Game Addictions Mainly WoW
Interested in how many have kids or know people who are seriously addicted to this game ?
There have been reports that WoW "world of warcraft" is the most addictive game on the planet , causing problems for parents everywhere.
It seems that once this game has a grip people will give up nearly all forms of normality just to play .
EG: A 15 YO boy known to us has recently been admitted to a metal hospital as his addiction reached a point that he was giving sexual favours to older players in exchange for drugs to keep him awake to play all through the night.
Many other examples of how bad this game has gripped people but would be interested in others observations.
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Its interesting with WOW, I dont think its so much that there is an addiction to the game, but something else. I think the addiction is the social aspect of the game, same as people have addiction to the social networking sites.
There are a heap of sites that talk about WOW addiction, just search google with WOW addiction. Its why its so heavily targetted by the media when discussing games and their claims of addiction. Of course when you have 10million users some are going to have problems.
Coding in C is like sending a 3 year old to do groceries. You gotta tell them exactly what you want or you'll end up with a cupboard full of pop tarts and pancake mix.
i dont think WoW is the issue.. Then again, like rogue said, its the social "need" to belong or be a part of someting which is why sites like facebook and blogs have boomed
People want to feel as thoguh they belong.. to escape their dreary lives.
For others computer gaming is a means to avoid gambling.. or its jsut simple escapism.... its a great alternative to gambling, and much cheaper.
In the end if a kid has this sort of dependancy, for any reason, its up to the parents to police and manage.
Im sorry but ignorance is no longer an excuse.
If talking pure numbers consider the numbers of players, and teh current mental health statistics. Any social group, be it online or not, will have at least afew hundred unstable members.
If gone unchecked, then things can get pretty ugly.
Again it all comes down to supervision..
I don't think you guys realize the absolute grip this game has on it's players , I have not yet spoke to or met a moderate player of this game.
It's a not a normal game like anything else out there, unless you have been involved personally you can probably only use any of the thousands of games out there as a reference to your comments.
A lot of people spend countless hours and hours playing games nearly everyday, this isnt what I am talking about , WoW excludes all other games , physical and social interaction , once WoW takes over someones life ( including people that detested the game before trying it ) the effects are dramatic and recognizable to the point it appears as if some mind reprogramming has taken place.
Of course like all addictions , ask any player they don't have one .!
South park did it good
Reality is an invention of my imagination.
ಠ_ಠ
I have a lot of friends who play WOW (I never joined initially because I have too many other things I wish to play). These guys get together as a group every now and again. NONE of them are addicted to it, they would all be either casual or moderate players (play max three hours a night, which is what I do for single player games). They enjoy the game but they would sooner rather go out with mates and have a beer or watch the footy, its just something else they do. You are right its not a normal game, and thats because of the social interactions. The same sort of "addiction" happens with Phantasy Star Online for some people but it was a small % of players which is the same as WOW. Its more the online interaction thing that happens rather than an addiction to the actual game. This sort of thing happens in all MMO whether it be WOW or any other game, its just accentuated in WOW because of the number of players.Originally Posted by Joey
There is no way that everyone in this game could be addicted or there would be a loooooooooot more cases of problems. Why? Because with 10 million subscribers, there would be a lot of complaints. 2 mil in Europe, 2.5 in the US, and 5.5 mil in Asia (reference ). Add in the other game I commented about below with its 17 million subscribers (I believe this number is inflated heavily so halve it), and even then add in Maple Story (huge in Asia too) which all function around the same additicive social interaction then why isn't Asia misfuncioning because no one is working! Sorry the amount of addiction is small, the same as any medium.
