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IRL is a Short Look at WoW Addiction

Gavin Bard — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:30:58 +0000

Video games can be addictive. I’d hazard the vast majority of those reading this have an intimate knowledge of that fact. Even if you aren’t a gaming addict in a general sense, there is still probably one game where you had to collect every piece of coinfeather and complete the 300 journal recording entries or else you got the shakes and a cold sweat- it is just the nature of being a gamer. There have been many solid studies and editorials about what exactly makes games so addictive and how the rise in achievement based gameplay over the last handful of years has helped accelerate these tendencies.

Still, the grandaddy of them all is World of Warcraft. Okay, well, the grandaddy is probably Starcraft, but the daddy is definitely World of Warcraft. Either way it is one addiction enabling family.

In fact, the King of Ripten himself Chad Lakkis overcame his very own WoW addiction so he could become the powerhouse he is today. So the odds are that you too can relate in some way to Anthony Rosnar’s “IRL – In Real Life.” In it, he lays his own addiction on the table and shows the sacrifices he made in order to satiate it. More importantly, it shows his journey to overcoming the addiction and gaining control over his life. It is pretty inspiring and could be a nice little kick in the Paladin for people who may want to kick their own habit.

My addiction you ask?

Cheetahmen II. My world is a bleak one.

Former Video Game Addict Sacked By Seattle Seahawks

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 02:12:36 +0000

Quinn Pitcock, self described recovering video game addict and former NFL defensive end, was unceremonously cut by the Seattle Seahawks this past Saturday. Quinn, former all-American defensive lineman at Ohio State, had his first pro stint with the NFL’s Colt’s cut short due to an unfortunate 1-2 combo of depression and obsessive gaming.

His game of choice? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which he claims to have played for most of his waking hours. After finally finding the strength to kick his addiction and selling his Xbox 360, he began a much publicized attempt at a comeback.

While not all stories have a happy ending, it wouldn’t be wise to close the book yet. While he may be a longshot at this point, there is the small chance of making a team’s practice squad. At the very least he has inspired those with addictions by showing adversity can be overcome with will power and hard work. We wish him the best of luck!

After leaving Seahawk practice facilities he was last seen exiting a Gamestop with a new PS3 slim and Modern Warfare 2. (joke)

Source

Exec Defines Game Mechanics As Means To Addict Consumers

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 03:29:42 +0000

According to Tim Chang, Principal at Norwest Venture Partners (a financial backer of social mobile game creators), you might as well have been shooting heroin into your arm every time you squashed a Goomba or landed a blow to the side of Super Macho Man’s face.

“Basically game mechanics are a way to get consumers addicted to things … They keep people engaged to keep doing things, as opposed to what goes viral quick: You click, you watch and then never see it again.”

In case you are wondering, Wikipedia describes the term “game mechanics” as follows:

“Game mechanics are a construct of rules intended to produce an enjoyable game or gameplay. All games use mechanics; however, theories and styles differ as to their ultimate importance to the game. In general, the process and study of game design is the effort to come up with game mechanics that allow for people playing a game to have a fun and engaging experience.”

Regardless of the definition you find yourself agreeing with, this contrast serves as an interesting example of the difference in both perspective and terminology used on the consumer level when compared to that of a corporation.

[via Advertising Age]

Avatar Movie Observations, WoW/MMO Addiction, & Coming Clean

Chad Lakkis — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:15:45 +0000

This post was originally going to be a review, but as Avatar’s plot unfolded, it became clear to me that I could no longer put off discussing a year long personal struggle in my life that may prove helpful to others out there going through a similar situation.

Some of the readers may have noticed that I all but vanished off of the face of the earth for nearly a year. Many other writers on the site picked up the slack in my absence, for which I was, and continue to be grateful for. I told myself that upon returning I would explain the situation in an honest and open post to the readership. The problem was, I struggled to find a segue from the world of gaming news to a real life obsession that was slowing taking over my every waking moment, but a few hours of big budget IMAX 3D movie magic the other night changed all of that.

Of course I’m talking about James Cameron’s 300 million dollar blockbuster film, Avatar. Before I go any further, I feel that it’s important for me to add that, while this is not a review of the film, I did thoroughly enjoy the on screen experience of Avatar. It’s a big budget popcorn flick with stunning visuals, however while many reviewers have analyzed it’s supposed political undertone, the story of Jake Sully reminded me of a much more personal first hand experience of my own — with MMO addiction.

