Online Gaming Addictive?

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."

Comments

It's True

[Apreche]

Games like WoW are not designed to be artistic masterpieces of gaming wonder. They are designed with one thing in mind. Get you hooked, forever, so they can keep collecting your monthly fee.

Look at the game mechanic. It's a chat room with fancy graphics, you IRC people know how addictive IRC is already. Next, the game has no difficulty factor. You just click on things, they die, and numbers go up. Quick, easy, repeatable gratification. Combine it with humour and the ability to customize digital thingies, mostly the acquisition of equipment. The model is one which rewards not skill or intelligence, but rewards people playing for longer periods of time. Whoever plays more gets more. To get ahead you've got to keep playing.

I've been saying this for a long long time. Just read my blog or slashdot journal and you'll see it there. But, um, you guys keep playing and keep playing. You know it's true, so um, why? My prediction is that after we get rid of cigarettes and all the other illegal substances and things MMOs will be next on the list. 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?

This just in

[phoenix.bam!]

water is wet.