The Lure of Heroinware

blankmange writes "news.com reports: When games stop being fun; where the line between reality and fantasy blurs. Another story about games and the adults who can't stop playing them. It seems that we can't be held responsible for our actions -- it must be the 'heroinware' that game companies are producing...." Mmmm, Evercrack. T. pops in: Don't worry, games aren't addictive, but here's the announcement of a 24-hour gaming TV network for those unexplained late-night cravings. (Thanks to joestump98.)

Comments

My favorite heroinware...

[Genyin]

is This!

Heroineware?

[qslack]

Ah, heroineware. Tomb Raider 2 was an excellent game. In fact, I'd say that any game with Lara Croft as the heroine is an excellent game.
:)

Truth Ads?

[ascii7]

Now I wonder if in 20-30 years those stupid Truth ads will have switched from whining about cigarettes to whining about how addictive videogames are?

Re:Truth Ads?

[jkovach]

I want to start smoking just tick those people off.

Betcha didn't know that the American Legacy Foundation, who produces these ads, is funded by the tobacco companies as part of the national tobacco lawsuit settlement. So while some people (the CDC, etc.) think they're the greatest thing ever, the conspiracy theorists say that the over-the-top style is part of a tobacco industry plot to make everybody smoke more. Apparently the conspiracy theorists are at least partially right on this one...

Planetside

[Skidge]

Here's an interesting quote from Planetside's FAQ, another game by Verant, the creaters of Everquest:

What is the goal of the game?
To be more addictive than any substance known to man.

Probably said with tongue in cheek, but still, they recognize what their cames can become to some people.

Re:Planetside

[Skidge]

That quote can be found here, for all those interested. Forgot to include it it in my previous post.

Re:Planetside

[Chasing Amy]

Anything that provides the opportunity for escape or is mood-altering can become addictive. In that respect I don't think the immersive video games are much different from other things people can become addicted to--drugs, alcohol, pr0n, traditional paper-and-dice roleplaying, etc. There's a good reason that even huge fans of the game jokingly agree with the term "Evercrack." But it's important to note that people can become addicted to just about anything--watching those 24-hr. cable news stations, posting to Slashdot; anything which alters the mood, takes the mind off real life or personal life, or makes someone feel special or important.

That's not to say that it's inherently dangerous or addictive--most people can drink or smoke pot or watch pr0n or play Everquest or D&D without becoming addicted. It's a very small percentage with personalities susceptible to addictions who develop real problems, while almost everyone else can successfully have a few drinks or play a few games without it interfering with the rest of their lives.

So, it's the addictive personalities which are the real problem, not alcohol or games or pr0n or drugs or cable news or whatever one's addiction is. When I read the following paragraph, I had an intersting thought:

> While such cases are rare, mental-health professionals say the fantasy worlds
> offered by computer and video games can become the stuff of very real addictions that
> destroy marriages and careers.

The thought was--what is it about these people's real lives that's so boring or bad that they want to escape into the make-believe world of power or pleasure offered by a computer game or a syringe of heroin? That's what we need to blame and address, not the games or the pr0n or the alcohol or drugs. All of those things can and are used in moderation by most people, to bring them additional pleasure; some people have no or insufficient real-life joys, and rtreat into their favorite "opiate." These deficiencie in their lives, which enhance susceptibility to escapism, are what need to be addressed and improved.

Think of the teenage Everquest addict's likely profile--a smart geek with a lot of ability but no respect in real life. Our society--particularly our highschool society--accords brainless people with athleticism limitless respect, and people with tremendous minds but not so impressive bodies almost none. It's therefore understandable if one falls into the lure of finding that respect in a make-believe world, since the real one refuses to provide it.

It's like with Columbine, how not a single step was made to teach kids to be more egalitarian and accepting, and instead the pressure was turned up and people who didn't fit in perfectly into the social machine were shunned and harassed even more. No one wants to see underlying problems--they want to blame the game or the substance instead of the deficiencies in our society. It's sad and alarming, and is getting us nowhere. We need to see the problems in our society and work our best to fix them--not blame that which brings the problems to light.

Re:Planetside

[notsoanonymouscoward]

most people can drink or smoke pot or watch pr0n or play Everquest or D&D without becoming addicted

and then there's ppl like me, drug addict, pr0n addict, EQ addict, etc..

Re:Planetside

[198348726583297634]

Think of the teenage Everquest addict's likely profile--a smart geek with a lot of ability but no respect in real life. Our society--particularly our highschool society--accords brainless people with athleticism limitless respect, and people with tremendous minds but not so impressive bodies almost none.

