I really enjoy computer games. Games are right up there on my list of diversion priorities with good books and good movies. I regularly get flashbacks to fun times from Everquest - Keeping the group alive in dungeon after dungeon with my cleric or traveling Luclin with my bard. These flashbacks are the same kind of happy memories I get from basketball or surfing or skiing. A vivid memory of a good time I had with online friends or even just exploring by myself. Hearing that level chime *ding*.
Every once in a while, I just get a craving to zone out with a game. Am I addicted? I have been listening to recent talks about computer game addiction with interest. Social advocates say there is a big problem here; gamers themselves (like all good addicts) say they dont have a problem.
Are Games Addictive?
The State of the Science
February 28, 2006
We make games so that people can enjoy them, and I've noticed that throwing around a dirty word like “addiction” is a lot like throwing rocks at people. Heavy rocks. I try to be very careful with how I use that word in relation to games, because it's a very, very complicated subject. Yes, South Korean and American gamers have died from exhaustion. Yes, this makes bored journalists and unpopular politicians very happy. China has already thrown a fair bit of legislation at video games, whether or not games are the problem. On the other hand, such legislation might fail to address the real problem. In this article I explain addiction simply. Then, I talk about research that attempts to connect addiction to gaming, and some clear problems in that research. One caveat: this article is not going to make anyone into a trained clinician.
Personally, I am persuaded by the research that says computer games are a self-reinforcing stimulant that make you want to play them again and again for the same rush. This is probably a bad paraphrasing but it makes some sense to be that kids (of all ages) get this experience because it has been my experience. (I plan to limit the amount of time my kids watch TV or play computer games.)
It is hard for non-games, like my family, to understand the appeal of games. If you have ever enjoyed getting lost in a good book or a good movie, then you understand the appeal of games. Computer games are a more interactive form of those traditional diversions and the variety means you can play a game over and over. (I never want to read a book or watch a movie over and over.) As graphics and technology continue to improve, the game experience gets more and more like an interactive movie experience and I expect the audience for games to grow.
Is this addictive? Probably, but in the sense that one is motivated to lose themselves in fantasy if their reality is unappealing.
nostalgia sets in - I really must be old
But I do miss Everquest. I felt a sense of accomplishment, I enjoyed my characters, and I had good friends there (although I only knew them as characters). Sony released a sequel, EQ2, but I really don't enjoy the game. They made the game too darn easy and removing the challenge removed my interest. This is doubly sad because all my online friends from EQ switched and DO love the game. The experience has me thinking about what makes a game "fun" and why two self-described "gamers" can totally disagree on good games. (After receiving a huge survey about gameplay when I quit EQ2, I suspect that I am not the only person who didn't enjoy EQ2 much.)
I have read that older gamers experience a lot of nostalgia (those happy flashbacks of mine). We remember games from the 1980's fondly even though they would seem laughable today. Those old experiences form an illusory ideal that we measure new games against. People argue these old standards are illusory ideals because they really werent as good as we remember them to be. (Memories sort of work that way.) This trick of memory makes it hard to really say if games are getting worse or if we are just changing our tastes.
hitting that lowest common denominator
EQ isn't the only game today that doesnt interest me much. The most popular game month after month is World of Warcraft, another online game that I disliked. Graphics continue to improve but the current trend in games is beset with boring gameplay. Of course, that means boring to me.
Games are as popular as ever and any success is quickly imitated by a huge list of competitor products. The trick of designing games is to find the sweet spot that appeals to a wide variety of tastes. Much like movies, that sweet spot seems to be the mind of a 14 year old male, which is the root of my dissatisfaction. I have outgrown "blockbuster" movies but games are using the same formula, better graphics and more action action action! Like movies, game publishers are increasingly led by MBA's and not by the artistic types. Making money is more about doing the same thing, again and again, than it is about being original.
But I am a gamer and I am hopeful there will be innovative and entertaining products for me, although they may come slower than I would like. Valve is the one company that consistently makes games that I love (Half Life and Day of Defeat) and I expect to see innovation from open source and the mod-community. Plus technology continues to develop so who knows what will come. The era of virtual worlds is just beginning.
