game-addiction
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Research suggests MMOs may 'encourage pathological game use'
Researchers at the University of Missouri have authored a study suggesting that MMORPGs are "the most addictive genre of video games." The study also indicates that unhealthy game play can manifest in both "very casual" and "hardcore" adult gamers, and it's usually fueled by desires for escapism, social interaction, and rewards. "We did not find a perfect relationship between total time spent playing games and addictive video game behaviors," said study co-author Christopher Engelhardt, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Health Psychology in the MU School of Health Professions. "Additionally, other variables such as the proportion of free time spent playing video games seem to better predict game addiction above and beyond the total amount of time spent playing video games." The study says that MMORPGs pose a "triple threat" due to level advancement, team play, and enormous fantasy worlds that may "encourage pathological game use."
The Soapbox: Gaming addiction isn't about games
When I was 21, I was miserable. I was stuck in a long-distance relationship with someone I couldn't trust and could barely see, I was stuck with no real career opportunities, and I had my entire lifestyle ripped away from me unexpectedly. I felt like I was willing to climb, but I didn't see any handholds out of the pit I was stuck in. The only thing I looked forward to was the end of the day, when I could crawl into a game and let my actual day-to-day life evaporate into memory. I wasn't an addict. Barely. This isn't a plea for sympathy; all of this happened years ago, and it's not where I am now. Things got better. This is a talk that we need to have about addiction because the few times that addiction gets brought up, it's addressed by people who seem to have only the vaguest grasp of the games involved. Addiction isn't a result of game mechanics or playstyles or subscription formats or anything else. It's a result of people.
The Daily Grind: Have you ever fallen into unhealthy play habits?
Pretty much no one who plays video games regularly likes to be called a game addict. There's a stigma attached to gaming, one that makes a lot of players particularly uncomfortable. But we are frequently able to recognize when we're putting in more hours than are entirely healthy in various games. We don't want to be called addicts, but we recognize that spending our entire weekends in Final Fantasy XI or World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2 is probably not a great sign. Sometimes it's just an isolated thing when we have a free weekend and wind up spending all of it gaming. Other times we step back and realize we're devoting too much of our time and energy to our games of choice and we need to back off a little bit. So does that sound like you? Have you ever fallen into unhealthy play habits by accident? Or do you feel you've never been a bit too focused on playing your MMO of choice? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Psychologist asks designers to shorten quests to fight addiction
It's impossible to play video games without noticing that some people have downright unhealthy gaming habits. Addiction to games is discussed a great deal, often without solutions being offered. Dr. Zaheer Hussain does propose a solution in a recent study, however, arguing that game designers need to cut down on the length of quests to prevent people from forming unhealthy habits. He suggests that designers need to look at the structure of the game and how mechanics might encourage pathological behaviors. You may feel like it's a good suggestion or you may feel like it's comparable to fighting alcoholism by selling beer in smaller bottles, but the study goes into more detail than that simple suggestion. The study, which was published in the Addiction Research and Theory journal, recommends steps be taken before games see the sort of government administration as seen in countries such as China and South Korea. It ultimately concludes that anywhere between 7-11% of all gamers suffer from "pathological" behavior. The full paper can be purchased by those interested for closer review.
Blizzard admits to 'grossly underestimating demand' for World of Warcraft in 2004
If World of Warcraft is credited with a smooth initial launch, that's only because time tends to smooth over the growing pains that come with every MMO. Blizzard co-founder Frank Pearce was quite up-front with the studio's stumbles in 2004 as WoW launched to unprecedented demand; he's admitted that Blizzard execs "grossly underestimated" how many people wanted to play the game, forcing the company to cease shipping boxes to stores while tech was improved to deal with the influx. "I don't think we had any idea what we were getting ourselves into," Pearce said at the recent DICE executive summit. The studio quickly ramped up from its 500-employee taskforce to 4,700 people in 11 cities across the world. Pearce also addressed the issue of addiction in MMOs, saying that Blizzard "think[s] about it all of the time. If there's something that you're really passionate about, whether it's video games, a book, a TV series [or something else]... we have to consume it in moderation."
Study links MMOs to 'problem' game-playing
Despite the fact that video game addiction lacks both a definition and a diagnosis, "researchers around the world continue to investigate methods of determining, treating, and preventing" it, according to Gamespot. The American Psychiatric Association recently rejected a movement to incorporate game addiction into its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but that hasn't stopped folks at the National Development and Research Institute from publishing the findings from a survey conducted with 3,380 adult gamers. The study found that five percent of participants reported "moderate to extreme problem game-playing." Commonly reported problem titles included Call of Duty, the Grand Theft Auto series, online poker games, and World of Warcraft. The team concluded that "there is evidence to suggest that problem game-playing is linked to particular kinds of game genres" and that further research is needed.