That's a nice way to get modded up, but probably not so accurate. Try: Our society--particularly our highschool society--accords outgoing and friendly people (who tend to move toward social activities like sports and dating) limitless respect, and people with tremendous egos because they unlocked the secrets of programming instead of flirting almost none.

As for Columbine- the world does not exist to be fair and to cater to unbalanced individuals. Fairness is nice, and something we should probably strive for, but being unfair never ever ever justifies that kind response. It is sad and alarming that people could read anything into the Columbine incident but the tragedy that two very sick youths took out their rage on their classmates and peers.

(Mod etc blah blah blah)

Re:Planetside

[mgblst]

Who are these people addicted to porn? What do they do, neglect there girlfriend? Steal to get more porn?

Re:Planetside

[ArcSecond]

I think you are close to the point here, but this is my take on it:

Addiction is a behaviour. You learn to become addicted. You can also unlearn it to a certain extent... but (as all the psych people out there probably already know), a behaviour can never be completely extinguished once learned. Hence the "once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic" mantra of AA has a real foundation.

Behaviours are like memes: they compete with each other. To the extent that you exibit one behaviour more than others, it defines you. Getting locked into a certain pattern of behaviour(s) makes you boring, IMNSHO. Thus, addiction may be a response to boredom, but it in turn makes you boring. Got to love the irony.

Of course people who feel inadequate, unsatisfied, and ignored in "real life" (whatever that is) will try to find a way to experience the thrill of power, exultation, and adulation. The fact that they are "only acting" has nothing to do with the reality of their experience. Other people may choose to devote their lives to, say, show biz for the exact same reasons. You could argue that acting in a play and playing in an online game are equivalent, except you are more likely to be paid for the former. Keep in mind that this may change.

So really, when someone retreats into addiction, they are seeking well-being and belonging. The fact that people identify more easily with their game alter-egos than with their equally-artificial social persona is not only a matter of mental health, but an indicator that our culture (the ones in which these games flourish, that is) itself is sick.

Why are people so ready to give up the world of wage slavery, voter apathy, anti-intellectualism for worlds like EverQuest? I think the answer is obvious: it's more rewarding than involving themselves in the game of "real life". They want to live the life of a hero (or villian) in the true sense: they want to take on the role of the archetype, to accept the hero's challenge to conquer his own weaknesses and transcend The World itself.

We all are, really. Some of us have kids to keep our name/genes alive. Some try to make their mark on history. Others may work in their community to improve things for the next generation. All are seeking a "place" in the world--not the world of time and space, but the world of stories, lore, and cultural memory. Looked at from this point of view, what the EQ addicts are doing isn't so strange. They are trying to do what we all do, just in a different medium.

The problem here is that no game can deliver on the promise of the hero's quest. The closest they will come to this experience is not to "beat the game" from within the game, but to beat it from the outside, BY PUTTING THE GAME BEHIND THEM. They can then move on to the real challenge: finding a way through life that reinforces their spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being.

Our Western lives have been organized around things that seem custom-made to make us feel bad about ourselves, which drives us to find comfort in one addiction or another. We spend our lives trying to make up for the guilt and regrets of what we "had" to do. Basically, through the long process of dividing people into halves (private/public, personal/professional) we have created a world for ourselves where everyone walks around fighting with themselves and each other. Why is it so strange that we would want to escape from this?

Re:Planetside

[civilizedINTENSITY]

There is a big difference between a physical addiction (such as heroin or tobacco) and a psychological addiction (such as marijuana or porn or video gaming). It may be true that "seeking" behavior is exhibited for the second class, but no one goes through withdrawel at risk of death from a psychological addiction. Different syndromes. A federally funded drug clinic can't check in people for detox who abuse psychologically addicting substances (and expect to recieve payments).

What about Work?

[Cyclopedian]

Some people that work too much are called workaholics. What if those people work as game programmers, and they *like* to work? Would that make them a "Heroinware Workaholic"?

Or does that make them "drug" dealers, since people now like to label them as heroinware makers?

BTW, if you haven't noticed, this post was posted with sarcasm intended. If you didn't get it, go here.

Re:What about Work?

[56ker]

What about a name for people addicted to Slashdot?

Slashaholics?

Re:What about Work?

[mosch]

What about a name for people addicted to Slashdot?

fucking retards.

Re:What about Work?

[Glytch]

Name two big industries that refer to their customers as "users".

Re:What about Work?

[Moonshadow]

What are you suggesting be the new term?

Slashadics?

Ouch, no thank you!

this is quite silly.

