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| Thread: Computer Addiction |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 · NEXT» |
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RedSoxFan3
Admirable
Legendary Hero
Fan of Red Sox
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posted November 18, 2005 02:23 PM |
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Computer Addiction
I had originally posted this here, because I did not have a word processor on my computer and I needed some way to write everything down and save it so that I could go to the computer labs and print out this report. I then deleted it, about half an hour later. However it received several clicks and someone IMed me about it saying that I should have kept it, because it really hits close to home.
This topic certainly does hit very close to home. This is part of the very cyberworld to which today's youth is growing increasingly addicted. I had written some of my personal accounts of my own computer addiction, which I didn't want to share, because I was and still am embarrassed about it. But I decided to put it back up, because I feel it's an issue that this community should be aware of. I am pretty sure that there have been numerous members in the past who have become addicted to Heroes Community or some other type of computer addiction. However I am certain that there are also numerous other members who have come to Heroes Community for years and were never addicted to the computer.
Well here's my report. I'll be writing about this topic for the next few weeks in my class, so I will likely add to this topic as I do more research on this issue.
The Information Age
Today the world is filled with ways to communicate and spread information - radio, TV, cell phones, and perhaps the most powerful of all, the internet. The internet is perhaps the most powerful tools in which to acquire information. Numerous companies are built upon tapping the internet and its information. The internet is filled with search engines, email services, and file storage services. Even libraries are uploading their databases and archives onto the internet for anyone to use. Information can be found at the click of a button, rather than sifting through book after book at the town library.
The average young person of our generation would say they need the internet to have a social life, to succeed academically, and even financially. They talk to their friends online with instant messengers, send each other emails, even college students and high school students use facebook to keep in touch socially. They get most or all of their information to write their papers and reports online. Colleges post homework assignments, grades and various other course documents online as well. Nearly all businesses utilize email to take resumes, and communicate with clients. Our generation even depends on the internet to take out loans for college online, pay bills, and shop.
The accessibility of information from the internet is unrivaled by any other technology to date. The internet is such an ingrained part of this new generation's lives, that a life without the internet would be difficult in nearly every aspect of life, socially, academically, and even financially. But surprisingly or not surprisingly, the power of the internet can also be quite dangerous. Whether it is chat rooms, online games, forums, random humor websites, or pornography, a rapidly increasing percentage of our youth is becoming addicted to one or more of the various sub communities of the internet.
I feel that I have been addicted to the internet on numerous occasions. However I also feel that the internet can be a great benefit to my life in many ways. I've just recently discovered the benefits of facebook and have made contact with old friends from high school I haven't seen in years. Yet I feel at the same time it has been my one weakness, my one downfall. And it has held me back in so many ways throughout my life.
Growing up a young child, I had a lot of trouble making friends with kids my age. Intellectually I was far above most of my peers. I could read, write, and add, subtract, multiply, and divide by the time I entered kindergarten. And that was when the computer first became my crutch. Because I didn't get along with other kids and had nothing to learn, the teacher put me on the computer to play games all day to keep me busy. From an early age I was already being taught to replace my social life with games and the computer. In elementary school one of my friends asked me if I liked him because of his computer, because every time we hung out I always recommended that we play on his computer. My social development was based around games, mainly video games.
However I feel that my first true addiction to computers came when I was a freshman in High School. I became addicted to a forum called Heroes Community. I spent numerous hours browsing threads and making posts constantly. It felt like I had friends at this place called Heroes Community. Friends I had never really had in my early childhood. Even in High School, I didn't feel accepted. I didn't think I had more than two true friends at that point in my life and I didn't get to spend a lot of time with them. Heroes Community had become a replacement to fill a void in my life, the void of not feeling accepted by my peers. I had never felt accepted by my peers until my senior year in high school. This is the year that I feel I had become confident socially and felt some acceptance from my peers.
My use of the internet became much healthier and although I still visited the Heroes Community website and began moderating there, I was spending nearly all of my time writing stories with the other members. This is the time that I discovered just how much I loved creative writing. Unfortunately this was not the end of my internet addiction story.
When I left for college, I was extremely excited and happy about going to WPI. But after I got here, although I did enjoy many of my classes, I found it to be a very stressful atmosphere. I had gone from playing sports year round in high school to no exercise at college. The work loads were far more than I had ever imagined. And I was homesick. I had no outlets here at college and turned to my old crutch that I have always relied upon, the computer. And so I counted on the computer as my stress release once again. I would play various computer games to keep myself distracted. While I'm playing a game or doing anything internet related it's so easy for me to forget about everything in real life, especially if it is something I want to forget. However the resulting addiction to the internet had adverse effects that I feel set me up for future problems down the road.
