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Games Entertainment

My Life As An Online Gamer 113

Posted by Zonk from the sexless-virtuality dept.
The BBC is running a story featuring several interviews with hard-core online gamers. The article is in response to China's time limit restriction it plans to put into effect for MMOGs. From a very confused man interviewed in the article: " I think I am addicted. I've got to the stage where I feel that without gaming, I have nothing interesting to do. On weekdays, I game for about five to seven hours a day and in the weekends I will spend 15 hours a day gaming online. I once spent 48 hours in one go at a game. It's crazy, I know. I was at university then and full of energy. "
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My Life As An Online Gamer More

My Life As An Online Gamer

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  • 3 hour timelimit... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by alta ( 1263 ) on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @05:49PM (#13449294) Homepage Journal
    Wow, I just thought about the possible extra pain this would cause a gamer... Say you're approaching your 3 hour mark, then that super glowing all-powerful hatchet of mercyless death weidling gelatinious cube spawns... You start hacking away, get it down to 25% health, down a few more pots.... Link dead.

    Come back the next day and you're respawned back in qeynos, lost exp, lost $$$, lost your group and wasted 3 hours.

    Damn, that'll put a hurtin' on gamers awerite!

    • Re:3 hour timelimit... (Score:2, Informative)

      by alta ( 1263 )
      Explination:
      pots, potions in diablo 2.
      qeynos = SonyEQ backwards (everquest)
      Gelatinous cube (some thing that lived under qeynos actually, but didn't have a good loot)
      And I recall some hatchet/tomahawk that rangers liked to camp somewhere around level 25-30. And it was 1 handed if I remember.

      I was actaully a wiz, so I camped staffs.

      I quit EQ 5.5 years ago.
      I got married 5 years ago. Quitting was a prerequisite.
    • Well, I think we better prepare the wall. The revolution must be coming!

      Well, I would revolt if our government would impose such inhuman laws. What's next? A limit on how much coke you can drink? Mandatory vegetables with each meal? Banning fastfood? Forced physical activity each day? Such laws would kill us all!
    • It'd be worse if you were /mudding/ and your mud had a "go into certain areas, if you get player killed they can loot you and you get more penalties like losing a level, losing certain eq, losing stats, etc. I've been *this* close to having this happen to me when my isp dropped on me like 4 years ago... and I didn't appreciate the "OK, lets go through the checklist. You don't run windows? The problem must be on your computer!" Then 3 days later when most people in town don't have a connection it's obviou
  • "Brandon Hipsher, who lives in Indiana, says that gaming is no more addictive than watching television... Why is gaming considered addictive when other activities are not?"

    I don't think he's helping his argument with that one.

  • We should ask instead... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Spy der Mann ( 805235 ) <spydermann...slashdot@@@gmail...com> on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @05:55PM (#13449339) Homepage Journal
    what personal problems do these people have that make them want to spend so much time in gaming?

    Want them to stop playing? Get them a psychologist. Addiction is only a symptom.
    • > what personal problems do these people have that make them want to spend so much time in gaming?

      They live in China?

    • Re:We should ask instead... (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      How about this: Nothing better to do?

      Physical Activity is great in moderation. Doesn't appeal to me, though.

      Social Interaction is great as well, but I get "quiet" around people I don't know well (IE mild Anxiety).

      My aim, in real life, sucks. My coordination, bismal. My wit? Dry, but slow.

      Perhaps I should start drinking? Would that be healthier?
      • Definitely. Drinking is the one universal, healthy hobby. Unless you live in a part of the universe outside North America. When people say you should "get a life", what they really mean is you should put on a hawaiian shirt, go to a party, hold a bottle of booze in each hand and yell "eeeey!". Because that's way more productive than playing games, and the hangover is less severe.

      • Re:We should ask instead... (Score:1, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward
        How about instead of wasting all that time on imaginary achievements and interaction in a game, you spend that time improving yourself and exploring the real world. Maybe if you do that enough you'll one day reach the point where your sense of self-worth isn't so low that you justify shaving off the hours of your life in a game because of how worthless you say you are.

        Anyone who doesn't match their ideal image of themselves and isn't acting to change it is an animal. Stop living off instinct and start using
    • what personal problems do these people have that make them want to spend so much time watching TV?

      Want them to stop watching? Get them a psychologist. Addiction is only a symptom.

      People watch several hours a day TV. Every day. Most people don't even know what to do if they can't watch TV an evening. Now why is playing games an addiction and watching TV not? The social aspect of sitting silently next to each other staring at the same screen? Ever noticed how people complain that there is nothing on TV, b

      • The comparison to TV falls under the "bad slashdot analogy" dept. Most people don't feel absolutely compelled to watch TV. Just try dragging a gamer away from the game that they play 6 or 7 hours a day. Or even just interrupting them. It's pretty close to trying to pull the needle away from an addict. Believe me, having interrupted my wife when she's gaming, I know.