South Korea puts the 'Cinderella Law' into effect
South Korea's burgeoning online gaming market has brought the country a great deal of business success, but it's also brought the dread specter of video game addiction to the forefront of public awareness. Hoping to curb addiction before it starts, the country has brought into effect a new law requiring all online games to block players under age 16 from playing between midnight and 6 a.m. Dubbed the "Cinderella Law," it also affects online services such as PlayStation Network and XBox Live. As expected, the law has several vocal critics, who assert that the law infringes upon the civil rights of children. The Korea Association of Game Industry, a group including companies such as Nexon and NCsoft, is in the midst of preparing a lawsuit based on its claim that the law is excessively prohibitive. Of course, many gamers have been trying to circumvent the ban already by connecting to Western servers, which have no such restriction... although it could be argued that connecting to another country's servers just to play for a six-hour period sort of reinforces the whole argument about addiction.
Addicted gamer shares his struggle to find balance between the real world and the virtual world
While Tucson's KVOA may not be so well-versed in MMOs as to distinguish between Gears of War and Dark Age of Camelot, the local news station put together an interesting little piece on online game addiction nevertheless. The brief report highlights the story of Elijah Oster, a father and husband who got so pulled into MMOs that he began to neglect his family and suffer from insomnia. He admits that he failed to "budget enough time" for his loved ones, and would grow irritable when his wife interrupted his play sessions. Behavioral health counselor Jeffrey Friedman was brought in to comment on game addiction, which he says is similar to most forms of addition in that people's actions are dictated by what will cause them the least emotional pain. In this case, it's becoming overly dependent on an online world instead of the real one. Friedman works at the Cottonwood Tucson center. The report concludes with Oster sharing what he realized after treatment: "I started understanding the concept of balance."
Former World of Warcraft addict talks about the dangers of habitual gaming
When one thinks of a player who's addicted to video games, usually the image of a teen or college student with too much time on his hands comes to mind. Not so with Ryan Van Cleave, who's a college professor with a PhD, marriage and kids -- and who admits to a crippling former addiction to World of Warcraft. Last year, Van Cleave published his experience with video game addiction in the book Unplugged: My Journey into the Dark World of Video Game Addiction, and in a recent interview with Yahoo! News, he expounds on the process that led him from a reasonably balanced life to something akin to a nightmare. While he admits that he was prone to gaming too much prior to WoW, it was logging in for the first time in 2004 that captivated him fully. His domestic life suffered for it, and he eventually lost his job because of it. He has since quit the game -- and MMOs in general -- although his wife is concerned about a relapse. His wife also eyes her kids as possible future addicts: "I also have concerns that my children may have a pre-disposition to gaming addiction in the same way that the children of an alcoholic might." Van Cleave cautions players about the seemingly subtle process of becoming addicted: "Everything that you do as a video game addict, is usually small incremental steps. I was like a Charlie Sheen of WoW. Unapologetic and like a rebel, like, screw you, I'm going to play this game...even though I'm not being the best role model for my kids, I'm not being the best husband, I'm not being good to myself."
Divorce Online highlights cases caused by "gaming addiction"
Divorce Online, a do-it-yourself website that facilitates the filing of separation proceedings sans lawyers, says that a significant percentage of its "unreasonable behavior" petitions stem from cases of gaming addiction. The website highlights the fact that out of the 200 women who filed petitions between January and April of 2011, 15 percent featured complaints relating to spousal neglect in favor of titles like World of Warcraft and the Call of Duty series. Despite the fact that gaming addiction is not currently considered an actual addiction by the medical community, Game Politics notes Divorce Online's use of author Ryan Van Cleave in its press release. "A lot of the problem spouses encounter with video game addiction is that the non-gamer doesn't appreciate that it's an addiction. This means it's not a choice to spend so much time in a virtual environment versus time with the spouse and family. It's a compulsion," he says.
