I think this addiction does exist, and not only for "troubled people" or "abnormal people."
I'll use myself as an example: I'm 16, pretty normal guy, marks in the mid 80s, slightly athletic, have a normal amount of friends. No matter how many times I have tried it, I am simply not addicted to shrooms, weed, cocaine, cigarettes, or alchohol. There was a period of about 3 weeks where I smoked, but I found it surprisingly easy to NOT smoke when my money ran out one day. And so I stopped. And haven't started since.
WoW? Different story. I remember pleading with my mom to do anything to let me play. I was freakin' teaching my brother piano for 2 hours and garden work for 3 hours a day (in addition to all normal chores) during the summer just to let me play. I literally meant, I'd do just about anything that wasn't way over the top.
Having moved from Ottawa to Toronto recently, I was ... distanced ... from my two best friends and from the girl I loved. WoW was the only way we could all have fun as a group, though we couldn't be with each other, save for a few happy times a year, and when they pulled the plug (something about "authority issues"), I lost WoW, I lost my gf shortly afterwards because it was my fault (I was in shock), and was even more distanced from my friends. Losing WoW felt like losing everything....8 hours of my life a day, gone, no social interaction, save for petty talk at school. It was an extremely heavy blow, and had I not made quick friends quickly in TO, I didn't know if I'd make it.
To summarize: I believe suicides over video games can happen. I don't think someone has to have problems to be addicted. I don't think anyone "wants" to be addicted, they just want to play but at the same time have everything else in their life go right. Out of all the drugs I did (not tried), nothing hooked me so much as WoW. You can say that nothing hooked me at all, except for WoW.
Just my story.
I agree 100% with you and have quite a similair story myself, the problem is how clean of a addiction a MMO can be. There aren't any physical or even finicial repercutions for getting in to deep into a MMORPG. Its just one day you reilize you used to have goals and ambitions and now your main focus is completing your next set of gear.
Next week stay tuned when Dan Fortier takes another half-assed attempt at being edgy with opinions backed up by little knowledge, and fueled by all the passion of a lobotomized Buddhist strung out on Thorazine.
Mmmm... read through the column, and read through the thread.
Found the column interesting, and found a lot of the posts equally interesting. As usual, though, most of the people complaining about Dan Fortier's lack of writing abilities, are the ones who present maybe one or two lines of condescending space waste, instead of joining in the discussion and actually - gods forbid - contribute with something.
A column a recurring piece or article in a newspaper, magazine or other publication. Columns are written by columnists.
What differentiates a column from other forms of journalism is that it meets each of the following criteria:
It is a regular feature in a publication
It is personality-driven by the author
It explicitly contains an opinion or point of view
He is not required to offer solutions. He's not even required to have aced all his subjects in school - which is so important if you want to be allowed to express your opinion apparently. He is required to offer an opinion, be able to express it in a coherent and maybe eyecatching way, and then - hopefully - spark a discussion. As has almost been the case here.
As for MMO addiction - being mentally out of balance definitely doesn't help if you're already prone to escapism. Or in this case, when I am. I don't think I'm addicted to MMO's, though. If anything, I'm addicted to roleplay in general and the escape in particular.
I've always joked about being addicted, but I never really took it serious. I figured - like everybody else - I could just let it all go tomorrow, if I really wanted to. Reading through some of the (constructive) responses in this thread - in particularly _Jord_'s - I start to realize that I might not be as much in control as I thought I was. Not that I have the slightest idea where to begin to get control back *smiles wryly*
"So I contend that the player stories will always be more powerful than the scripted stories that we try to tell the players."
I think it's important to evaluate your gaming experience and realise when you're playing it not because it's fun but to get a (false?) sense of accomplishment. I've found that once you spot the signs it's relatively simple to stop playing; of course if you don't have something to give you that real sense of accomplishment then it's likely you will be sucked back into the same game or another.
When you think about it there are a staggering number of ways to measure what you have 'done' in a game and unless you create such a means of measurement, not nearly as many in real life.
If they can sue McDonalds for spilling your own coffee, you can bet there can be a lawyer ready to take your calls to shred any developer EULA to bits...
McDonalds was not sued because a woman spilled coffee in her lap. They were sued because their coffee was so hot it melted her skin on contact. Fast food coffee was tested and McDonalds was found to keep their coffee at least 20 F hotter than the next hottest coffee. The woman had to have multiple plastic surgeries performed in order to return her genitalia to normal function. Additionally, the 2 million dollar award was only barely enough to cover her medical and legal bills, so she didn't end up rich either. While I agree that there are many, many frivolous lawsuits being brought to the courts today, this wasn't one of them.
As for game addiction, sure, it's absolutely real. But the people who succumb to this addiction are the people who already had a mental predisposition to addictive behavior patterns anyway. The games do not create the addiction, the addicted people create the addiction. That doesn't make it less of a problem, just a different sort of problem. Like any other addiction you need to treat it at the source, the person who's addicted. The real problem is in identifying who those people are. Drunks and drug users are easy tp spot. Gambling addicts are generally in public places gambling (although that is changing as more and more on-line gambling franchises open up allowing the addicts to feed their addiction semi-anonymously). Gaming addicts operate out of the own houses. Their neighbors don't see them displaying odd behavior, apart from maybe staying up late each night. Sure some in-game folks might notice that Hieronymus the Blade always seems to be logged in, but it's possible that people are sharing the account and playing at different times. Gaming addicts are hard to spot, but apart from game companies monitoring their clients' usage (the logistics of which makes me shudder), I don't see any easy solutions.
You are actually arguing against yourself - paragraph 2 to prove why paragraph 1 is truly wrong, hypocratic and ridiculous.
I can buy a tea anywhere, and spoil it on myself. Heck, i can do it at home - will I sue the water heater company?
I can buy a pack of needles in the supermarket, then stumble, fall on them and die. Will my relatives sue the supermarket?
See - we have dangers everywhere, and we can hurt/injure/kill ourselves just about everywhere and in a million differet ways. I can stumble and fall in my workplace's canteen, hit my head on a table and be mentally degraded for the rest of my life.... let's not give mor examples.
McDonalds made the coffee. McDonalds did NOT spill the coffee on the woman. The woman spilled the coffee on herself.
Plain and simple.
Denial makes one look a lot dumber than he/she actually is.
If they can sue McDonalds for spilling your own coffee, you can bet there can be a lawyer ready to take your calls to shred any developer EULA to bits...
McDonalds was not sued because a woman spilled coffee in her lap. They were sued because their coffee was so hot it melted her skin on contact. Fast food coffee was tested and McDonalds was found to keep their coffee at least 20 F hotter than the next hottest coffee. The woman had to have multiple plastic surgeries performed in order to return her genitalia to normal function. Additionally, the 2 million dollar award was only barely enough to cover her medical and legal bills, so she didn't end up rich either. While I agree that there are many, many frivolous lawsuits being brought to the courts today, this wasn't one of them.
