addiction
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Ask WoW Insider: How do you know when you're addicted?
Gather 'round for the weekly edition of Ask WoW Insider, wherein we publish your questions for your peers to answer. This week brings us a bit of Friday levity care of Marlin: My friend came up with his top 10 ways to know you're addicted to WoW. I thought it was funny and figured others could possibly add to the list. Top 10 ways to know you play too much World of Warcraft: 10. You try to book a vacation in Azeroth. 9. You've ever planned to "raid" another department. 8. You consider work assignments "quests" and expect items and XP for completing them. 7. You have ever challenged a co-worker to a duel. 6. You want your paycheck in gold, silver and copper. 5. Your character is killed by a higher ranking enemy so you take a week off to "extract vengeance". 4. You have ever called in sick because your character died and you are in "mourning". 3. You have ever tried "hearthing" to escape work. 2. You've ever mistaken your supervisor for a class trainer and demanded new skills. 1. You refuse to answer to anything other than your WoW character's name. Big ups to Marlin's unnamed friend for the list, and now it's time to open the floor to you all to add to it. What are your signs of addiction? Remember people, there are only 12 Steps to recovery -- and if we could only find a tank and a healer we could all get through them together. Don't forget to send us your questions for next week -- hit us up at ask AT wowinsider DOT com.
Game addiction on the rise, but 'stable' genes should prevent violent outbursts
When combined, a pair of new studies (conveniently stacked on GamePolitics.com) suggests that game addiction is a rising concern among American youth, but, if we also trust Aussie researchers, violent side effects are not. According to a new Harris poll, 8.5% of the US's youngsters are now clinically addicted to games, and as many as 23% have felt the jonesing itch for a fix. Thankfully, Australia's Swinburne University of Technology has published findings which indicate that violent games ('cause let's face it, violent games are the only kind American tweens get lifted on) don't increase the likelihood of a "stable" child becoming more aggressive.The Swinburne study seems to define "stable" as non-hyper. So, considering that about 7% of children are currently diagnosed with ADHD, presumably about 0.6% of America's young people (percentage of ADHD-diagnosed kids addicted to games) pose a potential threat to society. A small percentage no doubt, but with a reported 73.5 million children in the US in 2005, we could be living among something like 450,000 latent killer gamers -- hit the panic button![Disclosure: blogger's math skills have not been evaluated since December 1999; some calculations may be inaccurate. Call for panic still very real!]Read - Poll Indicates Game Addiction on the Rise Among YouthRead - Study Says Stable Kids Unaffected by Game Violence
University: Gaming addiction is real but over-diagnosed
Research at the U.K's University of Bolton says that gaming addiction may be over-diagnosed up to 10 percent of the time because indicators that were previously thought to relate to a gaming addiction had been borrowed from gambling addictions; what are the odds? Those markers may not translate between the two behavior patterns as well as previously thought. 10 percent doesn't sound like a major mistake -- unless you're in that group -- but the study balances some recent reports that hype and overstate the problem. (Oh Tyra, we thought you were better than the local news.) Still, the research stresses that gaming addictions are real.See also:Game addiction battled with silent soundDutch game addiction clinic is "swamped"Gamer addiction patient says he "peed in a bottle"Faux News investigates WoW addiction
UK's The Times becomes WoW pusher this Saturday
This Saturday, UK newspaper The Times will offer readers a disc with a 14-day trial of World of Warcraft. The edition will also include an eight-page guide to the game. Like a good drug dealer, Blizzard knows that you just have to give a customer that first hit of WoW to keep them coming back for more. The only real difference between a drug dealer and Blizzard is that dealers can't advertise in The Times -- well, not legally.We can certainly expect Blizzard to start using more unorthodox approaches in growing their customer base. With 8.5 million WoW players, they've got plenty of money to blow on marketing now and continue the march toward the mind-blowing 10 million user mark. Blizzard is sure to announce their upcoming WoW expansion in the next few months, along with whatever new title they're working on.