        I also question the "6-7 hours a day watching TV" because I don't know ANYBODY who spends that much time watching the tube. Not even my p

    • Well, here's the actual issue (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Moraelin ( 679338 ) on Thursday September 01, 2005 @02:32AM (#13452080) Journal
      The thing is, people simply need to do something with their time. You can't just sit and look at the walls.

      That's one thing that needs to be understood first. In the 1600's, you needed to spend 16 hours on the fields to even have enough to eat, then one or more of the following, depending on gender: hack your own firewood, patch your own roof, cook, spin and weave, patch clothes, spend hours washing clothes by hand, make your own soap, etc.

      There wasn't that much of a need for daily entertainment, since you didn't actually have any time left to fill in an average day.

      Since the 1900's, and especially since the mid-1900's, however, less and less of that is actually needed. You buy your clothes, not spin, weave and tailor your own crude shirts. You don't spend hours scrubbing the clothes by hand, you just chuck them in the washing machine. Heck, you don't even really need to cook if you don't want to.

      There is a gradient that's very perceptible. When you listen to someone's stories along the lines of "back in my day, we had to walk to school 4 miles through snow, and we only got 6 hours of sleep after feeding the cows and chicken", they're probably not exaggerating. They actually had to. But we don't.

      This, however, leaves us with more free time that we just have to fill with something. That's one thing that all those "back in my day we'd milk the cows instead of sitting on our arses and watching TV" nostalgics just don't seem to understand. Yes, they had to milk the cows and do all sorts of other tasks. I don't. It would cost me more to actually have a cow in my flat, than the milk is worth. This leaves me with time to fill with _something_ or I'd go nuts.

      Some people fill it with hours after hours of tinkering on their car, some people fish, some people spend it at the pub, some people waste hours and money making digital photos, etc. And some of us use computer games. That's all.

      Yes, some of them are waved around as inherently better ways, or more socially acceptable ways, to spend your time. But guess what? They're all nevertheless just ways to keep yourself busy. Don't kid yourself that going out fishing or spending hours on your car gets you some l33t survival skills or saves you this huge heap of money or whatever. They're skills that have exactly the same use as my button mashing skills: to keep you busy and entertained.

      It's not decadence or some mental deffect or whatever other bullshit being waved around, it's just that humans weren't made to sit and stare at the walls. That's all.

      The gradient is even more visible in countries that didn't get a head start, and had/have a faster evolution there. E.g., China. This just creates bigger generation conflicts between the granddad who still remembers manually planting rice in the swamp all day long, and the "lazy, addicted" grandson who just watches TV for hours.

      And the result are such lame attempts to "protect" the youth from this newfangled waste of time. I don't think it's some evil Chinese government plot, but just a bunch of 80 year old nostalgics who just don't understand the issue.

      Guess what? There's nothing to "protect" them from. They'll still have X hours a day to fill, and they won't go milk the cows like in the good ol' days in those hours. So they'll find some other entertainment, but still spend those hours on entertainment.
      • Don't kid yourself that going out fishing or spending hours on your car gets you some l33t survival skills or saves you this huge heap of money or whatever.

        I dunno about you, but between knowing how to fix cars and computers, I've saved myself hundreds of dollars (not including the money I've MADE applying those skills for others' benefit)
      • I don't completely agree with this, at least about the harmlessness of timewasters like fishing and gaming. Sometimes those timewasters get in the way of the real work (i.e. playing WoW instead of doing homework) and that is bad, and parents need to make sure their children are on the right track.

        Moreover, at least if you're tinkering with your car you learn more about the car and can possibly fix problems that you'd usually have a mechanic do. A teenager could use his free time to explore his different int
        • "I don't completely agree with this, at least about the harmlessness of timewasters like fishing and gaming. Sometimes those timewasters get in the way of the real work (i.e. playing WoW instead of doing homework) and that is bad, and parents need to make sure their children are on the right track."

          You are, of course, right there. But as you've said, it applies to all the timewastes, not just gaming. (E.g., I preferred playing with the cat instead of doing homework, if I had half a choice.) And, yeah, that'
        • Homework is real work? What fantasy world are you living in?
          • The secluded, maddening, fantasy world of a homeschooler. Nearly everything I do is "homework". But I used the homework example because it's a common thing. Let me be clearer: Learning new things is hard work.

            That covers just about everything, doesn't it? Oh well, it's still true.

      • This, however, leaves us with more free time that we just have to fill with something. That's one thing that all those "back in my day we'd milk the cows instead of sitting on our arses and watching TV" nostalgics just don't seem to understand. Yes, they had to milk the cows and do all sorts of other tasks. I don't. It would cost me more to actually have a cow in my flat, than the milk is worth. This leaves me with time to fill with _something_ or I'd go nuts.

