JEDDAH, 22 May 2005 — School and college students are skipping classes to play a new online game “World of Warcraft.” Some students spend around 12 and 13 hours engrossed in the game to the detriment of their education.
The game was recently released worldwide and, as is the trend with all online games, many play it in massive online forums. “World of Warcraft” has attracted students mostly aged 12 and above.
The game is basically about a war between two armies. Three secondary school students we spoke to said they purchased the game two months ago. Each of them played it for anything up to 13 hours a day for up to three weeks.
Many play it non-stop throughout the night till early morning.
One of the three players, who preferred to remain anonymous, said it was an amazing game. “I don’t want to get distracted or stopped. I don’t want to miss anything. It is a new type of game enabling me to play with people from all around the world.”
“My friends and I play this game to relax and release the tension build up from studies. It is very exciting to compete in such a game,” said Essam Abu Al-Faraj, a college student.
He said one of his friends is so fond of the game that he would not respond to anybody while he is playing. “Normally we wake up and go to school, but he wakes up and goes directly to an Internet cafe to play,” Al-Faraj added.
“I’ve never played a game that offered so many options,” said Abdulrahman, who was married recently.
However, for Abdulrahman, there are more important things to do than play the game.
“I have my life and responsibilities to take care of. Everybody should be aware of that and set priorities accordingly,” Abdulrahman added.