During B-term a company called Blizzard released Open Beta Testing of a game they were about to release called World of Warcraft. The game is called an MMORPG, which stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game. The concept behind the game is that there are not dozens, not hundreds, but thousands of people playing the same game at the same time. Take for example partypoker.com. At that website you can choose from hundreds of rooms that seat up to nine or ten people. With World of Warcraft, you can choose from a couple dozen servers that can hold tens of thousands of people. Now because this is a role-playing game, in order to play, you must create a character, with a name, fighting class, race, etc. This links you to play on one specific server whenever you play this game. Which means out of the millions of people that might play this game, all twenty or thirty thousand people who created character on that server, will always play on that server. This means essentially that when you play, you will be playing with the same twenty thousand people with whom you always play.
To further add to the concept behind the game play, when you log on to play the game and start playing your character, you will have an entire interface built into the game meant specifically for talking to other people who play the game. You have a friends list and can add people you meet while playing the game to your friends list whenever you wish. It is very similar to AIM or other instant messaging services. So in essence the game is very social. Even the game play often requires you to party with other people playing the game, because many quests are too difficult to complete on your own, or many monsters are too difficult to kill on your own.
Another interesting characteristic about the game opposed to other games is there is no way to "win" the game. Once people are able to kill the most powerful monsters in the game, blizzard comes out with a new version of the game, which you can download for free of course. The game is constantly updated with new places, new monsters and new quests. The final thing about this type of game is the monthly fee. Most people are outraged at having to pay money every month to play a game. But the people who play it will easily admit that it is worth the money.
I signed up for Open Beta Testing and instantly became addicted to this game along with many other people in my dorm. The realness of the game blew me away, the plot, the music, the sounds of the environment. It felt like a real world. As the game progressed, I made friends that felt as if I knew them in real life, yet I knew that I didn't. I wanted to meet some of them. However, the game wasn't just a game. It was also a community of friends.
The beta testing lasted only two weeks and when it was all about to end for the last time, I felt so sad and upset that I wasn't going be able to play anymore and that I would never be able to play with the friends that I had made. By the time the game had ended, I realized that I hadn't been to class in over a week and I hadn't taken a shower either. It was as if the world around me had vanished. By the end of beta testing, I was spending all my waking hours playing that game. I failed one of my classes that term and nearly a second, mainly because of a major addiction to that game.
The following semester in March, I decided to buy World of Warcraft thinking that I was over my computer addiction. C-term was a success and I had found my excitement for school again, determined to get all As for D-term. However immediately after playing again, I became instantly addicted to the game just as before. Despite loving all of my classes, I neglected them, rarely completing homework assignments and not attending class. I cut off connections to the outside world. I didn't return my parents calls or emails; I stopped taking care of my hygiene. I can't remember specifically how often I took a shower or even brushed my teeth, but it wasn't often. The only needs I met were food, water, and bathroom. I remember praying, something I almost never do, wishing to find the willpower and courage to stop playing the game and take care of my classes, but I would just get on the game and start playing again anyway. I couldn't even explain why I wanted to play so badly. I just knew that I had to play.
If D-term didn't end and I hadn't had to go back home, I wouldn't have stopped playing that game. It bothers me to think about what might have happened had I been able to remain in that environment for much longer. I am quite sure that the people who play this game are addicted, many of them in a destructive manner. Most of the people I knew from playing the game admitted to staying up all night or at least having stayed up far too late on a fairly consistent basis. Most of the people in real life I know who play, are much less social because they play that game. Because of this very reason, there have been studies on MMORPG addiction as to why this might be addicting.