        All this talk about milking cows is giving

        • It's not a MMO, but try Harvest Moon. It's just that. A game about planting cabbage in the garden, milking your cow(s), shearing your sheep, and brushing your pony.

          Also, most MMOs have some crafting skills to make money. (And at least one, "A Tale In The Desert", is _all_ about crafting.) Most of my money in EQ 2 or WoW so far comes from gathering resources (e.g., digging for ore), crafting, and selling both finished products and raw materials I don't need. E.g., if you dug some rare bronze ore (yeah, I kno
        • I just want to play that game that Peter was playing on Family Guy where he's driving a car and he's stuck behind a slow moving bus. I think it was called "Virtual Stuck Bhind a Bus". That would be a great break from reality...

    • Re:We should ask instead... (Score:4, Interesting)

      by grumpygrodyguy ( 603716 ) on Thursday September 01, 2005 @03:34AM (#13452230)
      what personal problems do these people have that make them want to spend so much time in gaming?

      Want them to stop playing? Get them a psychologist. Addiction is only a symptom.

      OK, I'll be completely honest about my situation... though it will probably make for some unpleasant reading.

      I've been diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and social anxiety. Most of the time when I'm in public I'm so uncomfortable that I can only be in crowds for an hour or so. Throughout my life I've just naturally migrated towards computers because it allows me to socialize in very limited and safe ways...through forums like these, IRC, online games, etc. I can always bail out of the situation, noone can see my facial expression or body language.

      Unfortunately this is a physical problem that cannot be solved through counceling. I've tried a number of medications but they all produce horrible side-effects, feels like being perpetually sick with a cold. Many people suffer from this and other conditions which make face-to-face human interaction beyond challenging, and more like constant failure. I have the few friends and family who know me and still love me despite all of my problems, and prefer to go online when I need more social interaction than they can provide. I'm sure thousands of obese, disfigured, blind, and deaf people are online for similar reasons.

      • Re:We should ask instead... (Score:1, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward
        might sound strange now, but try puffin some chronic. Put me more in touch with the real world and other people and by being around stoners, i was then more comfortable around the normal, haha. Not for everyone though, but marijuana seems to be the drug of choice (besides alcohol which is just universal but not something i prefer) for the socially accepted and socially inept.

  • Addiction (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Reapy ( 688651 ) on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @06:00PM (#13449371)
    Everybody gets wrapped up in one thing or another. Sometimes people obsess over their jobs. Sometimes it is over a boyfriend or girlfriend. A new pet, a tv series, a sports game, cleaning the house, exercising, whatever.

    Sometimes the first time you try something you really like, you get addicted for a long while before it finally gets old for you. This is not exclusive to video games by any means.
    • I would mod up the parent if I had the points.
      • As would I.

        It doesn't matter *what* someone spends 75% of their life doing, if they do it to the exclusion of other, 'necessary to continue living' activities, it's horrible for them. But just labelling something an 'addiction' and saying that it defines the problem does no good - find something else to harp on if you want to make the world a better place.

        • Re:Addiction (Score:4, Informative)

          by dshaw858 ( 828072 ) on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @06:29PM (#13449576) Homepage Journal
          I concur, with parent, grandparent, and most of all great-grandparent.

          There have been times when I've spent 40 hours a week gaming. So what? Okay, fine, that was a little bit obsessive (I had just gotten Counter-Strike, come on now), but the point remains that there are far more who watch 6-8hours of television daily, and more on weekends. There are people who are addicted to drugs (different entirely), exercising, betting (gambling), reading... gaming isn't addiction, it's entertainment. Everyone wants to have a good time, right?

          - dshaw

          • Re:Addiction (Score:3, Insightful)

            by snuf23 ( 182335 )
            One of the key points of addiction is the inability to stop even when something is no longer fun. When the activity becomes a need just as much (sometimes more so) than eating or drinking. When someone continues to play a game for hours on end that they don't enjoy, it can become a problem. And yes it seems like shouting "just stop playing dumbass" should work, but in the case of addiction they can't. There are usually underlying reasons why they can't that are completely unrelated to the game. It could be

            • Re:Addiction (Score:3, Interesting)

              by dshaw858 ( 828072 )
              One of the key points of addiction is the inability to stop even when something is no longer fun.

              Right, I fully and utterly agree- however, 'gaming addiction' might be the most misdiagnosed addiction ever. Why? Because when I (for example) played 40 hours of Counter-Strike a week, it was very much a need to me to play: this is because it was fun for me. Eventually, the game lost the fun it once had, and I eventually stopped playing. Now, I play maybe 5 hours a week, because it's fun again.

              The point I
          • Just because a large part of America sits in front of the TV all day long doesn't mean that wasting your life waiting for King UberFuck's Magic Dildo to drop in WoW is acceptable.

