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40 Percent of World of Warcraft Players Addicted

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wed Aug 09, 2006 10:34 AM
from the thats-probably-a--bit-generous dept.
Heartless Gamer writes "MMORPGs and game addiction. If you're suffering from dry eyes, headaches, back aches, erratic sleep patterns, it may be more than just your average hangover: according to Dr. Maressa Orzack, you could be suffering from video and computer game addiction. A clinical psychologist, Orzack is founder and coordinator of Computer Addiction Services at McLean Hospital in Newton, Mass., and is also an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Computer Addiction Services is one of the few outpatient clinics in the U.S. that provides specific treatment for game addiction." but I'm feelings much better now.
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Of the thousands of comments on yesterday's Slashdot page, gathered below are some of the ones that defined the conversations on the rise of wireless peripherals, the meaning of content-free spam, whether one can be truly addicted to online gaming, and Intel's move to open source some of its graphics adapter drivers. Read on for the Backslash summary.
[+] One In Nine MMOG Players Addicted? 111 comments
Gamespot is running a piece looking at a UK study which may indicate serious addiction problems among a large number of Massively Multiplayer gamers. The study, conducted at Nottingham Trent, showed that almost 12% of a 7,000 person study group showed symptoms of serious addiction, as laid down by the World Health Organization. From the article: "The survey was filled in by a self-selected sample comprising mainly males with an average age of 21, and was concerned principally with the potential for addiction to online gaming. [Director of the International Gaming Research Unit Mark] Griffiths said, 'I'm sure if we'd done this survey looking at non-online players, looking at gamers that play on stand-alone systems, my guess is that... addiction-like symptoms would have been much less prevalent.' According to Griffiths, the problem with online games is there will never be a point where the player has battled the final boss, tied up the story, and can turn the computer off with a feeling of satisfaction."
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  • And? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by grasshoppa (657393) <{gro.oc-onpt} {ta} {ydenneks}> on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:37AM (#15873607) Homepage
    This is news...why? We all know it's addictive, that's kinda the point to these games; To make them as addictive as possible.

    So the real story here is that only 40% of the people playing are addicted. This indicates to me that

    1) Blizz isn't doing their job correctly if they are capturing under half the population in this way
    2) These docs need a new yaht
    3) The study is bogus and was carried out incorrectly, invalidating the results.

    Guess which one I'm a fan of? ( that's right, all three, for those of you keeping score at home )
    • Re:And? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by mrxak (727974) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:51AM (#15873749)
      Actually, from a business perspective, Blizzard would be better off if their players were not addicts, merely enthusiasts (yes, there's a difference).

      With addicts, they're going to be playing all the time. ALL the time. They'll get through the content very quickly, and complain loudly about not having more of it pumped out in each new patch. They'll also use a lot of bandwidth and server time, which Blizzard has to pay for. Chances are these addictive personalities will eventually cause them to jump ship to another MMO to get addicted to, which means less monthly fees. I've seen this happen with people who were definitely addicts, who have eventually quit to play another MMO.

      On the other hand, enthusiasts will play when they have free time, rather than quitting their jobs or skipping classes. They'll get through the content slower, probably enjoy more time roleplaying and whatnot, and this means Blizzard can count on their monthly fees for a longer period of time. Blizzard can also take more time to develop new content, since their audience can wait. And that audience, the players who genuinely enjoy the game and haven't gotten through everything yet, will most likely stick around until they have. So long as Blizzard is relatively quick about adding content, they can extend this audience out for a long time.

      Blizzard makes more money the less time you spend in their game each month. It's like Netflix, they want you to keep that one DVD on your coffee table for years at a time.
    • Re:And? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by venicebeach (702856) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @11:05AM (#15873891) Homepage Journal
      So the real story here is that only 40% of the people playing are addicted
      No, not really. That was just a speculation on the part of the clinical psychologist interviewed in the article. She does not appear to have any data to support that figure. The headline of the slashdot story is, as usual, provocatice but misleading. It should read 'clinical psychologist who makes a living treating gaming addiction believes 40% of WoW players are addicted'.
  • I'm not surprised. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jawtheshark (198669) * <slashdot&jawtheshark,com> on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:38AM (#15873611) Homepage Journal

