In the UK, at least, there's a big fuss about video game addictions which has come from the release of the latest Call of Duty game (Well, not so much) and the latest World of Warcraft expansion pack, Cataclysm (No, I don't want it. But I do. Yes. NO!). Recently, the BBC did a documentary on video game addictions, and I have to say I don't fully agree with a lot of what they said. What I've got from it is that Blizzard are a great evil and created World of Warcraft to disrupt the world or something. In my opinion, a game isn't addictive in itself. It's the person and the situation that causes the addiction. I think MMOs are some of the worst culprits for it, especially with the reward mechanics they have and the social features, but they're not the great evil they seem to be portrayed as. Many games (And consoles) have parental features that can be used to dissuade this behaviour, but for a lot of addicted younger people the parents do nothing to stop it until it's too late.
I'll confess that I fell prey to World of Warcraft, and if I hadn't been bored so quickly with them, I'd probably have fallen prey to Lord of the Rings: Online and EverQuest 2. My mum, and dad, did nothing to stop me playing the game even though it was all I did. I don't know if they'd worked out I was addicted and didn't know how to stop me, or if they just hadn't worked it out for themselves. Luckily, I managed to save myself indirectly (I won't go into it, though) and I've been free since the start of 2010 (Bar two lapses that lasted days at most). My sleep cycle had been ruined, I was constantly thinking about the game, I missed classes to play it and it honestly was a case of wake up, play WoW, go to bed, wake up, play WoW and so forth. I asked my parents a number of times for time cards to play it and I wouldn't be surprised if I'd gone into my overdraft to pay for it. Yes, a year later I still think about it, but I can't (And won't) let myself get back into it in case it happens all over again.
To play an MMO, or online multiplayer game, I think you seriously need to have a good level of self control, but you also need to have someone looking out for you. If you don't have self control, then you run the risk of letting it damage your life unless someone steps in and takes control for you. I was lucky enough to be able to get myself out of it. Others have been lucky in that family and friends have pulled them out of it, but some don't have that at all. Maybe the developers (And those who run internet cafés) should put some measures in place to dissuade you playing all day. Cap the experience you can achieve, cap the amount of gold you can earn. Something, though, because some people cannot control themselves and can seriously damage their lives. I think there's too many factors for one company to be at fault, however. Why do the café owners not limit the time you can spend there? They might lose a bit of money but they won't have deaths or ruined lives staining their image.
I don't blame Blizzard for what happened; That would be selfish and stupid. They didn't create my problems, I did. WoW filled a gap that I had, that was it. I could have been addicted to Sony's EverQuest 2 or another MMO. Blame is an easy thing to throw around. Guy from the BBC documentary? Blizzard aren't at fault for you losing touch with the world. It's just the catalyst.
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