            You shouldn't through excersizing in there between drugs and betting.. one promotes longer and healthier life, and socializing. Besides, 99% of TV wathers or gamers wouldn't even KNOW if they'd get addicted to some healthy social activity, becuase they are too busy staring at a box.

    • This is true, but you have to examine an addiction in a larger context. Exercising, reading, etc are productive activities; you actually gain something by doing them! What do you gain by playing a game? Though, I think the most disturbing thing about TV/MMORPGs etc is that often they are addicting largely because they can act as substitutes for reality. Really, I have no idea why games like Ragnarok Online are so popular. To me, these are not games in the traditional sense; I find them to be tedious, a
      • they are addicting largely because they can act as substitutes for reality

        And the point he was making, I think, is that some people do the same with reading and exercising.

      • Your examples are a bit weak. What do you gain by reading? Does it have to be an educational book or can it be mystery novels, and if so, what do I gain from reading those? I am reading slashdot, I don't think my boss would call that a productive activity.
        At least playing games trains my reflexes (FPS) and helps me be inventive (RPG/Adventure). TV doesn't have to be bad either, some shows are really educational.

        But looking at the larger context, as others have mentioned, it's really doing something exclu
        • at the cost of other things like socializing, reading, experiencing life outside your room/house, eating?!, etc.
          Some of us just don't like socializing for the sake of it. Same for "outside", what should I do there?
    • I spend all of my time working (either on work or on my personal project, which I don't actually enjoy but am obligated to since I've been doing it for almost seven years) and I don't have a life, either. Just because you waste your time gaming doesn't mean you have less of a life than those of us who waste our time doing anything else.

      It seems people think that if you're pursuing money or anything other than "family" or "relationships" that you're "wasting time". If you spend all your time with your girlfr

  • Mental Disorders (Score:3, Insightful)

    by slughead ( 592713 ) on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @06:02PM (#13449384) Homepage Journal
    I don't think there's a psychologist alive that wouldn't say this is unhealthy, and probably a sign of a mental disorder.

    My older brother got kicked out of the military for high blood pressure in February. Since then he's not found a job and he's not even considering going back to school.

    He's 26, lives at my parent's house, and he plays computer games for about 14 hours a day (15 if you count the breaks for eating and such), 7 days a week.

    I'm so freak jealous.

  • Avatars Offline (Score:4, Informative)

    by Satorian ( 902590 ) on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @06:14PM (#13449467) Homepage
    There is an interesting documentary called Avatars Offline [avatarsoffline.com] which mainly deals with Everquest but applies to all MMORPGs, where they let developers, gamers and psychologists talk about the games and it's quite interesting. Chances are that if you've been interested in MMORPGs and are still wondering about trying one you don't want to anymore after watching this.

    I know, basically every enjoyable activity (with a slight twist of mind even every non-enjoyable one) can be addictive. But there are some modificators to apply for MMORPGS:

    1. The +1 Syndrome (aka carrot-on-a-stick)
     There is always an desirable item, either in game or social terms, about to be gained by you if you just invest 'a couple of minutes'. Over and over again. And the hunters and gatherers in us love accumulating anything of value, perceived or real.

    2. Teamwork
     There was a story once, I think even on Slashdot, about the brain and some glands releasing neurotransmitters similar in structure to cocaine, which can be quite physically addictive. Hence the cooperative PvE game is so popular and the lovely term 'Evercrack' isn't too far off.

    3. Freedom of aesthetics and personality
     The distraction from personal deficits and choice of visual appeal and, within limits, personality. Only few of us are really self-confident in all aspects or ignorant or arrogant enough to not care about our deficits. Online worlds are a welcome escape. And the more immersive they are, the better the escape they provide.

    4. Community
     People having a hard time communicating and bonding in RL can take advatage of 3. and built some kind of bond online, which as substitutes for a difficult and/or flawed real life can become subjectively important to the playing person, driving them to spend even more time online. There are other factors playing into it, but I think these are among the most important ones.

    • Re:Avatars Offline (Score:4, Insightful)

      by servognome ( 738846 ) on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @07:01PM (#13449793)
      I know, basically every enjoyable activity (with a slight twist of mind even every non-enjoyable one) can be addictive. But there are some modificators to apply for MMORPGS:

      The modifiers apply to other activites as well. Playing an MMO isn't that much different than sports, movies, gambling, etc. If a particular activity doesn't explicitly try to take advantage of a modifier your brain will make it up all by itself

      1. The +1 Syndrome (aka carrot-on-a-stick)

      Like a runner pushing themselves for "just one more mile", or a gambler with 1 more coin, playing football for 1 more hour, shopping at just 1 more store, 1 more drink at the bar, sleeping for just 15 more minutes, etc. Basically your mind just convinces itself that the marginal investment will be made up for with some sort of reward.