College bookstore puts WoW in the window
The Tensor was walking past the bookstore at "Unnamed University" (oh come on, you can tell us-- The University of Washington, maybe?) and saw the sight you see above. That's right, a college bookstore has WoW proudly displayed in their front window.Are they actively trying to distract their students from work? Don't get me wrong-- there are plenty of good reasons to play WoW, even if you're supposed to be studying for a career. But I'm glad WoW didn't get released until I was out of college with a degree-- I had enough trouble when I discovered Civ, sophomore year, as it was.[ via WorldofWar.net ]
Game addiction battled with silent sound
Hear that? No, you can't. But, according to a report in The Korea Times, venture start-up Xtive claims to have developed an inaudible sound sequence that could have already broadcast its message 200,000 times since you began reading this post. And what message is that?Xtive says its message will encourage so-called game addicts to stop playing. "Game users can't recognize the sounds. But their subconscious is aware of them and the chances are high they will quit playing," says company president Yun Yun-hae, before adding, "We can easily change the messages. In this sense, the potential for this technology is exponential." Yun then cracks a grin, followed by a sinister cackle. Exponential...[Via GamePolitics]
Obese gamer collapses, dies after "marathon" gaming session
Well here we go again. Reuters is reporting that a Chinese gamer has died after a "marathon," weeklong gaming session. The 26-year-old apparently collapsed on Saturday after he spent the entire week before (he'd been on break because of the Lunar New Year's celebration) playing an unidentified online game. A local teacher says the reason he played games for a full week was that because of the holiday, "there are only two options. TV or computer. What else can I do in the holiday as all markets, KTV and cafeterias are shut down?"Be prepared, I guess, to hear about this in all future media examinations of whether or not WoW is addictive. I won't argue that this isn't a sad thing to hear-- no matter what the real cause of this poor guy's death, there were serious problems there that should have been fixed a long time ago.But I will note that the article mentions the 26-year-old weighed 330 lbs. Why doesn't the headline say "Food addict dies"? Also of note, the last line of the article says that China considers 13% of its Internet users under 18 addicted. WoW, according to "experts," is supposed to be 40% addicts, but neither figure, as far as I can see, actually says what they define as "addicts"-- are they setting the bar for "addiction" low or high?
WoW Moviewatch: Curing video game addictions
With all the press gaming addiction, and specifically WoW addiction, has been getting lately, it was only a matter of time before even YouTube contained a repository of suggested cures. Though I don't think these guys are entirely serious... (Ouch!) Previously on Moviewatch...
VR game helps addicts quit smoking
Game addiction might be a hot topic at the moment, but researchers at the University of Georgia are hoping a specially designed virtual reality game can help people get over a much more prevalent addiction: smoking. Patients in the study don a ridiculous looking VR headset and are placed in simulations of situations where they might be tempted to smoke, like a party full of other smokers or a tight traffic jam. With the help of a therapist, the smoker gradually learns how to handle these situations without lighting up. Does it work? One elderly smoker interviewed for the story had failed to quit with the patch and medications, but after the VR sessions found she could "be in a room with four or five people smoking and I don't light up." We have the opposite problem -- after years of playing Mario, it's hard for us to be in a room full of turtles without feeling the need to jump on their backs over and over. Related: Virtual reality student project aims to cure acrophobia [Via Game|Life]
WoW Moviewatch: "Level Up"
Here's a nine-minute mini-documentary on MMORPGs in general, with a focus on WoW. It attempts to investigate possibilities of addiction, effects on socialization, and the feeling most of us are familiar with that sometimes WoW is more work than play. This is perhaps not a piece that asks any new questions, but it's a nice summary at any rate. As far as addiction goes, I have to agree with Gamesfirst.com Editor in Chief Shawn Rider that talking about WoW and other MMOs in terms of addiction is generally "a way of hyperbolizing the situation to make it sound much more dramatic than it actually is." [thanks, Dave]
British cops caught playing PSP on duty
