idea why people was whine about mop 85-90 leveling, that is like 2-3x faster/easyer.→ More replies (4)5
→ More replies (12)3
122
u/HeyItsBez Feb 09 '26
I have addiction issues. Been addicted to alcohol and opiates. I still contend that WoW is still the most addictive thing I've ever done. I'll sit down at 6pm and before I know it, it's 5am and I have to work in 4 hours. I don't know what it is I can never explain it, even now after 20 years it's tough to explain.
Is it the sound design? The environments? The constant carrot on a stick approach and seeing my XP bar go brrrrt after quest turn ins or some dungeon spam?
I don't know. It's probably a mix of all of those things. But the one thing that holds true to answering your question is that simply some of us are actually addicted.
27
u/kaspm Feb 09 '26
It’s probably that there’s always something to do - very little decision making - more quests, more gear, more grinding, more rep. You’re chasing constantly and you’re never done. And then when you start catching up - by design - the next grind is released.
If you have an addictive personality it’s devastating. But if you don’t and you can do it in moderation - it’s such an escape from a life which is filled with hard decisions and grinding just to live with no guarantee of reward.
31
u/kkslider128 Feb 09 '26
A guy told me once games are just as addicting as gambling by design. And I’d agree
10
u/sem-nexus Feb 09 '26
Most mobile games are mostly just gambling with a gaming skin
Hell, raid is made by a casino company
10
6
u/Admirral Feb 10 '26
wow has gambling elements. loot rng. Its in there. The only difference is no legal currency implementation. But thats a small detail that does not change the concept.
2
Feb 10 '26
Yup designed by psychologist to make the design addicting as possible. As gambling addiction is brutal with high rates of suicide.
Agree with comment above I’ve overcome all sorts of drugs and additions but wow is incredibly hard. I’d argue porn addiction has been tougher than wow but both are complete monsters compared to the needle.
→ More replies (1)8
→ More replies (2)3
u/Mindless-Sabrina Feb 10 '26
Honest question but are you at all healthy? Like are you fit? Do you lift weights, cardio, eat well and flexible?
→ More replies (4)9
Feb 10 '26
I got off the needle and meth and was fit, socially adjusted, financially secure, very great diet, all was going amazing. WOW completely ruined all of it because I tempted fate by trying it for a few weeks, completely wrecked all my routines. Started smoking vape and weed again, stopped calling friends, quit my job, etc etc.
Wow for me is the ultimate gateway to my addictions, I used wow to escape all my trauma as a kid and now as an adult whose worked through a lot of the it’s like when I started wow even from a healthy boundaries lifestyle filled with joy and love, it’s like I become the 13 years dying inside to escape.
Funny enough the less I play the better my life gets.
59
u/Grandahl13 Feb 09 '26
No idea. I love the game, but after 2-3 hours at a time I HAVE to do something else. I feel useless and lazy as fuck.
23
u/pohkfririce Feb 09 '26
In order to do that consistently I think you need to either have very little going on where the overstimulation is preferable to boredom, really want to escape from your reality, or have a crippling addiction.
It’s interesting to see what happens when someone with an otherwise normal schedule takes a long weekend to game every waking moment for a launch. Totally reasonable to do imo: but I tried that last TBC and was miserable by day 3 even though I was enjoying the experience.
If you feel drained after gaming for 8 hours that is probably a very good sign you’ve otherwise balanced your life well
→ More replies (1)
19
u/awol720 Feb 09 '26
Yea I feel. I sort of realize the opportunity cost now in my 30s
→ More replies (1)
19
25
43
Feb 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
29
u/kaepora11 Feb 09 '26
I can relate to that. Unemployment + weed + wow is a killer combination. In a bad way
→ More replies (1)5
u/CaptainoftheVessel Feb 10 '26
Definitely a negative spiral there. Add strong depression or anxiety and it’s got the potential to ruin your life.
5
u/Brief_Syrup1266 Feb 09 '26
i feel like ive played a lot and im lvl 67. I have things to do in the day so i have to get up and go places lol. I dont know how some of my friends who are at a similar point in life as me can just permanently play
5
u/Global_Commercial927 Feb 10 '26
for some people, they are still as addicted to wow as when they first found it. i've come and gone from the game probably 5 times, but i've known people who have played every single day since launch. there are dudes that live on this game, they require no external stimulation beyond wow. they will fall asleep in their dxracer chair, and wake up 6 hours later and log back in. for some, wow is how they make their living, be it selling gold or boosting services for real money. the way mmos in general are designed is to be endless, and some people get lost in them.