      2. Teamwork
      4. Community

      I would lump these two together. People are social creatures, we tend to gravitate to those who share something in common with us.
      Teamwork lets us define ourselves by the accomplishments of a group, while competition lets us define ourselves relative to others who share similar goals.
      Both fall under the umbrella of a community, where we are able to interact with those who are similar to us. Whether its the bartender, store clerk, or the player on the other team, you feel like they are part of the same group as you. Like the show "Cheers," you want to go where others know your name. Even the gambler in the dark corner of the casino will feel a sense of community through familiarity with the machines, with the waiting staff, getting a feeling of home when they play.

      3. Freedom of aesthetics and personality

      Often times people take on different personas even in without the anonymity of a computer. At the bar you're no longer "Bob the accountant," you are "Bob the guy who predicted the superbowl". You may not even have a name, and are just known as "the guy who chugged a 12 pack in an hour, or that guy who never missed a shot, or the guy who won the illegal street race in his old Honda"
      • 1. Try running for 15 hours or playing football for 15 hours.
        Besides, most people, even the runners among them, are not likely to be impressed when I show them the abused soles of my running shoes. These are enjoyable processes but they don't yield results the way games do. No shiny armor, no sword of pwnage, no boots of asskicking.

        2. and 4. happen on a different scale. You could consider one the microscale and the other the macroscale. While both are similar in their psychological drive, they happen on

        • I play World of Warcraft, and since it's the summer and I'm not at uni I've been playing it a LOT lately, some days 10 hours perhaps. I have friends. I have a girlfriend. I love games, and I'm not ashamed. If I was an amateur artist and painted for hours every day to make paintings for myself and my own personal pleasure you wouldn't say I had problems, you'd say I was spending time doing something I love. I honestly believe that playing MMORPGs can broaden people's horizons and make them fuller people. I'
          • Well, then this is obviously not about you. Not all people are afflicted, probably not even a majority. Nonetheless there are still some aspects to MMORPGs that can make them addictive, more than TV and books. And this was about the 'hardcore' players. Some can handle it, some not.

            Lots of people drink alcohol. Only a few get addicted. It is still considered a drug.

        • 1. Try running for 15 hours or playing football for 15 hours.

          You don't necessarily have to quantify the "+1 effect" purely in terms of time. In physical activites you can push yourself to the point of heat exhaustion, dehydration, or injury. One more hand gambling can cost you your rent payment, one more store can make you late for appointments, etc.

          Besides, most people, even the runners among them, are not likely to be impressed when I show them the abused soles of my running shoes. These are enjoyab
        • "For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat and wrong." H.L. Mencken

          What I'm trying to say is that usually when you feel a need to reach for the usual universal nerd explanations like "because they're all idiots" or "because they all have some major mental problem", that ought to be your clue that you're talking out the ass and most likely haven't even _begun_ to understand what's really going on.

          It's getting kinda tiresome to read the same rehashed pseudo-psychological BS, like (re
    • Diablo II is a good example of a game which has always reminded me of the VI reinforcement schedule. You click, mostly mindlessly, but not so mindlessly as to not be entertained, and then are rewarded incrementally on a either highly variable schedule with very high rewards in the form of new pretty special effects or weapons, or a very consistent schedule with lower rewards in the form of experience and gold.

      Eventually, the chances of finding a new item that's usable or gaining a level become few and far b

  • Umm.... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by telstar ( 236404 ) on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @06:16PM (#13449484)
    "I think I am addicted."

    I think you're in denial. The fact that you included the words "I think" in there was the first clue. Dude, 5-7 hours of gaming a day? 15 on the weekend? Seriously ... get some help.

    • Re:Umm.... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by KillShill ( 877105 )
      how many hours do you do something that others don't approve of?

      unless it's impacting his health, just leave him be.
      • "I've got to the stage where I feel that without gaming, I have nothing interesting to do."

        I think that quote basically says it all. I don't have any problem with gaming ... it's fun. Lots of people love to do it. I do it sometimes too. But the fact that this guy games so much that he has detached from the rest of life to the point that he feels there's nothing else to do tells me that he's probably missing out on some other great things in life. Is it his perogative to do so? Sure. I'm just glad it'
    • I know, 5-7 hours a day means he's not playing for 17-19 hours. At worst he wastes 11 hours each day on trivial matters like eating, sleeping, school/work and stuff. A healthy person could easily play twice as long each day. And 15 hours on the weekend? What the beep is he doing for the remaining 18 hours? Talking about some lack of attention span.

  • life/gamer (Score:4, Funny)

    by subl33t ( 739983 ) on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @06:31PM (#13449589)
    ... is it legal to use these two words in the same sentence?

