addiction
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DS Daily: A week without
The awesome Leigh Alexander, who writes for pretty much everyone (including herself) thinks she has a problem. She has figured out that between playing games, making game-related crafts, and doing other game-related things (like writing about games), she may be a little unhealthily addicted. After all, as shocking as it may be, there is an entire world out there without games (we know, it hurts us to think of it, too!) So what's a girl to do?Clearly, attempt to go an entire week without playing games of any kind. Nothing. None. Not even, as she says, Minesweeper. Having just restarted Puzzle Quest (again), this blogger feels the burn of potential obsession as well, but a whole week? Without any games? That's daunting. Could you do it?
Worst gaming hubby - ever
If you find this news item about the Chinese gaming husband who drove his wife to attempt suicide boring... blame the holiday furor for the lack of any Earth shattering MMOG news this week. That, or you're not married at the moment and could care less. But if you ever have plans to tie the knot, pay attention, and don't do what this guy did.See, I am a gaming husband, so I found the bit about it over on PlayNoEvil to be quite humorous. Well, sort of - since it had an upbeat ending (no one died). Whenever these stories (almost always coming from overseas) involving people playing until they drop dead from lack of eating, or in this case doing something equally stupid, ya gotta go... WTF? This latest off the wall news involves a newlywed husband. Guy just got married and he's more intimately involved with a video game than he is with his new wife (Bad Move #1). The new hubby goes on a gaming bender for two months (Bad Move #2) and racks up online fees to the tune of $2,700 (20,000 yuan in China) - of his new wife's money (Bad Moves #3 and #4). When the well runs dry he goes and asks for more (Bad Move #5)! She of course balks at the absurd request, a fight ensues (I wonder if he ever contemplated going the route of his fellow countryman and use WoW as an excuse for some supernatural powers). The wife goes and takes a bunch of sleeping pills in an attempt to kill herself, which fails due to the timely arrival of a healing mage, er... paramedics. As the Gaming World Turns...Do you have an equally bizzaro tale? If so, let us hear it!
Dr. Phil comes off as pro-MMO
Over at the games blog Game|Life they pointed out a somewhat rare event: a sudden outbreak of common sense. Well-known psychologist for the masses 'Dr. Phil' recently stuck up for virtual worlds on national television. More specifically, he pointed out that there was nothing inherently wrong with them. On a episode devoted to teen behavior, Dr. Phil confronted a young woman who apparently spent too much time in the There virtual space. While Phil apparently couldn't understand the appeal of online friendships, he did take pains to clarify there was nothing wrong with the service or the activity - just her choice to over-indulge. Addressing Michael Wilson, CEO of There, the good doctor explained that there were "a tremendous number of safeguards" in place at There, saying "Your intention is not to consume kids from their real life. Like many MMOs, There is free to play but charges for in-game items like cars and furniture. According to Wilson, if someone is overspending, There will contact the account holder and ask them if they're aware of how much they've spent on the game. If a parent calls with concerns, There will shut off their kid's account. In other words, said Dr. Phil to his guests, "The problem is not the game, the problem is the use of it."Now if only Phil could communicate that to most of America ...
Indie game designer calls MMOs "empty," craves something more
If World of Warcraft or Lord of the Rings Online didn't have levels or gear, would you still play? Would you still spend several hours fighting Murlocs or servants of the White Hand if the point was the battle itself, and not the XP and loot rewards? At MIGS 2007, indie game developer Jonathan Blow talked about differentiating between gameplay that hooks players with fun or an emotionally affecting story, and gameplay that hooks players with an addictive rewards system. "MMOs are notorious for having relatively empty gameplay, but keeping players hooked with constant fake rewards. This creates the treadmill," he said. "Rewards are a way of lying to the player so they feel good and continue to play the game ... but I am forced to put forth this question -- would they still play a game if it took out all the scheduled rewards?"Gamasutra wrote up the highlights of Blow's presentation. It's a lengthy article that reaches far beyond MMOs, and is a must-read for people who are serious about gaming. But what's the answer to his MMO question? Does World of Warcraft (or any other game like it) feed a hunger for fun gameplay, or is it just a quick-but-empty fix? We have to tackle that question if the MMO is ever going to move past the grind and become something substantial.