As for game addiction, sure, it's absolutely real. But the people who succumb to this addiction are the people who already had a mental predisposition to addictive behavior patterns anyway. The games do not create the addiction, the addicted people create the addiction. That doesn't make it less of a problem, just a different sort of problem. Like any other addiction you need to treat it at the source, the person who's addicted. The real problem is in identifying who those people are. Drunks and drug users are easy tp spot. Gambling addicts are generally in public places gambling (although that is changing as more and more on-line gambling franchises open up allowing the addicts to feed their addiction semi-anonymously). Gaming addicts operate out of the own houses. Their neighbors don't see them displaying odd behavior, apart from maybe staying up late each night. Sure some in-game folks might notice that Hieronymus the Blade always seems to be logged in, but it's possible that people are sharing the account and playing at different times. Gaming addicts are hard to spot, but apart from game companies monitoring their clients' usage (the logistics of which makes me shudder), I don't see any easy solutions.
You are actually arguing against yourself - paragraph 2 to prove why paragraph 1 is truly wrong, hypocratic and ridiculous.
I can buy a tea anywhere, and spoil it on myself. Heck, i can do it at home - will I sue the water heater company?
I can buy a pack of needles in the supermarket, then stumble, fall on them and die. Will my relatives sue the supermarket?
See - we have dangers everywhere, and we can hurt/injure/kill ourselves just about everywhere and in a million differet ways. I can stumble and fall in my workplace's canteen, hit my head on a table and be mentally degraded for the rest of my life.... let's not give mor examples.
McDonalds made the coffee. McDonalds did NOT spill the coffee on the woman. The woman spilled the coffee on herself.
Plain and simple.
McDonalds was not responsible for the spilling of the coffee. They were found to be responsible for exposing the woman to an unreasonable danger. The level of injury caused by the coffee was far beyond was could be reasonably expected from spilling coffee. It melted her flesh. Consider how hot coffee has to be to melt human flesh. The court found McDonalds created a potential hazard which a "reasonable person" (that mythical legal creation) could not have "reasonably" foreseen.
All of your examples include reasonbly foreseeable dangers or dangers which are created by yourself.
My statements are neither contradictory nor hypocritical. They are two discrete examples of entirely different things. If that caused any confusion for you, you have my apologies.
Ok - I accept your point. Still, I believe it is a fine line (if it even exists) between an "unreasonable" and a "reasonable" danger. Restaurants have food+drink that can be hazardous, if not handled properly - fishbone, wasabi, a flaming lamborghini cocktail - you name it. A reasonable adult would know that a coffee is HOT, so he/she will be careful with it. It does not matter if the liquid was 60 degrees (C) or 95 degrees - both will HURT you in some way, so you will NOT pour it on yourself.
The point here is -again someone is blaming someone other for his/her own mistake (spilling the drink).
BTW, there is no such thing as "melting" of the skin. A liquid can only be as hot as 100C (unless in a closed system like a cooling of an engine), and that kind of temperature can cause lasting damage to the skin, but not "melt" it - whatever it means. This is besides the point, I just wanted to mention.
As for the second part - I completely agree - MMO's are only addictive to whomever is prone to addiction, the reason for what can be numerous and widely varies (compulsive obsession, family problems, you name it.), A computer game (be it MMO or offline) only offers (in one sense) what a book or movie or anything else does: an escape from the real world. The big difference is that MMO's last MUCH longer, and they are indeed built to "grasp" those people (well, as many people as possible) in and keep them there as long as possible. In this sense, the analogy to drugs is very clear!
Hence, it is quite interesting to face the question: who and why becomes a drug addict? The reasons are, in 99% - social. Opposed to what politicians and other "blamers" like to say, only a very small percentage of drug users become addicts (not talking about hard drugs like opiats or crack). The percentage is probably much more favorable with MMO players - and stopping smoking ganja is just as easy (for a healthy minded person with normal social relationships) as to stop MMO games. The death rate is very similar (close to none)
So - as long as your have friends+family and you don't carry any bad/frustrated emotional package within you - you're quite safe to play as many MMO's as you'd like - with no issues whatsoever. Although, you might become titled as "casual player"
DB
Denial makes one look a lot dumber than he/she actually is.
First and foremost, it is the addictive personality that is in danger of becoming addicted to MMO style games. As is the case in most situations like this, self realization of a problem is the first step towards solving your problem. I used to play "Evercrack" and ,even though I have an addictive personality, kept from playing my life away. My wife helps in this due to the fact that her last relationship before us was broken up due to "Evercrack". She helps to keep me real and not allow myself, or our two sons, to get so far into games that we lose sight of the RW. I encourage her to do this because, unlike the rest of my family who have various drug or alcohol addictions, I do not want to have something inconsequential rule over my life.
Yes, the games are developed to keep you playing, that is no mystery. Most people won't play a game that they cannot stay involved in on that level. It is also the fact that most of your higher level Characters are made form people that have no real impact in real life. they are nobody's in RL and the game is how they become a somebody. They are poor as dirt in the RW, but he richest player on the servor. Much like the lady in the post previous to me....
Just like anyone who makes the choice to continue an addiction (this has been stated many times before on this thread), it is the responsibility of the player to realize they have an addiction. That is 90% of the battle, the other 10% is just getting the right support and personal commitment to overcome your addiction. Once you overcome your addiction, you can't just say, "I'm not addicted anymore." To do so is folly! If you were addicted once, you can be again.
If your life is in the crapper, and your bills are not paid, it is your own fault... do not blame a game developer. Go out and get a job, make some money in the RW, and go out and buy yourself another life. That is a rather simplified approach to it, but find something else that is fun to do... with another (physcally present) human being. You might find that instead of being the victim, you might actually enjoy having a fullfilling life.
The bottom line is this... pay your bills, play with your kids (not just in MMO's), pet your dog, buy a house, get a car that runs (better than the nickel and diming piece in your driveway), take responsibility for yourself, and get a Real Life. Your addiction is your own and no one elses. You make the choice to be addicted, not the developer... You can continue to allow society to enable you to be addicted, and try to make people like me feel sorry for you (I can't bring myself to do it....), or you can quit the cycle (get help if need be) and get the things you have in the game in Real Life!
I found this article interesting and thought it addressed the issue pretty well. As far as how important it is to look at gaming as a problem, that varies with every individual involved.
What I found interesting in the posts that followed though, was that everyone talked about gaming addiction as compared to drugs. Is it worse than... is it as real as... etc.