  • Hardly an Addiction (Score:5, Insightful)

    by matthewcraig ( 68187 ) on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @08:49PM (#13450476)
    The articles and replies are dropping the word addition around like they are armchair psychologists. Perhaps critics see a computer resembling a television, and they don't bother understanding the underlying functions. While there are some people who might use gaming to escape from their other responsibilities (like any other form of escape), the choice to participate is just that -- a choice.

    What are some reasons people would choose to participate in these online activities? Communication - no other mechanism allows people around the world to work together in-real-time to accomplish goals. Players improve communication skills to improve their game and interact with people of all different backgrounds. Teamwork - Getting involved with an epic quest that involves 5-40 other people is exhillarating. Leadership - Forming groups, clans, guilds, and partnerships is easy and fun. Players learn how to direct others while keeping the groups together. Entertainment - Games are the top-of-the-line graphical and technical achievements. Movies and many books cannot compare to the cinematics and story lines in popular games. Expenses - For as much as $50 up-front cost and $15 a month, you are allowed unlimited participation in ever-changing entertainment. Organization and Critical Thinking - Games require fast reactions, understanding complex rule-sets, and using and even creating websites. After an intense game session, you might even feel mentally exhausted.

    Comparing this to addictions like smoking is ludicrous. Smoking not only has no personal value, but it is are detrimental to one's health. Gaming is safe and cheap, and there are many qualities that can improve a player's lifestyle.

    I know of someone who was involved with a three month in-game leadership program. Their clan used voice communications and protocols so that twenty or more players could be lead effectively. The conclusion of this training was an epic battle where the student would lead three groups of twenty at once (60 players) and coordinate strategies for each group. This is clearly an activity that improved the gamer's well-being, while others of his age were out in smoky bars drinking each night away. Gaming, in this case, generated life-long skills.

    People who would force someone, causing no problems for anyone -- including their own self, to seek psychological attention, should themselves get some immediate psychological attention.

    • Re:Hardly an Addiction (Score:2, Interesting)

      by maggoty ( 897347 )
      You may point out all the supposed positives from playing these games, but my housemate, who plays hours upon hours of World of Warcraft, never ever comes out of his room to do anything, but eat and sleep. And even then he has lost appetite and would eat a minimum of 1 meal a day on the weekends sometimes, which is clear unhealthy. He has been sick more and more lately, from colds to sore aching muscles and bones, obviously from sitting in the one place and not moving for hours at a time. I hardly ever s
      • Hmmm. I guess his guild is raiding Molten Core. :D
        Honestly in WoW, you don't need to play this way until you get the stupid insanely rough end game.
        I don't mind 2 hours, or even 4 hours of gaming, but 5+ starts to put my ass to sleep and make me irritable. The gameplay curve is so whacked in WoW, you basically go from everything being accessible and doable without excessive time commitment smack into endless repitition and huge time commitment to make a trivial progression.
        I have a few in game guildies that
        • " Hmmm. I guess his guild is raiding Molten Core. :D
          Honestly in WoW, you don't need to play this way until you get the stupid insanely rough end game."

          Spendnig tha tmuch time is only required if you are trying to be the cutting-edge guild, getting all the "first kills" on your server. Most big raiding guilds with experiance clear molten core relitively quickly now. We do it in 2 4 hour runs a week. Throw in another 1-2 hours for Onyxia, and a 4 hour attempt at BWL, and you are talking 14 hours a week. W
    • The sedentary lifestyle that comes from multi-hour gaming sessions IS detrimental to your health.

      If people could get away with playing these games only a few hours a week, you might have a point. But these games are specifically tailored to reward those who spend UNHEALTHY amounts of time playing them.

      Comparing vice to vice ("others of his age were out drinking")is pointless. Yeah drinking is unhealthy. That doesn't magically make gaming addiction healthy.

      Don't go around claiming the online game lifestyl
      • Believe it or not, gaming is not unique in the sense that it leads to a sedentary lifestyle. TV, chess, playing guitar, cooking, socializing, and reading are all rather non-physical pursuits. Furthermore, one could game for 20 hours on a weekend, and exercise for 4. Also, you may have been unaware of this, but there a great many people out there who have no obsessive tendancies whatsoever, and live a sedentary lifestyle anyway, simply because they don't enjoy exercise. Gaming is no more harmful than sleepi
      • Pointless to compare it to drinking? Read the article, "Naveed Khan from London says that gaming can be as serious an addiction as alcoholism."

  • Escape? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by AutopsyReport ( 856852 ) on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @08:53PM (#13450500)
    Gaming helps me escape from whatever happens to be bothering me. It's a great stress reliever, a safe outlet to pursue some of my more aggressive tendencies.