Blizzard comments on video games addiction documentary
Video game addiction is hardly a new subject around these here parts, but it still remains a much-discussed and controversial topic even so. Today, BBC investigative journalism program Panorama will add to the conversation with an in-depth look into the causes of gaming addiction and the consequences of players who become a little too hooked. The episode, titled "Addicted to gaming?", is expected to come down harshly against the practices of video game studios. According to CVG, it's no surprise that the documentary is airing the very night that World of Warcraft: Cataclysm launches, as Panorama uses WoW as one of its key examples. One of the stories follows the tale of Chris Dandos, a teenager who stopped going to school to play WoW for up to 20 hours a day. In response to the episode's focus, Blizzard released the following comment: "Our games are designed to be fun... but like all forms of entertainment... day-to-day life should always take precedence. World of Warcraft contains practical tools that assist players and parents in monitoring playing time."
LOGIN conference hosting two panels on game addiction
It's been pretty hard, but after 45 straight minutes of arguing with ourselves, we were able to pull away from Imagine Babyz long enough to get some work done. And who woulda guessed it, the very first post we sit down to write happens to be about the upcoming Login Conference in Seattle, an event which includes not just one but two panels specifically dedicated to video game addiction. Author and psychotherapist Hilarie Cash will be presenting the (tautologically delicious) "Games and Addiction: The Addictive Power of Games," a panel that examines the correlation between addictive gameplay and "something that is truly addictive." The second panel again features Cash, this time alongside Entertainment Science's Darion Rapoza, with discussion moderated by EEDAR's Geoffrey Zatkin, and will further discuss the first panel's subject. For those of you looking to attend (and not stand up and shout during either of the panels), more information can be found on the conference's official website. [Via GamePolitics]
Korea to impose gaming curfew to curb minors' playtime
The South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced two new policies aimed at stifling so-called video game addiction among the country's youth. Dubbed the "nighttime shutdown," users ages 19 and under of certain online games will be required to select one of three mandatory six-hour blackout periods set for the middle of the night, during which a user would be barred form online access to the particular game. The blackouts will be instituted for a number of popular online games, such as Maple Story, in the second half of this year. Additionally, testing of a second, "slowdown" policy has already begun, affecting four popular pastimes, including Dungeon Fighter Online (pictured above). The system is said to "drastically" reduce the internet speed of any underage user logged into a policed game for an unspecified but "lengthy" play session, according to The Korea Herald. Eventually, this dys-functionality will be rolled into 19 RPG titles, representing 79 percent of Korea's online game market. Some affected game companies have questioned why equally popular MMOs, such as Lineage, have not been marked for regulation. (Good question.) For years, South Korea has identified and sought treatments for "game addiction," which continues to be a major headline generator in the country and abroad. Critics of the new playtime enforcement policies believe that underage players will inevitably find ways to get around the shutdowns and slowdowns, suggesting that even unprecedented government intervention is not a reliable solution. That is, until the government sends its army of guys with bats to your door. [Via Massively]
Blogger discusses EverQuest addiction
It's easy to talk about gaming addiction as an abstract concept, but whether or not you think the idea holds a lot of water there are an awful lot of studies and examinations of it that just won't go away. Still, the concept is easy to deny. The human element, however, makes it much more real and that much harder to ignore. Which is why, ultimately, it's probably a good thing for everyone that Kotaku's editor Mike Fahey has written up his story of his EverQuest addiction -- the origin, the escalation, and the recovery of sorts. Mike describes how the death of his relationship led to him escaping into the video game that increasingly was preferrable to his normal life -- which, in turn, led to him winding up without his car, then without a job, and then ultimately to the point that we could probably see coming, where the game became preferrable to pursuing a romantic relationship. He chronicles the downward slide, followed by the slow crawl back out of being addicted -- but, at the end, he doesn't conclude that EverQuest itself is the problem. As he himself puts it regarding his addiction: "I hid. I ran from my problems, hiding away in a virtual fantasy world instead of confronting the issues that might have been easily resolved if I had addressed them directly." His story focuses not upon the game, but on his own responses and how they were what was ultimately responsible for what happened and where he wound up. It's an interesting piece for the conclusion alone, and worth reading for anyone with even the slightest stake in the topic of game addiction -- which, for those of us who play MMOs, should really just include all of us.
