A very interesting read

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RascalJones
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A very interesting read

Post by RascalJones »

http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5- ... icted.html

5 Creepy Ways Video Games Are Trying to Get You Addicted
By David Wong Mar 08, 2010

So, the headlines say somebody else has died due to video game addiction. Yes, it's Korea again.

What the hell? Look, I'm not saying video games are heroin. I totally get that the victims had other crap going on in their lives. But, half of you reading this know a World of Warcraft addict and experts say video game addiction is a thing. So here's the big question: Are some games intentionally designed to keep you compulsively playing, even when you're not enjoying it?

Oh, hell yes. And their methods are downright creepy.
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froggyman
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by froggyman »

LOl@

"Heroin its pretty much WoW in a syringe" xD lmao

legend
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Sporting_Lisbon
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by Sporting_Lisbon »

Good read, explains exactly why I stopped playing wow. Too futile when there are other important stuff (hell, even more important GAMES) to do.
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IndyBrit
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by IndyBrit »

Yeah, they articulate something I guess I understood innately but couldn't express. About the third time I ran into the same zombie in WOW, only higher level and a different name, was about the time I was done with that. Battlegrounds were pretty fun, but much more limited than a game like Ages - or at least a much bigger commitment to get a different experience from it (click a new civ, versus build up another level 30 character?)
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by Blackadderthe4th »

Very interesting article, written obviously by a WoW gamer. And crap I got 4 pieces of the tier10 set he was on about and two of them sanctified, guess that makes me addicted.

But on the other hand it annoys me when parents and non gamers moan about kids being addicted to video games. The reason kids are playing games instead of doing their homework is not because they are addicted to playing games its because kids don't like doing homework, like the article says. I mean its not like they will go into withdrawal when you take their games away, they'll just cry and moan in the same way they would if you took away the TV or grounded them.

I have always played games, but I haven't ever been addicted to playing them so much that they have stopped me doing what I know needs to be done. I haven't ever failed an exam I other wise would have passed because I have been playing video games. Then again I have only just started WoW in the last 6 months so lets see if things go down hill. ;)
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RascalJones
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by RascalJones »

I actually just cancelled my WoW subscription. Haven't played in about 2 months.....don't miss it.

I never had TIME to get as addicted as some folks.....and even if I did have the time, I could never fully convince myself that I had time for "one more dungeon".

It's all fun and games until the 4,273rd time you have to kill 10 freaking harpies.
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Aaryn_GenD
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by Aaryn_GenD »

only an ignorant would compare WoW to a drug like heroine.
there is no physically dependency in games, but in drugs. it's awhole other level apart from sharing quite a few similarities.
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Re: A very interesting read

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If it takes time, effort and skill to obtain an item, that item has value, whether it's made of diamonds, binary code or beef jerky.

^^ LOL.
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by jerom »

Somehow everything said seems pretty true IMO
Soccerman771 wrote:Just make sure you do keep some blood in your alcohol system, ok.
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by Kaiser_von_Nuben »

Brilliant article. Thanks for posting it! I agree with all the points about the "real world's" system of reward for effort, and that is why people turn to video games for tangible--even if fantasy--gratification.

I also liked the 3-point formula for enjoying your job: (1) Autonomy; (2) Complexity; and (3) Connection between Effort/Reward. It's no wonder people play video games when you need all three to be happy at your job. Our system is not designed to give you autonomy, nor is it designed to dignify you with complicated, challenging tasks. Rather, it is designed to place you in a HIERARCHY, namely, to GIVE UP your autonomy and listen to your superiors. And it is also designed to instrumentalize you, namely break you into doing the same task every day, all the time, because that's what the people higher up in the hierarchy want from you. Your reward? A paycheck... and a small one, too. Naturally, that means there is no connection between effort and reward. You can work yourself silly at a retail store or you can sit on your arse; neither alternative will increase your wage.

Because things stink this bad, we play video games! We get all the things that life can't provide! We feel powerful in a world that takes away our power at every turn! We can be Captains, Colonels, Major Generals and Field Marshals in AOE, even if we are pathetic worms at insurance companies during the day! What's not to love?!

And I agree with Adder about addiction. Video games might hook some people, but they are nowhere near as pernicious as street drugs. I have been playing video games since my earliest memory in the 1980s. I have always gotten top grades and even got a law degree while playing Call of Duty and Battlefield 1942 every night. Games never ruled my life. I love them, but they don't overwhelm me. So I am living proof that loving video games will not destroy you. In fact, they will ENRICH you if you maintain the right balance.
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by 36drew »

^ Yeah. I've never heard of anyone holding up a convenience store to get there next hit of AOE. LOL.
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by RascalJones »

Yeah, but AOE don't have a monthly subscription fee. I imagine someone somewhere has had a credit card stolen and set up a WoW account.
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Re: A very interesting read

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lol...

I just started playing WoW a few days ago.... so far (for me) it isn't as addicting as AOE :twisted: , but I'm still in the beginning stages, scrounging for scraps and not being able to get into any of the bigger brawls... I also don't have the time to get addicted and it fills the time. Unlike AOE for me, it allows me to pause just about anywhere, which fits my schedule, so I definitely don't have the "one more dungeon" mentality.

If any of you are getting out of the game and want to help a Noob, I'm Flingit on the Maiev server, wink wink ::/
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by huGGy »

Cleeduz, better use your spare time for AoE, not WoW :P
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Re: A very interesting read

Post by cleeduz »

[quote=""HuggyPierre""]Cleeduz, better use your spare time for AoE, not WoW :P[/quote]

lol, I know! :D

The problem is my spare time only seems to come in 15 min. increments.... :?
"Nature doesn't like Agra forts." - Sporting Lisbon

In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria. - Ben Franklin
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