    Personally I refuse to play games like World Of Warcraft, because I know I would be sucked up in them in no time. It's too risky for me

    When I found out that my brother in law bought the game I warned him about the game. He shrugged it off. He's only 14 (my wife is 11 years older) and he clearly has no control. He lives alone with his mother, has done allnighters, has already skipped school because of the game but his grades seem still to be unaffected. His mother has no idea what to do because she has absolutely no idea about anything related to computers. When I suggested she'd take away the DSL router, hell broke loose. I think she gave it back after a mere 2 days because his behaviour became unmanagable. He didn't come to the last BBQ we organized. He spends all his days (and nights, I guess) behind his computer playing WoW.

    The thing is: I can't critisize him all that much. When I was his age, I was all the time using my computer. Playing Test Drive (CGA version) for hours, or programming in Pascal. It just depended on my mood. Still, it was much easier to break away from it because there was no social component.

    • by aleksiel (678251) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:46AM (#15873703)
      the social component is what makes it so addictive, imho. its why i still play it. i would've gotten bored and quit a while ago, since the end game gets pretty repetative. i play it for the friends i've made along the way.

      the prevalence of ventrilo/teamspeak allows playing the game to be a much more social environment where everyone shares a big common interest.
    • by Karoshi (241344) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:54AM (#15873774)
      In WoW it's possible to set a schedule for the playtime.
      So it's easy to prevent the kids from playing at schooltime or during the night.
      Check the FAQ [worldofwarcraft.com] at their site for more information.
    • by vertinox (846076) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:54AM (#15873775)
      He didn't come to the last BBQ we organized. He spends all his days (and nights, I guess) behind his computer playing WoW.

      To be fair, when I was 14, the last thing on Earth I wanted to do would be go to a family event. Heck... When I went to family re-unions, I'd either bring my NES or old school Gameboy and hide somewhere.

      Considering the amount of time playing Doom and BBS games and then later MUDs I can see where he is coming from though. But if its affecting school or he's going crazy and threatining someone's life because they stole his cloud song... Well...
  • by the_tsi (19767) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:41AM (#15873644)
    ...Just as long as it does't affect my raid schedule. I need that DKP, you know. And if Elementium Reinforced Bulwark drops while I'm not there, I'll be upset.
  • Addicted? (Score:5, Funny)

    by bitkari (195639) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:42AM (#15873655) Homepage
    If you're suffering from dry eyes, headaches, back aches, erratic sleep patterns, it may be more than just your average hangover: according to Dr. Maressa Orzack, you could be suffering from video and computer game addiction.

    No problem.
     
    /cast Abolish Disease
    /dance

  • This is very true (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Nutcase (86887) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:42AM (#15873662) Homepage Journal
    This is very true. I played in a small raiding guild. When I quit, I had been playing that character for 9 months. I had 7/8 tier 2 gear. For about 2 months prior to quitting, I wasn't even enjoying it. I was showing up because we had a schedule and we had to make it. Systems are in place in major guilds to perpetuate that (DKP/Loot Priority/etc). So I was spending 20-30 hours a week playing a game I was bored of.

    Now I've quit. But I still read all the WoW news, I read my guild's website and forums regularly, and I still have the account. I even consider if I'm going to play again when the expansion hits. I haven't played for over 2 months, and I'm still thinking about it many times a week.

    That alone is probably enough reason to never play it again.
  • Politics (Score:5, Insightful)

    by truthsearch (249536) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:45AM (#15873699) Homepage Journal
    While I don't like to see friends suffer any addictions they're getting by just fine. My only concern is that politicians will use these statistics to legislate gaming. There's no direct evidence that violence in games leads to violence in real life. But if they can use the valid label "addiction" and quantify it who knows what kind of crazy legislation they may try to pass. Any negative word they can apply to gaming is fuel for their pointless causes.

