Stranger Things actor says WoW addiction “ruined his life” before The Sims saved him

Josh Tyler
David Harbour & World of Warcraft

David Harbour, the actor known for his roles in Stranger Things and Black Widow, reveals he had a pretty bad addiction to World of Warcraft in his youth.

World of Warcraft has remained an unmatched titan in the MMORPG genre and one of Blizzard’s flagship games almost two decades since its release.

Its reach seems to have no limit, as many famous celebrities have admitted to dabbling in WoW at some point. From Vin Diesel to Mila Kunis to the late Robin Williams, countless celebrities have been known to play WoW.

According to a recent interview, another celebrity can add their name to this illustrious list: Stranger Things’ David Harbour. Unfortunately, WoW became more than just a part-time hobby for Harbour.

Stranger Things became addicted to WoW

World of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft

In an interview, Stranger Things actor David Harbour admitted that he had an “addiction” to World of Warcraft that “ruined his life.”

“In 2005 I played the shit out of this game! It ruined my life for like a year. I mean, I was like out of my mind. I was wildly addicted to this videogame. I was a Night Elf warrior called Norad, and he was second tank of my whole guild.”

What is even more hilarious than Harbour’s characterization of this WoW addiction is the reaction of his Stranger Things co-star Winona Ryder’s look of confusion and concern upon hearing this story. Luckily, it does have a happy ending, thanks to another game saving Harbour from this addiction.

How the Sims saved David Harbour

After discussing his WoW addiction, Harbour revealed that it was actually the Sims that helped him kick the habit.

Harbour created a Sim who wanted to be an actor, just like himself. But it was difficult getting this Sim to advance in their career.

“You can progress in your career, but what you have to do is, like, work on things. You have to work on your speech and on your body, right?” Harbor said. “He was like a supporting player, but I wanted him to work on his speech and his body, and all he wanted to do was sit around and play videogames.”

According to Harbour, this moment was like seeing his own life in front of his eyes, revealing how far his WoW addiction had gone.

Luckily, Harbour has since gone on to great success in acting. Hopefully he can still raid in WoW on occasion without falling back into old habits.

About The Author

Josh Tyler is Dexerto's US Editor, focused on TV and movies as well as all things gaming. Formerly of Fansided and Screen Rant. Tips welcome at josh.tyler@dexerto.com