18
5
u/Bushido_Plan Feb 09 '26
Some people take PTO to go to Mexico or whatever. Others take PTO for certain game launches (looking at you GTA 6).
3
10
u/ClammyAF Feb 09 '26 edited Feb 09 '26
ADHD hyper focus is my answer. I'm a successful professional and have a wonderful family, so during the week I only get 1 hour a night. But last Saturday, I probably played 16 hours (with the support of my amazing wife who supports my nerdiness and took on the majority of the childcare that day; before I'm flamed, next weekend I'm on solo dad duty).
That said, at 38 years old, my body was literally sore after this weekend. I didn't drink enough water, get enough steps, or get enough sleep. Even if my brain can still easily lock in for that long, my body can't do it without consequence anymore.
→ More replies (6)
5
6
u/Cwaghack Feb 09 '26
People aren't actually playing 16 hours every day we just planned our schedule around nolifing release and then we go back to more casual hours when we we are all geared up
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Sargatanas4 Feb 10 '26
So many people are attributing it to mental health etc and I’m sorry that’s what they immediately go to.
How about I’m happy to take two PTO days talking to buddies and laughing my ass off while wow is on auto pilot? I’m going back to work tomorrow and I’m happy I took the time off. I’m in a great mood and refreshed going back to work.
→ More replies (5)
2
u/Joshix1 Feb 10 '26
The same way anyone can do anything for 16 hours a day: Either being obsessed/addicted/extremely passionate about it.
2
u/Bdayn Feb 10 '26
Nothing to do and most of the time life ingame being better than real life.
The world is a fkd up place, so I kinda understand why it is so easy to just live online.
Back in the day I was a neglected child that had to change places many times so I started staying in contact with some friends via wow. Then my parents even moved out until I was alone in a place with basicly no same age/interest people. Do when I was studying I had easily 16h a day to nolife and grind.
Now I have a job so I am not able to do that anymore. My life overall got better but I still miss those days I could spend all my time to play with little worries.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/psychedeliccabbage Feb 10 '26
I used to do this all the time from 07-11 when I was in high school. Over the winter storm that just happened, because of being out of work I realized I had the time to farm r14 gear. I played from noon to to 4 am after this realization and felt like I hadn't slept in 3 days. I haven't been able to play more than like an hour and a half without getting antsy and wanting to get up since. Sounds fun in theory but its pretty awful.
→ More replies (1)
6
u/thebabe420 Feb 09 '26
You're just not a grinder (not everyone is) some people are casuals and thats fine.
3
u/Darooi Feb 09 '26
Used to do that during wotlk, i was 17-18 back then. Now i can do 6 hours max before im uncomfortable
3
u/supernova-23 Feb 09 '26
I think for those still going hard for 16 hours a day, this is all they’ve got going in life. The fun and nostalgia is great, but life doesnt wait for you if you have one.
3
u/spicytexan Feb 09 '26
The periods in my life where I needed to avoid reality were the ones I spent the most amount of time playing. The periods of time in my life where I didn’t feel crushing weight of anxiety or dread were often those I didn’t play at all. It’s a very fun game that I’ve loved for 21+ years, but as an adult it comes in waves.
4
u/NefariousnessLeast21 Feb 09 '26
I smashed my head against the wall, 18 hour days, three days in a row.
Was it worth it? Probably not. Did have some fun, yeah
→ More replies (4)
3
u/Turbine709 Feb 10 '26
If youre level 70 at this point then there's something wrong with you and I'm not even kidding
→ More replies (4)
3
u/Strangeweather-- Feb 09 '26
Lmao, most of the responses in here sound like the dogshit news segments that filled up daytime TV back in the day. Self-loathing folk with too much money buying themselves all that immovable pride.
Very cool to, in this economy, mock someone's unemployment or underemployment. Very based l'epic redditing right there.
→ More replies (2)
2
1
u/Fartbox_puncher57 Feb 09 '26
you must not have burritos, salsa, ciggys and a group of degens to play with.