One man, Nicholas Yee, has devoted an entire website to this very study. First Yee started by defining addiction, by quoting Lance Dodes, in "The Heart of Addiction," as being psychological rather than physical. And that there are two components of the psychological addiction, Attraction Factors and Motivational Factors. Attraction Factors are the pulling factors of the addictive action, such as getting drunk or a rush of adrenaline. In contrast motivational factors are the personal issues that push you into the addictive action, such as low self-esteem or a feeling of lack of control in ones life. However neither of these alone will cause a true psychological addiction. The attraction factor must be providing an outlet for the motivational factor. Yee then proceeds to list the "three main attraction factors of MMORPGs:" the "elaborate rewards system," the "network of relationships," and the "immersive nature of these virtual environments." (http://www.nickyee.com/hub/addiction/psychology.html)
The elaborate rewards system is very complex slowly taking your deeper and deeper entrenched into getting the next reward. At the beginning of the game, the rewards are very easy to get, but as the game progresses, the rewards become better and better, but are increasingly difficult to get and require more and more time to acquire. The game is team oriented with many of the rewards impossible to get alone, forcing you to be social with other players. Also the high stress environment of the game as well as the achievement during those times of stress creates bonding between the players. Finally the immersive nature of the game draws you in from the minute you begin playing the game, the life-like sounds, the dramatic music, the incredible detail of the 3D-interface. Even the quests, plots, and items give a great impression that the world is real and alive. The feelings that people get from playing this game were then classified as "achievement," "relationship," and "immersion."
Finally Yee goes into detail about some of the possible motivation factors one might find outlets for based on the various attraction factors and summarizes with the following table:
I personally feel that my I felt all three of the attraction factors when I played this game, I was completely immersed in the virtual world, I had made friends that I wanted to meet in real life, and I felt a great amount of achievement whenever I accomplished my goals to level or when I received a reward that I worked hard to get. However I am certain that I also had motivational factors as well that got progressively worse as I became more and more addicted to the game.
Initially I felt that a lack of control over my life as well as college being stressful gave me a lot of motivation to play the game. I could forget about a lot of things and achieve quite a bit at the same time. However as I began to neglect my studies in school, I lost nearly all of my self-esteem, and became extremely stressed and angry at myself for neglecting my schoolwork, so that in turn led to even more motivation to play the game, despite my wish to stop playing the game. I knew it was causing me great harm, but my judgment was clouded and I couldn't see any way out, except to run away from my problems and continue playing the game. It had completely taken over my life. Yee also quoted numerous other accounts of people telling stories of their addictions and some of them were upsetting to hear, because I know that I could have easily been in that situation had I been out on my own, rather than being at college and going back home for the summer.
Works Cited
Nicholas Yee, "Understanding MMORPG Addiction." Ariadne. October, 2002. <http://www.nickyee.com/hub/addiction/home.html>.
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Go Red Sox!
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Consis
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Of Ruby
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posted November 18, 2005 04:00 PM |
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Good Thread RedSoxFan3
I really enjoyed the direction and the details. If this were a lunch that I ate, it was very mentally tasty. It was good food for thought.
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Roses Are Red And So Am I
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Valeriy
Mage of the Land
Naughty, Naughty Valeriy
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posted November 18, 2005 11:37 PM |
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Great post. Do post the rest when it's done.
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You can wait for others to do it, but if they don't know how, you'll wait forever.
Be an example of what you want to see on HC and in the world.
http://www.heroesofmightandmagic.com
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RedSoxFan3
Admirable
Legendary Hero
Fan of Red Sox
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posted November 21, 2005 08:21 PM |
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Articles about Computer Addiction
There are numerous articles covering wide ranges of studies on how the "addict" responds to his or her favorite computer games, chatrooms, or forums as well as the reasons why each of those objects are so desirable to that particular user. Yet in contrast there are no or very few articles that put any research into how the people who create the websites have designed their games. With nearly every other common addiction there are restrictions by law. Currently we hold the producers of these other "addictions" at least somewhat responsible in the sense that there are restrictions on either public access or the degree of danger in its overuse.
Currently in the US, there are no restrictions on computer gaming. However, in China, there have been numerous reported deaths due to fatigue and dehydration which occured while playing World of Warcraft. These people have been presumed to have been so addicted to the game that they were unable to leave the computer to sleep, eat food, or drink water. Yet Geoff Richards gives no information about the nature of computer addiction and implies strongly that China is only putting restrictions on the game simply because they can.
http://www.socialbc.com/en/node/1121
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2005/11/21/wow_lawsuit/
Note: More to come.
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Go Red Sox!
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not_a_hero
Tavern Dweller
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posted November 22, 2005 05:01 PM |
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I am so glad you put this back up....I think for so many of us, we go through periods (brief of long) where the keyboard gets our physical affection and the monitor gets our smiles; and real life gets totally ignored. It's such an easy escape, and in some ways more rewarding than RL, because you can choose by what criteria you will be judged. And unlike RL, if it turns unpleasant you can turn it off...and still get to start back up later.