[seedvision]

People in general can become addicted to almost anything. Salt,Big Mac's, Pepsi, if there is a way to make reality a little more pleasureable someone is going to do it to excess. For that matter there are QVC addicts. The herd really needs to think about a little self control. Who knows they might enjoy not having blood shot eyes and blisters on their fingers everyday. I doubt it though.

Re:Figures

[TedCheshireAcad]

I think that if EQ is herionware, then a MUD is methadone-clinicware.

Re:this is because...

[TedCheshireAcad]

If we're going to compare to games, then we can compare to anything computer-related.

I have to shoot up every ninety minutes.

WTF??!!

[mosch]

"The game almost ruined my life"

Just when you think you've hit the nadir, you discover there's still a huge fucking crevasse. People need to take resposibility for their actions, and shut the fuck up. Right now.

The game had nothing to do with his problems, nor any of the other problems described in this article, and likening video games to heroin is just rediculous.

These are just incontinent people. They understand that neglecting family, work, friends and what not is wrong, but they freely choose to do so. There's no physical addiction, their hair won't hurt when they stop playing, they can stop if they want to.

Yeah, I know somebody is going to say 'but they have an addictive personality.' Here's four words for people with addictive personalities, "sucks to be you." I'd try to feel bad for you, but everything can be addicting at some level, and a true addictive personality has to take extra care to make sure that they're getting hooked on good things, like exercise, family, laughter, and prostitutes, and stop blaming the rest of the world for making things you like.

Re:WTF??!!

[XBL]

I think the problem here is mental addiction.

1. Play Game.

2. Reluctantly stop playing game to do "real life stuff".

3. Do "real life stuff" all while thinking about Game.

4. Play Game again. Feel better until #2 comes again.

Re:WTF??!!

[freeweed]

These are just incontinent people.

They're pissing all over themselves? :)

I think mayhap you mean incompetent.

Re:WTF??!!

[mosch]

No, I meant incontinent. Aristotle described four categories of people.

1. virtuous -- they do what is right, and like it.
2. continent -- they do what is right, but they'd rather not.
3. incontinent -- they do what is wrong, but they know it's wrong and feel a little bad about it.
4. vicious -- they do what is wrong and have no qualms.

Re:WTF??!!

[dgroskind]

Aristotle described four categories of people

It appears that Aristotle would disagree with your analysis of incontinence in your original post:

These are just incontinent people. They understand that neglecting family, work, friends and what not is wrong, but they freely choose to do so. There's no physical addiction, their hair won't hurt when they stop playing, they can stop if they want to.

Aristotle said in Nicomachean Ethics regarding incontinent people: So, too, to the unjust and to the self-indulgent man it was open at the beginning not to become men of this kind, and so they are unjust and selfindulgent voluntarily; but now that they have become so it is not possible for them not to be so.

In other words, they can't simply stop if they want to, at least, according to Aristotle.

So...

[CleverNickName]

So does this mean we're going to see the Bush administration launch a War On Video Games(tm)?

Top 6 signs that your TV network is going to fail

[SocialWorm]

06. Name sounds like a system Apple came out with for no reason.
05. Your motto is "Get Game"
04. One of the your "original programs" is a show about simulations of sports.
03. Your target audiance is quite possibly the least likely to watch TV among those with access to them. And you know they have "short attention spans".
02. Executive quoted as saying "We won't compete."*
01. Logo rendered on an Atari 2600. Englarged with MS-Paint.

*A bit of a misquote, I know, but no less funny for it. :)

Yahoo! Pool

[XBL]

I have never ever been into gaming of any sort, but now I have gotten addicted to Yahoo! Pool (games.yahoo.com). I have played like 1500 games... and I have seen some people on there with over 3000 games under their belt. I talked to a couple of people I played against, who admitted they have been playing for 6 hours or more straight.

Luckily Yahoo! is starting to charge $10 a month of special privileges, like set tourneys. I have forced myself to stay away from those, and the "ladders".

There is nothing really that great about this game, except that its free, and loads up easy into the web browser. Just goes to show that a game doesn't have to be great to be addicting.

Stay away from Yahoo! Pool!

Re:Yahoo! Pool

[phalse phace]

"I have gotten addicted to Yahoo! Pool"

You think that's bad? Well, I'm addicted to pocket pool. And I've played (with) it over 1500 times.

30 hours?

[moronga]

From the article:

Angie said her live-in boyfriend spends at least 30 hours a week playing "EverQuest" as a female elf...

This is supposed to be an example of compulsive behavior? 30 hours a week?! What a fucking lightweight.

