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On Online Backgammon And Gaming Addiction

Posted by simoniker on from the detox-with-yahtzee dept.

Thanks to the New York Times for its article (free reg. req.) discussing game addiction as it relates to playing backgammon online. The author, who found "a deep, narcotic satisfaction in online backgammon" at sites such as Itsyourturn.com and DailyGammon, tries to discuss what gaming addiction is, and whether it's healthy. Dr. Eric Hollander, the director of the Compulsive, Impulsive, and Anxiety Disorders Program at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, argues with regard to this addiction: "Everyone has their own optimal level of arousal... If you're understimulated, you're bored, and if you are overstimulated, you're uncomfortable. This is a way of regulating that process." [However, Dr.Hollander did also say "I recently got a BlackBerry, and I have this compulsive e-mail checking [habit] now."] Can you relate these 'casual game' addictions to more often discussed MMO addiction, and if not, how do they differ?

9 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. Animal Crossing by MBCook · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Animal Crossing is like crack!

    I've never been one to get hooked on anything, but after I discovered Animal Crossing a few years ago, I quick got hooked on it's charmed. I played it every day for months (very unusual for me), and I wouldn't be suprised if my highschool GPA would have been a little higher if I hadn't discovered it.

    Eventually it started to get boring and while I still liked playing, I didn't care nearly as much. When I eventually quit, while I didn't have a problem quitting, I felt this weird guilt that I left everyone in my town without me.

    I can't wait for AC 2 :).

    --
    Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
  2. Optimal Level of stimulation? by LXAC08 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It seems like over the centuries people's average "Optimal level of stimulation" has risen. The newest generation is the worst: Watching an online movie while playing a gaim and running instant messages with 30 people at once. Eventually people might be unable to focus long enough on anything in order to accomplish anything, but that's just my 2 cents.

    1. Re:Optimal Level of stimulation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I'm not sure how the ability to tollerate or handle multiple sources of stimulation is a bad thing, and I don't think that this is something magical that has happened to those durned kids in last couple years either. I remember watching TV with my parents when I was a wee lad, and often times my brother and I would have toys, or books or otherthings that we did while watching television. My dad might thumb through a book, and my mother may have been doing something else. How is this any differnet than today when I play City of Heros, have music playing in the back ground, and battle villians while I talk on the phone?

      Things come in faster sure, but unless you are prepared to believe that the people of yesteryear stared transfixed at the TV or radio unable to think about or do anything else I don't think you can make the claim that kids of today are stupid because they can walk and chew gum at the same time.

      The AC is the only true non-Karma Whore

  3. Backgammon Addiction by moneymatteo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I've seen friends drop out of society for Online Backgammon. What's really addictive is when money and player to player instant transfers are at stake on backgammon sites like GamesGrid .. I've seen people up $50,000 in an evening and back down before sunrise. If you do persue this route consider picking up the neural network software package 'Snowie' which analyzes your opponent's skill. If you find one who consistantly scores less than you then you can play them for cash over a period of time and enjoy casino odds in your favor which can range from 55-75%.

    1. Re:Backgammon Addiction by Castaa · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If you were playing online backgammon for money would one be worried that their oponent was using a computer backgammon program (on a second machine) to play nearly perfect backgammon to beat you?

      Backgammon seems to be a simple enough game were a computer could play very completively. Since the branching factor for backgammon seems to me to pretty low compared to say chess or go.

      --
      Chew: You Nexus, huh? I design your eyes.
      Roy: Chew, if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes.
    2. Re:Backgammon Addiction by moneymatteo · · Score: 2, Interesting

      People are worried about playing against computers online. But most professionals analyze their matches with software and watch their back for fishy gameplay that is too perfect. http://www.bgsnowie.com/ is the best tool for analyzing gameplay. It's not trivial to have two computers running and pull of the perfect backgammon game because 95% of the game is played out so fast and organically, there is a certain look and feel to human gameplay. it could be emulated of course, but it's not a trivial scam.

  4. Been there, done that by solferino · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Signed up for a free three month trial of netgammon in 1997. Each day I worked an 8 hour day in front of the computer, came home, cooked and ate dinner, then sat in front of the computer and played backgammon till 4 or 5 in the morning. Was very addictive. As one of my first experiences of online culture I really enjoyed being able to chat with ppl from all over the world while playing the game.

    When the free three month subscription ran out I was happy to call it a day and go cold turkey on my addiction.

    Still love backgammon though. Such a beautiful game. Can't stand chess. Intrigued by go.

  5. Re:Backgammon Addiction and Pigeons. by moneymatteo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A few steps beyond tic-tac-toe??? That is the 'beauty' of playing backgammon for money. People who have the wrong belief that backgammon is but a simple game anyone could master with a couple of months are commonly refered to as 'piegons'..aka suckers. A great source of income. People who will continuely play masters and lose their life savings blaming it on bad dice rolls and not understanding the immense skill of an opponent who will consistantly win 60-70% of the time. If you are interested in the mathmatics behind good backgammon theory, the book 'Backgammon' by Paul Magriel is a great place to start.. http://www.gammoned.com/books/magriel.html

  6. Re:Backgammon Addiction and Pigeons. by moneymatteo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Yes it it Mathmatically grounded, as with chess. The big difference is you can't mark skill by an individual win. A novice backgammon player could beat a grand master level program on a single game. However only the top .001 percent of players could beat that program in a money series to 100 or in any extended point play.