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TitaniumAlloy
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Professional
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posted November 24, 2005 03:26 PM |
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Hm.. very insightful. I've seen alot of what you've described often among my peers and it sounds like you know what you're talking about.
I think I have a different look on that though..
I mean I spend a lot of time on the internet, I'll admit it. After school, I'm tired, I'll have homework which I'll have to boot up my computer to word process, so I'll sign into MSN Messenger while I'm on. Talking to your friends online is a lot more fun, and helps alot to develop RL relationships I think, well more so than TV. A way to socialize without being near your friends.
But I also play Guild Wars, another MMORPG, from time to time, and I used to play it a fair bit. I guess my main reason for starting the game was that I love character development in RPGs and having a character you designed grow to its full potential. It's like having a pet, except exactly how you want it. I don't know, I guess the quests etc. in between was just the bridge you had to cross to make you feel like this character you created was actually an achievement. But now that i've been so busy lately, weekdays and weekend, that I've barely been playing it.
I guess if you don't have anything to do you can play it and feel involved in a surreal world of fantasy which takes imagination to the next level... sort of like what you said I guess.
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John says to live above hell.
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Russ
Promising
Supreme Hero
blah, blah, blah
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posted November 24, 2005 06:18 PM |
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Edited By: Russ on 24 Nov 2005
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Nice post. I can relate to it in a way.
MMORPGs and computer games in general aren't bad if you do them for recreation. If you can (and not just think that you can) get up at any time and go do something else - you are perfectly fine. However, there is a fine line between recreation and addiction. Once you cross it the addiction will start to hurt your real life and will keep getting worse and worse.
And I think that this rule applies to pretty much everything, not just computer games. Drinking, gambling, eating (for some people), watching TV, etc, etc, etc.
Right now I play computer games for recreation and I don't see them hurting me in any way. However, a few years back it was an addiction and some of the reasons you listed in that table seem to explain why I was doind it.
Last year I saw a guy who's a textboox example of a computer addict. I think he perfectly fits in your table. He stopped coming to school for months, he completely neglects his health, hygene and everyone and everything around him. When I talked to him it turned out that he actually HAS PROBLEMS TALKING!!! He is around 16-17, he isn't suffering from any learning or other disorders and he can communicate well on the Internet (typing). But the guy speaks with others so little that his brain center responsible for understanding speech and talking must have atrophied and even if he understands a simple phrase you toss at him like "how old are you?", he spends around 10 seconds trying to remember how to actually say it in a way similar to you getting behind the wheel after a 20-year break trying to remember how to drive the car. Quite obviously, the guy in this situation gets DESTROYED at school by the other kids, has no real friends and no possibility whatsoever of getting a date, there isn't anything I can think of from the real world that doesn't cause him at least some degree of discomfort. So, his addiction to computers can only keep getting worse and worse.
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Daystar
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Back from the Dead
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posted November 25, 2005 03:26 AM |
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Interesting. I had an article on this, if i find it again i will let you know what it says. I do remember reading about a guy in Japan who played for about a day and a half straight and died.
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How exactly is luck a skill?
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TitaniumAlloy
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Professional
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posted November 25, 2005 02:16 PM |
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Well Guild Wars must have been designed with "not being able to get up" in mind because you can literally not save for a couple of hours of playing if you're doing a mission, as it only saves after you complete the mission/quest. Really frustrating if you find you have to go somewhere or do something after an hour of playing and you need five minutes to finish a massive quest, five minutes you don't have.. 
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John says to live above hell.
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Russ
Promising
Supreme Hero
blah, blah, blah
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posted November 25, 2005 03:58 PM |
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Quote:
Interesting. I had an article on this, if i find it again i will let you know what it says. I do remember reading about a guy in Japan who played for about a day and a half straight and died.
I think it was Korea, and it was much longer than day and a half. I've played for longer than that many times and I am still alive. I am sure you will find many others in here who did the same 
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Valeriy
Mage of the Land
Naughty, Naughty Valeriy
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posted November 25, 2005 07:20 PM |
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Woah! What are you records for non-stop playing or computer use? Sleeping is not allowed to consider it a non-stop. And do tell how you handled the bodily necessities
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You can wait for others to do it, but if they don't know how, you'll wait forever.