Comparing gaming addiction to drug addiction is a stretch... I haven't heard of too many people out there that are stooping to stealing to support their gaming addiction or similar acts...
If you want to compare addictions that might be similar to a gaming addiction... what about all the guys out there that can't be bothered to notice their family if there is a football / basketball / etc. game on the tube (unless they get between him and the TV)? Or the women (or men) who will drop everything to watch their soaps or Oprah / Maury / whoever. Those addictions are far more similar to our gaming addiction than drugs are.
Is it real? Sure. Is it serious? For some people, I'm sure it is. For me, I probably game more than I should, but I usually do it at night with the TV on in the background. If I wasn't gaming, I'd probably be sitting on the couch watching TV anyway, and at least in the MMO's we are interacting with other people... not face to face... but it's more real than screaming at some quarterback to 'Pass, pass the ball' or whatever it is they say when they are watching sports
OK, let the flames begin... I'm sure my whole reply is invalidated because I hit an extra key somewhere or dropped a word by accident!
I use to play games non-stop from the time the atari came out up to the super nintendo days.
Myself and one other friend beat every single game released by nintendo (for the original nintendo) that was available in the US. It was a fierce competition between the two of us. This eventually led into our school work in high school. Both of us were pretty much F students. After we started the whole competition thing, we were straight A's. And on top of it we worked at the same place 40 hours a week and well our boss loved us as we made him a lot of money trying to beat each other even at our job..
Eventually because of this I got to work with NASA and several other agencies which I can't disclose.
All because of a stupid so called "Video game addiction" me and a friend of mine had. The most amazing part I never went to a day of college in my life and was offered a job as a prof. at a state university because of my background. My only response was, "Sorry I ain't no teacher, I'm in it for the competition"
If anyone is wondering my age well I'm 34. Have owned every system released, yes even the CD-i, but after the PS2 and xbox being junk IMO I decided no more game counsels they all pretty much have junk games anymore. Sure the counsels have potential but the game programmers suck so I'll stick with the old comp.
Now days I just have a "regular" job, no bills, and work 12 hour night shifts.
Therefore I'm up all night and sleep all day. On my days off, I can either cruise the local wall-mart, watch info-mercials, or play online video games that can't be beat. Therefor saving me extra money for when I decide to retire, as opposed to buying every PS2 game and beating it.
Addicted? Maybe to competition but all in all because of nintendo I ended up with a heck of a background.
Oh and my friend he chickened out and went to college. I see him very rarely anymore but when I do I usual greet him with "I think I beat you", his response "S-T-*-U" My response, "I told you college was a bad idea, it just slowed you down, so how much do you owe yet?"
I use to play games non-stop from the time the atari came out up to the super nintendo days.
Myself and one other friend beat every single game released by nintendo (for the original nintendo) that was available in the US. It was a fierce competition between the two of us. This eventually led into our school work in high school. Both of us were pretty much F students. After we started the whole competition thing, we were straight A's. And on top of it we worked at the same place 40 hours a week and well our boss loved us as we made him a lot of money trying to beat each other even at our job..
Eventually because of this I got to work with NASA and several other agencies which I can't disclose.
All because of a stupid so called "Video game addiction" me and a friend of mine had. The most amazing part I never went to a day of college in my life and was offered a job as a prof. at a state university because of my background. My only response was, "Sorry I ain't no teacher, I'm in it for the competition"
If anyone is wondering my age well I'm 34. Have owned every system released, yes even the CD-i, but after the PS2 and xbox being junk IMO I decided no more game counsels they all pretty much have junk games anymore. Sure the counsels have potential but the game programmers suck so I'll stick with the old comp.
Now days I just have a "regular" job, no bills, and work 12 hour night shifts.
Therefore I'm up all night and sleep all day. On my days off, I can either cruise the local wall-mart, watch info-mercials, or play online video games that can't be beat. Therefor saving me extra money for when I decide to retire, as opposed to buying every PS2 game and beating it.
Addicted? Maybe to competition but all in all because of nintendo I ended up with a heck of a background.
Oh and my friend he chickened out and went to college. I see him very rarely anymore but when I do I usual greet him with "I think I beat you", his response "S-T-*-U" My response, "I told you college was a bad idea, it just slowed you down, so how much do you owe yet?"
Now, you are frightening, and in the bad sense of the word. Not only do you look to be the worst of the obsessive-compulsive kind, you are also the "boasting+lying to have an impact to have any connection to the outside world" type.
Say, are you 34 or 36 then (your profile says 36) Agencies you can't disclose ? Teaching at college (w/o a degree my ass), or working in nightshifts? No bills??? No girlfriend/wife family rather... ?
Get a life man, and stop babbling nonsense
DB
Denial makes one look a lot dumber than he/she actually is.
Make a crappy product and people complain that its crappy.
Make a great product and people complain that it's addictive.
Of course games are addictive, just like most fun things in life. I've been addicted hundreds of times in my life, thats not really the point to define if its bad. Should we ban sports because of the adrenaline rush it gives? I played sports all my life and let me tell you that it can be better than any real drugs out there sometimes.
The important thing is HOW do you handle your addictions? Do you bury yourself in it, completly ignoring your 2 year old baby crying? Does your life suffer as a result of your virtual life? How do you keep the balance?
And its the same with everything else in life, balance. Addictive personalities are people with obvious problems and misery trying to run from them. I can't even count the number of uncles, cousins that were drug addicts, lost thousands in the Casino, spend their nights in bars spending tons of money just to have sex (strongest addiction btw). But out of every single person i know like that, none of them actually like themselves, life or are happy in any way, and it didnt start after their addiction but before. Addiction isn't a cause, it's a result.
And even if i'm wrong, what can you do? Ban everything addictive, therefore fun, in life? They tried to ban alcohol, people just did it illegally.
Anywhere theres a profit to be made, theres a market and someone willing to take it
I don't know about the rest of the post, but I have taught at my local community college. I don't remember if the two year degree I had made a difference but I was able to teach the 'sub 100' level classes without a four year degree but I think to teach anything with a number above 99, in other words, degree courses, you had to at least have a four year degree. I taught some of the intro level computer classes... Intro to Word, etc.
Who knows... he might be 100% for real... or the agencies he can't name are the unemployment agency, the welfare agency, the....
I'm a registered nurse on a critical care floor, and I care for patients who have chemical addictions almost every single day. So I have some real life perspective on the matter, atleast as one who has cared for the addicted.
To me the basic component of addiction is a compulsion or need that must be fulfilled, but that is counter to the person's best interest. Now some drugs don't cause an actual physical withdrawal, which is what many people mistakenly believe is necessary for addiction to be present.
Also, there is the duality of addiction. It doesn't have to be all negative. The high the junkie gets is the aim, the physical or psychological withrdrawal is the unfortunate byproduct. But ultimately, there is or was some need fulfilled.