When I was a kid, we used to play 30 hours a day. And we didn't have no live-in girlfriend either.

:)

Re:30 hours?

[0x0d0a]

I understand why she doesn't like the amount of time he spends on it, but I wanna know why she's so hung up about her boyfriend playing a female elf.

There shouldn't be a social stigma for every guy to play a male human and every female to play a female human. The entire point of these games is that you're role-playing something exotic, something not mundane. If you're just role-playing yourself, save the money you're sending to the EQ people and just go out and live life.

my story...

[cowtamer]

You guys are making light of the situation, but it is not so funny for those of us who have been through it...

It started in middle school with the Apple][. Addiction to BASIC kept me from the smell of sweet, sweet glue...

Back in the early 90's, I had to forego many high school drinking parties to play Civilization...

In college, I never went to a rave because I was too busy MUDding--never got to taste Ecstasy

And now that I am gainfully employed, I spend all my spare cash on broadband internet connections and online games--my drug dealer is getting really upset with me!!!

Good Ol' Everquest

[draed]

I've spent the better part of the last 3 years playing everquest and I've seen many people waste away.

The players who make up the high level game spend MASSIVE amounts of time in game. I know many people who have over 300+ DAYS of time logged into the game...

Players often quit, only to return a few months later usually with an excuse like *RL is boring* or something similar. Sounds more and more like drug addiction doesn't it?

The thing that worries me the most though is that most of these people are kids who are either in high school or just got out. They have no ambition or desire to do anything but play everquest. When I was their age I was spending all my time programming, reading books, and learning skills necessary to succeed in life. If everquest were around back then, I would probably be working fast food making $6 a hour now.

Almost every game company out there now is making a MMORPG like everquest. Worlds of warcraft, shadowbane, neverwinter nights, final fantasy XI, Everquest for the console, star wars galaxies, daoc, anarchy online, and many more. The market is going to be completely saturated with heroinware in the next fear years.

The current generation of kids growing up is going to be nothing but a bunch of computer crazed, game addicted losers who spend all their time in some virtual world slaying some pixel dragon.

Oh well, I'm glad I quit (again).

Hehe, addictions...

[long_john_stewart_mi]

That reminds me of a comedy sketch about an addicts' group:

Man: Hi, my name's Joe, and I'm addicted to junk food. I'm not sure I can do this.

Woman: Don't be frightened, tell us your story.

Man: Well, at first it was just a donut here, a chocolate bar there, but then it got out of control... I sucked dick for butter tarts, man!

Woman: My God! That's disgusting! You're beyond help!

*Man walks away in shame*

Woman: Now, let's continue...

*See man walk back, steal tray of desserts*

Other man: Hey! He didn't even suck our dicks!

I suppose I'll be modded down for being off topic, but it was funny at the time. =)

The New Addiction: Cyberdrugs

[NeuroPulse]

T. pops in: "Don't worry, games aren't addictive"

Most games are not addictive. Only a particular type, and the reasons are still unraveling. This is a new type of addiction.

Anonymous Coward: "if...they enjoy EQ, OF COURSE they're going to spend a lot of time playing it."

The problem is they do not enjoy it. They are miserable as a resul of playing it. That's why the article is called "When games stop being fun".

mosch: "...but they freely choose to do so. There's no physical addiction, their hair won't hurt when they stop playing, they can stop if they want to."

Something happens in the brain with this particular type of game that is just like what happens when someone is taking an addictive drug. I know it is hard to believe, but it is true. That's why there is ever increasing coverage of it. It is a bizarre unexpected new addiction.

danny256: "The biggest issue is there is no withdraw, if I take an everquest freak and make him stop playing, he will get better every minute"

There is withdrawel. When your playing you feel bad, and when you stop, you feel worse. So bad, that you return to playing.

Sound like I am speaking from experience? I am. It is a very bizarre problem to which I and others are giving a great deal of thought to figure out why this happens and only with a particular type of game. I have always enjoyed spending long hours playing video games. Keyword: "enjoy". Now something very different happens with an MMORPG. At first it was fun like any other game or enjoyable activity. You are having more fun than before you were playing. But eventually and very slowly, so slowly that you don't realize it is happening, it changes. If I knew it would happen or could see it happening I wouldn't have played. Well, I am not going to go into all the details, but it did get to the point where I was experiencing hallucinations. I had gotten so low and was so miserable that I finally knew I had to stop cold turkey or I never would get out of it alive. I knew I feel much worse for a while before I felt better, but I knew I had to stop.

