Stranger Things star David Harbour says he was "wildly addicted" to World of Warcraft

News
By published

"I was a Night Elf warrior called Norad"

David Harbour as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things 4
(Image credit: Netflix)

Stranger Things star David Harbour has revealed that he was once "wildly addicted" to World of Warcraft.

Not only are games no longer seen as a pastime for only the nerdiest among us, but more and more, we see celebrities from film and TV declaring their love for the virtual world. One of gaming's most famous fans is, of course, Henry Cavill, who spent lockdown playing The Witcher games on the hardest difficulty setting. He was also once so engrossed in World of Warcraft that he missed a call offering him the role of Superman. And it turns out he's not the only famous face who found it difficult to tear themselves away from Blizzard's MMORPG.

As spotted by PC Gamer, David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper in Stranger Things, discussed his history with the series during a Geeked Week livestream. Around 17 minutes into the interview, host Felicia Day brings up Harbour's World of Warcraft past, at which point the actor laughs and says, "Oh my god, the most embarrassing thing in my existence".

"In 2005, I played the s*** out of this game," recalls Harbour. "It ruined my life for like a year. I mean, I was like out of my mind. I was wildly addicted to this video game. I was a Night Elf warrior called Norad".

Harbour goes on to explain how The Sims helped him to kick his World of Warcraft habit when he saw himself reflected in his virtual character. "You could be an actor on the Sims," explains Harbour. "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?"

"I remember my avatar got to a certain level in his career, and I kept trying to get him to work on his speech. I wanted him to work on his speech and his body, and all he wanted to do was sit around and play video games. And then I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa. I had this vortex moment where I saw my life before my eyes."

Stranger Things season 4, part 1, recently launched on Netflix, and as well as netting Kate Bush a huge following of younger fans, the series has set an incredible Netflix viewing record. In its first week on the platform, the latest installment of the hit show amassed more than 335 million hours watched. 

If the Upside Down has you in the mood for more scares, take a look at the best horror games to play right now. 

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.