Is there such a thing as 'gaming addiction'?

[ace31216]

Don't get me wrong. I love Diablo II but I think some people are acting ridculous when it comes to buying rare and unique items for insane prices. I do understand buying diablo items for few bucks if it enhances the players enjoyment and fun. But once you get past the one digit range, then I think it is going overboard. (I don't mean to offend anyone. It's just my opinion.) I wouldn't play cash for a piece of data that has no real value in the real world. A year from now, it will not be worth very little if anything at all.

Check out this auction. This is crazy!

Then there is the game called Everquest. I never played it but I have a friend who told me that there was a story on the news that a father threw his child in the closet so he could play Everquest in piece. The kid later died. I don't know if this story is true but I can believe it. That is because my ex-roommate started playing Everquest and soon became an addict. All he did was eat, sleep and play that game. Literally, he did nothing else. He stopped hanging out with his friends, neglected his girlfriend, and even quit his job. I couldn't believe it. He explained it was another world where there was an economy, politics and clans that heavily depended on each other. My response was, "So what?! Everquest isn't the real world that you are living in."

SO is there such thing as a gaming addiction? If there is ( and i believe there is ), then why hasn't this disorder been addressed and been helped. Why are alcoholics, drug addicts, suicide, manic depression, ect... have hotlines, focus groups, seminar, and other forms treatment while nothing is avaiable for game addicts? Their lifes are just as ruined and impacted negatively. It is to the point where they lose reality and become dependent on the game. It controls their life. What do you think?

 

[Grminalac]

While I was in college my roomate and myself were heavily into the game ultima online. we both probably played it too much. Oftentimes I'd skip a boring class to play. After a while though the game got old and I stopped. Had a great time playing though, especially since i got to play with my friends that went to other colleges. Seriously though, I saw marriages break up over that game. Other players i talked to took it very seriously. Two people i met in the game got a divorce cause they were always fighting over who got to play.

 

[wnied]

Is there such a thing as 'gaming addiction'?

Yes there is. These auctions prove it and I've had one or two in my time.
Half-Life TFC,OZ,CS and DoD
Diablo2 and Diablo2:LOD

When I was in school a year ago I would come home, make supper and play Half-Life Oz until like 2am. Hit the hay and be up by 7am for school again. Eat Sleep and play was all I cared for, for close to a few months.
Repeat for all games listed.

Hell Im addicted now...Just dont have a reliable enuf gaming rig anymore.
wnied

 

[wnied]

Two people i met in the game got a divorce cause they were always fighting over who got to play.

Jesus Christ Build or Buy another system and play together...

wnied

 

[SWScorch]

yeah, there is, just like gambling addiction. Luckily, I dont have it. I'm an avid Descent3 player, but it just gets boring after a few hours per day. However, when it first came out, I was known to play it for 8 hours straight. That ended pretty quick though. hmmm, now I want to go play D3 some more...

 

[datalink7]

Just a few things.

1) People pay for data all the time. Information = power. Data is information. And in this case, the item = hours of time spent getting it. So the buyers are buying time. (it is still ridiculous (sp?) though, you are correct. I just want to point out that data isn't worthless).

2) There are worse cases. What about the people who get married on Everquest, having never even met each other in real life? THey get a minister to come online and marry them. Or how about the person who died because he forgot to eat?

3) The Zod rune for Diablo II would sell for thousands. This is because of its rarity. ON average, you would have to kill 144 MILLION monsters before one would drop a Zod rune. I am hoping to get one so I can sell it, but the chances are slim.

4) And to quote the matrix: "What is real? If real is what we can see, touch, taste, and smell then 'real' is merely electronic impulses interpreted by our brain." THis is something to think about. Why cannot the everquest world be as real to some people as the "real" world? And what happens in the furture, as I think will happen someday, when we can "plug-into" a matrix type world? WHere it looks, tastes, feels, and in all manners appears to be like the "real" world? What world is of more importance, and why? And another thought on the same lines. We are all aware that the senses can be deceived, the eyes fooled. But how can we be sure our senses are not being deceived at any particular time, or even all the time? Might I just be a brain in a tank somewhere, tricked all my life into believing in the events of this world by some insane computer? And does my life gain or lose meaning based on my reaction to such solipsism?