Damion Schubert seeks a different kind of grind
MMO developers and publishers try to provide game-play that keeps you coming back again and again so you won't stop their money flow by canceling your subscription. The easiest way for them to do this is to make their games an addictive grind. You feel compelled to level up. You can't help yourself.Just because something's addictive, though, doesn't mean it's fun. But is there another way? Damion Schubert (of Meridian 59 and Ultima Online fame, and one of a certain blogger's personal heroes) posed that question on his Zen of Design blog. MMOs must be centered around highly repeatable activities, Schubert said. Combat, for example, works well because developers can put in a lot of changeable variables to make the experience different every time. On the other hand, he uses puzzle/mystery games like Myst as examples of games not based on a repeatable activity. Once a puzzle is solved, it's solved, and that's the end of it. So, if not that, then what? What other games have mechanics that can be used as a model for MMO game-play that sticks?That discussion is going on right now at Zen of Design.
South Korean civic group set to rid country of mobile phone addiction?
In an effort to battle the evils of mobile culture and it addictive effects, the civic group School Beautiful Movement together with SKT Telecom and Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity (KADO), has launched a program to help kids better manage their cell use. Twelve kids were chosen from elementary, middle, and high schools to participate in the program and will spend time talking about the cell use, feelings when their cell isn't available, and proper use over the next two months. The program will also feature special cell phone lockers for the kids to hide their handsets away in during class time if the urge is just too great. In a KADO survey from 2005 it was revealed that 90% of South Koreans between 14 and 19 had mobiles and 38% of those sent more than 1,000 text messages a month, and 43% reported using them during -- gasp -- lectures. While we think this is all a very good idea -- and know that we could totally quit anytime we wanted to, we just don't want to -- we have to wonder why SKT is onboard here, perhaps new mobile for all the participants SKT?
The Daily Grind: The nature of addiction
I can't forget an article featured earlier this year on The Washington Post about an internet addiction clinic in China, and how they were treating patients there with the same techniques they've used on heroin addicts. From electroshock therapy to involuntary isolation, take your pick.That's disturbing enough in itself, but personally? I've never considered internet usage to be addiction. Let alone MMOs, which are always at the heart of the argument. Would we send people to addiction clinics for watching too much TV? Reading too many books? Drinking too many smoothies? Of course not. Personal choice isn't addiction, even if it isn't good for you.But maybe we're too close to the issue. Judging from admittance to the clinic, anyone who has attended a Molten Core raid in World of Warcraft is a die-hard addict. We've all heard -- or seen! -- one or two horror stories, as well.Do you consider over-usage of the internet to be personal choice? Habit? Or an addiction that should be treated as such?
The dangers of Warcraft
This comic began its life in the 1960s as a "Dangers of Alcohol" comic, but with updated text it manages to fit World of Warcraft surprisingly well. (And before you click, be warned -- though the first panel looks innocent, the comic itself is not at all safe for work.) And for those of you in the same situation as poor John in our comic, just remember that the first step in your standard 12-step program is to admit that you're powerless over World of Warcraft and that your life has become unmanageable. Step two usually involves extensive EverQuest therapy.[via Boing Boing, thanks Fantastik]
Mahalo Daily ponders WoW addiction
We're gonna ask you to remember back, way back, to BlizzCon 2007 wherein one Ms. Veronica Belmont – friend of the 'stiq – interviewed the legendary Leeroy Jenkins (read: Leeeerrooyyy Jenkins). That video, recorded nearly 3 months ago to the day, was meant as a preview, or tease if you will, of her upcoming Mahalo Daily video podcast. Now, with the podcast underway, she's returned to the grist of BlizzCon for Mahalo Daily's fourth installment titled, naturally, "Video Game Addiction." Our favorite part? "Probably not a good question to ask me." Something told us he was going to say that.