For some mmo players who are addicted, the aim is escapism. It was in my case. The unfortunate byproduct was an abandonment of my other interests. I had written a book and self published it and was writing another. I was active in the local art/poetry community. I had an art business and created sculpture that I was showing in galleries and my artwork was selling. I spent more time with family.
Ultimately though, my other interests had there own stresses, and with work being the way it is, mmo's became extremely addictive. Because no matter how bad my day at work was, I could sit at the computer, log in to an mmo and forget how horrible my day had been. Sometimes I would play for only 3 or 4 hours on my off days. Some days I played all day when I wasn't scheduled to work at the hospital.
When my wife and I went out to dinner or spent time together, it seemed like I was always thinking about the upcoming adventure or some past adventure, or guild politics or my ingame friends, or that really nice weapon I unexpectedly looted from a random kill, or a quest line I was following, or how pvp is unbalanced this way or that....on and on and on. After a while I felt like the mmo's I was playing was consuming all my free thought, and I decided to quit and put my energies back into my writing and my artwork. Atleast with those I have something tangible to show for my time. But I kept going back to mmo's. Even when I didn't want to play anymore I found myself playing. After a while I began to wonder if I had any willpower at all.
Eventually, I quit for about 2 months. I started sculpting again. I started writing a little. I watched television with the wife and visited more with my parents. I worked on the house and at our rental property, fixing it up really nice.
Only problem is I have been waiting for next batch of mmo's to come out. I read about them quite a bit, and I just got into Vanguard beta and contrary to the opinions of some I find it to be a pretty interesting game. I am really liking it. My only hope is that I can show a little restraint and balance in my game time. If I can't, then....I'll wait for Star Trek Online to come out.
Man ... all this arguing, and no one has even given the writer the props for using a Pure Pwnage quote.
If you ever find yourself lying on a cot yelling “ /chicken on you noob lol” while flapping your arms I’d say your beyond the help of modern medicine.
I do think MMOs can be addictive, and have had friends that got addicted. But luckily, we've all been able to quit. As for who's responsible, I think it's up to the player, not the company. People can get addicted to all kinds of things. Hell, I'm sure there's someone out there addicted to gardening. But suing Home Depot isn't going to fix anything. Getting the person help will.
Haha, the only persons that have a nicer life than peoples "addicted" to MMOs, are peoples considering this addiction seriously.
I can stop playing MMOs, talking about MMOs (and leaving this site) for months without any drawback. However, I like to allow myself to be drawn into a MMO, or if none manage to satisfied me, I will come here.
The best proof that we are not really addicted...it is MMORPG.com. If someone would be addicted, he would indulge in the addiction. If the peoples are here, talking about how the games could be better and ever more addictive, are they really addicted? I don't think someone could stop taking pot and than talkin about pot for 3 months, nor someone drinking beer. This addiction to MMOs is like everything else in the MMOs...it is FANTASY!
Some peoples have serious life issues and they find a shelter in the MMO, of course, their life issues aren't going to magically solve themselves, in fact, they may aggravated since nothing is done to correct them. However, a MMO is merely a means of escaping life, and it is not really addictive. Yes I want to play more. But I don't have to and I can stop at any time. I often stop for family reasons...or simply because I am bored of my mind with some raiding-trash games. So no, addiction is not real...it is...a FANTASY!
Again, someone must have a "blessed" life in a way or another to be considering a MMO an addiction...and to be debating it, ROFL, that is like the old greeks debating philosophies...haha.
You're missing a lot.
First of all, video games in general have been proven over and over to stimulate the same parts of the brain as other major sources of pleasure, and that they do in fact have addictive properties. In the MMORPG genre, you have the persistence and the social aspects added to that.
I'm not saying that they ARE addictive - I'm saying that they certainly might be. It might be more serious for some than others. It might be more addictive to those who are generally prone to addictions ... but so is gambling and non-physically-addictive drugs, and the fact that you need to have a certain type of personality to become addicted does not take away from the serious nature of the addiction.
EVERYONE says they could quit tomorrow. Most probably could. You won't get the shakes or start vomiting due to MMO withdrawal. However - The DSM IV (the leading system by which psychological disorders are defined and classified) defines an addiction as and 3 of the following taking place over a 12 month period (note- it's talking about substances, but the adaptations have allowed for just about anything to be included in the place of "chemicals"):
Preoccupation with use of the chemical between periods of use.
Using more of the chemical than had been anticipated.
The development of tolerance to the chemical in question.
A characteristic withdrawal syndrome from the chemical.
Use of the chemical to avoid or control withdrawal symptoms.
Repeated efforts to cut back or stop the drug use.
Intoxication at inappropriate times (such as at work), or when withdrawal interferes with daily functioning (such as when hangover makes person too sick to go to work).
A reduction in social, occupational or recreational activities in favor of further substance use.
Continued substance use in spite of the individual having suffered social, emotional, or physical problems related to drug use.
Think about people sacrificing school, work, social engagements, etc to play MMOs. Think about how many times YOU stayed home on a Friday or Saturday night to raid Blackwing Lair (or your choice of poison) rather than hang out with your friends/family? Do you ever browse forums while at school/work? Feeling the need to read about and discuss MMOs while you are not playing them is encompassed in the same addicion.
I'm not talking about the super-extreme cases that we hear about (that usually take place in Asia) where people die. I'm talking about a much more subtle yet equally important trend by which people spend 20-120 hours a week sitting in front of their computer, pursuing a "hobby" at the expense of everything else that they could/should be doing.
Think about it.
This is a very serious topic, and the author of this article does no justice to it. I am guessing that the author is not a college grad because the level of insight screams "UNEDUCATED."
It must be hard judging everyone out there without a college degree. Blanket statements are surely a sign of "higher education". Lord knows a college grad would never say anything without insight...... oh wait, nevermind. Perhaps YOU can help all the soldiers stuck in Iraq. He may scream "uneducated", but you scream "ELITIST".
But I will agree with the addiction being serious.. I was more concerned with the slam on the "Uneducated", as you call them.
MMO's are definitely addictive I know because i have experienced it first hand about a year 1/2 ago i got addicted to silkroad online (i know its terrible how could i!?) but nevertheless it happened and i stopped going out when i was the party fiend always asking people to come out and have a good time. i stopped studying grades went down blah blah blah all those things I'm sure you have heard of it. Anyway a year ago after being addicted to sro for half a year I saw this rehab site for WoW players and made me realise how real the addiction was so yeah i quit sro went and lived with my sister who doesn't have a computer that was pretty much a year ago i play games between 10-15 hours a week and im on holidays. For an approximate measure i would say if you play more than 50 hours of one game a week (thats 7 hours a day) i would say your addicted.
