How Gamers Get Addicted

[Invincible Summer]

http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html

I know it's from cracked, but the article seems pretty serious and well-informed.


Also, notice how most of these things talk about World of Warcraft...

[Ele'ill]

A couple things before even reading the article-

I really enjoy the entire Half-Life series. It's enveloping and offers hours to immerse yourself in the story- In the same fashion that a good book or movie/tv series can be.

I think that this is different than some of the other types of games that require level grinding to accomplish things.

I also played Starsiege Tribes and Insurgency because the multiplayer team based strategy was appealing to me- they offered several 'classes' or 'armor' which required new strategy depending on which you chose- each individual game/server you joined would have different players with different strategies so it was never boring.

I don't play these games anymore- but when I did- it was literally those couple games and I didn't really get addicted to 'gaming' in the way that some folks do.

[#FF0000]

Yeah, world of warcraft is literally a skinner box and there's nothing fun about it outside of PVP sometimes and RP if you're into that kind of thing.

[Wanted Man]

This is pretty interesting stuff. When I read the thread title, I was afraid it was going to be the usual anti-gaming diatribe, but it's actually quite different.

The things these guys mention is basically the reason why I avoid major MMOs like the plague, especially the likes of WoW. I don't like having to do even more work (or so I say, but we'll see below that this is not necessarily true). The dynamic that the article describes may even exist in shit like Runescape. It doesn't have to be a sophisticated or particularly good game in any way whatsoever. Even text-based games like Kings of Chaos or Cybernations may fit the bill.

One thing I'm missing in the article, though, is the element of community. What he does say is that members of the community in the Chinese game have to compete against each other, but that's just about it. Is the existence of a community (even if it is full of obnoxious assholes who will always out-compete you by virtue of having less of a life) also just a way to get us into the Skinner box? And again, the "shitty games" problem from above applies. A game like Runescape is full of bots and annoying pricks, but on a game like Nationstates or CN, you have these alliances and shit, and somehow the fucking NPO or GGA or whatever actually gets you to get up at a ridiculous time so you can fight for them at update time while the game is lagging like shit. What the fuck??? I think the community aspect is of primary importance here.

One last thing I wonder is how this applies to single-player games, or at least games that are not necessarily multi-player focused. I remember just as well that I was playing Golden Sun 2, and at some point I was only doing annoying side-quests, fighting for stuff, and getting the blacksmith in the far corner of the fucking world to make weapons out of them. I got bored with it eventually, but it went on for quite some time. Here we had the most depressing character in the most depressing town of the game, with the most depressing music, but with him, you had the 5% chance of getting a great weapon. So you can bet your fucking ass that you're going to work for him. Now, in my case, I eventually figured, "Wait a minute, I'm not having fun. Fuck this." But it's still interesting to see.

Another thing like this is my real addiction, a game like Football Manager. You have to do a lot of work, and whether you get gratification out of it can be quite random. At any point, half of your first team can get long-term injuries, and you know it's going to be a long season. One moment you're winning the league with your carefully-built mid-table (or even lower-league) side, the next moment you start a new game with Arsenal and fail to win your first 10 matches (happened to me last week). Of course, in games like these, the "work" basically consists of constantly clicking through different screens and watching matches, something you can do while simultaneously doing something else. Still, I can't fully explain the appeal of this game.

[Ele'ill]

anyone remember the vampire quest in Oblivion?

Fucking ugh

[Meridian]

anyone remember the vampire quest in Oblivion?

Fucking ugh
I played Oblivion, lovely game, but I didn't come so far in the quest storyline thing. I spent most of the time randomly terrorizing people with my magic skills.

Now I am playing Starcraft 2, it is a strategy game set in a sci-fi world. That sounds pretty boring, but the complexity level and the speed of strategic decision making required makes it interesting. It's like chess on steroids. I couldn't afford the game though so I only got a 7 hour free pass.

[Peace on Earth]

I enjoyed that article. Like others, I was worried it would be a typical "games are from satan, they result in baby rape" rant against gaming.

I think we could escape this cycle of dependence on game makers (who in turn create games to increase dependence) if the community had more of a say in the creation of games. I love to imagine video game creation under socialism.

[Il Medico]

I played Oblivion, lovely game, but I didn't come so far in the quest storyline thing. I spent most of the time randomly terrorizing people with my magic skills.

Now I am playing Starcraft 2, it is a strategy game set in a sci-fi world. That sounds pretty boring, but the complexity level and the speed of strategic decision making required makes it interesting. It's like chess on steroids. I couldn't afford the game though so I only got a 7 hour free pass.
buy the original, its like ten bucks. It is just as good, if you don't mind 1998 graphics....

[#FF0000]

Now I am playing Starcraft 2, it is a strategy game set in a sci-fi world. That sounds pretty boring, but the complexity level and the speed of strategic decision making required makes it interesting. It's like chess on steroids. I couldn't afford the game though so I only got a 7 hour free pass.

This post made me realize that some people don't know what Starcraft is. :lol:

[leftace53]

This post made me realize that some people don't know what Starcraft is. :lol:
Preposterous.

It was an interesting article (as so many from cracked are.). I agree with Wanted Man, that this article doesn't touch on the community aspect, which is huge in getting addicted to a video game.

but on a game like Nationstates or CN, you have these alliances and shit, and somehow the fucking NPO or GGA or whatever actually gets you to get up at a ridiculous time so you can fight for them at update time while the game is lagging like shit.
Yea, I've done that.

They also create some sort of false sense of accomplishment to keep you going, like "beat the dragon thing, and get fuzzy purple shoes", well I'm looking around and I don't see no fuzzy purple shoes.

Still, video games rock my socks.

[Dean]

The articles it links to are very interesting:


How to make players play forever. The short answer is to make sure that there is always, always a reason for the player to be playing. The variable schedules I discussed produce a constant probability of reward, and thus the player always has a reason to do the next thing. What a game designer also wants from players is a lot of "behavioral momentum," a tendency to keep doing what they're doing even during the parts where there isn't an immediate reward. One schedule that produces a lot of momentum is the avoidance schedule, where the players work to prevent bad things from happening. Even when there's nothing going on, the player can achieve something positive by postponing a negative consequence. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3085/behavioral_game_design.php?page=2


SAN FRANCISCO — Silicon Valley may have discovered the perfect business: charging real money for products that do not exist.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/07/technology/internet/07virtual.html?_r=1

[(DSL)Mai68]

what is addicted? what is addiction?

is anything addicted? or is addiction anything?

drinking? ok. drugs? that too. gambling? maybe that too. fighting? working out? working too much hours??? maybe everything bad ever!

anytime someone makes a stupid choice, theyare addicted to it. i am nota fuckassconservative, m not saying people chooose being poor or that. but evertyhing now is addicted or addiction... when is is just stupid choices?

[Rafiq]

wow

[Muzk]

Glad I snapped out of it.

[Bright Banana Beard]

I am glad I don't play video games that much like many of you geeks do. I only have Left 4 Dead 2.