Video Games Are Addicting (Like Cigarettes, Drugs, Et. al)
LordM | 26 March, 2007 18:27
I still remember the days when my brother and I were so addicted to MMORPGs. In fact, during our "peak," we played for 18 - 20 hours straight, ate, and played again until we couldn't stand it anymore. This went on for days and to tell you the truth, it was not a pretty sight.
I remember looking like a zombie then.... Our eyes having bags so big, owls were no match for it. We also kept 350 pesos a month just to play online and be part of the thousands who play at night (since we attended school during the day). This was the life of an online MMORPG gamer...
Fast forward to 2007 -> My brother is quite busy studying (as he is going to be a doctor soon) and I am now working (for Hardwarezone, of course) with MMOs at the bottom of my things to do.
But what if I told you gamers out there that some scientists are comparing MMORPG Addiction to... Gambling?
According to DailyTech.com, "a number of researchers are conducting studies as to whether or not the addiction to Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) can be harmful to gamers."
In a study conducted by Dr. John Charlton, psychology research fellow at the University of Bolton, he said that MMORPG addiction can be "potentially damaging for players' work, home and social life."
According to the article:
50 percent admitted to not getting a proper amount of sleep, 40 percent admitted their social life suffered, 40 percent said the amount of game play was causing issues at home, 35 percent said they missed meals to continue game play, and 30 percent admitted that gameplay interfered with work.
In retrospect, I probably had that gaming addiction too as:
- I did not get enough sleep most of the time (2 hours maximum)
- I rarely went out during summer (Since I prefer playing and level grinding than going out!)
- I got more irritated than ever before ("ARGH! Get away from me!")
- I ate meals at a weird time (12 midnight for dinner, 4 am for breakfast, and 3pm for lunch)
- And to a certain degree, I slept quite late during those Battlefield and RF sessions.
Right now I am glad that I was able to kick the habit. But how about you gamers out there? Is it true that MMORPGs cause addiction?
Tell me what you think after reading the complete news article after clicking this link. Hopefully, MMOs did not cause you failing grades, break-ups, or even heartaches. Or am I wrong?
comments
Isn't that common knowledge?
Erik Escueta | 28/03/2007, 14:45
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Of course MMO games are going to be addicting. Ever since the Family Computer days (hell, even the Atari days) addiction has been a constant in the medium's proliferation. Would you have been able to finish the original Super Mario Brothers without getting addicted? You couldn't save your progress, so you had to do it in one sitting, settling in the addiction.
Eventually, saving your game progress (which became popular during the advent of the original Playstation) curbed down the addictive qualities of games, since you could put that joypad down and sleep, eat, and poop, and time in the game would literally be in limbo until you got back to it. But MMO's proceed even when you're not logged on, so now the addiction of keeping up with the times has been reinstated, and is getting worse (remember when people actually DIED IN REAL LIFE playing an MMO?).
As for MMO's being like gambling - I disagree, at least for now. The clincher would be that, since MMO's are now incorporating in-game currencies, if that becomes a standard then it may be the final judgement in rendering the genre as gambling per se, since gambling has to always involve money (pay-to-play systems don't count).
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back on Nintendo Wifi and defend my leaderboard position in YGO:WC2007(NDS).