I like what nntwozz is doing and how it's framed, but I'd add that I've been exactly in your position, first in 2020 and now periodically since then, with the exception that I've been playing retail instead of Classic. I think people tend to resent how much time they've spent on MMOs and go in the complete opposite direction, which I definitely did for about a decade and it helped me get my life on some sort of course in my early adult years. I think there's nuance to consider though, and WoW specifically has helped me keep engaged mentally with something that's intense and incrementally rewarding, especially during the winter months, when the real mountains don't call for me as much, and times when I've been between jobs for more than a year. Burnout happens to me when I lose agency over my work, something bad happens in life, I become disconnected from the reward system of work, or all of the above. It can happen if it's just day-to-day emergencies with no tangible improvement and nobody giving much of a shit what you do, but it can also happen when you're just not able to pull yourself out of work and do something pointless and fun for yourself.

WoW helps me pull myself out of work and gives me something intangible to grind on for a bit, which maps nicely to maintaining the spirit for a remote programming job game loop.

So I don't think you need to move on unless it's truly an addiction. These days, I'll play a season of retail in a semi-competitive but mostly casual capacity, and usually unsubscribe in spring to enjoy hiking and mountains and climbing and a bunch of other things. It's the variety that keeps me enjoying each one of them, and it's the act of enjoying them that lets programming remain the slightest bit fulfilling.

Additionally, I do think it's been silly to try and replace gaming with things that are arguably more productive, like working on a bike or a side project, at least on a permanent basis, and as long as I can choose how I spend my time, I don't see how it's an inherently bad way to do it. I like working on electronics projects, bikes, and doing all sorts of other stuff that's great for my health and well-being, but they're all happening as well as gaming, because they're all different types of fun and engagement. No I'm not spending 10 hours a day on it, but it's a hobby like anything else.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I think I am reaching a better understanding of my relationship with WoW and gaming in general with my free time. I think now I regard it as not addiction (since I'm really not forgoing anything 'important' to play) and more of just a "default" activity, developed long ago in my suburban childhood when my agency was far more limited than now. It served me well in those days which were chaotic, gave me something of my own that was well understood and I could control.

Now it feels like more of a crutch to fill free time, and not serving me well for the person I'd like to be. However, I do think there's a place for it, specifically with the world of vanilla. Just being in it for a bit fulfills some deeper need to connect with my past.

I just wish I could find something that engages me as much as it used to.

I changed my lifestyle from mainly indoor hobbies (series/movies/games/music) to mainly outdoor activities.

I bought a dog, I started riding mountainbikes again (as I did when I was a kid) and I got into bushcraft. Now I live off grid with solar and firewood.

In a sense I replaced the grinding part I did in the MMOs with taking care of the property.

I hand fell trees and process them for firewood, the branches go into a wood chipper. I trim the grass, use pruning shears etc.

I live in a timber house that's 125 years old, there's always something to work on be it painting, renovating etc. It's fun to develop real skills and use power tools. There's immense satisfaction in seeing the results of your own work.

When I want to play I ride my bikes (I also enjoy servicing them); I still enjoy music and movies/series but I no longer have any interest in actually gaming. I occasionally read/watch videos about it as a nostalgia trip.

I feel inspired by your comment. I have gone through burn out, found unable to satisfy myself with gaming as I used to, and I am called to the wild and real work with my hands, that for the time being I am completely unable to indulge in. I am working on getting there, but for now I stare at my Steam account after work to decompress, unexcited by anything, bored to the gills, while deep in my heart all I want is to go mountain biking with a dog, carving wood, fixing a house and reading philosophy under a tree. I am still a few months away from being able to do all that, and it’s excruciating.

Sounds like you're close, well done! I can relate to no longer being fulfilled gaming. Satisfaction feels a lot more elusive for me these days, and gaming presents it so easily. I think that's why it's way harder now for me to be satisfied with slow burn hobbies.