I'll agree WOW tends to exclude other games, but there are multiple reasons for that. Firstly WOW is a specific type of game, people who play MMOs are usually looking for a much more social experience and dare I say it, even a more "casual" approach to games when they first enter. Blizzard has taken this approach in an effort to get a bigger game which they have succeded in. As for the addiction, yes they do exist, but the same thing happens for Myspace, Facebook, web forums and many other social interactions. There have been cases of people getting addicted to IRC and ingoring the rest of their lives. The interesting thing is that many of the worst cases of addiction are not actually WOW based but Rangorak online, this game has had numerous deaths assoicated with it due to the fact that people dont take care of themselves when playing. However the same thing applies with WOW for Rangorak, its more the social addiction rather than the game that is the problem which I've been commenting on eariler. If WOW was a single player game where everything else was controlled by NPC, then I think the rates of "addiction" you are seeing would be much much lower (probably closer to single player addiction). Its the social thing not the game they get addicted too.
Saying that WOW is fully at fault is like saying that all single player games cause hikikomori.
Coding in C is like sending a 3 year old to do groceries. You gotta tell them exactly what you want or you'll end up with a cupboard full of pop tarts and pancake mix.
I chose not to play WoW after watching and trying a few other people's accounts. I find it quite bland and lets be honest Blizzard just ripped off the good stuff from every other MMOPRG going at the time and rolled it into one mega game, then made it very easy to play.
Joey, I think it's slightly naive of you to say that other people don't realize the grip this game has on people. It's a MMORPG just like any of the others, they all breed the same timesink mentality. I played EQ from BETA back in '99. People registered the same concerns then, in fact all the first online MMO behaviour UNI studies were done on EQ ( I still believe it was just an excuse for a bunch of UNI students to play the game when they should be studing ). When I was at the height of my EQ playing I'd play for 16 hour plus in a day when I was not working, and actively chose not to socialize in the outside world. I don't blame EQ, I blame myself. It's like being an addict you need to recognize the behaviour then stop if it's an issue in your life.
These days, I don't really have the will for another MMO, but Conan looks good
Some great points guys and thanks for taking the time .
For those that have no idea what WoW is , think of a friend or someone you know or used to see a lot of that is now glued to their computer for abnormal amounts of time, dont be surprised when you learn it is WoW they are playing.
Most will say yeah I know a kid or adult like that , now find out what they are doing and you will find what I am talking about.! If you get a chance to ask any of them , I guarantee they will say they are not addicted but know a lot that are.
I have to admit, when I first saw the trailers for WOW I thought...well WOW forgive the pun.
Actually I have never played it.
Reason, to be honest it scares me a little. When Diablo first came out on battlenet I was hooked line and sinker, in fact back then dial up internet cost $5 an hour. Fortunately my work paid for it, but when I drummed up over $390 in a month, lets just say I got a phone call...lol
Diablo when it came out was a very cool game, as was Diablo II and its expansion which if course lead to WOW in some respects which is why it scares me a little
I am pretty sure it could very easily consume large parts of my waking life which quite frankly I don't have time for, as it was Diablo caused some friction in my early married life...not likely to be tolerated now I have children and what if I introduced them to it, one is doing yr 10 now......
Soooo tempting tho
But yep I can understand and see how people get addicted to it, and I know how real and consuming that addiction can be.
I have a close friend who was addicted to Diablo II , he has never playered another game since WoW was released , and yes his wife has left and he is still playing WoW every second of the day he isnt at work.
If you introduce your Year 10 Son to WoW it will probably be your biggest regret.
We're all avid gamers in this household (except my husband), both my teenagers and I play MMORPGs such as Aion (a very pretty game), Requiem: Momento Mori, Maple Story, and yes, Runescape. I've been playing Runescape for over 4 years now - I'm a player mod too (don't hold that against me). These games can be exciting, frustrating, infuriating, social, annoying, all rolled into one. As a female player, I guard my personal details ferociously, I have a long list of ingame friends that I'm happy to help out, but the only info they get about me is, 'yes, I'm a real girl, and I live in Australia' - unless I'm playing a male character, then no one seems to ask that question.
