Why I Don’t Burn Out

I’ve been thinking (and tweeting lol) about the phenomenon of ‘burnout’ in the game of WoW. Mostly my thoughts about the subject revolve around the fact that I just don’t get it, why people burn out. Why do they quit the game? I’ve never personally felt the need to just quit for an extended period so why do others quit?

Of course each individual has their own set of circumstances under which they play the game and everyone plays the game differently. What’s going on in real life often governs the amount of WoW time you are allowed (or you allow yourself) to play. But the way you play the game has a marked bearing on how long you will play the game too.

Someone who plays 24/7 for months on end, grinding and farming or raiding and gearing up, or doing PvP or whatever else it is they decide to do, will most likely hit a brick wall of pain which just sucks the interest and motivation right out of them. We have guys in the guild who are like that and fair play to them, they play either all-in or not at all.

All or nothing mentality is easy to admire because it’s the display of total commitment for the period they are in the zone and since World of Warcraft releases content in chunks as it does, the all or nothing type of player has no problem fitting in with WoW’s peaks and troughs of content.

People burn out because they just love it too much, put all their heart and soul in and invariably they get tired. It’s human nature. Imagine the most delicious chocolate cake you could ever think of and you get to eat it until you are full up every day of your life. What a great thought, that delicious cake every day, wonderful…..but after months of eating a big piece of that lovely cake every day, you’d get tired of it and want to try something else, maybe even just another flavour.

It’s the same with WoW if you overindulge. Some can conceivably play for hours every day and enjoy the thing just enough but not destroy their life in the process, therefore it fits in with their real life schedule. Others decide to sacrifice large parts of their real life sociality to play the game but can happily manage that. Some can only manage to play bit-part for a few hours per week and never really get into the thick of the game. The people prone to burnout will munch that lovely chocolate cake right up, every day until they just get so sick of chocolate that they quit eating until there’s a new version of chocolate cake out with a layer of strawberry jam in there. They’ll recall the good times of the first few days of eating large wedges of that delicious cake and the nostalgia will bring them right back in where they will delve headlong into that new cake version and lose themselves in the overwhelming emotion of it all 🙂

I play the game with a different mentality to most although I disguise it very well. I am sure I come across as the most committed guild leader around and I am exactly that. What’s different is that I’m an excellent actor. I’m not saying all I say and do is an act, no way! What I’m saying is that although I show all the symptoms of a devoted and deeply entrenched WoW addict, actually I am anything but that. I have a clear mind as to what I am trying to do with the guild as you all know which sometimes gets displayed as people who cross swords with my vision and plans might be brushed aside if they don’t fall into line with the way I see the guild.

I commit just enough to the game in time and consideration to ensure that the guild is really taken care of but it doesn’t detract from my life. What I want to do in life, I do. The fact I live where I live and I work where I work means that I do have spare time outside the job to give to my hobby and with a clear mind to operate with in the guild, I can make seemingly tough guild decisions without worry.

As the guild leader, you start to understand that the people of the guild are crucial but ONLY if they are operating with the flow of your own vision for the guild. If they are against the way you want the guild to be then there’s an opportunity to relay that conflict of interest, illustrate how you view things and await the guild member’s ability to conform. I am very lucky that everyone in The Dambusters is there because they share the values I’ve instilled in the guild and you all have your part to play in maintaining that trend as time goes by. You all respect my leadership and it shows clearly because although you can often get emotional about the way things are going, you all get on with it when it comes to the crunch and you see that even if you disagree with me at times, it works out.

I have that ability to be overpowering if I feel the need to make my point but I also have the ability to ask for help when I need a little bit of feedback. It’s important to listen to the community and to be able to communicate my views clearly for everyone to understand if they have enough interest to actually take time and read it.

Almost 5 years of leading this guild and not a moment of burnout has provided the guild with an unmovable force for dedicated direction. Since I have my trade career behind me and the support of my family to fulfil my hobby within a schedule I can manage, coupled with the ability to play the role of guild leader while not forgetting that it’s just a game and I’m not really the boss of anything (proven daily in game when I display shining examples of the fact I’m a professional NOOB) gives me a great platform to be the committed leader the guild needs to remain strong.