WoW - Same addiction, new name.

[Nuts]

Is anyone here concerned about the addicitve qualities of such games as Everquest and the new World of Warcraft? In a world where video games are so detailed that many people tend to lose themselves, these games give a new aspect to the level of immersion. It is feasible that a person could live a large portion of their lives playing these types of games. It is for this reason that I will most likely stray away from WoW, it's simply not healthy in my personal opinion. Losing touch with the real world can lead to all types of personality disorders, and perhaps some forms of mental health issues. I would be surprised to see new method of therapy designed to help with this type of addicition.

Thoughts?

[EdvardMunch]

At what point is an MMORPG bad? When it takes up a significant portion of someone's life, or when it becomes a disorder? (The difference being that with a disorder, you have difficulty functioning in the real world. If it takes up a significant portion of someone's life, they can still keep things in order, they just spend every spare moment playing the game.)

IMO there's nothing inherently wrong with playing in fantasy worlds. So what if it isn't real? Movies and TV shows aren't real, and a lot of us spend a whole lot of time watching them (puts hand up). The only difference between movies and games are that games are interactive.

Life is all about killing time until we die anyway. Living in a fantasy world, where you are powerful and have many adventures sounds like a great way of killing time to me.

As for the addictive qualities, of course those are bad. They're not only bad to the person, but usually to those they know. I remember a few years ago I read an article about a Korean mother and father who were so addicted to StarCraft their toddler son died from neglect.

Is it the fault of the game that the players are becoming addicted? Logically, we think no, but how much different is a game from a drug? Both are intended to induce joy and have their negative side effects. True, games don't have the ability to permanently alter your brain chemistry, but fundamentally, I think they're the same. Drugs have been outlawed pretty much because of what people do while on them and how damaging they can be to a person's life. They were taken away for our own protection, basically.

But maybe the games as drugs comparison is flawed precisely because drugs do alter our brains. Then again, don't games? While playing an addictive game, various chemicals (adrenaline especially) are released to allow our bodies to adjust to the excitement. Long term exposure to these chemicals from nearly 24/7 play can have physical effects on us.

And now, we're getting reports of kids killing their friends based on video games (I know that the game did not cause the murder in most cases, unlike how drugs basically do cause those kinds of events, but some people can become so cut from reality, or so worked up by a game, that it alone can lead them to do some bad things. I remember in the 8th grade this one kid used to brag about punching his friend after his friend unplugged his controller and beat him in a game) and people becoming so addicted to a game that they suffer a disorder. Should the more addictive games (like MMORPGs) be outlawed for our own protection?

EDIT: You fixed it! I liked my joke!

[Nuts]

Typo's are so aggravating. ;)

As for the rest of your post, I have to disagree to an extent. I don't expect people to run out and begin slicing and dicing with swords because they've played Warcraft one too many times. Instead I fear that very important social skills might be lacking as a result of this immersion. There are people in this genre that revolve their life around games, and if they were forced to withdraw from that community, they would be utterly lost. (Think Simpsons comic book shop owner.)

As for life being a way to pass the time, I can't agree with that in the least. Regardless of your beliefs, theism or not, humans have basic instincts to contribute to their surroundings , whether it be to their own families, or to a community as a whole. When we begin to fabricate communities inside our computer, we lose that basic drive that makes us complete. I fear that this might only be the beginning... virtual reality is the next evolution that could truly turn us into a society of introverts.

[EdvardMunch]

They might be losing social skills in real life, but they're picking up social skills on the internet. It's an exchange.

How is the internet community any worse of a community than real life? It's all people. Instead of contributing to the community we physically live in, we contribute to the community we virtually live in. Based on what you said, it sounds like we would be complete.

Then again, I think I've talked myself into a corner. I was about to argue that we don't need to be physically together to be happy, which is preposterous. Research shows that those who have physical contact are generally happier and live longer than those who don't.

All right... I'm shooting down every comment I've made about a virtual community being equal to or better than real life. Nonetheless, I think one does fill in a few gaps. The right virtual community often gives people a sense of belonging and closeness they may not get in real life. Despite that I think real life is better than virtual existence, there is one way I feel virtual communities are better: Variety. We all have some peculiarities, and the internet allows us to find others who have those peculiarities. In real life, you might not be so lucky.

However, I do stand by my argument that life is all about killing time. I am an atheist, and I believe we are here for no reason. Life happened, and there is no greater purpose. Therefore, we are killing time. The fact that we have social instincts is irrelevant. I think we have social instincts because being a social creature and having strength in numbers is what allowed a rather physically inferior creature to survive.

In the end, we do what we do because it makes us happy, not for any greater purpose. Whether that happiness be from fun, rewarding, social interaction, love, ego inflating, etc. we do it because it makes us happy.

[Battlecruiser]

also you can try new things you would never try in real life such as pick fights with people which is something you wouldn't really want to do in real life.

[Netrunner]

I totally agree with oyu Edvard, A lot of people used to insult and tease me in 4th grade. my response, going and making friends online, trust me, I've known most of my online friends since I was 9 or 10

[Modred]

The deal with MMORPGs is nothing new. The same thing happens with the good, old pen-and-paper RPGs like D&D.

I have several friends who have become so involved in a D&D campaign as to lose interest in other pursuits, such as food, friends, and non-D&D entertainment. One of them spoke to me about it, and told me that he had become so involved in a campaign he was DMing that he could think of nothing else. Similar problems can result from almost any game or obsession. However, a good RPer always runs a higher risk of become too wrapped up in their game due to the depth of play required to properly develop a character in an RP. When does it become harmful? I say it depends on the person. Some can simply quit playing or reduce the amount of time they play and fix the problem. Others are simply addicted and do not want to quit.

And I find it strangle scary that the key word "addiction" has populated the adbar at the bottom of the thread with 3 (out of 4) ads to free you of web porn addiction.

[Grom_Icecream]

The key to this kind of thing is balance. You need a certain amount of physical contact as it is just plain healthy, but if the virtual world makes you happy you should spend time there as well.

As to banning things like MMORPG's thats just not gonna happen. Consider cigaretts, you would assume they are much more harmful and reach a much greater audience.

[Netrunner]

See, the thing is, most MMORPG fans are considered major nerds. They have really bad social lives, so they're there to fix it.
And also, the ads on the bottom relate to the topic you are in.

[DaDaimon]

Exactly netrunner, they are considered major nerds because they have no social life, they have even less of a social life when playing mmporgs. It is a vicious cycle. They have relativly no social life, play mmporg's have even less of a social life, play more mmporg etc.

[singo]

I play lots of games online but do not have a problem with MMOG's becaus i cannot aford the subscription fee :P

A simple solution to the social problem is, BEER, no matter how much you disagree with alcohol you cannot deny that it helps people make freinds.

My solution, Balance gaming with going to the pub and listening to Heavy Rock. it has worked for me.