People get really involved with these games, for some, it's their way of being social, without all the insecurities they may battle with in their real daily life. I've found that younger teenagers of around 15-17 just play the game, have fun and build their characters. Young men of around 18-19 seem to be looking for romance - at least that's my experience. I'm a soloist, but I'll join a group when I have to, or if someone needs help with a task, but the number of times I've been stalked by 18-19 yo men, is astounding. As soon as I or they log on, they want to invite me to group/party with them just to chat privately, they tell me all their girl problems, they try to pry personal details from me, they start giving me pet names, call me 'Babe', they want my email address, they want to friend me on Facebook....
My 18 yo daughter says I'm too nice. :/ She also plays Aion, and by the definition above, is addicted to it. But she rarely plays outside her small group of friends, or she plays with me. I'm not allowed to play in her group of friends tho, it freaks her friends out, lol.
I know what you're saying about addiction though, but Wow has only been highlighted here because it's the one the addicts concerned were actually playing at the time it was reported in the news.
I worked with a woman in a small office once who was addicted to another type of game. She was my supervisor and she was introduced to an online adult game called Red Light Center (or Utherverse). Unfortunately, it was me who told her about it, something I regretted for the next 15 months I worked with her. I had no idea she would become so complete immersed in the fantasy as she did. I would come in at 9am, she would be playing. She would play all day, and still be playing when I left at 3pm that afternoon. Not only did I listen to her on Skype hiring DJs and table dancers for her online lover's virtual night club, or discussing decor and prices with a professional, virtual decorator for their virtual penthouse, I even caught snippets of whispered cybersex at her desk. She even flew to America to meet a few of her online playmates. She's not single, either. All this may seem unbelievable to the casual gamer, but believe me, it just kept getting worse. Once, when she'd cybered with some random guy who'd contacted her through her Facebook page and told her she had 'sexy eyes' and she proudly showed me the photos of his wang he'd sent her. And, of course, guess who got to do all her work while she was playing?
Eventually, she got involved in some ingame drama that got her banned from the game, along with one of her 'friends'.
My take on all this was that she was desperately wanting to feel sexy again, I dunno. She's been married for a number of years, had a child, had just turned 30, and had just gone for a week's holiday in Bali where some American had swept her off her feet, told her she was beautiful, treated her like a princess and put an idea in her head that she should fly to America with him. An obvious playa.
So, this game she was playing, filled some sort of need for her. I guess that's what all games do, whether it's the social aspect, or whether you just need to be good at something (or everything), it's not the particular game that's addicting, it's the rush you get when you find one that fills your particular need.
PS: I walked out after 2 years there.
I'm addicted to Dark souls, must pump in at least 30 hours a week. Thankfully, I usually reach a point where I have been face punched, abused, and made to feel utterly useless (not by other players, just the game in general) that I can turn it off for a day or two.
Wow sounds really nice.
Any game can be addicting. MMO addiction is two-fold. This is coming from a heavy MMO player who was addicting to WoW in high school.
1. Reward system-
MMOs are based on keeping you playing as much as possible so that you are as involved in the game as possible. This either keeps you paying the monthly fee or helps encourage you to pay for microtransactions for in game items. Because of this desire to have you playing as much as possible, the game is constantly dishing out rewards for every conceivable task you could be doing. You are always making your numbers go higher, whether that number is a profession, a level, a damage number, a gear score. There's constantly something to do, something to be rewarded for.
2. Social-
The social aspect of the game is the most addicting, I'd believe. Because you are encouraged to spend so much time in the game, it's likely that you are going to spend a similar amount of time with friends playing the game together. With so much time spent together, one will get close to those friends, even if you only know them online. Especially since those who are per-disposed to become addicted to a game are likely to have less than optimal social skills, getting this social gratification from their MMO friends can be a huge reason to continue playing.
Now that's not to say everyone who plays WoW will be addicted, but the game is definitely set up to keep you playing as long and often as possible.
Edit:
P.S. I love Dark Souls! I can't wait for the sequel.