MMO's are definitely addictive I know because i have experienced it first hand about a year 1/2 ago i got addicted to silkroad online (i know its terrible how could i!?) but nevertheless it happened and i stopped going out when i was the party fiend always asking people to come out and have a good time. i stopped studying grades went down blah blah blah all those things I'm sure you have heard of it. Anyway a year ago after being addicted to sro for half a year I saw this rehab site for WoW players and made me realise how real the addiction was so yeah i quit sro went and lived with my sister who doesn't have a computer that was pretty much a year ago i play games between 10-15 hours a week and im on holidays. For an approximate measure i would say if you play more than 50 hours of one game a week (thats 7 hours a day) i would say your addicted.
Peace, devoux
Wow, this is probably the biggest necro-post I've ever seen.
Live dead thread, live!
Currently Playing: Tabula Rasa Gaming History: EQ, EQ2, SWG, EVE, Anarchy Online, CoX, GW, SRO, Rakion, Ryzom, WoW, Rappelz, Shadowbane, 9Dragons, DAoC, Dungeon Runners, DnD Online, Space Cowboy, LotRO, Vanguard, Fury, Hellgate Wanting to Play: WAR, TCoS, Darkfall, Aion
I'm going to jump ship from debating MMO addiction, and focus on the cause for debate.
At least from what I've read recently, the "gaming industry" is the largest grossing sub-section of the "entertainment industry"...currently. Outperforming films, of course outperforming music sales, and many more sub-sections of the industry in terms of revenue.
Anytime something starts making "billions" of dollars, somebody is going to focus on how to make money "off of that trend".
One of the posters here mentioned dungeouns and dragons. Now when D&D came out, and that first parent sent their child to a therapist, complaining about an imaginary monsters game that their kid learned about at summer camp. The therapist was probably like,
" Well, you've got an active imagination,son, but you should also focus on preparing yourself for life's future challenges as an adult..."
Now when D&D is being sold in every comic and book store in the country, in it's own dedicated section, and specialized color-coded marble dice are being hand-made for it, and entire convention centers are filled to capacity for 3 days straight by enthused players...suddenly a different response might be heard from same therapist...perhaps,
"Heck yes ! It's a satanic cult ! I actually wrote a book on the subject that you can buy from my secretary. I'm also holding a seminar this week-end on warning signs, for a modest entrance fee of $50. But I recommend you enroll your child into my special D&D recovery course, it's a 3 month retreat on an island for intensive treatment...he's far far gone...and this is just the beginning..."
And said therapist goes on to start their own multi-million dollar industry. Not because they are "concerned" or even remotely interested in the "problem" or it's "victims"...ex-heroin junkies don't start multi-million dollar re-hab clinics...but because this is america, and any savy business person knows how to play the american public like a fiddle...
Start with something that is already making money, involve or talk about some children, create or ride some controversy...and viola...your rich too.
Comments
Found the column interesting, and found a lot of the posts equally interesting. As usual, though, most of the people complaining about Dan Fortier's lack of writing abilities, are the ones who present maybe one or two lines of condescending space waste, instead of joining in the discussion and actually - gods forbid - contribute with something.
He is not required to offer solutions. He's not even required to have aced all his subjects in school - which is so important if you want to be allowed to express your opinion apparently. He is required to offer an opinion, be able to express it in a coherent and maybe eyecatching way, and then - hopefully - spark a discussion. As has almost been the case here.
As for MMO addiction - being mentally out of balance definitely doesn't help if you're already prone to escapism. Or in this case, when I am. I don't think I'm addicted to MMO's, though. If anything, I'm addicted to roleplay in general and the escape in particular.
I've always joked about being addicted, but I never really took it serious. I figured - like everybody else - I could just let it all go tomorrow, if I really wanted to. Reading through some of the (constructive) responses in this thread - in particularly _Jord_'s - I start to realize that I might not be as much in control as I thought I was. Not that I have the slightest idea where to begin to get control back *smiles wryly*
"So I contend that the player stories will always be more powerful than the scripted stories that we try to tell the players."
- Will Wright
This article is SPOT ON. End of story
(casual gamer)
Denial makes one look a lot dumber than he/she actually is.
I think it's important to evaluate your gaming experience and realise when you're playing it not because it's fun but to get a (false?) sense of accomplishment. I've found that once you spot the signs it's relatively simple to stop playing; of course if you don't have something to give you that real sense of accomplishment then it's likely you will be sucked back into the same game or another.
When you think about it there are a staggering number of ways to measure what you have 'done' in a game and unless you create such a means of measurement, not nearly as many in real life.
McDonalds was not sued because a woman spilled coffee in her lap. They were sued because their coffee was so hot it melted her skin on contact. Fast food coffee was tested and McDonalds was found to keep their coffee at least 20 F hotter than the next hottest coffee. The woman had to have multiple plastic surgeries performed in order to return her genitalia to normal function. Additionally, the 2 million dollar award was only barely enough to cover her medical and legal bills, so she didn't end up rich either. While I agree that there are many, many frivolous lawsuits being brought to the courts today, this wasn't one of them.
As for game addiction, sure, it's absolutely real. But the people who succumb to this addiction are the people who already had a mental predisposition to addictive behavior patterns anyway. The games do not create the addiction, the addicted people create the addiction. That doesn't make it less of a problem, just a different sort of problem. Like any other addiction you need to treat it at the source, the person who's addicted. The real problem is in identifying who those people are. Drunks and drug users are easy tp spot. Gambling addicts are generally in public places gambling (although that is changing as more and more on-line gambling franchises open up allowing the addicts to feed their addiction semi-anonymously). Gaming addicts operate out of the own houses. Their neighbors don't see them displaying odd behavior, apart from maybe staying up late each night. Sure some in-game folks might notice that Hieronymus the Blade always seems to be logged in, but it's possible that people are sharing the account and playing at different times. Gaming addicts are hard to spot, but apart from game companies monitoring their clients' usage (the logistics of which makes me shudder), I don't see any easy solutions.
You are actually arguing against yourself - paragraph 2 to prove why paragraph 1 is truly wrong, hypocratic and ridiculous.
I can buy a tea anywhere, and spoil it on myself. Heck, i can do it at home - will I sue the water heater company?
I can buy a pack of needles in the supermarket, then stumble, fall on them and die. Will my relatives sue the supermarket?
See - we have dangers everywhere, and we can hurt/injure/kill ourselves just about everywhere and in a million differet ways. I can stumble and fall in my workplace's canteen, hit my head on a table and be mentally degraded for the rest of my life.... let's not give mor examples.
McDonalds made the coffee. McDonalds did NOT spill the coffee on the woman. The woman spilled the coffee on herself.
