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Video game addiction
Published: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 6:22pm
Video games have impacted the lives of many children and adults throughout the world. I myself play them on a regular basis and can vouch for their great entertainment value. One can easily be entertained for hours on end with video games, but how many hours are enough?
As video games become more advanced, the players become more and more engrossed in the games. Unfortunately, a deeper level of involvement can have negative effects when players lock themselves in their rooms, refusing to eat, sleep, or even talk to friends so they can get that extra level. This is an example of video game addiction.
Though it is under debate as to whether video game addiction is a mental disorder or not, it is undeniable that many lives have been ruined because of the addictiveness of video games.
One of the reasons I think video games can become so addicting is the multiple dimensions of involvement that they offer. Unlike a movie where you are just watching a story through vision and hearing, video games let you experience a story by becoming a member of the universe in which the story is based.
In games like role-playing games that have particularly compelling stories and let you essentially become your character, I find that I begin to genuinely care for my character. This can easily lead to addiction if I devote my time to polishing his skills or finding new things for him to wear.
Sharing accomplishments is a favorite thing to do by video game players. Everybody is eager to tell about how they took down the last boss or found a secret level. Now with the fusion of the Internet and video games culminating in online role-playing games, players can let the whole world know about their latest achievements.
I think that online-games such as "World of Warcraft" and even console games that support online multiplayer features like Xbox LIVE makes the player feel like he or she must play the game in order to keep up with other players.
Of course, many people think video game addiction is not real. After all, video games are a form of entertainment so saying you’re addicted to them is like saying you can be addicted to movies and books. Some say that video game addiction is part of a larger disorder that stems from using habitual things such as cell phones. Perhaps the world would be a lot happier if computers were never invented.
Comments
Games are good
These are online games that, in my opinion, offer a "good experience" - good game design with an overall attention to quality.
Perish the Thought...
We would be better off if computers were never invented? Having grown up with the Super Solver series of games (Treasure Mountain, Treasure Cove, Gizmos and Gadgets), I have to disagree. They were purely educational, really fun to play, and suitable for all ages. In Gizmos and Gadgets You went around solving math and science problems to get through a warehouse... in the warehouse, there were parts that let you build different types of vehicles. They had different levels of parts, so you learned something about the vehicles, too (They do a good job explaining what wings, airfoil, etc. you need in the build-an-airplane level). Even though it's really old and you can only really find it on emulators anymore, it's still really fun for me, although now the problems are a bit easier. They have you do all sorts of things such as organize things by what energy they represent (electrical, heat, etc. or kinetic and potential), their use in everyday machines, use magnets, gears, etc... I learned a lot from that game. And racing the vehicles against the mad scientist was fun too. I think that is one game where an addiction to it is good for you (and it is addicting... I've spent quite a bit of time roaming the warehouse searching for the best parts).
I wasn't trying to say that
I wasn't trying to say that computers are the bane of humanity. I was just giving a parting thought that's all. While technology has greatly enhanced the lives of countless people across the world, they also present their fair share of problems. Sorry if I've offended you. I've also played Treasure Cove as a kid and I agree that it's fun and educational, but most children won't play Barney Teaches the ABC's when they can go onto Xbox LIVE and blow up aliens in Halo 3. I think it's more of an issue with the regulation of video game exposure than the games itself.
Gizmos and Gadgets!
Dude, Aaron! Gizmos and Gadgets was the BEST computer game ever. I played that so much. To this day I can hum all the songs and make all the sound effects. Tossing bananas at cyberchimps and then robbing them in their fruit-induced sleep...gears...kinetic energy...simple machines...ascending levels in the warehouse via updrafts and bungee pads...building vehicles...so much fun. Except for that stupid hyper-sensitive magnet mapping puzzle (do you remember that one? I swear analog computer mice lacked the precision to do those well. Or so I tell myself).
On a related note, did you play Logical Journey of the Zoombinis? That's another classic from my childhood that involved guiding these little blue critters with varying footwear, nose color, eyes, and hair through awesome logic puzzles. I imagine it would appeal to the Gizmos and Gadgets crowd. Also, I can mimic all the sound effects from that game too ("FLEENS?! You're not FLEENS!"; "Hip hip, Zooombiiiniii!"; I could go on).
I'm going to go play some Zoombini.
Skip educational games. If
Skip educational games. If there is something you can't learn from playing Diablo 2 I have yet to find it.
Zoombinis!
The Zoombinis line of games was AWESOME. I still remember playing that...
And Jake (if it is you, since you're not verified... hehe), I actually found a site online that let me download Gizmos and Gadgets... it's a pretty small file, and it actually works on my computer (although I can't figure out how to make the sound work). If you want, I can get that to you. Because of that I've actually been playing it for the past few days. But yes, it was awesome, and the magnet puzzle still frustrates me, although I think the puzzle that I dislike the most is the one where you have to arrange the gears so that when you turn the crank the machine pushes all of the buttons at once.
And Danny, I wasn't offended. I just felt like pointing out those old games because they came to mind while reading the article. And I understand the point you're trying to make.
Zoombinis=love
Oh my. I haven't thought of the Zoombinis in years. That game was the best!
Math Blaster
Does anyone remember Math Blaster? Good times.... Good times.... Math Blaster 2 was okay as well, but the original was the best.
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