MMOGology: Addiction and you
A few months back I caught a report on NPR discussing whether video game addiction was an actual addiction. The guests on the show all agreed that it was a real phenomenon. There was even a former drug addict who called in and confessed that quitting his game was harder than quitting heroin. Although no specific game or games were mentioned, it was apparent that the caller was addicted to a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG).Since gaming is a maturing form of entertainment that has only recently merged into the mainstream it seems a popular target for non-gaming journalists seeking the next sensational story. It strikes a nerve with me when the press uses the word addiction in the context of video games because it carries a sinister connotation. It darkens an already gloomy perception of a hobby I love. Games have already been blamed for shootings and desensitization to violence. Now gamers have "addict" to add to our list of perceived sins. There seems to be an element of society eager to demonize gaming for whatever reason. Regardless of mainstream media misperception, video game addiction; especially MMOG addiction, is an oft recurring topic in the gaming community. So are MMOGs really addictive? If so, what elements make them addictive? If they are addictive, what should we do about it?
How to deal with a "WoW widow" (without going insane)
"Are you *still* playing that silly game of yours?""Why do you stay up all night playing on your computer?""You pay more attention to that game of yours than you do to me!" Many of you have heard these words from your angry spouse or significant other. Many more of you have been unwise enough to try to defend yourself only to find yourself embroiled in a bitter, and sometimes relationship-ending, argument. Still more of you look over your shoulders at night fighting off feelings of guilt for sneaking into your computer room in order to get a few hours of your favorite game in. Such struggles might lead to resentment and may certainly put a strain on your relationships with the people who are most important to you.I have good news and bad news for you. The bad news is that situations like this are most certainly your fault. The good news is that it isn't for the reason you think it is. There is no difference between the guy who schedules a raid on Tuesday night from 8:00 to midnight and the guy who has a weekly bowling night with his friends at the same time. There is no difference between the guy who plants himself on the couch to watch the big game and the guy who welds his butt to a computer chair for 5 hours on a Sunday afternoon. So why do we never hear the terms "Bowling League Widows" or "Sunday Football Widows" kicked around, but jokes about "WoW Widows" and "MMO Spouse Support Groups" abound?
Getting enthralled, or getting to bed?
WoW tends to be a night time activity for most people, many of whom find that it's surprisingly easy to move from one objective to another and lose track of time until the wee hours of the morning. Some people I know sometimes stay up most of the night playing WoW, only to get an hour or two of sleep before whatever they have to do the next day. They're young and they say they make up that sleep at other times, but still, no one would argue that this sort of situation is ideal. A recent study reported by CNN says they're not alone. People who play MMORPGs tend to sleep less and spend more time playing than players of other computer games. It may seem obvious, since MMOs are by nature somewhat of a time-sink, but there is undeniably something more to it; any activity can potentially be a time-sink, after all -- so what is it about MMOs that makes people actually sink time? The answer is up for debate, of course, but one important factor is that WoW's community of players gives the accomplishments within the game a context of reality. The game's goals, dangling in front of us like carrots, would be nearly meaningless if we could only appreciate them in a single-player context, but with a whole realm of other players working alongside us to get them too, they can feel very important. If the choice is between a few hours having dreams you won't remember, or getting a little closer to riding an impressive dragon mount, then certainly sleep can seem boring and useless by comparison.