Be an example of what you want to see on HC and in the world.
http://www.heroesofmightandmagic.com
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Russ
Promising
Supreme Hero
blah, blah, blah
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posted November 25, 2005 07:57 PM |
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Edited By: Russ on 25 Nov 2005
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Quote:
Woah! What are you records for non-stop playing or computer use? Sleeping is not allowed to consider it a non-stop. And do tell how you handled the bodily necessities
Of course not! Sleep is for p***ies, anyways
I think I had 2 times it actually went over 36 hours. First time was when I started playing Jagged Alliance 2 at around 12 noon after I got up. One of the most addictive games ever made. At about 10am the next day I realized that it is morning already. I thought about sleeping, but then I said "f**k it!" and played all day.
Second time was when I played Ultima Online. I played since afternoon until 5am, then I figured that the server wars happen at 6am, and I can't afford to miss it, especially now that I had the godly gear for them. So, I killed everything that moves from 6:00 to 6:30, then server went down. I lied on my bed for about 2 mins while the server was rebooting thinking if I should sleep or not and then I went back and continued playing until the end of the next server war (6:30).
Oh, and obviously I went to the washroom when I needed it, I am sure that Korean guy didn't s**t on his chair either. Also, eating and drinking didn't take any play time off because I had a stash of cans and packaged juice right next to my PC
I pulled a lot of all nighters playing other games like Unreal Tournament, but I don't think any of them were anywhere close to 36 hours.
Btw, Val, what's your record?
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Valeriy
Mage of the Land
Naughty, Naughty Valeriy
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posted November 26, 2005 12:48 AM |
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Wow, you make me feel like a noob  I think I've always went to sleep in the end. Did play till late night sometimes, or in other times woke up at night and played into the morning, but no such amazing fits of playing longevity Sometimes I'd play the whole school holidays, but I'd sleep at night and play all day, for almost 2 weeks in a row. I think I was playing Allods at the time.
Wish TUM was here to tell us about his past!
Anyway, who else has records to tell? 
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You can wait for others to do it, but if they don't know how, you'll wait forever.
Be an example of what you want to see on HC and in the world.
http://www.heroesofmightandmagic.com
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RedSoxFan3
Admirable
Legendary Hero
Fan of Red Sox
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posted November 26, 2005 02:26 AM |
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I've heard it mentioned a couple times about people talking about how there's a fine line between addiction and being someone who really enjoys what they do. Some people are crazy sports fans that get up at 4 in the morning drive to the stadium and set up for their all day tailgate party. Is this addiction, I don't think so, this is a wonderful healthy way of enjoying your time. It is a way to relax and release some stress for them.
I do think that MMORPGs are so time-consuming to play and have strong social communities, that it's very easy to use as something to wind down and use as your daily coping mechanism for stress.
The difference between someone who greatly enjoys a game and someone who is addicted to a game is someone who craves to play a game, and uses that game as their only coping mechanism for stress.
The difference between a wine connosseur (I know this isn't spelled right) and an alcoholic is that the wine lover is the alcoholic craves it and needs it to cope with stress. The wine lover does not need wine to cope with stress and does not crave wine, though they could tell you everything there is to know about wine.
That is the key difference.
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Go Red Sox!
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Conan
Responsible
Supreme Hero
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posted November 28, 2005 02:44 PM |
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after several psych classes
I learned in my classes that anything is good with moderation.
But the problem lies when your hobby starts to hurt other parts of your life. We all have "spheres" of life. We have a student or professionnal one, a social one, etc.
When you start playing computers to the point where is affects the other spheres of your life in a negative way, then it is on the verge of becoming an addiction.
For example, if you play computers to the point where you come close to failing school and to the point where you also loose most of your friends, it is strongly possible you are addicted.
This is of course something that touches alot of what RSF said, but I just thought I'd write it in a different way to make things interesting.
About long hour feats, Jebus and I once played more than 24 hours... We where three guys playing on a hub connected with each other only.
Jebus might want to correct the numbers, but we started at 12 pm and went on to the evening of the day after... I remember telling him: "wow, you really loose your appetite if you drink water enough"
We also both used to work in the same place and our boss asked us to come in. Jebus said no, and if you want to talk to Conan, he's right here... LOL and I said no aswell.
We wasted alot of time back then... with Civ aswell!
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Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward, you will service.... us. - Star Trek TNG
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Jebus
Promising
Supreme Hero
TheJester akaJeebs akaJebfoo
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posted November 28, 2005 04:14 PM |
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Edited By: Jebus on 28 Nov 2005
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Quote:
About long hour feats, Jebus and I once played more than 24 hours... We where three guys playing on a hub connected with each other only.