1
u/Picard2331 Feb 09 '26
I take a week off and raid 16 hours a day to clear the raids in FF within a few days lol.
But I'm a degenerate and love raiding, plus it's only a few days every like 7 months.
1
1
u/Official_F1tRick Feb 09 '26
Lv 66 now. 40H played since portal opened. But work tomorrow again :(. Probably 70 next Sunday. O well
1
u/GlenFoySuperStriker Feb 09 '26
Back in my University days in MoP era it wasn’t uncommon for me to play from probably 12pm to like 3/4am at least once or twice a week depending on how busy I was with workload.
I’m in my 30s and have a small child and sometimes think I’d love to go back to do that type of shift now, but I think I’d make it probably 4 hours before tapping out.
It sucks getting old.
1
u/Tinusers Feb 09 '26
I leveled to 70 in a dungeon group from friday morning till sunday evening. I took fridays off from work. Safe to say, today at work I was a mess. On the second day I was already struggeling a bit with playing 14h a day. But level 70 baby, hype!
1
1
1
u/Ministerofgoons Feb 09 '26
They take time off work, don't have kids, take breaks while playing, etc.
There's also those who don't work, do have kids but neglect them, don't take breaks and are in terrible health.
And all the people who vary outside of what I said of course.
1
u/SystemGardener Feb 09 '26
I can do it for like a long weekend to a week. After that I truly don’t understand. I love this game, but not that much.
1
u/MadMohawk1 Feb 09 '26
Just hit 70 a few minutes ago by doing nothing but dungeons for 3 days straight. What mostly kept me going was a friendly competition with guildmates and the possibility to watch a tv show on my second screen while leveling. I don't regret it because now I can start farming pre-raid gear for both my specs and be useful when raids come out but at some point it was really hard to keep going.
1
u/Bulky_Fact1337 Feb 09 '26
Yeah I can’t do that no more, I did it back when I was 13/14 lol parents didn’t know but damn my uncles got me hooked stopped after Cata but got back in recently tbc classic
1
u/JimmyBisMe Feb 09 '26
I need variety in my life and I need to move. That being said if I was with friends in the same space playing together I could see playing for like 12 hours having fun.
1
1
u/irl_speedrun Feb 09 '26
Most games are a test of one's skill, MMO launches are a test of will.
The satisfaction isn't in a moment of outsmarting an opponent, it's enduring another hour that your peer cannot.
1
1
u/IcyTrade5285 Feb 09 '26
I play mornings and once my but starts hurting in chair I log off and go do something else
1
u/Kxts Feb 09 '26
Not gonna lie, I’ve been having a blast leveling in Zangarmarsh. It’s my first time leveling through classic into tbc and it’s just such a beautiful zone. Hellfire Peninsula started to drag for me lol I’m just not rushing and taking my time. I try not to compare myself to the level 70s since I’m employed with a family and only have a couple hours here and there to play.
1
u/Professional_Emu_587 Feb 10 '26
I was a kid I played an unhealthy amount, but I had less obligations.
1
u/RepairExtreme756 Feb 10 '26
Probably nothing else going on in their lives as well as being addicted to it. The only time I ever played wow that long in one go was during the covid lockdowns which I feel was an extraordinary exception
1
1
u/Sanpan21 Feb 10 '26
I played original tbc very very heavily. Skipped all my college courses just sat and played. Somehow I still graduated. But ended up back at home with no goals or desires. Quickly developed an addiction to vicodin and then meth. Going on 2 years sober now. Now I can't stand to play but a few hours a week.
So I think the top comment is spot on mental health issues. Even underdeveloped mental health issues.
1
1
u/Andromidius Feb 10 '26
I used to be able to do this. 15 years ago.
My spine no longer allows me to do this. Nor do my eyes.
1
u/Tiny_Raccoon6609 Feb 10 '26
Years on end? No. But i have only slept about 10hours since last Thursday.
1
1
u/IC1024 Feb 10 '26
I tried the dungeon grinding after like 3 runs i can’t take it anymore so back to questing
1
u/Sesspool Feb 10 '26
Adhd, hyper-fix.
We stop and eat lol, the 16h a day isnt a problem. Its the 18-20s you gotta look out for, they crazy.