    Maybe I'm going overboard. But it angers me to no end when I see one of my senators giving BS speeches about how games should be regulated.
  • Micah (Score:5, Interesting)

    by skammie (802503) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:48AM (#15873719)
    My brother lost his job 5 weeks ago. He's been playing WoW for about a year prior to his layoff, and his addiction to game did not cause him to lose his job.
    He has no motivation to go and look for a job, he only eats maybe once a day, and his house is pig sty.
    He came by yesterday asking for $150 to pay his rent or he was going to be kicked out. I loaned him $40 two weeks ago, and I am sure that he used that towards his cable bill or his WoW account.
    He looks like a crack or meth addict (having been around those types of people myself), and he doesn't care about anything but playing that damn game.
    I almost got into to playing that game shortly after he started a year or so ago. I am glad I have not purchased the game, and I have no interest in WoW after seeing my brother play the game for three days straight with no sleep (yellow jackets were used to keep himself awake!).

    I know it's not the game that is the problem, it's the person with the addictive personality. How can we recognize, and then treat video game addiction? Is it recognized as a real problem, or are they told to just grow up? 12 steps have been proven to NOT work for ALL people, and my brother is one of them.
    • Re:Micah (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Lispy (136512) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @11:00AM (#15873834) Homepage
      I honestly feel for you. A friend of mine who was playing Everquest looked and behaved the same way until he got kicked out of the university, got kicked out of his flat by his roommates, had hair to the shoulders (not because it was cool but because there was no money/time/incentive to trim it) ate raw sugar if anything at all, smoked cigarettes made of newspapers and old tobacco from the roommates ashtrays etc...

      Shall I go on?? He was about the smartest person I ever knew and now he is working as a facility manager in a small appartment building.
      Its a fucking tragedy. If you want my advice break it to your brother that he either quits playing or should no longer rely on you helping him out. Its like alcoholics. As long as you help them out of their mess they wont change their behaviour pattern...

      Personally I cant afford playing these games although I would love to because of this exact problem.
      Its my retirement plan however locking up in a room and lvl away. How sad is that? ;-)
  • Hmmm (Score:5, Funny)

    by Spad (470073) <.slashdot. .at. .spad.co.uk.> on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:49AM (#15873726) Homepage
    "Doctor with vested interest makes sensational statement to support business model" shocker.
  • by Flounder (42112) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:50AM (#15873739)
    "I once counted to a million. Missed the entire Ford Administration. But I'm feeling much better now."
  • Moderation (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Atheose (932144) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:51AM (#15873751)
    "RW: What about self control and willpower? Should players take some responsibility for their heavy play? Dr. Orzack: This isn't about willpower or restraint. These games are very elaborately designed to ease you in gently, entice you, and keep you there. And it's a cycle: people begin to spend too much time playing and their careers and personal relationships begin to deteriorate. Then they begin to withdraw more into the game because it's an escape from their real world problems" The part about willpower is completely wrong: If you exercise willpower and self control, then you can keep the addiction under control. Everything in moderation. Orzack is basically saying that no matter how we act, we will get addicted, and that is simply not true. What ever happened to people being responsible for their own actions?
  • Evolution (Score:5, Funny)

    by kripkenstein (913150) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:52AM (#15873761)
    TFA:

    it's a cycle: people begin to spend too much time playing and their careers and personal relationships begin to deteriorate. Then they begin to withdraw more into the game because it's an escape from their real world problems.

    RW: So what's the solution?


    My solution: let nature take its course. In a few generations there will be no gamers left.
  • Shiny and new! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ari{Dal} (68669) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:59AM (#15873819)
    I play WoW (yes, a real girl with boobs and everything playing WoW! Who'da thunk it!), and at first, it was kind of addicting. There was so much to explore, so many things to see and do. I think that first weekend, I played til 4 or 5 AM both nights. When I realised how unhealthy that was, I stopped, and vowed that if I EVER refused a social engagement in real life to play WoW, or neglected my real life duties for it, I'd uninstall it immediately. I'm now in a casual raiding guild (we raid once a week on Fridays), and log in at other times only to play with (local) people I know if they need some help.