It almost seems like I’m talking about another person as I admit this now, but looking back at how seriously addicted I was to World of Warcraft, I realize that the effect an addiction — even to a videogame — can have on you and those who care and depend on you can be devastating.

It’s true that Avatar is a much more layered sci-fi experience than WoW, but some of the basic elements that I became consumed by in the game seemed very similar to the situations that were portrayed in the movie. I found myself rooting for Jake and the people he sought to protect throughout the film, but the similarities between my experience and the events in Avatar did not escape me.

Jake’s real body is ridden to a wheelchair, while his avatar is capable of running, jumping, performing acrobatic moves, and other various feats of strength — and all he has to do to experience this world whenever he wants to is hop into a chamber and “log in”. The ease of access portrayed in the film, paired with the vast difference between a real life predicament which is less than fulfilling and an alternative reality full of excitement and awe, is what first drew a comparison for me, but it didn’t end there.

As the character became more entrenched in the new world, his interest in it shifted from curiosity to a perceived sense of obligation to those he met within. Days started to blur as he lost track of things like morning, noon, and night. He began to shun necessities such as sleep, regular meals, and at times … even basic hygiene (stinky) for a chance at additional time spent in the body of his avatar. At one point, he is given an opportunity to better his real world predicament and step away from the avatar based experience, but he brushes off reality for an avatar advancement opportunity that I equated to level capping a character in an MMO.

These are all characteristics that, while I’m ashamed to admit, I know I experienced first hand during my heavy addiction phase. A game I picked up as a trial in Circuit City for less than five bucks as a means to experiment with MMO based gaming turned into something I began to play from the moment I woke up until the moment I passed out — day in and day out. I lost interest in maintaining the site, keeping in touch with my writers, family, and friends. The thing that mattered most during this time was my self imposed obligation to the individuals in my guild, bettering my character/avatar, and ultimately dealing with a bunch of in-game conflicts that I wouldn’t even think about entertaining now.

I must add that while the vast majority of the relationships I made in World of Warcraft were superficial and performance based, there are a handful of individuals I am glad to have met that I still keep in touch with to this day. I’m in no way blaming the developers of the game, however I do believe that extremity open ended games like World of Warcraft and other MMOs can prove to be highly addictive and damaging if put in the hands of individuals with certain defining preexisting personality traits. In other words, games don’t make people kill people, but an individual with a few dozen animal slayings under their belt isn’t exactly the person you want to see twiddling a butchers knife between their fingers while playing Manhunt in your living room at 3am.

Though it wasn’t easy to walk away, my personal struggle with MMO addiction finally ended a few months ago with the help of tough love from family and friends. If someone out there reading this is in a similar spot, or knows someone that is, my advice is to first admit that there is a problem, and second, find a way to distance yourself from it. Things won’t likely happen over night, but it can be done. Reaching your “max level” in the real world will undoubtedly require more effort than button mashing boss kills that dispense phat loot, but the payoff is tangible and doesn’t require a monthly subscription fee. It’s not as exciting as being a powerful warrior who soars high over Northrend on his flying mount, but reality has its perks too.

In closing, I apologize to everyone I may have let down, including the writers who busted their butt to keep the site afloat during this unfortunate chapter of my life, and vow to never again play a game that I can’t realistically beat in a week or two. Enjoy the upcoming holiday break.

Videogames Lead to Behavioral Addiction

Dylan Duarte — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:05:32 +0000

An article from a Southern Utah news website highlights gaming addiction in kids and talks about how dangerous it can be.

The article, from The Spectrum, is titled “Combat gaming addiction in kids.” It references various experts that claim that excessive gaming is a behavioral addiction similar to addictions to pornography or gambling.

The article goes on to explain the danger of games like World of Warcraft and Call of Duty, where “players build make-believe worlds that can overshadow real life.” We’re all familiar with the the addictive quality of Warcraft, but the author clearly threw Call of Duty in there because of its immense popularity without actually knowing what the game entails.

One therapist is quoted as saying “If Mom is always nagging that games are a waste of time, they say: ‘S- you, my friends online love me, and I’ll hang out with them.’” I don’t even know what “S- you” means. Shit you? Is that how the kids talk these days?