Anyway, enough of my random thoughts for now . I am not exaclty argueing one way or the other, or even answering your post directly. You just sparked some thoughts, which I thought I would share .

 

[ace31216]

datalink 7, you brought up some excellent points!!! It really got me thinking. I would like to respond to some of your comments.



<< 1) People pay for data all the time. Information = power. Data is information. And in this case, the item = hours of time spent getting it. So the buyers are buying time. (it is still ridiculous (sp?) though, you are correct. I just want to point out that data isn't worthless). >>



I agree data is important and it relates to information equalling power. Look at all the information out there. We purchase mass amounts of newspaper and media for example. Look at all the data that we buy like Microsoft windows or say games. I know data is not worthless in general but specifc items (data) in a game itself is worth little in the future in my opinion. When people buy items in diablo, techically a person is really buying data to begin with since all data is stored on Blizzard's server. But of couse you stated that a person pays for the time spent getting the item. I still think it is absurd to pay insane prices simply because the buyer is paying someone who is having fun playing the game anyways.



<< 4) And to quote the matrix: "What is real? If real is what we can see, touch, taste, and smell then 'real' is merely electronic impulses interpreted by our brain." THis is something to think about. Why cannot the everquest world be as real to some people as the "real" world? And what happens in the furture, as I think will happen someday, when we can "plug-into" a matrix type world? WHere it looks, tastes, feels, and in all manners appears to be like the "real" world? What world is of more importance, and why? And another thought on the same lines. We are all aware that the senses can be deceived, the eyes fooled. But how can we be sure our senses are not being deceived at any particular time, or even all the time? Might I just be a brain in a tank somewhere, tricked all my life into believing in the events of this world by some insane computer? And does my life gain or lose meaning based on my reaction to such solipsism? >>



So 'what is real?' from the Matrix. Hmm...interesting quote to refer to. As you remember, the whole point of the movie was that they were fighting for humans to get unplugged from the Matrix since it wasn't real. That was because in reality (in the real world of the film) the human race was being used as a battery.
Now speaking outside of the movie, I think game players engage in such entertainment NOT because they are not aware of the differences between the 'real world' and 'game world'. It is because they use games as an outlet to relieve stress, fulfill fantasy, serve meaning to their life, make them feel like they are worth something in that make believe world, ect..... THis type escape is similar to drugs or alcohol. Soon they become dependent on the game like it was a drug.

They are not being decieved but rather they convince themselves that they need the game to feel normal. They know it isn't real but they don't care. To them, it is better than the real life. Sure descartes says doubt everything, ( I think?). So maybe your point has merit.

THanks for looking both sides and views. I know you are just making statements to stir our thinking and it's interesting to see what others feel. Too bad 'gaming addiction' is not taken seriously in our social norm.

 

[datalink7]

As for the matrix... were they better off on getting released? Was their ignorance a better existance than the rat race against death that Morpheus and his crew constantly ran? Maybe their ignorance was real bliss in comparison... or is the truth more important?

Aside a moment from my musings... I should have stated this in my first post. Gaming addiction is a serious issue. And it should be adressed. Part of the problem, I think, is that people as a whole don't take games seriously enought. Many think that games are just a whole bunch of tetrises or something, not that many can be as involving as a good book. Once gaming is taken seriously, then the problems that come along with it (such as gaming addiction) will be taken seriously.

Anyway, good thoughts, and I am going to bed. Night!

 

[bootymac]

I agree on the whole buying items stuff off ebay thing. I saw a Zod rune go for over $1000!! dude! $1000!!
I extremely addicted to Diablo 2 Lod but i'm not that addicted to blow all my cash on some digital thingy majigy!

but someday, i'll sell all my "godly" stuff off ebay and hope some idiot will pay over $500 for an Soj!