Well, it was a while ago, and I am all better now. Totally over it. It was an educational experience. I have learned from it. Like I said if I had known that would happen, would never have started playing. And thats the reason for all this attention this new form of addiction is getting. People need to know. I think there should be a warning label, though most people, at least at first, will not take it seriously, will not believe it could happen to them, but awareness will increase and eventually understanding the problem will be common knowledge.

Note, this doesn't happen with everyone. Certain people are probably genetically predisposed just like with alcoholism. Knowing alcolism runs in one's family, those people avoid alcohol.

foo fighter: "Joking about people whose lives have degenerated into living a virtual existance while their former friends and loved ones leave them is in the poorest of taste."

Thank you.

I hope this posting has increased someone's understanding of the problem.

news flash

[captaincucumber]

masturbation is addictive. coffee is addictive.

so what?

Anyway, I'd say you really have a problem if you find yourself drinking coffee and masturbating while playing everquest.

Someone start a support group! / Why it won't last

[supabeast!]

I can no longer easily count the friends I have seen do serious damage to their "real" lives by playing these games. I know numerous people who have lost their jobs, signifigant others, social lives, and even their sanity due to addictions to EverQuest, Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot, and StarCraft. Sometimes in my circle of friends, I am the weird one for being the person who goes out and interacts with the real world, and not vice versa.

What really scares me, though, is that I don't find the term heroinware at all offensive, because I actually know more people who have completely ruined their lives with these games than I do people who have ruined everything with drugs - and at least the drug users manage to quit!

Seriously, this problem is just beginning to rear its ugly head. Once Blizzard releases World of Warcraft, things are going to get really, really nasty, as entire offices have their IT departments stripped on important "game days." And that will be the beginning of the end for these virtual worlds; as companies lose the benefits of computers to an increasing number of problem staff members, there WILL be some sort of legislation to wean geeks away from these games.

Really.

Gambling is addictive; why not gaming?

[gkoo]

No one really laughs at gambling addiction; why isn't gaming addiction taken seriously? Researchers have found that gambling generates similar brain patterns as cocaine usage. Gaming certainly shares many characteristics with gambling.

As someone who has personally become addicted to all sorts of games ranging from Civ to RPGs to Mechwarrior to Tetris, I think gaming addictions should be studied seriously.

Speaking of which, what am I doing here, at this hour???

Re:Notice they're all americans

[PD]

When was the last time you heard a european or a japanese person bitching that a game "ruined" their life.

You might be hearing these people saying that stuff ALL THE TIME, but if you don't speak Japanese, you'd never guess it.

Re:Notice they're all americans

[Skuld-Chan]

You need to read japanese newspapers more often - I'd recomend the english (side at least) rag mainichi daily news (mainichi literally means every day around the clock). At any rate - I've found that in my Japanese studies they suffer from a lot (not all) of the same things we do.

http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/

Computer Programmers vs. Drug Dealers

[EABinGA]

Drug dealers: Refer to their clients as "users"
Software developers: Refer to their clients as "users"

DD: "The first one's free!"
SD: "Download a free trial version..."

DD: Have important South-East Asian connections (to help move the stuff).
SD: Have important South-East Asian connections (to help debug the code).

DD: Strange jargon (Stick, Rock, Dime Bag, E)
SD: Strange jargon (SCSI, RTFM, Java, DSL)

DD: Realize there is tons of cash in the 14- to 25-year-old market.
SD: Realize there is tons of cash in the 14- to 25-year-old market.

DD: Job is assisted by the industry's producing of newer, more potent mixes.
SD: Job is assisted by the industry's producing of newer, faster machines.

DD: Often seen in the company of pimps and hustlers.
SD: Often seen in the company of marketing people and venture capitalists.

DD: Their product causes unhealthy addictions.
SD: Doom, Quake, SimCity, Duke NukeEm 3D, 'Nuff said?

DD: Do your job well, and you can sleep with sexy movie stars who depend on you.
SD: Drats! Drats! Drats! Drats!

tetris is pharmogenic

[mr_burns]

I remember a wired story from way back talking about tetris being a pharmogenic drug. Apparently, the part of your brain that does that kind of stuff always gets the same amount of sugar, and the more you play tetris, the more efficient that chunk o' noggin becomes. The surplus in sugar due to increased efficiency gives it a bit of a kick...the cycle continues-more tetris, more efficiency, more kick.

So yes, some video games have been classified as being physically addictive. Explains all the tetris dreams I had when I was younger.

No...

[Jagasian]

The Bush Administration has already launched a War On Nude Statue Boobies, and therefore their resources are already being strained. The War On Video Games must wait.