World of Warcraft ruining grades as well as social lives?

World of Warcraft and a number of other leading MMOs have come under fire recently from the University of Minnesota Duluth, where college students are allegedly letting their work slip thanks to one too many late night raids.

UMD academic adviser Vince Rapesh apparently accused one student of smoking dope thanks to how shattered he looked. It later transpired that he had, in fact, spent all night on his computer playing WoW. Three students that Rapesh spoke to even admitted to seeking counseling for their gaming habits, one of whom was apparently “too competitive” to stop. “

“I tell parents during talks, I believe it’s one of the hidden causes for kids to fail that nobody knows about it,” Rapesh states. 

World of Warcraft has a powerful hold over many people, although ultimately it’s up to the individual to have the self control to stop. I don’t think it’s unfair for Rapesh to say that failing grades can be attributed to videogames, but it’s obviously the student’s fault for getting “addicted” to MMOs in the first place.