Its an addict... er, hobby shared by millions world wide, though when you ask anyone who has spent any time playing the World of Warcraft the last thing they will say is that its educational experience, much less that they learned anything about productivity from the game. But that is exactly what screenwriter John August took away from his time spent exploring Azeroth. My personal favorite gem is #7:

Remember, the game is supposed to be fun. Yes, you can spend hours pouring through the forums, finding exactly the right talent tree. Or you could wing it: explore some new lands and kill some big monsters. Obsessive planning won’t make the game more enjoyable. It will just make it more like work...

...On a bigger level, as you look back at any period of your life, you don’t remember what a solid plan you had. You remember what you did. You remember the adventures, the scrapes, the unanticipated detours that turned out to fascinating. So don’t plan your way out of an exciting life.

Even if you have never even heard of the World of Warcraft, there is something that pretty much anyone can take away from Mr. August's revelations. It is definitely worth spending a few minutes reading.

Seven Things I Learned from World of Warcraft [via WOW Insider]
productivity, tips, World of Warcraft