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It would be completely foolish to deny that some games have addictive qualities to them - look at how developers such as Blizzard hire psychologists to make the
by navait 11y ago
It would be completely foolish to deny that some games have addictive qualities to them - look at how developers such as Blizzard hire psychologists to make their games more appealing. That short work-reward cycle feels fulfilling, and drives many people to keep on playing despite it being harmful.
> Non-gamers are bombarded by messages from the larger media-culture.
>So parents hear constantly that games are harmful, that gamers are all potential crazed gunmen, isolated shut ins and so on.
No they don't. Has the author noticed it's not 2007 anymore? To find substantial video-game addiction stories, you now have to go find them. They are not a part of mainstream culture, especially the crazed gunman stories.
>This is why we have televisions, magazines and newspapers – they are technological devices to sell us advertising.
Lots of media companies own video game studios.
To be sure, video-game addiction is a minor problem compared to drugs, alcohol, and sex addiction. But sticking your head in the sand is not going to win you any allies, nor does a persecution complex. Instead, stick to the positive benefits that video games have, and DO NOT overstate them, like marijuana activists convinced the drug is a cure-all.
The world has moved on. We(gamers) won. It's time to stop pretending we're a persecuted minority.
- vezzy-fnord 11y agoHas the author noticed it's not 2007 anymore? To find substantial video-game addiction stories, you now have to go find them. They are not a part of mainstream culture, especially the crazed gunman stories. I'm not sure if things have changed all that dramatically in 8 years. Video games remain a convenient scapegoat for various societal ills.
- qmalxp 11y agoI haven't heard one media outlet claiming e.g. Dylann Roof was influenced by video games, and I think they would have a stronger case nowadays with games like Hatred on the market.
- vezzy-fnord 11y agoDylann Roof is an atypical case. Not much was said about gun control either, which is unusual. The primary debate that was sparked was surrounding the Confederate battle flag(s). What do you mean by "nowadays with games like Hatred on the market"? What is special about Hatred? It wasn't a particularly violent game, it just got propelled into notoriety by demagoguery and the developers' guerrilla marketing. It's a near verbatim clone of Postal, and that came out in 1997.
- harryjo 11y agoThat's because society as a whole isn't mentally capable of assigning more than one salient feature to an event.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- lqdc13 11y agoVideo game addiction can be much much worse than regular drugs. It depends what a person is more susceptible to. Sometimes games ruin relationships, cause people to lose friends and destroy academic careers. Giving up the game is almost impossible once the rest of your life is completely empty. There are now clinics in some countries that cater specifically towards video game addiction. Playing world of warcraft, I witnessed these events firsthand with myself and some of my "real life" friends. I am aware that some people cannot get addicted at all, but it's not true for everyone. Edit: some links RPG addiction can be traced all the way back to MUDs: http://abandonedrealms.com/essays/addiction.php http://abandonedrealms.com/essays/addiction.php Wow addiction: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/aug/29/world-of-warcraft-video-game-addict http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/aug/29/world-of-w... Video game addiction on webmd: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/features/video-game-addiction-no-fun http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/features/video-...