    This is something I've never understood. I've heard many people refer to their need to play games as a means to release from life, but I've never experienced this. I seriously do not think people play games to escape the hardships of life. In fact, if you can play a videogame for fifteen hours a day, it's pretty apparent there's no such things as hardships in your life. But beyond this, I've been playing games off and on for years, but never once used it to relieve stress. No, I played for fun.

    I'm tending to think that people call their gaming needs as an avenue of relief, probably as a justification to them spending so much time playing. Instead of wasting so much time playing, a better suggestion would be to work on the problems that are apparantely 'causing' you to play so much. If the brutalities of life are weighing in, then a videogame is no substitute for paying attention to your issues.

    • Re:Escape? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by snuf23 ( 182335 ) on Wednesday August 31, 2005 @11:43PM (#13451430)
      Well, games are fun, fun is play, play = stress relief. No big science there. Plenty of people use gaming (not just videogames) as a stress reliever. In a sense this is an escape, you are taking your mind off of the object of stress, perhaps as a rough day at work.
      We all have day to day stress of one type or another and "serious work", whether you are a baby or an adult. Using entertainment as an escape to get your mind off of stressful events or circumstances, is normal. It's part of what play is about.

    • Re:Escape? (Score:2, Interesting)

      by toad3k ( 882007 )
      Actually you are saying 15 hours a day is not a stress reliever, and I suppose I can understand that point of view.

      When I was in high school I got addicted to mudding and during summer vacations, 10 hour stints were not unheard of. I still mud, but as a coder now.

      I'm kind of on the fence about this issue. I realize some people really do shut off their lives, but at the same time, if someone had banned me from playing videogames, I think I would have lost something valuable.

      The skills I gained through thos
    • The human brains just isn't supposed to sit idle. You can't just sit there with an empty mind, or you'd go insane with boredom.

      So you start thinking about stuff. Some good, some bad. Invariably some bad. Humans just aren't built to be happy all the time. I'm talking biologically: your mood is, basically, like on a spring or rubberband that tends to bring it back to the centre.

      So if you just sit there bored, you'll start thinking of various stuff, a lot of it bad stuff. Boredom itself being a bad stimulus, a
    • I was literaly addicted to Everquest for 3 years. In highschool wasn't much of a problem I was (am) very smart and never needed to study much to pass. I played every day from when I got home at 3:05 till midnight. I played literaly ALL day saterdays and sundays. I once went on a 28 hour raid. On my main character alone (I had 3 total)I loged over 368 _DAYS_ of online time. In college I got bored of the game and quit, there were much more interesting things to do.

      This is something I've never understood

  • ...people who read books in their spare time? I know some people who read as much as I play video games, yet they are considered "studious" and we are considered addicts.

    It's not that I don't enjoy engaging in social activity, because that's what I do all the time when I'm playing games. I'm talking on teamspeak to my friends, some of which I know in real life. The fact is, gaming is cheap. I can sit in my room and play a game for 100 hours a month for 6 months and only pay that initial $30-40 for the p
    • About that reflex thing, when I was at the peak of pumping insane hours into Wolfenstein Enemy Territory my reflex was unbelieveable too. Feels like you are in speed mode all day.

      I hardly play any FPS nowadays, and my reaction time feel really slow. I keep telling my relatives there is something to gain when you play 40 hrs of RTCW. But no one believe me.

  • Employable (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Bellum Aeternus ( 891584 )
    I own a small Internet company, and I play games. At one time my guild's leader was effective as a leader, that I thought he'd be very valuable for my company. When I approached him about it - he informed me that he was 17 and living in Asia (maening I cannot employ him), and couldn't actually speak English (just read and write it well).

    I was just amazed. It seems that games can and do teach valuable leadership skills. And, as an American business person, I'm glad to see the competition (China) limit its o

    • I really agree with you on this one. I know people use arguments like 'playing games improves hand eye co-ordination' and 'playing games teaches you about software' to defend video games against the barrage of undue criticism the media sling at it, but I feel these are fairly weak arguments.

      The benefits they have in this area true only to a limited extent and there are certainly far better ways of improving hand eye co-ordination (such as sports, which incorporates exercise) and learning about software (tho
  • I watch, and participate in, a few gaming fora around the web and one of the things I've found disturbing since China's announced three-hour rule for MMORPGs is how gamers in "free" (in quotes because the word is so loaded for some folks) countries have responded. I've seen many people say that it's a good idea and very few taking issue with the limitation in freedom. I thought of this again upon reading the BBC article here where a young man in the UK supports the law and says "Some people need to be com
    • There are games which you can play on your reflexes alone. E.g., when I moved between UT to Quake 3 and then back to UT, I didn't lose my own reflexes in the process. You can be someone who just bought bought the game, and compete successfully with people who've played it for a year.

      MMOs basically have this system where your character's "power" is simply a measure of how much time you've dumped into it. A character that's been played for 1000 hours is inherently more powerful than a character who's been pla
      • So while I don't support heavy-handed government intervention, I would like to see more done about the current MMO setup.