Plain and simple.
Denial makes one look a lot dumber than he/she actually is.
McDonalds was not sued because a woman spilled coffee in her lap. They were sued because their coffee was so hot it melted her skin on contact. Fast food coffee was tested and McDonalds was found to keep their coffee at least 20 F hotter than the next hottest coffee. The woman had to have multiple plastic surgeries performed in order to return her genitalia to normal function. Additionally, the 2 million dollar award was only barely enough to cover her medical and legal bills, so she didn't end up rich either. While I agree that there are many, many frivolous lawsuits being brought to the courts today, this wasn't one of them.
As for game addiction, sure, it's absolutely real. But the people who succumb to this addiction are the people who already had a mental predisposition to addictive behavior patterns anyway. The games do not create the addiction, the addicted people create the addiction. That doesn't make it less of a problem, just a different sort of problem. Like any other addiction you need to treat it at the source, the person who's addicted. The real problem is in identifying who those people are. Drunks and drug users are easy tp spot. Gambling addicts are generally in public places gambling (although that is changing as more and more on-line gambling franchises open up allowing the addicts to feed their addiction semi-anonymously). Gaming addicts operate out of the own houses. Their neighbors don't see them displaying odd behavior, apart from maybe staying up late each night. Sure some in-game folks might notice that Hieronymus the Blade always seems to be logged in, but it's possible that people are sharing the account and playing at different times. Gaming addicts are hard to spot, but apart from game companies monitoring their clients' usage (the logistics of which makes me shudder), I don't see any easy solutions.
You are actually arguing against yourself - paragraph 2 to prove why paragraph 1 is truly wrong, hypocratic and ridiculous.
I can buy a tea anywhere, and spoil it on myself. Heck, i can do it at home - will I sue the water heater company?
I can buy a pack of needles in the supermarket, then stumble, fall on them and die. Will my relatives sue the supermarket?
See - we have dangers everywhere, and we can hurt/injure/kill ourselves just about everywhere and in a million differet ways. I can stumble and fall in my workplace's canteen, hit my head on a table and be mentally degraded for the rest of my life.... let's not give mor examples.
McDonalds made the coffee. McDonalds did NOT spill the coffee on the woman. The woman spilled the coffee on herself.
Plain and simple.
McDonalds was not responsible for the spilling of the coffee. They were found to be responsible for exposing the woman to an unreasonable danger. The level of injury caused by the coffee was far beyond was could be reasonably expected from spilling coffee. It melted her flesh. Consider how hot coffee has to be to melt human flesh. The court found McDonalds created a potential hazard which a "reasonable person" (that mythical legal creation) could not have "reasonably" foreseen.
All of your examples include reasonbly foreseeable dangers or dangers which are created by yourself.
My statements are neither contradictory nor hypocritical. They are two discrete examples of entirely different things. If that caused any confusion for you, you have my apologies.
Ok - I accept your point. Still, I believe it is a fine line (if it even exists) between an "unreasonable" and a "reasonable" danger. Restaurants have food+drink that can be hazardous, if not handled properly - fishbone, wasabi, a flaming lamborghini cocktail - you name it. A reasonable adult would know that a coffee is HOT, so he/she will be careful with it. It does not matter if the liquid was 60 degrees (C) or 95 degrees - both will HURT you in some way, so you will NOT pour it on yourself.
The point here is -again someone is blaming someone other for his/her own mistake (spilling the drink).
BTW, there is no such thing as "melting" of the skin. A liquid can only be as hot as 100C (unless in a closed system like a cooling of an engine), and that kind of temperature can cause lasting damage to the skin, but not "melt" it - whatever it means. This is besides the point, I just wanted to mention.
As for the second part - I completely agree - MMO's are only addictive to whomever is prone to addiction, the reason for what can be numerous and widely varies (compulsive obsession, family problems, you name it.), A computer game (be it MMO or offline) only offers (in one sense) what a book or movie or anything else does: an escape from the real world. The big difference is that MMO's last MUCH longer, and they are indeed built to "grasp" those people (well, as many people as possible) in and keep them there as long as possible. In this sense, the analogy to drugs is very clear!
Hence, it is quite interesting to face the question: who and why becomes a drug addict? The reasons are, in 99% - social. Opposed to what politicians and other "blamers" like to say, only a very small percentage of drug users become addicts (not talking about hard drugs like opiats or crack). The percentage is probably much more favorable with MMO players - and stopping smoking ganja is just as easy (for a healthy minded person with normal social relationships) as to stop MMO games. The death rate is very similar (close to none)
So - as long as your have friends+family and you don't carry any bad/frustrated emotional package within you - you're quite safe to play as many MMO's as you'd like - with no issues whatsoever. Although, you might become titled as "casual player"
DB
Denial makes one look a lot dumber than he/she actually is.
First and foremost, it is the addictive personality that is in danger of becoming addicted to MMO style games. As is the case in most situations like this, self realization of a problem is the first step towards solving your problem. I used to play "Evercrack" and ,even though I have an addictive personality, kept from playing my life away. My wife helps in this due to the fact that her last relationship before us was broken up due to "Evercrack". She helps to keep me real and not allow myself, or our two sons, to get so far into games that we lose sight of the RW. I encourage her to do this because, unlike the rest of my family who have various drug or alcohol addictions, I do not want to have something inconsequential rule over my life.
Yes, the games are developed to keep you playing, that is no mystery. Most people won't play a game that they cannot stay involved in on that level. It is also the fact that most of your higher level Characters are made form people that have no real impact in real life. they are nobody's in RL and the game is how they become a somebody. They are poor as dirt in the RW, but he richest player on the servor. Much like the lady in the post previous to me....
Just like anyone who makes the choice to continue an addiction (this has been stated many times before on this thread), it is the responsibility of the player to realize they have an addiction. That is 90% of the battle, the other 10% is just getting the right support and personal commitment to overcome your addiction. Once you overcome your addiction, you can't just say, "I'm not addicted anymore." To do so is folly! If you were addicted once, you can be again.
If your life is in the crapper, and your bills are not paid, it is your own fault... do not blame a game developer. Go out and get a job, make some money in the RW, and go out and buy yourself another life. That is a rather simplified approach to it, but find something else that is fun to do... with another (physcally present) human being. You might find that instead of being the victim, you might actually enjoy having a fullfilling life.
The bottom line is this... pay your bills, play with your kids (not just in MMO's), pet your dog, buy a house, get a car that runs (better than the nickel and diming piece in your driveway), take responsibility for yourself, and get a Real Life. Your addiction is your own and no one elses. You make the choice to be addicted, not the developer... You can continue to allow society to enable you to be addicted, and try to make people like me feel sorry for you (I can't bring myself to do it....), or you can quit the cycle (get help if need be) and get the things you have in the game in Real Life!