First a Lancanshire bus driver is fired for playing a PSP while driving, now this. England's Sun newspaper is reporting on a pair of East London police officers caught playing a PSP while they were supposed to be guarding a wall in danger of collapsing. The cops were so engrossed in the game that they didn't even notice a passerby snapping a camera phone picture of their loafing (above). The Sun reports that the cops were playing a "footie" game (soccer to us normal people), which is a little disappointing to us. If they were playing Grand Theft Auto or something, at least they could argue they were researching the motivations behind the criminal element or something. Heck, even Lumines would have been beneficial for cops' spatial and quick thinking skills. If these cops want to play soccer, they should join a league. [Via Columbus Dispatch]
WoW ruined your life? Stop playing! [Update]
Slashdot is pointing to this blog post, written by a guy who just quit WoW, about how it completely ruined his life. According to him, WoW and the time "required" for even casual raiding were responsible for him gaining weight, losing his girlfriend and friends, wrecking his health, and generally causing him untold anguish and pain. On top of that, after he's quit, he even complains that his guild-- gasp-- moved on without him.Listen to me, right now: if this game is ruining your life, stop playing. If your girlfriend is telling you to choose between her and WoW, choose her, you idiot. If you're about to lose your job because you play this game too much, stop playing this game. It's a game. It's not responsible for any of the stuff that happened to this blogger-- he is.We've heard the arguments he makes before-- blah blah blah, the game is addictive, it becomes an obsession, Blizzard is rewarding farming and time investment instead of skill. And all those things are true, to a degree. But coffee is addictive, too, and so is smoking, and so is alcohol. Is it beer's fault that college students do stupid things on the weekend? Of course not-- it's the students' fault for drinking too much beer. And if this guy is overweight, girlfriendless, and a loser, it's his fault, not the game. WoW is just that-- a game. Shame on him for forgetting that when most of the seven million other players don't seem to have a problem with it.And the worst part... is after the jump.
WoW Moviewatch: An unpreventable case of WoW addiction
This piece from an Austrailian news magazine basically boils down to OMG WOW IS KILLING OUR CHILDREN. So let's review what WoW is responsible for in this kid's life: Cursing and general aggressiveness and debauchery (hole-punching, bottle-smashing) Sunken eyes and pale skin Making "friends" in other countries Using an American accent (gasp-- we know, we know, he "just picked it up") Twelve hours of voluntarily playing a game at a time And, perhaps most shocking, he actually plays a pally And this is just "the tip of the iceberg," people! Yup, it's all the game's fault. Not the kid's for his "choice to be addicted to it," not the parent's for letting her kid play apparently whenever he wants to for as long as he wants to, and definitely not the media for blowing up a game that millions of people play without any problems into something that CAUSED THAT SUICIDE IN CHINA! Blizzard made that poor mother cry!I'm just praying, as I'm sure you are, dear reader, that we find a cure for this seemingly unpreventable "World of Warcraft" disease soon (the psychologist points out it's not in the DSM-IV-- wonder why that is...). Maybe a set schedule, moving the computer out of the bedroom, or, you know, an off button. Because if we don't, OUR CHILDREN WILL CONTINUE TO DIE. Please, for the sake of the children, let's spread fear and panic without actually researching or investigating the subject of our report at all.
Civilization causes missed book deadline
Ever spent months getting absolutely nothing done because you're so obsessed with a game? You're not alone. British sci-fi author Iain Banks has admitted that his next book, Matter, will be delayed due to the author's crippling Civilization addiction. The Independent reports that the author of The Player of Games played the game for three months straight without getting any work done.To solve the problem, Banks eventually had to "delete all the saved files and smash the CD." There's always the chance of a relapse, though -- maybe someone should tell this guy about Civilization Anonymous.[Via Idle Thumbs]
Breakfast Topic: On Holiday with Azeroth
The problem with becoming immersed in WoW is that it's hard to leave behind -- I'm at the Develop conference at the moment, and whenever there's an hour or so of downtime I'm tempted to just log in and.. you know, check auctions or something.I succumbed to the temptation when I discovered a convenient wireless access point.. on the beach. What's the oddest place you've taken WoW? Or do you have more self-control than I -- can you leave it behind happily?