    But I'm one of those people who's lucky enough to not have an addictive personality. I didn't get addicted to IRC or the 'net. I can go weeks without logging into a computer outside of work without any problem. When my laptop (my only computer) crashed at home two months ago, I puttered for a few weeks before even bothering to reinstall the OS; WoW got reinstalled a few days later when I felt like it. I can even go without coffee for days on end if I choose to.

    Honestly, I'm thankful for that. The LAST thing I want to be is one of those people who lives and breathes on a videogame. It's scary to think that it's so addicting; I have to wonder why, though? There's nothing physical there to draw you in. It isn't like alcohol or nicotine. Is it the social aspects? Being able to completely control your surroundings, as you can't in real life? What is it about a videogame like WoW or Everquest that sucks people in so completely that it makes them ignore friends, family, and real life?

    I think, as someone who's not an addict, I'll never really understand it.
  • by diamondsw (685967) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @11:06AM (#15873894)
    Anything, if taken to extremes, can become an addiction. It is true that MMORPG's (World of Warcraft being far and away the more successful) encourage this. You have monthly fees that (aside from paying for the infrastructure, bandwidth, etc) entice you to play to justify the ongoing and mounting expense. Grouping makes sure you show up at given times, etc. The random rewards of epic loot in advanced dungeons is similar to random reward studies (which show it's the most powerful form of behavior shaping - see slot machines). You have to set limits on it just like anything else, whether it's drinking or TV.

    However, there are some differences here to other addictions. There is no physical addiction, and hardly any psychological one. You can put it down, and other than mild obsession (what's going on in Azeroth?), it has no ill effects. Hell, you can discontinue your account, and they keep all of your character info, so you can completely unplug, and return at some point in the future when you're interested again, much like an offline game. There's also a limit - you may play a lot to reach level 60, but then you do stop. Sure, you can join raids, get gear, but the drive to constantly improve falls away (other games, like Disgaea, are far, far worse in this regard).

    The most important difference is that if handled well, it can be a positive social tool. I play, but only with people I know in real life. That way we can talk about other things and it allows a set time for us to get together, without having to drive out to each other (I live over an hour away from many of them, and that's just suburban sprawl!).

    Mostly, this is a lot of fuss over nothing.
  • 40 Percent... (Score:5, Informative)

    by JavaLord (680960) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @11:13AM (#15873978) Journal
    That 40% number was ripped from the daedalus project [nickyee.com]. I also doubt it's accurate since people who fill out that survey or seek help are more likely to be addicted then those who don't.

    MMO addiction is nothing like a Gambling addiction. In MMO addiction you may have issues of identifying with your character, but you don't have the same harmful financial damage that a gambling addiction will cause.

    Quitting MMO's is fairly easy, or at least it was for me. I just deleted WoW, and that was it. I still keep in touch with my guild via their website, which was really my only reason for playing twards the end, along with e-fame.
    • Re:Dry eyes? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ConsumerOfMany (942944) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:44AM (#15873679)
      If you're suffering from dry eyes, headaches, back aches, erratic sleep patterns, it may be more than just your average hangover: according to Dr. Maressa Orzack, you could be suffering from video and computer game addiction.

      Along those same lines I guess you would have to conclude I am addicted to Excel and analyzing gas chromatography results as I feel like this at work constantly

    • by mgblst (80109) on Wednesday August 09 2006, @10:57AM (#15873802) Homepage
      The question is, do the creators deliberately make them addictive? I know that there is some argument that Gambling institutions do, by making them noisy, give free food and drinks (so your body doesn't have an excuse to leave) and having lots of flashing lights.

      Is there even a difference between making a game enjoyable to play to some people (easy to get learn, fun to continue) and addictive to others?
    • The woman is in one of the silly sciences, and almost all of what she says can be discounted, but this was interesting:

      What? From the article:

      A clinical psychologist, Orzack is founder and coordinator of Computer Addiction Services at McLean Hospital in Newton, Mass., and is also an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

      I don't even think that needs explaining, but I'll do it anyway: Clinical psychologists are probably the most pragmatic people in the social sciences (what you call the silly sciences). Her work has absolutly nothing to do with Freudian psychoanalysis (there was nothing in there about gaming addictions meaning that you want to have sex with you mother and kill your father), but instead on the scientific method.