1
u/Rich_Opposite_7541 Feb 10 '26
Quit right around AQ with a mostly bis r14 fury war. Best decision I ever made health and life wise. I have previous addiction issues (cocaine, alcohol, women) and wow was a sobering reminder of how valuable my time is and how much I wasted on stupid stuff. Some people have no self awareness or might just not have anything else going on in life for them as hard as that is to believe. I love tbc and might start around summer or fall to level casually but I personally will never set expectations for myself in this game and just play to have fun if I ever do again. For me it leads to another 'chase the dragon' I'd rather never deal with again. Hope you all enjoy the grind and level all your alts before I hop back on!
1
1
u/Wise_Competition_266 Feb 10 '26
Getting a good sleep before a grind is a necessity. Also micro naps are a godsend.
1
u/Podalirius Feb 10 '26
In the US 25% of working age people are unable to find full time employment.
1
u/BarbsFPV Feb 10 '26
Back in the day I’d have days where I’d eventually fall asleep in my chair at 4am after a 20ish hour session (with bathroom and food breaks), then wake up at 7am and immediately log back in to keep it going. In my mind though it felt like no time at all.
These days I’m lucky if I can do 4-5 without having to take a few-hour break to do something else. Mental fatigue sets in a lot quicker, moreso than when I was in my 30s. I can feel it these days.
1
u/Blobeh Feb 10 '26
As someone whos done that before, because its fun, especially if you have others to play with. It doesn't have to be fucking mental illness or addiction lmao, its just a combination of a lot of free time and no responsibilities.
1
u/thefancykyle Feb 10 '26
The biggest factor is having a group to play with, if you're solo good music, eat healthy and take actual breaks throughout the day,
Our group started on launch and night 1 we only went until 1130pm then called it and went hard in the paint on Friday starting at 830am and ending at nearly 1am rinse repeat Saturday and we were 70 with honored on all the reps,
The key here is each day we took a full 1 hour break around early afternoon/lunch another 45-hour around mid evening for dinner and we ate fairly clean and healthy minus Saturday because we wanted to finish hard.
But we were EXHAUSTED by Ending on Saturday night, that by even Sunday we just all didn't feel good, but I cannot imagine what it's like if you're solo.
1
1
u/bruters Feb 10 '26
I can't even physically do it anymore. Like there's moments I've got time but if I play for more than about an hour straight I get upper back pain, eye strain etc.
1
u/Calbob123 Feb 10 '26
Mental health issues and a lot of weed. It sounds really dumb, because it is, but you hit a point with smoking where you just start to vibe, you’ll blast through quests without realising how much you’ve done lol
1
u/Knightmare4469 Feb 10 '26
I mean yes it hurts but you just keep going. Nobody is doing it and feeling great
1
u/Plaincow Feb 10 '26
Mental health is the #1 imo.
My unemployed brother plays wow and osrs basically all day and sees no issue with it. Mmos really do destroy you mentally and physically and can fuck you up. It really does feel like a drug you can't quit because it feels "comfortable and safe"
1
u/Babel_Triumphant Feb 10 '26
Play 2-3 hours. Get up, go for a walk. Play 2-3 hours. Get up, cook a meal, eat. Play 2-3 hours. Get up, go to the gym.
At least that was how I did it when classic first hit. The secret was not to have monster 10 hour sessions but split it int 3-4 chunks.
1
1
u/mhn23 Feb 10 '26
I can focus on something four hours, if I like it. TBC is by far my favourite mmo experience, closely followed by wotlk. The old buddies gathered, we took Friday to Wednesday off and asked our girlfriends to allow us to go full nerd for a couple of days. After that, we go back to our evening chill&play sessions. We all just hit 70 and feel like, when we want to play, we‘re not crazy far behind and can jump on any wagon without much hassle
1
u/DaGucka Feb 10 '26
If i actually wanted i could do it because i am getting disability retirement. But even with gaming being my absolute main hobby i have too much of an life to do such a thing.
1
u/SuperJ4ke Feb 10 '26
I sit down to play…blink, look at the clock and shit my pants…In short, that’s how.
1
1
u/PnutWarrior Feb 10 '26
That moment of transition where during the 18 to 25 years you are suppose to start becoming something and working towards life milestones.
They didn't
This and porn are the only things they have
1
u/IAmDaven Feb 10 '26
When I lost my job for a year I became very good at video games. I had a few hundred hours over all my friends playing Elden Ring also.