My Steam account has numerous hours on various games. I can't speak on experience to why WoW is so addicting, but I would imagine it's because the feeling of moving up in the "world" and working with guildmates towards a certain goal. WoW certainly isn't the first of it's kind. I never got past the 14 day trial, I know what I see in the trial days is nothing like what it's like later on with raiding but it just seems boring to me. Back in the day I used to play Ultima Online and that was a game that I put a lot of time into. UO was a game where PvP was enabled just about anywhere and because of this, made it a game that is much greater than a game like WoW that focuses more on PvE. I can't really see how you get a "rush" when there is no real loss when you die, but I guess I'm not the target audience for WoW.
I don't know what would cause an addiction while playing videogames. I suppose the dopamine levels in your brain increase and you get "high" on that feeling because it's very good. I think I was addicted to a video game once before. It was lineage2, I'd dream it and think it all of the time and I could not wait to go home and play it. I never really cared for the social part, I don't know what was the reason for my addiction.
I'm definitely addicted to League of Legends. I've played literally thousands of games and own nearly all the champions... it's quite embarrassing. I've actually slowly been weening off and losing interest in the game as of late though but I mostly contribute that to my new job and being really busy. When the semester begins and I've got so much time I can't help myself but play videogames (mostly LoL) and my grades and general health suffer as a consequence. I've never failed a course and missed an exam but have come close in a few occasions.It's a real problem that I have to work through, if only I had more self restraint.
As a teenager growing up I would also say I was addicted to Runescape, haha. I spent a lot of hours playing that game too.
Come on guys, don't hold onto a specific incident. Things like this rarely even happen and it takes an already mentally challenged mind to do something like this. I think that particular games can be extremely addictive but if you know your limits you won't have any issues.
altrouge (13-07-13)
Any game can be addicting, WoW's just one of the popular ones which is why it's getting all of the attention. Not every kid, or adult even will be set to like and love that game. People still have different preferences, and of course, different addictions. And about that 15 year old boy, that could happen on any game, if any other 15 year old boy is just as addicted to it. I also have to agree with what Padre said above, it's not just the game itself, it's the player and the other people around them. If that bunch of older players weren't such asses and didn't tolerate the boy's behaviour he could have went on to a different path.
When I was 13 I was addicted to this MMO called "Rohan Online". Probably doesn't compare to a huge game like WoW, but I loved it. I would have preferred it over WoW at any time. 2 hours of sleep every day for like, what.. 3, 4 years? Well probably not every day, but most of the time anyway. At one point I have stopped going to school just because the hours I get from only sleeping 2 hours was not enough every day. I spent time, effort, and real life currency for that game. Stopped going out with friends, and my breaks were usually just to take a shower. I ate while playing, I had a table to put my food and stuff right beside me. Anyway, it was a pretty bad sight. The money involved was serious as well. Used all of my savings for that game, and those savings were when I was still a wee one, it was quite a lot. Eventually I got over it and quit. There comes a point where you'll realise how stupid you're becoming because of one game. Was terrible though. I went from a straight A student to that one who's not passing exams.
I also have friends who play WoW, and they weren't addicted. They'd play for a few hours then head on out to the shopping centre or something. Then there's also those ones who tried it out and just didn't like it, myself included. It wasn't just my thing. But then I'm really picky when it comes to games.
I honestly think the "addiction" comes from the social aspect. I am hooked on games with heavy interest on trading because I love trading for new gear and getting better ones. It is also fun just farming while talking to guild mates and looking for some decent gear. It is also fun to go party with your guild and go on raids and runs to get even more gear. Pretty much I think my addiction is pretty much gear and trading. Most of my other friends also have the same addiction and we always trade with each other. I personally love Path of Exile because of their unique currency system!
Video game addiction, in my opinion, does not exist. I played many so called "addicting" games, like World of Warcraft, Lineage 2, League of Legends and there was never a point in my life where I couldn't go to sleep because I wanted to play the game so badly. I think that people who are not happy with their lives use video games as a form of escaping from all the troubles that they're suffering through. They spend countless hours in these games because that's when they can be happy with themselves.
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