Later in the article the writer says “A drug user trying to kick his or her habit knows that cutting down until the behavior is conquered doesn’t work,” and “Computer game addicts face the same problems,” jumping right from behavioral addiction to chemical addiction. So which is it?

While it’s somewhat refreshing to read a criticism of videogames that doesn’t completely revolve around violence (though it is talked about), this article felt more alarmist than informative. I encourage all of you to read it and tell us what you think.

“Super Mortal” Dr. Phil Takes on MMO Addiction

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:10:33 +0000

Today’s episode of the Dr. Phil show, titled “Virtual Chaos”, addresses video game addiction, and it isn’t pretty. The featured guests spend 80 hours a week on average playing “the game” (which is on more than one occasion revealed to be World of Warcraft), abandoning their jobs, ignoring their wives, and neglecting their children.

One recovering video game addict in the audience described how he would secretly replace the guts of his PC when his wife went to work so that he could play more advanced games without her knowing about the expenses he was racking up. The camera panned to the current addict on stage as the audience member explained his secret upgrade process, and you could literally sense a light bulb going off in his head.

The recovering addict interestingly described the in-game “friendships” as performance based, adding that if you performed well in a particular game (raid), everyone would love you, but if you performed poorly, the opposite was true. Advocates could argue that he just had a bad group of in-game friends.

Overall, the show’s tone was serious and down right depressing at times, but I laughed out loud when Dr. Phil asked the current addict what he did in “the game.” The addict described upgrading his gear and collecting various mounts, conveniently forgetting to mention his in-game profession, likely due to his lack of a real world counterpart. Dr. Phil then asked to see some of his gear, adding “Where is your mount? Is it tied up outside?”

The conversation continued with the addict describing his in-game character as being a female Elemental Shaman. Dr. Phil asked why he chose to play a female, and the addict responded, “because the male characters are dumb.” Oh the irony in that statement.

Mark Wahlberg Won’t Play Max Payne Video Game – Cites Addictive Personality

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:20:55 +0000

Mark Wahlberg, the actor slated to play Max Payne in the upcoming film based on the popular video game franchise, states that he has not played, and will not play the video game. Why? Because he says he has an addictive personality, and that, combined with his other adult responsibilities, simply won’t mesh well.

In an interview with People.com, Wahlberg says “I didn’t want to play because I have an addictive personality.” The actor then adds:

“I got more responsibility now than I’ve ever had with the kids and everything else. I don’t want to be spending 14 hours on the videogame and then eight hours on the set. It’s not going to work out.”

That’s strange. I seem to remember Mark Wahlberg posing for Calvin Klein in his underwear, grabbing his crotch, and belting out really bad rap songs about vibrations or something like that.

Guess it’s a good thing his addictive personality didn’t kick in back then, or we may have been treated to a Max Payne in boxer briefs, running around shooting people and asking “can you feel it baby?”.

Source: showbizspy.com

Gamers Are More Ashamed of World of Warcraft Than Porn

John Kershaw — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:12:12 +0000

Dr. Jerald Block is a psychiatrist who specialises in helping people get over their addiction to a wide number of things, one of which is games. He argued recently in the American Journal of Psychiatry that “Internet Addiction” should become a professionally used term.

In a recent interview with The Boston Globe he talks about the shame a lot of gamers have when they come to him for help. He cites the socially unacceptability which games, such as World of Warcraft, have as being reasons why people find it hard to talk about.

Some people come in for trouble with Internet porn. But the computer gamers tend to be harder to treat. People feel a lot of shame around computer games. Whereas, it’s socially acceptable to have a porn problem.

He goes on to elaborate on the difference between videogames and porn.

As a society we understand that porn is something people do, and you can see a psychiatrist and get treated for it. But gaming is hard to describe to anyone else. So these people can’t explain their situation to friends.

Block also talks about how, even though the average age of gamers is around 30, most studies on gamers are carried out on adolescents, in part due to the more secretive approach a lot of adults take to their gaming.

It’s an interesting thought about WoW being more shameful than porn and how it’s mostly adults who think about it this way. But I can’t seem to shake the mental image of a mother walking into her son’s room, to see the son spin round on his chair whilst covering the screen shouting “It’s not what it looks like! It’s porn!”

Source: The Boston Globe