Jebus might want to correct the numbers, but we started at 12 pm and went on to the evening of the day after... I remember telling him: "wow, you really loose your appetite if you drink water enough"
not to "correct" you but more to clarify...
we were playing hotseat and we had started at around 7pm.. my gf at the time came over in the evening but went to bed... at roughly 7am we "made the call" to our boss to say we wouldn't be coming in that day...
my gf got up and went to school... came back after class to use a pc(there were about 3 I think) and we were still sitting there... it was about 5pm by the time that we quit.. I went to bed and slept for what felt like forever!
personnally all the online talk I've seen about experienced players and Noobs is overrated..
you want to test your skill? play while you're drinking.. (I usually won against Conan since he got REALY brave after a few... he'd be like "I can take'em!!"
and loose his whole army... then spend hours shaking his head.. "I don't know how I lost that!" 
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"You went over my helmet??"
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Valeriy
Mage of the Land
Naughty, Naughty Valeriy
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posted November 30, 2005 01:18 AM |
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This is the real test. Withdrawal symptoms during the last 26 or so hours while HC was down, anyone?
____________
You can wait for others to do it, but if they don't know how, you'll wait forever.
Be an example of what you want to see on HC and in the world.
http://www.heroesofmightandmagic.com
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Shadowcaster
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Shaded Scribe
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posted November 30, 2005 03:20 AM |
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Once, I played a game called The Legend of Dragoon straight through without sleep; the game spanned four discs and took nearly 60 hours to complete.
The three-month period after I had graduated high school in December of 2003 yet before I had begun looking for a job was characterized by such laziness, but this weekend was even more dangerous than normal. My parents were out of town at the time, both for work, and my siblings were away at friend's houses for a three-day weekend. Left alone and unchecked, I played from about 10 pm on Friday until early Monday morning, more than tripling my previous playtime record. I did get up to take care of bodily functions, though food and drink were brought in and usually sat idle for a while before my attention was unfocused enough to eat them.
Looking back, I can't honestly say I wouldn't do it again given the chance, LoD is my favorite game ever. However, I don't have the time to do stuff like that anymore, with school and jobs and social events keeping me on the move and away from the temptation of marathon playing. If I did start missing school, that would be money out of my own pocket, money I don't even have to begin with, and I, needless to say, simply cannot miss work. Plus, I've grown to enjoy going out with friends more and more during my time at Baylor, and I doubt I could stay shut off from the world for that long unchecked by someone or another. I think those positive outside influences, and sometimes even threats of failure or termination, help keep that addiction in check.
Of course, I still do appear online quite often, but I find myself doing more productive things such as working on stories or sending out emails to coordinate things for any given group in which I particpate throughout the year rather than simply wasting time. At one time, I even feared responsibility so much that I refused to study, even refused to do certain homework assignments. I would miss class, if only to waste time doing nothing at all. Even a year ago, I was addicted to self-induced boredom. That's always been a bigger threat, and a bigger shock, to me than any addiction to tangible things, even if the rewards they present are superficial at best.
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>_>
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RedSoxFan3
Admirable
Legendary Hero
Fan of Red Sox
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posted December 02, 2005 09:03 PM |
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Here's a second draft of my paper.
Internet Addiction
The Internet is perhaps the most powerful tool that man has created to date. The advancements it has created in communication is perhaps as important as the creation of the post office, and the advancements in the organization of information is perhaps as useful as the creation of the library. Almost every business in the country has their own website. Yet even since it first started there have been many issues and problems that have come with the internet such as the widespread of pornography being seen by children, identity theft, internet stalkers, and internet addiction.
In recent years there have been numerous reportings of the death of numerous individuals who have died from symptoms associated with dehydration and exhaustion. These people died at their computers after playing online games for multiple days in a row. Just recently, the media has announced that two parents have started a law suit against Blizzard, the makers of World of Warcraft, over the wrongful death of their child. The 13-year old child jumped out of a 24-story building, because he thought that he would be able to meet a Night Elf hero from the game after he committed suicide. But this is not an issue of a few bad apples. Nikolas Yee has researched extensively the nature of addiction to a new generation of online games called, MMORPGs. "About 50% of MMORPG players would consider themselves addicted to the game," said Yee. (Gaming Death Stirs Debate, RedHerring. http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=14613&hed=Gaming+Death%26nbsp%3bStirs+Debate) World of Warcraft has 4.5 million subscribers worldwide and this is merely one of the numerous MMORPGs. But this number of players is projected to continue to grow over the next few years, since the industry for MMORPGs is rapidly growing.
