exgamer
Latest
The Daily Grind: How should we fight addiction?
We talk about addiction with some regularity here. The genre we cover is designed to be addictive; MMOs that make money are MMOs that keep people subscribed or buying new items for several consecutive months. Latest in a long history of addiction-issue coverage at Massively: a link to the blog of Exgamer, a recovering MMO addict.Exgamer suggested that some of these games should come with a warning label: "this software can and has been shown to cause addictive behavior." Such a warning might be helpful to consumers who know they're prone to addiction. On the other hand, some folks argue that the software does not on its own cause unhealthy addiction, so the label is unfair.To deny the basic reality of the MMO addiction problem is ridiculous. But given that agreed-upon premise: how do we curb this? Are warning labels a good idea? Would they even be effective? What measures would you suggest to fight this illness?
Recovering MMO addict chronicles his struggle
It's easy to be flippant about MMO addiction. On the surface, it sounds like a histrionic misrepresentation of this hobby of ours. Practically all of us will have erred on the side of the unwise at some time or other, putting in more hours in Azeroth, Hyboria or Paragon City than our responsibilities really allowed for. That might be succumbing to a game's addictiveness, but it's not remotely the same as being addicted.Brad, who calls himself Exgamer on his blog, is a recovering MMO addict, and he's sharing his story with the world through his site. Whatever one might personally think about his stance, his religious outlook or his experiences, the courage and tenacity involved in putting his life out there day by day are unquestionable. There's also a conspicuous lack of blame or finger-pointing, and an explicit refusal to condemn the games themselves or the players.Brad gives a lucid summary of his position, which we've reproduced after the cut.