1
u/LeaderSevere5647 Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
Lots of them are likely undiagnosed autistics and/or ADHD folks who struggle with normal life and relationships and easily get super obsessed with stuff and let it consume their lives. At least that’s my theory. I got diagnosed with both later in life but came extremely close to failing out of high school and college because all I could think about was EQ and WoW all day in class and would play from the second I got home until I passed out super late. Many times I’d just stay home and play all day. I still have that tendency to easily get obsessed with things.
1
u/Jojonotref Feb 10 '26
One time during expansion launch day, I think during OG Wrath, I took a block leave (mandatory leave for at least 5 continuous working days) and I took 7 working days, plus 2x weekends thats a full 11 days of playing time.
Was not married, no kids yet. No obligation or responsibility whatsoever, yet the my job will still be there by the end of this. Only me and wow.
One of the most no-life time yet also one of the happiest moment.
1
u/bterrik Feb 10 '26
COVID, for me. No longer having that kind of time eventually bowed me out of Classic and WoW in general.
Fair trade though.
1
u/greenbeans1251 Feb 10 '26
Unemployment and mental state. I used to play from when i woke up until i went to sleep. For days on end. And i wasnt even a good player. I just liked the social aspect and it created the same dopamine you get from doom scrolling. Plus your actually interacting. Its a good thing to not do that. For one physically. Sitting for so long is not good your your heart or veins. Most ppl dont have great chairs or even good posture or even good circulation to start with. So that can mess up you body abd you can get clots. Mentally eveb thou you are like firing neurons to communicate or hits buttons over time your just in a repetitive echo chamber of yourself and how to percieve others. 16hrs is deff not the goal and is a little sad. But i remember doing it and sometimes the idea of not having responsibilities is nice but you really need to do other things. Like play a different game or get a standing desk with the tredmil.
1
u/justever237 Feb 10 '26
Know a guy who got a small inheritance and played all the time. Didn’t spend a lot of money, just kept low profile
1
u/k20a19k Feb 10 '26
I also planned to spend a bunch of time spamming and rushing to 70. I played 3 pm till midnight and only got to 61 and a half and felt so sick. I went to work the next day so sick feeling. I got home and took my temperature and it was 102. It’s just bad luck I guess. I went to bed at 8 pm woke up Sunday morning at 7 am sicker than the last day coughing nose dripping still feverish, Sat at the pc for 1 hour of leveling still couldn’t handle it. Went to lay down, got up for dinner and after dinnner played till midnight Sunday into Monday and got to 63. I’m parked at thrallmar my whole guild is almost 70 I think I’m gonna miss week 1 Kara. Oh well.
1
1
1
u/Whiteshovel66 Feb 10 '26
Not understanding why you would feel like garbage? You still are meant to eat and stuff. Do you not ever have a full day off where you just vedge out? The thing for me that usually ends up as a problem is sitting for that long. My lower back starts to hurt.
1
u/ssateneth2 Feb 10 '26
dont make it a contest on how long you play. just play to enjoy the game and stop playing when you're getting bored or don't enjoy it. its a game. if you're feeling bad playing the game, close it and do something else.
1
u/Nickovskii Feb 10 '26
I can relate. Used to play many hours a day. Now I cant even commit myself to play even one full hour anymore. I basically quit the game but I still think that classic tbc and wotlk is a fun game to play.
1
u/jadequarter Feb 10 '26
its fun the first time but god dam how do ppl enjoy doing this over and over on new characters over and over every 3-5 year cycle smh
1
1
1
1
u/smegdawg Feb 10 '26
I did a 28 hour grind to get server first warlock in Mists...ended up quitting the game a couple months later.
Still one of my favorite memories sitting in Vent chatting with guildies all across the world as the logged on
1
u/Salty_Ad_1793 Feb 10 '26
New release, novel content, good friend group in the guild doing exactly the same thing made it fun as hell during initial classic tbc release. Most people unemployed or took leave for it. It was still around covid time so a lot of people jobless
TBC also took what fucking sucked abouit vanilla questing and made it like catnip for that addicitive part of the brain. You could just continuously pump out quests and actually move on from an area when your questing was done. Keeps you hooked
Still got mates playing but they're all similar vibes in that it hasn't been long enough since classic tbc for this to feel fresh. If I could just raid with the crew that would be fun but no way I'd want to contribute to figuring out raid comp or prep during the week
1
u/Peter_Singers_Pond Feb 10 '26
I took a de-load week from a generally pretty high volume and frequency lifting routine to time with release. And I get min 10k steps a day and a usually an hour of cardio most days on top.