Nuff said...
I found this article interesting and thought it addressed the issue pretty well. As far as how important it is to look at gaming as a problem, that varies with every individual involved.
What I found interesting in the posts that followed though, was that everyone talked about gaming addiction as compared to drugs. Is it worse than... is it as real as... etc.
Comparing gaming addiction to drug addiction is a stretch... I haven't heard of too many people out there that are stooping to stealing to support their gaming addiction or similar acts...
If you want to compare addictions that might be similar to a gaming addiction... what about all the guys out there that can't be bothered to notice their family if there is a football / basketball / etc. game on the tube (unless they get between him and the TV)? Or the women (or men) who will drop everything to watch their soaps or Oprah / Maury / whoever. Those addictions are far more similar to our gaming addiction than drugs are.
Is it real? Sure. Is it serious? For some people, I'm sure it is. For me, I probably game more than I should, but I usually do it at night with the TV on in the background. If I wasn't gaming, I'd probably be sitting on the couch watching TV anyway, and at least in the MMO's we are interacting with other people... not face to face... but it's more real than screaming at some quarterback to 'Pass, pass the ball' or whatever it is they say when they are watching sports
OK, let the flames begin... I'm sure my whole reply is invalidated because I hit an extra key somewhere or dropped a word by accident!
Yumadome
I use to play games non-stop from the time the atari came out up to the super nintendo days.
Myself and one other friend beat every single game released by nintendo (for the original nintendo) that was available in the US. It was a fierce competition between the two of us. This eventually led into our school work in high school. Both of us were pretty much F students. After we started the whole competition thing, we were straight A's. And on top of it we worked at the same place 40 hours a week and well our boss loved us as we made him a lot of money trying to beat each other even at our job..
Eventually because of this I got to work with NASA and several other agencies which I can't disclose.
All because of a stupid so called "Video game addiction" me and a friend of mine had. The most amazing part I never went to a day of college in my life and was offered a job as a prof. at a state university because of my background. My only response was, "Sorry I ain't no teacher, I'm in it for the competition"
If anyone is wondering my age well I'm 34. Have owned every system released, yes even the CD-i, but after the PS2 and xbox being junk IMO I decided no more game counsels they all pretty much have junk games anymore. Sure the counsels have potential but the game programmers suck so I'll stick with the old comp.
Now days I just have a "regular" job, no bills, and work 12 hour night shifts.
Therefore I'm up all night and sleep all day. On my days off, I can either cruise the local wall-mart, watch info-mercials, or play online video games that can't be beat. Therefor saving me extra money for when I decide to retire, as opposed to buying every PS2 game and beating it.
Addicted? Maybe to competition but all in all because of nintendo I ended up with a heck of a background.
Oh and my friend he chickened out and went to college. I see him very rarely anymore but when I do I usual greet him with "I think I beat you", his response "S-T-*-U" My response, "I told you college was a bad idea, it just slowed you down, so how much do you owe yet?"
Now, you are frightening, and in the bad sense of the word. Not only do you look to be the worst of the obsessive-compulsive kind, you are also the "boasting+lying to have an impact to have any connection to the outside world" type.
Say, are you 34 or 36 then (your profile says 36) Agencies you can't disclose ? Teaching at college (w/o a degree my ass), or working in nightshifts? No bills??? No girlfriend/wife family rather... ?
Get a life man, and stop babbling nonsense
DB
Denial makes one look a lot dumber than he/she actually is.
Make a great product and people complain that it's addictive.
Of course games are addictive, just like most fun things in life. I've been addicted hundreds of times in my life, thats not really the point to define if its bad. Should we ban sports because of the adrenaline rush it gives? I played sports all my life and let me tell you that it can be better than any real drugs out there sometimes.
The important thing is HOW do you handle your addictions? Do you bury yourself in it, completly ignoring your 2 year old baby crying? Does your life suffer as a result of your virtual life? How do you keep the balance?
And its the same with everything else in life, balance. Addictive personalities are people with obvious problems and misery trying to run from them. I can't even count the number of uncles, cousins that were drug addicts, lost thousands in the Casino, spend their nights in bars spending tons of money just to have sex (strongest addiction btw). But out of every single person i know like that, none of them actually like themselves, life or are happy in any way, and it didnt start after their addiction but before. Addiction isn't a cause, it's a result.
And even if i'm wrong, what can you do? Ban everything addictive, therefore fun, in life? They tried to ban alcohol, people just did it illegally.
Anywhere theres a profit to be made, theres a market and someone willing to take it
I don't know about the rest of the post, but I have taught at my local community college. I don't remember if the two year degree I had made a difference but I was able to teach the 'sub 100' level classes without a four year degree but I think to teach anything with a number above 99, in other words, degree courses, you had to at least have a four year degree. I taught some of the intro level computer classes... Intro to Word, etc.
Who knows... he might be 100% for real... or the agencies he can't name are the unemployment agency, the welfare agency, the....
Just kidding...!
IM NOT ADDICTED!! I CAN QUIT ANY TIME I WANT!!
http://erickveil.com/
I'm a registered nurse on a critical care floor, and I care for patients who have chemical addictions almost every single day. So I have some real life perspective on the matter, atleast as one who has cared for the addicted.
To me the basic component of addiction is a compulsion or need that must be fulfilled, but that is counter to the person's best interest. Now some drugs don't cause an actual physical withdrawal, which is what many people mistakenly believe is necessary for addiction to be present.
Also, there is the duality of addiction. It doesn't have to be all negative. The high the junkie gets is the aim, the physical or psychological withrdrawal is the unfortunate byproduct. But ultimately, there is or was some need fulfilled.
For some mmo players who are addicted, the aim is escapism. It was in my case. The unfortunate byproduct was an abandonment of my other interests. I had written a book and self published it and was writing another. I was active in the local art/poetry community. I had an art business and created sculpture that I was showing in galleries and my artwork was selling. I spent more time with family.
Ultimately though, my other interests had there own stresses, and with work being the way it is, mmo's became extremely addictive. Because no matter how bad my day at work was, I could sit at the computer, log in to an mmo and forget how horrible my day had been. Sometimes I would play for only 3 or 4 hours on my off days. Some days I played all day when I wasn't scheduled to work at the hospital.
When my wife and I went out to dinner or spent time together, it seemed like I was always thinking about the upcoming adventure or some past adventure, or guild politics or my ingame friends, or that really nice weapon I unexpectedly looted from a random kill, or a quest line I was following, or how pvp is unbalanced this way or that....on and on and on. After a while I felt like the mmo's I was playing was consuming all my free thought, and I decided to quit and put my energies back into my writing and my artwork. Atleast with those I have something tangible to show for my time. But I kept going back to mmo's. Even when I didn't want to play anymore I found myself playing. After a while I began to wonder if I had any willpower at all.
