Addiction in Video Games

Everyone knows that married life isn't always as good as expected, but for many modern young mothers, things end up much worse than could be expected. Some of the latest generation of husbands spend almost all of their non-working time playing "World of Warcraft" or other online games. When the wives try to curb the behavior they are often faced with violence or simply ignored. These women are part of a growing number of American women who's husbands have become so involved in a game that they ignore their families and abandon real life for a cheap substitute. The wives feel like they have no options and that their husbands are dead to them. These Massively Multi-player Role Playing Games (MMORPG's) have become a cultural phenomenon that has many of the symptoms of an addiction; they should be thought of, and handled as an addictive pastime, much like smoking or drinking.
Proponents (aka players) of MMORPG's claim that they are merely fun and harmless entertainment; they say it is just like television or football. But the truth is somewhat different. Over sixty percent of Americans play video games (Rau 1). Since MMORPG's are a relatively new addiction as well as new to the market; it would be beneficial to establish what MMORPG's are and why they wield a addictive influence over the lives of certain players. MMORPG's such as "Everquest" and "Dark Ages" are Massive online games where thousands of players can co-operate, compete or kill each other. The genre was essentially started by the game "Everquest" and is currently dominated by "World of Warcraft" a game which requires a huge time dedication in order to gain even the meanest rewards (Reynolds 2). These games are designed to meet some of the basic emotional needs of the game players; such as immersing the player in a interesting story where the player is the main character, giving the player a sense of achievement, and giving the player a way to meet and make new friends (Yee 8-9). According to Nick Yee's research, players who have low self esteem or poor self image, who feel trapped by real life, who feel undervalued by their peers, or who simply have a hard time forming real life relationships are the players who are more likely to become addicted (10 - 13).
According to Nick Yee an addiction can be defined as "a recurring behavior that is unhealthy or self-destructive which the individual has difficulty ending" (1). So what is it that makes MMORPG's fall into this category? According to a survey of MMORPG players, 60% of respondents had spent over 10 continuous hours playing and about 40% often lost sleep because of their playing habits (Yee 2). This can wield an negative influence on job performance. Excessive use of Video games in general has been shown to negatively effect the physical attributes of sight and weight, it also effects the mental functioning of children and teenagers causing them to blur reality and fiction, while simultaneously undergoing personality changes (Shoa-I Chiu 572). So if you see a fat kid with glasses who seems a bit slow, he might be a video game addict. Excessive use of MMORPG's has also been shown to destroy academic performance, increase stress, destroy real life relationships, and increase violent behavior (Chin-Sheng 762). Indeed how can a student concentrate on his studies when he is playing a game for over ten hours straight? Epileptic seizures may also show up in MMORPG players in greater percentages than in other seizure inducing settings (You-Chuang 1). Also, many excessive users have reported extreme difficulty and even withdrawal symptoms when they try to quite playing MMORPG's (Children).
A further examination of the factors leading to a game addiction would be helpful in its avoidance. The three main attraction factor in MMORPG's are immersion, achievement, and relationships (Yee 8-9). People who have trouble coping with real life problems can find temporary relief by immersing themselves in a MMORPG (Yee 13). The problem with this idea is that real life problems tend to stick around, and trying to forget about them usually only makes them worse. Persons who have low self-esteem issues, can boost their self image while playing MMORPG's, because in the game, the player can achieve measurable goals and things that he is unable to do in real life (Yee 10). Having a well equiped high level character gets the player respect from newer players and gives the player bragging rights and allows him to feel like he is better than all lower level characters. This can be significant especially when the player has little to brag about in his Real life. People who have trouble forming real life relationships can find solace in online worlds. Hideous acne covered faces and that nasty habit of spitting when they talk no longer plays a role in their relationships. Once a player has formed a group of online friends he is only encouraged to spend more time online and delve even deeper into the addiction (Yee 9)Thus a never ending addictive cycle is formed.
MMORPG's are addictive and dangerous, but not every player will become an addict. For the normal well rounded individual the chance of addiction is slight, but when MMORPG's are combined with severe personal problems addiction only excaberates these problems and drags down the life of the user. So are MMORPG's analogous to cocaine or other addictive substances? Not really. but for a small segment of the population MMORPG's have become a powerful addiction. And although the general public is not at risk for becoming addicted, the entertainment benefits of playing MMORPG's are outweighed by the potential risks of MMORPG addiction, thus MMORPG's should be generally avoided by at risk individuals.

Works Cited

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