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Online Gaming Addictive?

Posted by Zonk on from the pope-catholic? dept.

gihan_ripper writes "The BBC has a discussion on the addictive effects of online gaming. Reports come from Liz Woolley of Online Gamers Anonymous, and a gamer, Lynn Hall. Liz blames EverQuest for the 2002 suicide of her son Shawn, noting that game manufacturers hire employees with psychology degrees in order to make their games more addictive."

9 of 169 comments (clear)

  1. Not as addictive... by brilinux · · Score: 3, Funny

    As obsessively posting to Slashdot!

  2. Re:Having posted just 2 minutes ago... by Pxtl · · Score: 2, Funny

    Slashdot is just the gateway - now I've started doing Fark, and my life is over.

  3. Addictive = Fun? by ABaumann · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, sure. When I like something a lot, I want to do it a lot. (see: sexual intercourse ) So, to some extent, everything fun has to be somewhat addictive.

    And about the hiring someone with a psychology degree to help make games more addictive? Come On! When has anyone heard of someone with a psychology degree getting a job?

  4. addiction by dreamseason · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's a good thing they aren't hiring Colombian drug lords to make games as addictive as crack!

  5. Re:It's True by mrseigen · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't you have anything better to do with your life other than click on pictures of monsters and increment numbers in a database far away?

    Don't you have anything better to do than post?

  6. HOLY CRAP! by Leroy_Brown242 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Online games are adicting, and people are causing global warming.

    What's next?

    --
    Pretty Pictures!
  7. Re:It's True by PromANJ · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ur wrong! MMORPGs r0xx0rz my b0xxorx! I love pressing that attack icon and see the damage come up!
    Screencap http://web.telia.com/~u48508900/wow.gif

    Check out the grass foliage, just some years ago they couldn't do that stuff!!!1 The amazing gfx you can do nowdays with up to 16 colors and a staggering 200x160 resolution makes me wonder what's next!


    Also, here's Doom III as it actually plays and looks, The 'real' Doom III is actually an illusion - HYPE, level 3 (contagious), can only be cast by larger developer entities.
    btw. check out the bevels on the map!
    Screencap http://web.telia.com/~u48508900/doom3.gif

    --
    The Chair Corp. comic(*00-12)
  8. Must Get Back to Treadmill by vjmurphy · · Score: 2, Funny

    I was going to write a really long, insightful response to the whole MMORPGs are addicting thing, but I've really got to get a team together to take out two archvillains in City of Heroes, get some more crafting levels on my Monk in Everquest 2, help my wife out with an adventure in Everquest, and do a little Realm vs. Realm action in Dark Age of Camelot.

    Anyhow. No, MMORPGs are NOT addictive.

    --
    Vincent J. Murphy
    Spandex Justice
  9. Re:Luckily WoW has no staying power... by DerWulf · · Score: 4, Funny

    This post brought to you by Sony Online Entertainment.

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    No power in the 'verse can stop me