Internet addiction has been proven to have the same psychological symptoms as that of substance abuse. Yee defines addiction, by quoting Lance Dodes, in "The Heart of Addiction," as being psychological rather than physical. There are two components of the psychological addiction, Attraction Factors and Motivational Factors. Attraction Factors are the pulling factors of the addictive action, such as getting drunk or a rush of adrenaline. In contrast motivational factors are the personal issues that push you into the addictive action, such as low self-esteem or a feeling of lack of control in ones life. However neither of these alone will cause a true psychological addiction. The attraction factor must be providing an outlet for the motivational factor.
Yee states that there are the "three main attraction factors of MMORPGs:" the "elaborate rewards system," the "network of relationships," and the "immersive nature of these virtual environments." (http://www.nickyee.com/hub/addiction/psychology.html) He provides a table showing each of the possible Motivational Factor and how it relates to each of the three attraction factors.
(Daedalus Project, http://www.nickyee.com/hub/addiction/motivation.html)
But how are MMORPGs addicting? First, the game is team oriented with many of the rewards impossible to get alone, forcing you to be social with other players. The high stress environment of the game as well as the achievement during those times of stress creates bonding between the players, thus giving you a network of friends that you can only spend time with playing World of Warcraft. The immersive nature of the game draws you in from the minute you begin playing the game, the life-like sounds, the dramatic music, the incredible detail of the 3D-interface. Even the quests, plots, and items give a great impression that the world is real and alive. The feelings that people get from playing this game were then classified as "achievement," "relationship," and "immersion."
However perhaps one of the most addicting aspect of MMORPGs are the reward system that all or nearly all MMORPGs use is proven to be the most effective in operant condition. A study on the effect of this phenomeona was conducted on mice and summarized by. To begin the project the mouse was given a piece of food whenever it performed a specific task, such as standing on a platform. Soon the mouse quickly learned that it would receive food whenever it stood on the platform and would do this whenever it wanted food. The experiment was changed, after the mouse had learned to stand on the platform. This time the mouse wouldn't get the reward every time, but instead after two or three times and then increased to a larger number of times such as ten or fifteen. This time the mouse would try to perform the task much more often then it did when it got the reward every time. However the last stage of the experiment changed yet again, so that the mouse no longer got the food after a fixed number of times but a random number of times. It was found that this type of operant conditioning causes the mouse to spend even more time doing the task.
http://www.nickyee.com/eqt/skinner.html
But what is an MMORPG and how does it relate to operant conditioning. MMORPG stands for massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. Using World of Warcraft as an example, thousands of people will be playing on the same server at once. Each player creates a character that he or she can only play on one server ever. Everyone who plays MMORPGs will be playing with the same people everytime they play and will be able to meet and interact with those people. As one progresses through the game, he or she will receive level advancements for their character and will become more powerful as a result. However the maximum attainable level is sixty; and as one progresses the main focus of rewards is less about levelling and more about weapons, armor, and various other items. The beginning of the game is extremely easy and you will level up your character within the first ten minutes. Soon after the levels quickly become harder to attain. Getting from level nineteen to level twenty could take a couple hours and getting from level fifty-nine to level sixty will take not hours by days of playing time. However, once level sixty is gained that will be the last fixed reward.
From then on out nearly every reward that you get in the future is an item that will make your character more powerful. And those rewards are acquired by killing monsters. However the monster won't drop the item after a set number of kills. It could drop it the first time or you might have to kill the monster a hundred times to get the reward. There are even bosses that you must kill scores of other monsters before you can even face that boss. Clearing massive amounts of monsters can take hours. Often times the drop rate on rewards for killing a boss is very low, so you might have to go on dozens of trips each time spending hours clearing out monsters, just so you can face a boss. Some players will spend days of playing time, just so they can get one reward.
Here is some personal account of an MMORPG addict.
Quote:
"I signed up for Open Beta Testing in November 2004 and instantly became addicted to World of Warcraft along with many other people in my dorm. The realness of the game blew me away, the plot, the music, the sounds of the environment. It felt like a real world. As the game progressed, I made friends that felt as if I knew them in real life, yet I knew that I didn't. I wanted to meet some of them. However, the game wasn't just a game. It was also a community of friends.
