World of Warcraft has also come under criticism for stories of game addictions to the popular video game. In June 2005, it was reported that a four-month-old South Korean child had suffocated due to neglect by her World of Warcraft-addicted parents, who were reportedly at a nearby cafe, playing World of Warcraft. In August of that year, the government of the People's Republic of China introduced an online gaming restriction limiting playing time to 3 hours, after which the player would be expelled from the game. In 2006, it changed the rule so only citizens under the age of 18 would face the limitations.

Dr. Maressa Orzack, a clinical psychologist at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, was interviewed August 8, 2006 stating that many of the then 9 million subscribers are addicted. She is quoted as saying ". 40 percent of the players are addicted." Note that the 40 percent figure was not derived from a scientific study overseen by Dr. Orzack, but rather came from "a forum that Nick Yee runs". She added in an August 2006 interview that "even if the percentage is 5 to 10 percent which is standard for most addictive behaviors, it is a huge number of people who are out of control." Also, according to Dr. John Grohol, a colleague of Orzack's, "Dr. Orzack is not claiming that up to 40% of World of Warcraft gamers are addicted based upon any actual evidence or surveys of players. This is just her opinion, based upon her own experience and observation of the problem."