        Good for you, but your rant on MMOG design had zero to do with my point. Glad you could get it off your chest, though.

        • Actually, it does.

          The current MMO rat race and grind to keep up sucks. The point wasn't just to rant about it. The point is: that's why even most of us actually playing MMOs wouldn't really be bothered by such a law. You asked why. Well, that's why. Now you know.

          Yes, it's heavy-handed and all, but noone's violating any of your human rights. Your right to spend 16 hours a day in WoW isn't in the constitution.

          Even by chinese law standards, it's a pretty mild one. In fact, it's not even a "law" as such, it's j
          • Actually, the constitution does mention your right to play WoW 16 hours a day: "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." Furthermore, the constitution only very roundaboutly addresses human rights, which are different. In addition, China doesn't have the US constitution, but I'm sure you know that. Also, I doubt you speak for "most" MMO players. Original poster has a good point: we cry foul because the RIAA sues you
  • Let me briefly talk about friends online. I've made some posts about gaming addiction in other places, but this is something that really deserves it's own special place.

    You can make friends online. Yeah. You can. As I type this, I'm listening to six people talk to each other-- about everything, Counter-Strike among topics, on TeamSpeak, a VoIP chat software. One of those people go to school with me. All of them, I'd consider a true friend.

    Yeah, it started with a (now defunct) CS team. But we're friends

  • addiction (Score:3, Insightful)

    by philowar ( 894246 ) on Thursday September 01, 2005 @03:09AM (#13452167)
    The real problem is the root cause, not the symptom. We live in a meaningless society: broken families, wage slavery, cubicles, lack of community, dead gods, no religion. What else is there to believe in? We are all desperate rodents, clinging to anything that might grant us brief solace from the meaningless of life. In modern times, nihilism is the only truth. Beyond your computer there is nothing, only death.

    • Re:addiction (Score:2, Insightful)

      by FruFox ( 911705 )
      I agree that we live in spiritually desolate times. The baby boomers tore everything down, used everything up, then said to us, their children "Have fun. Clean up when you're done. " It means we have to make NEW VALUES.
    • Wow that's some seriously deep stuff, man. Where do I subscribe to your xanga/livejournal?
    • I think I recall having a conversation with you at a party once. If memory serves correctly, you were wearing black. That was you, right?
    • We live in a meaningless society: broken families, wage slavery, cubicles, lack of community, dead gods, no religion. What else is there to believe in?

      Humanity itself maybe?

      Times now are so tough, no wonder we all turn to our glowing boxes for salvation /sarcasm
      I'd take 50 hours a week of wage slavery in a cubicle so I can watch my plasma TV, over real slavery, or even 15 hours a day out in the fields so i have enough food to survive.

      Throughout history people have problems, and people like to be distrac
      • Humanity itself maybe?

        Humanity? Go visit ogrish.com. The brutality videos are my favorite. Then tell me what you think about the human race.

        I'd take 50 hours a week of wage slavery in a cubicle so I can watch my plasma TV, over real slavery, or even 15 hours a day out in the fields so i have enough food to survive.

        But I hear the average hunter-gatherer only had to work about 3 hours a day to provide himself with the necessities of life.

        Throughout history people have problems, and people like to

        • Humanity? Go visit ogrish.com. The brutality videos are my favorite. Then tell me what you think about the human race.

          And belief in God results in something different? Plenty of brutality has been done in the name of religion.

          But I hear the average hunter-gatherer only had to work about 3 hours a day to provide himself with the necessities of life.

          I could work a part time job 20 hours a week and get a much better lifestyle.
  • I would have expected more from BBC. Four people have been selected to represent "gamers" to talk about online games, and all of them are clearly hardcore, addicted gamers. Most people who play online games are not addicted and dont spend nearly as much time on games as these people. How can an article give a fair impression on online gamers when they have interviews only from the extreme types?
  • Simple as that, I enjoy the mental challenge and the thought of doing something to just sitting down and passivly watching TV.

  • It's All About Power (Score:4, Insightful)

    by blueZhift ( 652272 ) on Thursday September 01, 2005 @08:20AM (#13453050) Homepage Journal
    Historically, the Chinese Communist government has always taken action against any group or anything that gains a significant following. Anything that can compell thousands, if not millions of people to do something is a threat to government power. Online games currently have such a following in China. Not only that, as mentioned by one person in the article, they also provide an avenue for contact with people outside of China. Together, these things are a serious problem for the government. The recent uproar over GTA and the death of the South Korean player gave perfect cover to the government to crack down on something that might be a threat to their authority.
    • While everyone is going back and forth about whether or not games are addicting (the implied argument being if they are not, China should not have the three hour limit), it's nice to see someone here knows where the contention actually lies.

      mod parent up.

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