As I have returned to my MMORPG I thought I might give some input and suggestions on random thoughts in my head about this.
Am I addicted to the game? It's a 50/50. I have a social life, but it's somewhat integrated and somewhat not. I have a low tolerance for a lot of behaviors that I examine. For example, all it takes is for someone to say "hey kid." to me and it ****es me off. I'm 21 and hate a lot of mannerisms that I'm not comfortable with. Yet at the same time I'm introverted about my feelings.
When I play, I always look at the clock to the right of me. I won't do anything that I know will interfere with any activities whether it be work or to hang with friends, or even make a phone call that might turn into an important conversation.
As for "the character," nobody likes their toys being broken. If a 5 year old builds that sand castle they'll cry seeing it being smashed. The same can go for this game. When I played Diablo II back in the old days, a bug destroyed my character(this was in high school). I cried when I saw my character screen with him not there. This was because these characters easily create bonds with the player. So if the player is threatened when it comes to the security of his character it is very easy for a temper to flare out of defense.
As for suggestions on the "addiction" part, I would suggest analyzing what portion of the addiction in MMORPGs the player is into.
If the player is into level grind obsession it means the player must feel like they are building up to something and obssessed with progression. This may also mean that the player will be very prone to boredom when he or she feels like they are not doing something. Many activities in which the player doesn't feel like they're in the "getting anywhere" state of mind will easily trigger this type of addiction.
If the player is heavily involved with a "guild" or "clan" of some sort they want to belong to something. They have insecurities in which they use these people for that sense of belonging. The player most likely has low relationships with others in real life resulting in few to no friends in the real world. These people are the backbone to his or her relationships.
This guild/clan section has 2 sectinos though.
1. If the player is heavily involved with a high level guild they also have the level obsession leading to this high level guild. This means they also will have feelings of superiority logging onto their character that they don't have in real life.
2. If the player does not have the level addiction and is involved in many close friend relationships they are using the game to reach out to other people due to lack of friendships in real life. A lot of females use MMORPGs for social purposes.
Suggestions on breaking addictions or simply maintaining them.
The husband/wife addicted situation:
Find what the player is into within the MMORPG. By some legitimate means see their character level, status, and the overall basis of their activity. You can easily find this information by talking to them while they're playing(even off topic).
The rough portion is how to go about what you find. For many addicts involved in those high level guilds and such I can sadly say that a lot of those type of addicts need to be met with the "It's me or that game" scenario, and sadly, they will choose that game.
The reasoning behind this is that the attachment level is so high and the MMO addict will feel that you're forcing them into uncomfortable circumstances. They'll say that you're unfair, harsh, and cruel. They'll even say that you're "controlling" even though they are the ones being neglectful to the world around them. The problem is that the addict feels they do no wrong and that is what they th ink, making that decision forces them into considering you a sort of enemy to them which causes feelings of resentment.
Another harsh portion of this is that it will mean that they feel this game has priority over many important activities in their lives. The problem with a marriage in this is that a game ends up having priority. This is definately a problem with marriages.
I'll stop my writing now. I usually just do these sorts of things out of nowhere browsing. I have no idea what I'm doing right now.
Dude,
Thank you for your note.
When you start getting attached to the Character (which I know really happens) isn't that a "blending" between reality and fantasy? The gamer now becomes concerned about this character and the fantasy life, many times more than him/herself and the real life. John Smedley stated in his speech, that these are "Only Games" and should not be treated as anything more.
When the person goes to far they cannot even see reality anymore, because their minds are warped.
I am sure you know all of this!
Liz
Liz Woolley
Quote:When you start getting attached to the Character (which I know really happens) isn't that a "blending" between reality and fantasy? The gamer now becomes concerned about this character and the fantasy life, many times more than him/herself and the real life.Yes, this is true. It's really strange when it happens but you don't realize the extent of it until you've been away from the game(s) for a while, at least 6 months in my case. Your real life erodes until your gaming persona is one you feed and nourish and develop instead of your real life persona.
And it happens so subtly that you don't even realize it.
"Get a Life!"
Ron Jaffe AKA Diggo McDiggity
OLGA Admin and Member since 2001
eMail: ronjaffe@cfl.rr.com
Edited by: Diggo McDiggity at: 1/12/06 8:01
Co-Founder of OLGA and member since 2002
"When you start getting attached to the Character (which I know really happens) isn't that a "blending" between reality and fantasy? The gamer now becomes concerned about this character and the fantasy life, many times more than him/herself and the real life."
It is and it isn't. Part of it comes from mixing the social atmosphere with something I call the "progressive push"
Social
The player controls this character and talks to everyone. Unlike other games where the characters are merely "NPC's" (Non Playable Characters) people are able to understand that those characters are not real. But in the online games the people are "real" to the player. This gives them a sense that they are actually accompanied by the people around them. So they play on and on with this sense of company. Now that they feel sociable in this game with the sense of security accompanied by the anonymity of the internet it makes it easier for the player to be more of "themself" to others without feeling threatened by the security.
Progressive push
The game gives achievements that require AMAZING amounts of patience. Quests require players to "work hard" even though they can easily be accomplished when setup properly. More achievements make for more attachment. Eventually from building the character so much to a high level with a high status in a guild and so on makes the player feel like they've accomplished something. Some MMORPGs have a game timer that keeps track of the amount of time a player has been logged in; a game clock. The player would basically feel that they've lost that much accomplishments. Many players' game timers are well over hundreds of hours. Losing their accomplishments becomes very hard.
So much of the addiction can be fantasy related but moreso the sense of "losing accomplishments." It's mainly a tactic the game companies use to keep their players. Unsubscribe and lose all your progress and remember.. there will be more material... always. It's this kind of tease that the MMORPGs give to keep their players staying.