Might as well face it, you're addicted to WoW
A tipster sent in a link to this post about World of Warcraft, specifically, how to force yourself to stop playing it.I don't know why this made me laugh as hard as it did. For starters, some of the advice is good... I'd encourage you to read a book or take a martial arts class whether or not you're going to play WoW any longer. Books are fun. I sometimes read a book while I play WoW, but I suppose that wouldn't really be what the article is going for.Part of the problem would be that I don't want to dismiss the article out of hand. After all, "Psychological dependence does not have to be limited only to substances; even activities and behavioral patterns can be considered addictions, if they are harmful, e.g. gambling, Internet use, usage of computers, sex / pornography, eating, self-harm, vandalism or work" according to Wikipedia's article on the subject. I suppose for me it's the 'if they're harmful' qualified that gets me. So far, WoW has given me and some friends some fun times and a chance to do something as a group when we can't all get together in one place, it's allows me to make new friends who live well outside my range, and it's allowed me to work out some frustrations that would otherwise go without venting. So for me at least WoW is a game that I play and a source of fun. Clearly, for some people WoW has become a big part of their social lives. And anything you care about can become an obsession or an addiction.But still, I cannot help but laugh when I see advice like "burn yourself out by finding ways to cheat...Find a private server to play on" or my personal favorite, "Sabotage your WoW future". I'm kind of surprised the original author didn't feel the need to add "Seal yourself in a lightless vault with only tins of tomato soup for sustenance" or "hire an angry man to break your thumbs if you go near a keyboard'". It just seems so hyperbolic and reactionary that I can't help but be amused by it. The funniest part is when he advises people to play on private servers, warms them that this may get their account banned as it is a violation of Blizzard's ToS, and then later advises people to violate Blizzard's ToS to get their accounts banned. I don't think most players have to go to these extremes, I know I don't play so much that I feel this kind of fear over it.Have you already begun to construct your WoW-proof bunker?
Neglecting kids isn't videogame addiction-- it's bad parenting
The AP is reporting on the story of a couple in Nevada who claim they were so addicted to "the Internet and video games" that they neglected the health and well-being of their two children, a 22-month old girl and an 11-month old boy. I won't go into the details, although you can read them in the article, but it's a horrific story. WoW isn't mentioned-- "the fantasy role-playing Dungeons & Dragons series" is, but does that mean DDO or does the reporter just, as usual, have no idea what they're talking about?At any rate, (also as usual) the report eventually turns to videogame addiction and what a "serious issue" it is. Exactly zero mention is made of the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of parents who play WoW and other online games right alongside their children, happily and healthily. A few of my guildies are parents and often play with their kids, and our own Robin Torres writes Azeroth Interrupted, a column about doing exactly that and how to handle issues like playing with your kids. You'll also note that almost no attention is paid to the other problems with this couple-- they gained $50,000 in inheritance, and spend it on computer equipment and a plasma screen rather than anything for their two children. This isn't "abuse rooted in videogame addiction"-- it's abuse rooted in bad parenting.Kayholder over on WoW Ladies says she gets attacked for playing the game with young children at home-- people automatically say that having children around to take care of should automatically exempt you from playing a game like World of Warcraft.That's just plain wrong. Any game can be played responsibly by anyone of age, World of Warcraft included. Kay even says that she doesn't raid because she doesn't think she has the time (which is fine as well), but one of my guildies who just had yet another kid is actually our main healer. Good parenting and videogames aren't mutually exclusive-- in fact, in some situations, they're better together.
MMO couple plead guilty to child neglect
A Reno, Nev couple who were apparently obsessed with the internets and video games have plead guilty to child neglect. The couple, Michael and Iana Straw, have a 22 month boy and and 11 month girl who were severely malnourished and near death last month when doctors examined them at a hospital. The couple, according to prosecutors, were so obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons Online they neglected their children. Guess it's true what they say about bad games and addiction. The couple faces a potential 12 year prison sentence each."They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were too busy playing video games," said the prosecutor to the Reno Gazette-Journal. Now would be a good time to stop reading if you don't want the bad details. Police say hospital staff had to shave the girls head because it was matted with cat urine and the boy had to be treated for a "genital infection." Apparently Michael Straw, an unemployed cashier, received a $50,000 inheritance, which he spent on computer equipment and a plasma TV. Allegedly the couple was simply addicted to video games and there was no drug abuse. Maybe it's time the AMA got cracking on trying to figure out what the real deal is with video game addiction.
Video game addiction "not a mental disorder"
If you've been thinking lately that your video game habit is getting a bit excessive, don't worry. According to reports this week, doctors backed away from a proposal that would have designated certain types of video gaming as a mental disorder (similar to alcoholism or gambling addiction) -- so you can rest easy knowing that whatever it is that you're doing to yourself probably isn't that big of a deal. We attempted to speak to two avid gamers concerning the decision, but one was busy fighting Razorgore the Untamed in WoW, and the other claimed that he didn't have a problem and could quit whenever he wanted.
