Gaming addiction

[Orogun01]

Hey guys I have to do a presentation about gaming addiction tomorrow and I though it would be a good topic of discussion.

Plus it would help me sharpen my debating skills for my presentation.

Help a brother out?

[Malcador]

What are you supposed to present about it ? Or just a general kind of thing ? Should be pretty easy, just google for Evercrack

[Orogun01]

What are you supposed to present about it ? Or just a general kind of thing ? Should be pretty easy, just google for Evercrack

It's a round table so it's just the general gist of it, causes, the games, who lived and died.

[Krookie]

def. bring up those asian parents who have neglected their kids and left them to literally die in their cribs while they play WoW

[Raithe]

As in what constitutes addiction? If you replaced the term "game" with some popular sport (ie: soccer, hockey, etc) would it still be classed as addiction if someone spent as many hours worshipping at it's altar?

 

Examples of what brought the idea of game addiction to the masses? the world of warcraft phenomena?

 

Extremes, japanese otaku and the ones who've died after gaming binges with no sleep and waaay too much caffeine?

 

How civilisation used the idea of game addiction as a part of its marketing?

 

All areas you could easily poke at and bring into the conversation...

[Orogun01]

Yep all those are going in there, plus studies like the Daedalus project.

 

"How civilization used the idea of game addiction as part of it's marketing?"

 

not sure what you are talking about.

[Raithe]

"How civilization used the idea of game addiction as part of it's marketing?"

 

not sure what you are talking about.

 

Ah, did you miss all of the advertising that the last Civ game used with the whole "Civilization Anonymous" groups? There was a batch of pseudo-jokey Gamer-Addicts and how their lives were ruined because of the amazing gameplay and addiction levels of playing it..

Mixed in stereotypes of the geek gamer, the gamer girl, the soccer mom, the business dad, all of whom had been driven to distraction due to extreme addiction levels to a single computer game..

 

So they actually took the fact that the Civ games are well known for a certain level of "addictiveness" and made that a key point to the marketing campaign..

 

And positing that since there's Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, that there should be some form of "Gamers Anonymous" for group support..

[Orogun01]

"How civilization used the idea of game addiction as part of it's marketing?"

 

not sure what you are talking about.

 

Ah, did you miss all of the advertising that the last Civ game used with the whole "Civilization Anonymous" groups? There was a batch of pseudo-jokey Gamer-Addicts and how their lives were ruined because of the amazing gameplay and addiction levels of playing it..

Mixed in stereotypes of the geek gamer, the gamer girl, the soccer mom, the business dad, all of whom had been driven to distraction due to extreme addiction levels to a single computer game..

 

So they actually took the fact that the Civ games are well known for a certain level of "addictiveness" and made that a key point to the marketing campaign..

 

And positing that since there's Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, that there should be some form of "Gamers Anonymous" for group support..

Oh, you mean civilization the game

[Guard Dog]

Well, Torment, Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 and Icewind Dale all got me through my divorce. Those plus liberal helpings of Makers Mark (when I could afford it, Jim Beam when money was tight). I'd think it was fair to say I was addicted to those games at that time. Not because they were high quality or engrossing but because my circumstances were so rotten I needed the escape they provided. Isn't that really what addiction is all about, using something as a vehicle to escape from your problems? Good video games can do that. We're not talking Tetris here, these games all have charaters you can relate to and interact with after a fashion. Of course it's never healthy when those interactions start interferring with or even substituting for real life. Maybe that is a good angle to take in your discussion.

 

They are not physical addictions in the way that drugs and alchohol can become, where your body becomes dependent on something for chemical balance but a psychological additction is nearly as strong.

[Rosbjerg]

One could also focus on how certain groups might be addicted, but games in fact offer them a valuable social angle that they have a difficult time attaining out in the real world - and how that might be a problem or a plus (however you look at it)

[Orogun01]

One could also focus on how certain groups might be addicted, but games in fact offer them a valuable social angle that they have a difficult time attaining out in the real world - and how that might be a problem or a plus (however you look at it)

Behavioral impulses are common to all of us, it's only those without impulse control that are ill. But by their very nature games work on reward systems on the brain that could condition us to continue to play. This is the strongest entertainment industry out there, maybe this has something to do with that. I mean take us for example, we are all gathered here precisely because we play games, so they have some weight on our lives and the choices we make.

[Rosbjerg]

Behavioral impulses are common to all of us, it's only those without impulse control that are ill. But by their very nature games work on reward systems on the brain that could condition us to continue to play. This is the strongest entertainment industry out there, maybe this has something to do with that. I mean take us for example, we are all gathered here precisely because we play games, so they have some weight on our lives and the choices we make.

 

Hmm I guess I didn't make my point come across very clear, if it sounded like I didn't understand addiction..

 

I was merely trying to discuss the value of the social angle and whether or not one could say it outweighed the addiction (for those who felt compelled to play and not just the average gamer).. For instance, I read an interesting article highlighting a development with severely handicapped people, who would play Second Life or other sims - and these games actually drastically improved the life quality of a few of them, but on the other hand they were getting so invested in the virtual world that they started loosing touch with "reality" and their real world handicap - choosing to invest more of their emotions in the virtual arena.

[Orogun01]

Hmm I guess I didn't make my point come across very clear, if it sounded like I didn't understand addiction..

 

I was merely trying to discuss the value of the social angle and whether or not one could say it outweighed the addiction.

What I understood from your post was that there are social factors that might push someone to addiction, some groups of people being more predisposed to become game addicts than others. My point was that gaming it's addictive by itself and addiction it not entirely dependent on the abuser, MMOs specially since they require high amounts of time.

[Rosbjerg]

Ah all right, then I didn't convey my message clearly enough.

[Orogun01]

Ah all right, then I didn't convey my message clearly enough.

My bad surely.