Are 40% of WoW players really addicted?

Dr. Maressa Hecht Orzack says yes, according to Arstechnica.com. "Orzack feels that the games are at fault more than the players. "This isn't about willpower or restraint," she said in an interview. "These games are very elaborately designed to ease you in gently, entice you, and keep you there. And it's a cycle: people begin to spend too much time playing and their careers and personal relationships begin to deteriorate.""

I can't help but feel that those numbers are a bit exaggerated (40% of 6.5 million is quite a few gamers), but it's an interesting read nonetheless... albeit not the first to claim that Internet/gaming addition is a real psychological problem.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to farm potions for my raid tonight.