"The beta testing lasted only two weeks and when it was all about to end for the last time, I felt so sad and upset that I wasn't going be able to play anymore and that I would never be able to play with the friends that I had made. By the time the game had ended, I realized that I hadn't been to class in over a week and I hadn't taken a shower either. It was as if the world around me had vanished. By the end of beta testing, I was spending all my waking hours playing that game. I failed one of my classes that term and nearly a second, mainly because of a major addiction to that game.
"The following semester in March, I decided to buy World of Warcraft thinking that I was over my computer addiction. C-term was a success and I had found my excitement for school again, determined to get all As for D-term. However immediately after playing again, I became instantly addicted to the game just as before. Despite loving all of my classes, I neglected them, rarely completing homework assignments and not attending class. I cut off connections to the outside world. I didn't return my parents calls or emails; I stopped taking care of my hygiene. I can't remember specifically how often I took a shower or even brushed my teeth, but it wasn't often. The only needs I met were food, water, and bathroom. I remember praying, something I almost never did, wishing to find the willpower and courage to stop playing the game and take care of my classes, but I would just get on the game and start playing again anyway. I couldn't even explain why I wanted to play so badly. I just knew that I had to play.
"If D-term didn't end and I hadn't had to go back home, I wouldn't have stopped playing that game. It bothers me to think about what might have happened had I been able to remain in that environment for much longer. I am quite sure that the people who play this game are addicted, many of them in a destructive manner. Most of the people I knew from playing the game admitted to staying up all night or at least having stayed up far too late on a fairly consistent basis. Most of the people in real life I know who play, are much less social because they play that game."
Is this new type of game really this addicting or are people just using misusing it? People weren't so addicted to games in the past that they died because they didn't go to sleep for three days. "About 50% of MMORPG players would consider themselves addicted to the game," said Yee. Not 2 % or 5% of the people playing this game, but 50% of the people. I think that it is true that people are not playing this game responsibly, but for those people who are uneducated about Gaming Addiction, like myself fell victim quite easily. I was addicted the minute I started playing when Open Beta came out. I was again addicted the minute I started playing again even though I vowed to myself to use the game responsibly. I wasn't capable of doing so and I was forced to cancel my subscription so that I couldn't tempt myself. Gaming addiction is most definitely a serious issue that is becoming worse and worse with every year. These new games cause full-blown addiction and the public needs to be educated about this new issue, especially parents and children.
Works Cited:
Nicholas Yee, "Understanding MMORPG Addiction." Ariadne. October, 2002. <http://www.nickyee.com/hub/addiction/home.html>.
"Gaming Death Stirs Debate." RedHerring. November 24, 2005. <http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=14613&hed=Gaming+Death%26nbsp%3bStirs+Debate>.
"World of Warcraft Storms Asia." RedHerring. November 9, 2005. <http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=14394&hed=World+of+Warcraft+Storms+Asia>.
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Go Red Sox!
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Russ
Promising
Supreme Hero
blah, blah, blah
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posted December 02, 2005 09:38 PM |
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Edited By: Russ on 2 Dec 2005
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Shadowcaster - your 60-hour record makes me feel like a noob
Once I actually stayed up for 60+ hours (it was school-related, not playing games) and one strange thing I noticed is that close to the end of that time, you feel that you don't actually want to sleep! Maybe your mind adopts to the lack of sleep, or simply "forgets" how to do it, but I remember having problems going to sleep after staying up for 62 or so hours.Quote:
Is this new type of game really this addicting or are people just using misusing it? People weren't so addicted to games in the past that they died because they didn't go to sleep for three days... These new games cause full-blown addiction and the public needs to be educated about this new issue, especially parents and children.
Actually, addictions have been a part of our history for a very very very long time. You don't need a computer to become an addict. Alcoholism, drugs, gambling, etc, etc. The above addictions are often much more destructive than the video games. Some people are just more prone to the addictions when they are put in certain situations. Video games have nothing to do with it. Those people can always find what they are looking for elsewhere.
However, one thing that happened after the inventions like The Internet, computers, phones, TV, etc is that we got much less social, I don't think it is a mystery that in the modern world we tend to live in the shell of hour homes. We spend much less time socialising and we keep distancing ourselves from the other people (emails, phones, answering machines, etc). Those factors may contribute to the number of people prone to addictions, thus increasing the number of total addicts.
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