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The Science of Game Addiction

Posted by Zonk on from the science-is-addictive-too dept.

Gamasutra has a report on the state of game addiction science. From the article: "Yes, South Korean and American gamers have died from exhaustion. Yes, this makes bored journalists and unpopular politicians very happy. China has already thrown a fair bit of legislation at video games, whether or not games are the problem. On the other hand, such legislation might fail to address the real problem. In this article I explain addiction simply. Then, I talk about research that attempts to connect addiction to gaming, and some clear problems in that research. One caveat: this article is not going to make anyone into a trained clinician."

5 of 44 comments (clear)

  1. I will read this article... by Tebriel · · Score: 4, Funny

    right after I play another turn of Civilization IV.

    --
    The Blaster Master Fighting for Truth, Justice, and Evil Pie since 1979
  2. Re:You can become "addicted" to ANYTHING by Khyron42 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I would write a scathing reply to you, but Days of Our Lives is about to start...

    --
    Pavlov's Dog ate the bell, and now he's barking at Schroedinger's cat all the time... -Me
  3. A couple of other sources for those wanting more.. by Garwulf · · Score: 2, Informative

    This is a pretty good article. I'm a bit surprised that they didn't cover Dr. David Greenfield's research, though - he's dealing with online addiction with a sampling of around 15,000. Also, Nicholas Yu (I think I got that name right) dealt with MMORPG addiction with a sampling around 4,000. Both of their research would be helpful, and probably easily found using Google (I'm just back from class and a long walk home, so I'm not looking anything up right now). I found the work of both of these people invaluable when I was writing the addiction chapter in my EverQuest book.

    --
    Robert B. Marks
    Author, Demonsbane in Diablo Archive
  4. Re:A possible solution? by RobinH · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Would you not call someone who plays a game for 8 hours a day addicted? I suggest making it so that you can't play more than 3 hours a day. However, all anyone faced with the limit will do is play another character or another account. It'll be viewed as a money-grab for the game company.

    --
    "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." - Mark Twain
  5. Best quote ever by Teppy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I attended a session at Game Developer Conference in 2001 or so, titled "Addiction in Online Games". It started out pretty good - it was about reward patterns that tend to create "stickyness" (addiction) in online games. For instance, rather than using a fixed-per-time reward schedule, use a slot-machine type schedule.

    Then it turned all touchy-feely. "Well, we know we *can* make games addictive, but *SHOULD* we." All the developers took turns trying to prove that they were more caring and concerned than the person who spoke last.

    Then, Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris (!!!) stood up and said in a thick Russian accent: "What the hell are you people talking about? I cherish the times I've been addicted to games. What else am I going to do - read some stupid book?"

    Got things right back on track ;)