4 ms·

Feels like the author doesn't want to admit gaming addiction is real. So because Minecraft is a 'good' game, you can't get addicted to it? bollocks I grew up

Feels like the author doesn't want to admit gaming addiction is real. So because Minecraft is a 'good' game, you can't get addicted to it? bollocks I grew up playing (and becoming addicted to) MUDs, which are, from an outside perspective, quite good for you. They promote reading, high imagination, social interactions, a sense of accomplishment, etc. and there are MUDs which focus on or require player building (MOOs/LPs etc). What did my addiction to MUDs get me? Bad grades in school, and no 'real life' experience. I had no idea how to take care of myself, which would cause me issues later in life when I did start forming RL relationships. And while my online social ability was amazing, in real life I could barely talk to people (I believe there could be a lot written about this very subject). I didn't make friends, much less girlfriends. All I cared about was getting through the school day so I can could get home and play MUDs. The one thing it did give me was programming, since I became so interested in them I began programming them.

lfowles 11y ago
> I grew up playing (and becoming addicted to) MUDs, which are, from an outside perspective, quite good for you From an outside perspective? In my experience, it's only the people playing MMOs that tout the benefits :)
- yzzxy 11y ago
  MUDs are significantly different in that you have to read, solve, and think a lot more rather than the "watch six timers tick down and then hit a button" gameplay loop of most modern MMOs. But I would also agree that playing RPG games of any description for a large portion of your day is a net negative.
  - lfowles 11y ago
    The bullet points for your resume are going to come from your guild interactions. Did you lead a 40 man raid of people (poorly! ;) ) clicking their timed buttons? Did you cull drama over the DKP allotment? Did you organize a recruiting drive to boost membership when guild levels were introduced? Etc...
    - Omniusaspirer 11y ago
      All of those things provide real world skills but their informal nature makes them unfit for a resume. However those skills are increasingly relevant in the industries built around those games so its mainly a matter of selling yourself to the people who can recognize the value in that skillset. Just as virtual skills don't always translate perfectly to the real world the reverse is also true. There's a large market out there for digital goods that most people are blissfully unaware of.
MichaelGG 11y ago
All this is just arguing over definitions. No one disagrees (well, much) on what's going on. It's just a "semantic stopsign" to short circuit a proper evaluation. If you can make the case it's an addiction, hey, you've proved it's bad to some extent, mission accomplished. For magazines and many people, that's enough analysis. And the author didn't seem to ever explain how a kid that refuses to get off Minecraft and fights with his family isn't a problem. Unless the point was "don't tell him to stop". While I generally appreciate the sentiment, maybe the kid has other things he's neglecting... Same argument for drugs. People resist the term addict when talking about SSRIs, but that's probably because they never run out. And likewise, since everyone agrees that opiates are addictive, they must be bad. The thought that you can be an illegal opiate addict yet reap huge benefits from it is a contradiction to many people. (Unless a doctor is involved -- then it's OK.) It's just intellectual laziness. Btw, MUDs were awesome, and I had my first real relationship by meeting someone via a MUD. It contributed to me dropping out of school, but getting more info software was far more useful.
- carbocation 11y ago
  For other people reading this who are less familiar, there is a difference between dependence and addiction. This difference offers a clear explanation behind why someone can have withdrawal symptoms from abrupt SSRI cessation despite these not being addictive drugs. It also explains why some opioid use is considered beneficial while other use is considered harmful, despite all opioids having properties that can lead to dependence.

lfowles 11y ago

> I grew up playing (and becoming addicted to) MUDs, which are, from an outside perspective, quite good for you From an outside perspective? In my experience, it's only the people playing MMOs that tout the benefits :)

yzzxy 11y ago
MUDs are significantly different in that you have to read, solve, and think a lot more rather than the "watch six timers tick down and then hit a button" gameplay loop of most modern MMOs. But I would also agree that playing RPG games of any description for a large portion of your day is a net negative.
- lfowles 11y ago
  The bullet points for your resume are going to come from your guild interactions. Did you lead a 40 man raid of people (poorly! ;) ) clicking their timed buttons? Did you cull drama over the DKP allotment? Did you organize a recruiting drive to boost membership when guild levels were introduced? Etc...
  - Omniusaspirer 11y ago
    All of those things provide real world skills but their informal nature makes them unfit for a resume. However those skills are increasingly relevant in the industries built around those games so its mainly a matter of selling yourself to the people who can recognize the value in that skillset. Just as virtual skills don't always translate perfectly to the real world the reverse is also true. There's a large market out there for digital goods that most people are blissfully unaware of.

MichaelGG 11y ago

All this is just arguing over definitions. No one disagrees (well, much) on what's going on. It's just a "semantic stopsign" to short circuit a proper evaluation. If you can make the case it's an addiction, hey, you've proved it's bad to some extent, mission accomplished. For magazines and many people, that's enough analysis. And the author didn't seem to ever explain how a kid that refuses to get off Minecraft and fights with his family isn't a problem. Unless the point was "don't tell him to stop". While I generally appreciate the sentiment, maybe the kid has other things he's neglecting... Same argument for drugs. People resist the term addict when talking about SSRIs, but that's probably because they never run out. And likewise, since everyone agrees that opiates are addictive, they must be bad. The thought that you can be an illegal opiate addict yet reap huge benefits from it is a contradiction to many people. (Unless a doctor is involved -- then it's OK.) It's just intellectual laziness. Btw, MUDs were awesome, and I had my first real relationship by meeting someone via a MUD. It contributed to me dropping out of school, but getting more info software was far more useful.

carbocation 11y ago
For other people reading this who are less familiar, there is a difference between dependence and addiction. This difference offers a clear explanation behind why someone can have withdrawal symptoms from abrupt SSRI cessation despite these not being addictive drugs. It also explains why some opioid use is considered beneficial while other use is considered harmful, despite all opioids having properties that can lead to dependence.