Eventually, I quit for about 2 months. I started sculpting again. I started writing a little. I watched television with the wife and visited more with my parents. I worked on the house and at our rental property, fixing it up really nice.
Only problem is I have been waiting for next batch of mmo's to come out. I read about them quite a bit, and I just got into Vanguard beta and contrary to the opinions of some I find it to be a pretty interesting game. I am really liking it. My only hope is that I can show a little restraint and balance in my game time. If I can't, then....I'll wait for Star Trek Online to come out.
Man ... all this arguing, and no one has even given the writer the props for using a Pure Pwnage quote.
I do think MMOs can be addictive, and have had friends that got addicted. But luckily, we've all been able to quit. As for who's responsible, I think it's up to the player, not the company. People can get addicted to all kinds of things. Hell, I'm sure there's someone out there addicted to gardening. But suing Home Depot isn't going to fix anything. Getting the person help will.
The rest is nothing more than semantics.
__________________________________
Playing - Waiting on GW2
Formerly played - Aion, CO, CoX, EVE, GW1, LotRO, RIFT, Ryzom, SWG, SWTOR, WAR, WoW
Trialed - AA, DDO, EQ2, L2, MxO, RYL, TERA, VSoH
Beta'd - HGL, GW2, PotBS, SWTOR, TCoS, TR
Anticipating - GW2, PS2
First of all, video games in general have been proven over and over to stimulate the same parts of the brain as other major sources of pleasure, and that they do in fact have addictive properties. In the MMORPG genre, you have the persistence and the social aspects added to that.
I'm not saying that they ARE addictive - I'm saying that they certainly might be. It might be more serious for some than others. It might be more addictive to those who are generally prone to addictions ... but so is gambling and non-physically-addictive drugs, and the fact that you need to have a certain type of personality to become addicted does not take away from the serious nature of the addiction.
EVERYONE says they could quit tomorrow. Most probably could. You won't get the shakes or start vomiting due to MMO withdrawal. However - The DSM IV (the leading system by which psychological disorders are defined and classified) defines an addiction as and 3 of the following taking place over a 12 month period (note- it's talking about substances, but the adaptations have allowed for just about anything to be included in the place of "chemicals"):
- Preoccupation with use of the chemical between periods of use.
- Using more of the chemical than had been anticipated.
- The development of tolerance to the chemical in question.
- A characteristic withdrawal syndrome from the chemical.
- Use of the chemical to avoid or control withdrawal symptoms.
- Repeated efforts to cut back or stop the drug use.
- Intoxication at inappropriate times (such as at work), or when withdrawal interferes with daily functioning (such as when hangover makes person too sick to go to work).
- A reduction in social, occupational or recreational activities in favor of further substance use.
- Continued substance use in spite of the individual having suffered social, emotional, or physical problems related to drug use.
Think about people sacrificing school, work, social engagements, etc to play MMOs. Think about how many times YOU stayed home on a Friday or Saturday night to raid Blackwing Lair (or your choice of poison) rather than hang out with your friends/family? Do you ever browse forums while at school/work? Feeling the need to read about and discuss MMOs while you are not playing them is encompassed in the same addicion.I'm not talking about the super-extreme cases that we hear about (that usually take place in Asia) where people die. I'm talking about a much more subtle yet equally important trend by which people spend 20-120 hours a week sitting in front of their computer, pursuing a "hobby" at the expense of everything else that they could/should be doing.
Think about it.
This is a very serious topic, and the author of this article does no justice to it. I am guessing that the author is not a college grad because the level of insight screams "UNEDUCATED."
It must be hard judging everyone out there without a college degree. Blanket statements are surely a sign of "higher education". Lord knows a college grad would never say anything without insight...... oh wait, nevermind.
But I will agree with the addiction being serious.. I was more concerned with the slam on the "Uneducated", as you call them.
MMO's are definitely addictive I know because i have experienced it first hand about a year 1/2 ago i got addicted to silkroad online (i know its terrible how could i!?) but nevertheless it happened and i stopped going out when i was the party fiend always asking people to come out and have a good time. i stopped studying grades went down blah blah blah all those things I'm sure you have heard of it. Anyway a year ago after being addicted to sro for half a year I saw this rehab site for WoW players and made me realise how real the addiction was so yeah i quit sro went and lived with my sister who doesn't have a computer that was pretty much a year ago i play games between 10-15 hours a week and im on holidays. For an approximate measure i would say if you play more than 50 hours of one game a week (thats 7 hours a day) i would say your addicted.
Peace, devoux
Live dead thread, live!
Currently Playing: Tabula Rasa
Gaming History: EQ, EQ2, SWG, EVE, Anarchy Online, CoX, GW, SRO, Rakion, Ryzom, WoW, Rappelz, Shadowbane, 9Dragons, DAoC, Dungeon Runners, DnD Online, Space Cowboy, LotRO, Vanguard, Fury, Hellgate
Wanting to Play: WAR, TCoS, Darkfall, Aion
I'm going to jump ship from debating MMO addiction, and focus on the cause for debate.
At least from what I've read recently, the "gaming industry" is the largest grossing sub-section of the "entertainment industry"...currently. Outperforming films, of course outperforming music sales, and many more sub-sections of the industry in terms of revenue.
Anytime something starts making "billions" of dollars, somebody is going to focus on how to make money "off of that trend".
One of the posters here mentioned dungeouns and dragons. Now when D&D came out, and that first parent sent their child to a therapist, complaining about an imaginary monsters game that their kid learned about at summer camp. The therapist was probably like,
" Well, you've got an active imagination,son, but you should also focus on preparing yourself for life's future challenges as an adult..."
Now when D&D is being sold in every comic and book store in the country, in it's own dedicated section, and specialized color-coded marble dice are being hand-made for it, and entire convention centers are filled to capacity for 3 days straight by enthused players...suddenly a different response might be heard from same therapist...perhaps,
"Heck yes ! It's a satanic cult ! I actually wrote a book on the subject that you can buy from my secretary. I'm also holding a seminar this week-end on warning signs, for a modest entrance fee of $50. But I recommend you enroll your child into my special D&D recovery course, it's a 3 month retreat on an island for intensive treatment...he's far far gone...and this is just the beginning..."
And said therapist goes on to start their own multi-million dollar industry. Not because they are "concerned" or even remotely interested in the "problem" or it's "victims"...ex-heroin junkies don't start multi-million dollar re-hab clinics...but because this is america, and any savy business person knows how to play the american public like a fiddle...
Start with something that is already making money, involve or talk about some children, create or ride some controversy...and viola...your rich too.