After my last blog I got to thinking a lot about MMO's and the addictive syndrome associated there with. I think I have nailed it down to three crucial interactive components that drive it's addictive quality. If anyone else has a differering or augmenting perspecting, please comment.
1) Social.
MMO's allow interaction between friends without having to go out and see people. For introverted people such as myself, this is nice because I can talk with someone real without the awkward social interaction that I am somewhat inept at without a high blood content of amphetamines or alcohol. As I once described it, MMO's (specifically World of Warcraft) are a chat room with things to do.
2)Betterment
This was probably a crucial element with playing WoW. From acquiring new gear and leveling, it fulfilled a need to establish myself as a relevant figure among the masses of players, as a superior specimen. While being in the elite few of a simulation is hardly the same as say and Olympic athlete or a soldier, that is the emotions that are evoked in me from playing such a video game.
3)Leadership
From running guilds, raids or party groups, having an understanding of the game allows one to feel in control of the surroundings. Where in real life, the complexities of daily life, school or jobs can seem something of great stress (which I know in the course of graduating), in game, one feels a mastery of the elements pertaining to the game.
4) Substitute for boredom.
Near the end of my WoW career, WoW substituted as nothing more than "something to do" when I couldn't think of something else. But it went beyond that. If I had an urge to do something about my boredom, WoW presented a means of escaping that conundrum.
Again, this is just from my perspective, but this (and I would assume other MMO's) provided me an outlet for many primal necessity such as socialization, accomplishment, activity, and even power. Having broken the spell over me to play WoW, my life seems to be flooded with possibilities to fill the void of boredom in the form of school, snowboarding, and other activities. It hasn't been an easy transition, but ultimately I felt it has been for the best. I've been able to pursue not simply the autonomic impulses inspired by the drug of online gaming (and don't kid yourself, it IS a drug) but the elements which truly make me human such as TRUE social interaction, and love of life in general.
>>UPDATE<< This article sums up some of the points of MMOs and their addictive qualities quite well.
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1 comment:
I have a perspecting for you! (Kidding, kidding. I'll stop picking on your typos now.)
I see the issue very differently than you do. I don't buy the idea of game addiction, or internet addiction, etc. I do, however, fully believe that there is a self control issue in here somewhere for a LOT of people. In another time, they'd have been "addicted" to TV, magazines, comic books, etc.
For me personally, playing WoW and other MMOs hasn't impacted my life negatively. I do well at school, I play well with meatspace people, and I have hobbies outside of this game. I rarely play more than a dozen odd hours every week and am pleased with my raid group's progress. I guess the flip retort here would be to "stop sucking at time management and/or self control." :D
(Then again, I also always claimed that I wasn't really addicted to smoking, and backed that up by quitting last May on the first attempt, without any real difficulty. Maybe the strict schools I attended as a child inculcated a greater degree of self discipline than I had previously given them credit for.)
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