Doctor claims 40 percent of World of Warcraft players are addicted [ars.technica]
i immediately imagine myself and others sitting in cafeteria style chairs arranged in a circle going through the stereo-typical group therapy situation.
hi, i'm ac. and i'm addicted to wow.ok, in all seriousness i think this doctors claim is a bit hyped? are there people addicted to the game. i'm sure there are. it is, afterall, a very compelling game. and i can't say i understand the whole variable ratio reward, but i think i do get the gist and see how it relates to the game.
[group says]: hi ac!
while grinding for timbermaw rep in felpaw village, i sat to regen my health and when i realized i was out of flaming hot chops and wouldn't get my well fed buff i realized i needed help
[the group gasps], one lone person mutters... hearth man, hearth
i know there have been times i have spent way more time than i should playing. it is easy to lose track of time and when you have tangible in-game goals sitting within seemingly close reach, it is easy to say "just a few more minutes" much like did as kids when mom called you in for dinner and you'd rather spend just a few more minutes outside with your friends. WoW is an excellent example of how time flies when you're having fun.
for me it has been my default choice of entertainment. some people prefer to watch tv, i prefer to sit behind a computer. and lest it seem otherwise, present me with something that captures my attention and interest -- another shiny object so to speak -- i'm one of the first to drop group, hearth, and log out.
much like the article's author, i question whether the word addiction is not being used a bit too liberally. also agree with his final thoughts:
And yes, people who spend too much time on these activities to the exclusion of all others risk negative real-world consequences. But in my opinion, the answer to these issues is not to simply label them as addictions and blame the activity itself, or to get the pharmaceutical companies all excited about more new products that they can push on the general population. The solution is to promote greater awareness about the necessity of balance in our lives. That, perhaps, is the greatest variable ratio reward of all.
is playing a video game any worse than spending the same amount of time watching television? reading books? drinking with your buddies at the local bar? WoW, being an mmorpg, is much more social than traditional video games. you chat, you work together, you can do things alone or as a group. sure, you aren't fact to face and can't physically smack the jokester of the group across the head, but is that really so bad? different? yes. but bad?
i'm addicted to WoW about as much as i'm addicted to hockey. hmmmm, wait, probably a bad example for me to use. :-)