This is true, but you have to examine an addiction in a larger context. Exercising, reading, etc are productive activities; you actually gain something by doing them! What do you gain by playing a game?
Though, I think the most disturbing thing about TV/MMORPGs etc is that often they are addicting largely because they can act as substitutes for reality.
Really, I have no idea why games like Ragnarok Online are so popular. To me, these are not games in the traditional sense; I find them to be tedious, and boring since they rarely give me a taste of any gameplay. Games like those only exist because they are catered to those who are socially inept, rather than the typical videogame player. Welcome to the new age of chatrooms!
Anyway, sure, we all need some entertainment now and then. But spending 15 (or even 5) hours a day on such an unrewarding activity is simply excess, and won't do you much good psychologically-- or physically, for that matter.
Agreed. I would also like to add that the complexity of modern would contribute to the sales of these types of games. For example, I finally tried Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for the Xbox today. While I am enjoying the game, I still can't get over the fact that the beginning of the game had to include a lengthy tutorial that lasted at least 30 minutes.
Do games really need to have so many features? I yearn for the days when I only had to pick up a controller and start playing, without having to learn how to play a game first. I don't want to invest so much of my time on something as useless as learning how to play a game.
Slashdot Mirror
This is true, but you have to examine an addiction in a larger context. Exercising, reading, etc are productive activities; you actually gain something by doing them! What do you gain by playing a game? Though, I think the most disturbing thing about TV/MMORPGs etc is that often they are addicting largely because they can act as substitutes for reality. Really, I have no idea why games like Ragnarok Online are so popular. To me, these are not games in the traditional sense; I find them to be tedious, and boring since they rarely give me a taste of any gameplay. Games like those only exist because they are catered to those who are socially inept, rather than the typical videogame player. Welcome to the new age of chatrooms! Anyway, sure, we all need some entertainment now and then. But spending 15 (or even 5) hours a day on such an unrewarding activity is simply excess, and won't do you much good psychologically-- or physically, for that matter.
Agreed. I would also like to add that the complexity of modern would contribute to the sales of these types of games. For example, I finally tried Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for the Xbox today. While I am enjoying the game, I still can't get over the fact that the beginning of the game had to include a lengthy tutorial that lasted at least 30 minutes.
Do games really need to have so many features? I yearn for the days when I only had to pick up a controller and start playing, without having to learn how to play a game first. I don't want to invest so much of my time on something as useless as learning how to play a game.