The Lighter Side of WoW Addiction
Blizzplanet has a humorous article online about the symptoms...and consequences of WoW addiction. And we're not talking the usual consequences here, like loss of friends, poor eyesight, getting fired from your job...no, some of these folk have created a sort of Darwin awards category for WoW addicts.Like the surprising number of people who have left a pizza in the oven, only to forget about it in the midst of a WoW session & almost asphyxiate from the smoke (this is apparently now officially known as a "WoW Pizza"). Or kid who almost burned down his parent's house when his TV shorted out & caught fire a few feet behind him but he couldn't hear it for the WoW blasting out of his headphones. Even Blizzard employees apparently aren't safe, as they apparently have a bad habit of letting pastries explode in microwaves wile engrossed in their own game.If you guys are like me, I know you've done some stupid stuff while playing MMO's. I once managed to spill an entire bowl of boiling-hot soup all over my keyboard while in the midst of a temple fight in Uldaman, rendering it immidiately useless and almost scarring my crotch for life. Fess up; what's the dumbest thing WoW ever made you do?
Chinese Gamers Laugh in the face of Addiction
Somewhere, Boris Badenov is laughing over his dinner of roast moose.The ever-trusting Chinese government, which last year created legislation to erase the freedom of....er, I mean restrict the playing time of online gamers to less than five hours per week, has recently learned to its dismay that up to 14% of players have taken measures to circumvent the restrictions, such as setting up multiple accounts in games such as WoW. Slashdot reports today that the next step for the lovable autocratic regime is to launch a massive campaign over the summer to ban minors from internet cafes. I suppose they don't really care if the adults are addicted; you know, the ones who are actually supposed to keep society running as smooth as a sweat shop. In any case, I'm honestly surprised that the percentage of folks bucking the system is so low. If this were a domestic issue, I'd like to think that gamers would be rioting in the streets. But then again, that's never worked out so well in China....
Why Am I Addicted to WoW?
No...not me; I know why I'm addicted...'cus it's a flippin' sweet game. And because I've been an avid RPG'er all my life, and WoW is simply the logical progression of that. No, the person asking that question is in fact the author of this article over at flickrgaming, a relative WoW 'noob' (sorry for using the 'n' word) who has found themselves hopelessly addicted to the game we all know & love.The atricle gives some insight into just what the appeal of WoW is to a casual gamer, comparing the learning curve & playing experience to the much more demanding world of online RTS's (real-time strategy games) to illustrate just how impressive a job Blizzard has done in making it's flagship product accessible to not only the 40+ hour per week raiding guild member, but the relative newcomer to the genre as well. It's an interesting & well-thought out read; check it out at this link, and let us know just what it is that keeps YOU addicted to WoW....
HDTV = heroin?
Addicted to high-def? No chance of that happening. You're just reading this blog on a Sunday morning because you choose to. We would never compare the feverish need for increased resolution that keeps you tuned to Discovery-HD watching a documentary you would have fallen asleep on in grade school to the effects of controlled substances. This Columbia Tribune sports editor however seems particularly weak-willed and unable to control his impulses, watching sports continuously on his new HDTV. A lost soul.I think this is more propaganda meant to confuse the masses about high definition, and cause fear about its effects. You can stop watching HD anytime you want, and everyone knows that real life has better pixel density than even 1080p and very few compression artifacts, it's no contest. Even this fall when football will be on practically every day and we can anticipate all the new network shows will be high definition, there will be uh...plenty of reasons to go outside.Now if you'll excuse me, I have to unplug my phone so no one interrupts me about skipping Father's Day brunch to catch Brazil vs. Australia World Cup action in 720p.[Happy Father's Day Dad!]
Gaming plague sweeps South Korea, at least 1 million infected
First SARS, then bird flu, and now video games. In the past three years, South Korea has been a hotbed for the contemporary world's most deadly plagues.Despite government intervention, an estimated 1 million South Koreans exhibit symptoms of the most severe stages of the gaming virus, forcing many to drop out of school or quit their jobs. Some are so sick they can barely eat or maintain an appropriate level of personal hygiene. In 2005, at least seven individuals fell victim to the disease, and according to a recent survey, 6 out of 10 South Koreans, ages 9 to 39, show signs of infection.Some speculate that the gaming plague has found a home in South Korea due to the country's fascination with new technology, a government policy that encourages the internet as an engine for economic growth, and a prevalence of urban, high-rise apartment blocks that make broadband networks commercially viable. It is not known at this time, to what extent, the video game virus has spread beyond South Korean borders. Here in the US, the threat level remains 'orange.'
