no, that is not the goal of every game. there is an incentive for blizzard to keep you playing while other genres do not intentionally try to keep u playing. i think it might be a bit socially irresponsible for blizzard to design a game in such a way that it promotes spending a gross amount of time to do anything worthwhile in the game. they are in the business of making money but at the same time, their customers are mostly younger people who for the most part are in school and don't really have time for bwl raids. they preying on people who have the least amount of control over themselves with the least amount of time to spare.
i am one of those people that burned out playing WoW. i'll also admit that it affected my grades and that i missed out on social occasions. and whenever i did hang out with people, i always thought about WoW and looked forward to the next time i would get a chance to play. I hated that so much.
the addiction in WoW is different from any other game i played. it is similar to tribes, but different than offline stuff like chrono trigger or whatever. with console rpg's, i enjoy myself most of the time i play and just stop when i get bored. with tribes, it is fun for the most part, but i also get angry at playing crappily and play until i am satisfied or burned out.
with WoW, i can safely say that for 80% of the time im playing, im not enjoying myself
. i mean, wiping endlessly to learn new raid bosses, grinding endlessly to get highwarlord, etc. and what is the reward for all the hours spent doing that stuff? purples, woohoo. when i finally got rank 14, the most rewarding thing was to have my life back, not the flamy staff i got. and all those mobs and crap before fighting a boss, can u guys honestly say that clearing mob is fun? compare the time vs reward factor between chrono trigger and WoW, the difference is amazing, and i can honestly say that i had more fun playing chrono trigger than WoW. i also look back fondly at playing chrono trigger and not so much with WoW.
now, after ive been "clean"
for about a month or so, i dont even think about playing WoW anymore, and instead, i look forward to seeing friends, working out, and being productive. quitting WoW worked out great for me, and i have no regrets at all.
however, for those people who genuinely enjoy the game and can have a balanced enriching life while doing so, thats awesome for them. but for those who have are remotely considering quitting wow for any reason, i encourage you do it, you wont soon regret it.