Addiction experts: Video games aren't an addiction
Apparently the doctors from the American Medical Association (AMA) who were looking to have video game addiction classified as a disease have backed away from their decision. They now recommend the American Psychiatric Association, who would have had the final word on the matter anyway, consider doing more research into the issue and possibly add the diagnosis to their revision of the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) in 2012. The AMA doctors who believe video game addiction exists say it affects approximately 10% of players, but say more study is needed.."There is nothing here to suggest that this is a complex physiological disease state akin to alcoholism or other substance abuse disorders, and it doesn't get to have the word addiction attached to it," said Dr. Stuart Gitlow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York. But Dr. Thomas Allen of the Osler Medical Center says, "Working with this problem is no different than working with alcoholic patients. The same denial, the same rationalization, the same inability to give it up." But is that addiction, compulsion or just playing really bad games? That's the question.Dr. Louis Kraus who deals in child and adolescent psychiatry says it's not such cause-and-effect issue. He says certain kids just have a more "compulsive component" in what they do. Kinda sounds like the same argument about kids who play video games and kill. The AMA will make its final recommendation on the issue later this week.
How much WoW is too much WoW?
Today has a new podcast from the folks over at Taverncast, and it has my guild a-buzz with talk of WoW Addiction. We're a casual raiding guild, 3 nights a week, 4 hours a night. Sure, that's 12 hours of commitment a week, but still a low number compared to other raiding guilds. That would be well and fine, but a large number of our members play a lot outside of raiding hours - farming mats, doing daily quests, getting reputation, etc. So when the Taverncast After Hours #3 came up today, with the gang discussing gaming addiction, and one member going so far as to undertake a little experiment a la Morgan Spurlock, it really got us thinking - are we playing too much WoW? Some of the things on their list (about an hour in) of questions to ask yourself, I have had to say yes to at one time or another. How about you?So, go take some time out to listen (while you're playing WoW, of course) and then come back and let us know how much WoW you play each week, and what you think is a reasonable amount of time to commit to the game. Is 15 hours in a row of ANY activity too much? (listen to the whole podcast to get that one)
The Dangers of Internet Parenting: an Azeroth Interrupted Special Feature
Each week, Robin Torres contributes Azeroth Interrupted, a column about balancing real life with WoW.A local Philadelphia news station covered this story yesterday about the dangers of MMO addiction. It is a more responsible article than most because it quotes an actual psychologist as saying that most people have no problem playing WoW, just the people who have problems dealing with reality. On a related note, the always delightful Jack Thompson seems to have sent out another letter, this one to Microsoft, about Halo 3 being marketed to underage gamers. I'm not going to get into a discussion about the merits of Jack's case (cough media slut cough) or the impossible task of marketing to 17 year olds, but not 16 year olds. I also don't want to belittle addiction. Addiction is a real and horrible thing that ruins more lives than just the addict's, whether the addiction is WoW or alcohol or whatever. Often addicts will move from one addiction to another, unable to cope with life without a crutch. I, unfortunately, know somebody like this. The problem I have with the Internet Addiction news story, all news stories like it and everything having to do with Mr. Virtual Ambulance Chaser is the fact that it is "news" that children don't do well when they are electronically babysat. Well, duh.More on this topic and some solutions after the jump.
Carson Daly beats his Wii addiction
Yes, okay, it's a hokey clip from a talk show, but it's also Wii-related and the funniest thing Carson Daly has ever done. That puts it ahead of ... that one thing that Carson Daly said, and, uh ... probably something else. Oh, oh, he was on My Name is Earl! Okay, this is funnier than that one time he was on My Name is Earl. This clip parodies the A&E series Intervention with the sad, sad tale of Daly's battle with Wii addiction. We'd probably watch more Last Call and Intervention (more than none) if they featured stuff like this instead of whatever it is they actually feature. We've embedded the YouTube video after the break.[Via NeoGAF]