The perils of covering game addiction
Gamers will argue almost endlessly over which games are the best, which ones were most important, what the proper way to play is... but one thing we almost universally agree on is that we are not addicted. We all know the arguments -- the guy who plays sixteen hours a day in his parents' basement would have acted like that anyway, it's just a game, he doesn't have a substance addiction. Why even bring it up?Neils Clark, author of Game Addiction, wrote up a post about ten fallacies in addressing game addiction. The point of the piece, rather than concluding whether or not it's worth discussing, is to point out the ways in which many of the arguments on both sides are inherently flawed. The first point, for instance, is taking on the oft-quoted stance that "well, games aren't drugs" by laying out the many kinds of repeated behaviors that psychologists already recognize as potential addictions and treat accordingly.MMORPGs, more than perhaps any other genre, are usually replete with tales of utter addicts and non-stop players. The article is worth reading if you care even the slightest bit about the topic, because it reminds us that the elephant is not a part of the furniture. It's an elephant, and it's the sort of thing that needs to be addressed -- especially as the genre expands its appeal and its user base.[ via GamePolitics ]
Kick your WoW habit with ReSTART clinic
Just when you think this kind of thing can only happen in the Netherlands, along comes ReSTART, a Washington state-based rehab center that offers a 45-day course of treatment crafted to help you kick your internet or World of Warcraft addiction. Oh, and it's all offered at the bargain price of $14,000! "We've been doing this for years on an outpatient basis," Hilarie Cash, the center's director, told the AP. "Up until now, we had no place to send them." Of course, if you want to kick your WoW addiction for just a little bit less cash, the serious professionals of the Joystiq Internet Rehabilitation Clinic Staffed By Serious Professionals have some fine replacement therapies to recommend.
Thailand considering tighter cybercafe curfews to curb game 'addiction'
The Culture Ministry of Thailand is looking to revise curfew times for children in cybercafes. The Bangkok Post reports the new rules would require children under 15 to leave by 8PM and those under 18 to leave by 10PM. The new rules are meant to help curb video game addiction -- and send children into the safety of the streets, where we know nothing bad ever happens. Officials will consider the new curfews next week.Thailand's relationship with video games and "addiction" has been quite the roller coaster over the last couple years. There was the suicide (and fallout) after a 12-year-old committed suicide, the tragic murder of a cab driver blamed on GTA and the laughable list of games the Ministry of Health warned parents to avoid.[Via GamePolitics]
Shock treatment for gaming addicts halted in China
In a step widely regarded by Joystiq staffers planning on traveling to China someday as "the right call," the Chinese government has halted the use of electroshock therapy to treat video game addicts. The order came down yesterday to a clinic in Linyi, Shandong province from the country's Ministry of Health, according to China Daily.While we assume the practice was halted because of ... you know, the obvious, we'd like to believe that the treatment was stopped because it was just making the patients even more addicted to the Addams Family Electric Shock Machine game.[Via GamePolitics]
Thai gov't shuttering gaming sites over boy's suicide
Citing "the encouragement of addictive gaming," the government of Thailand recently shut down approximately 72 websites "offering access to online gambling and games." The decision was made shortly after the tragic suicide of 12-year-old Pongsathorn Wattanabenjasopha, allegedly caused by his father banning him from playing PC games. While a variety of studies have simultaneously "proven" and "disproven" the addictive properties of video games, Bundit Sornpaisarn, director of the Rajanagarindra Child and Adolescent Mental Health Institute, told the Bangkok Post, "The boy's suicide reflected that children who were addicted to games and had an aggressive mentality were more likely to commit suicide than others." While we're not sure of the correlation with video games in Mr. Sornpaisarn's statement or why shutting down gaming/gambling websites in Thailand is the response to a child's suicide, we extend our condolences to everyone affected by the events.[Via GamePolitics]
Herald Sun: Game addiction on the rise, industry 'in denial'
Let's face it, folks, game addiction is hot. We've all read the stories, some of them funny and others tragic. And then, of course, there are the scare pieces. Enter Australia's Herald Sun, which declares that gaming addiction is on its way to becoming a national health problem. The article notes that "psychologists" are claiming that gaming addiction is affecting a growing number of Australians and the headline even proclaims "Tech addicts playing video games for up to 10 hours a day."The source, apparently, is one psychologist by the name of William Campos. Said Campos, "I had one patient who was so involved with one game called World of Warcraft and would play it up to eight [to] ten hours a day.'' To clarify: That's one psychologist referring to one patient. Furthermore, in reaction to a statement from the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia, which claims that gaming addiction is "not a lasting obsession for the majority" of players, the article claims that the games industry is "in denial." We won't deny that gaming addiction is a problem for some gamers, but to imply that the majority of players are addicts -- which the Herald Sun has done by calling the IEAA's statement denial -- is simply fallacious.Then again, maybe we're just in denial.