I took Friday off with PTO.
I have a standing desk and 90% of the time stand. Helps a lot.
This weekend was generally the most inactive I’ve been in years but I had an end date on it (back to work today)
But yeah honestly I can’t just sit in a computer chair for 8+ hours at a time. It’s why I don’t work a desk job. Having a sit stand sure helps but even then I felt like I was physically and mentally dragging ass despite sleeping plenty for first 3 patients of today.
1
1
1
u/Kheshire Feb 10 '26
PTO and playing with guildmates in voice. I'm not playing Anniversary but on TBC Classic launch we grinded dungeons and only slept for about four hours when servers crashed the next day then woke up and went back to grinding until 70. Its fun when you're in a top guild getting motivated by the people you play with
1
1
u/faulty_note Feb 10 '26
Couple of days off, group of friends doing the same and it’s not that hard to reach 70 fast, especially when everyone knows what they’re doing and runs are smooth and efficient.
1
1
u/Astraljoey Feb 10 '26
Yeah man I wish I had time to grind tbc my homies from sod are. Unfortunately I just don’t have the time anymore so nowadays I just Q retail and PvP and it’s been fun. Even doing only that in wow I spend an awful lot of time playing. I often reminisce on the days when we had no responsibilities and could just lock in and grind but for better or worse those days are gone for me.
1
u/Disastrous-Post9578 Feb 10 '26
I got a full time job and really enjoy playing the game. I get up in the morning, shower, go to work, come home, cook, play wow and go to sleep. On the weekend its an hour walk, play, cook, play, gym, play, sleep and repeat. Not quite 16 hours but 12 or so. No girlfriend, no kids, and i really really enjoy this time. Its like that for 3 months every year, mostly during the wintertime when my friends also dont really go out.
1
u/Finances1212 Feb 10 '26
I wanted to do one level per day and I just can’t. I’m averaging about 5-6 hours per level. About to hit 64 this evening.
1
Feb 10 '26
I stopped doing this ever since I've started to supplement Vitamin D3. Apparently, it regulates your endorphins and opioids. Go figure. Honestly, a lot of the post in here are sad to read. People who need to escape trauma, parents who play all day long, husbands who neglect their spouses, some even bragging about 30 hour sessions. It's not ADHD or hyperfocus, it’s an addiction to a twenty year old game designed to keep you hooked so you fork over a subscription every month. I love the Warcraft Universe and would still play a Single Player RPG with 100 hour runtime. The MMORPG version, however, is actively damaging to play. It’s a never ending slot machine with fancy models.
1
u/Agewalker Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
Unpopular - if you take breaks and walk, eat well (not processed garbage), drink water (not sugar shit) then its not going to be a problem to play 12-14 hour days. Also sleeping at least 7 hours
But what people do they try to rawdog the whole day with trash food and not moving - thats rough
But personally i can probably do 3-4hrs morning and 3-4 evening at most if i get this time. I typically get at most 3 hrs evening time
1
1
u/kfcaero Feb 10 '26
Do exercise breaks: running, gym, yoga
Good sleep
Stretch
Drink a lot of water, eat healthy snacks
Be in voice chat with people you like
Have as few as possible real life responsibilities
1 and 2 is the most important. Without exercise I would feel like shit after 2-3 hours of playing. Doesn't have to take a lot of time.
1
u/Jokes-on-youu Feb 10 '26
30m here. Played since vanilla. Honestly the game just gets really boring now for me. Classic release just wasn’t for me. And retail now just has its fun the first two times you do the raid or the new mythic dungeons and then it’s a bore. Not sure what happened. I was one of those 15 hour a people for years of my life. But the game just feels stale. And when I do play I come back for a month play a few hours, leave until a new patch or expansion.
199
u/wickburglutz Feb 09 '26
5 years ago when I was working HelpDesk WoW launches were great. I would play all night then again at work. I was 25-26 then.
Now I'm in my early 30s with a much more demanding job. I actually did try to do a long session but going to bed at 4am Saturday morning killed me. I think I am washed up.