Study finds reason for games addiction

[CarpathianMuffin]

There are many factors that lead to it. I know that when I get games, it's as a form of escapism for a few hours when I don't want to watch or read something else.

There's no way you can pinpoint just why a child is addicted to video games without actually studying them.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Snip

They are mixing up "Skinner's Box" (I.E. compulsion) with addiction. Compulsion to play is just more "we can trap the player to make this game part of his schedule" while addiction is "disregarding everything else to get some high." It is undeniable that games uses Skinner's Box to keep players playing, Extra Credit made an episode on that. I never heard of a convincing case of video game addiction, since the kinds of rewards that video games give are to varied for real addiction. It is possible to be addicted to drugs because of the specific kind of high that rewires your brain, and gambling since the one kind of tangable reward it gives. Video games have neither.

 

[Toriver]

Oh, I am gonna catch SO much shit for this one.

Guys, many of you are likely in so much denial it's sad, really.

Remember that phrase, "Everything in moderation"? That's a good phrase to live by, last I checked. While it's unfortunate that the BBC chose to use the word "addiction", which has been defined in earlier posts and can't really apply to games for most people, there is another phrase for things that may not make us feel like we can't live without them, but also makes us forget moderation to the point of being compelled to waste 40 hours a week on the monotonous boredom of WoW grinding. That phrase is "habit forming", and I think it does apply to certain games, to the point of damaging the lives of the gamers themselves and/or those around them. Babies have DIED because their parents neglected them for EverQuest, WoW or FarmVille. That's NOT a good thing. I have seen, and helped (at the personal request of one), at least two friends try to quit playing MMOs all their waking hours, only to watch them get sucked back in later. Yes, they are fun. I'm not denying that. But that doesn't excuse it from being a problem that people choose to neglect the rest of their lives for the sake of the game. That really is not normal, and seems to be something especially tied to MMOs, which does suggest something in the design of MMOs that makes people feel so compelled to keep playing they say "Screw real life" for it. Gaming itself? No inherent problems there. Plenty of the same people were playing other games without problems long before these. But finding out about, and limiting, what it is about MMOs in particular that makes people who didn't previously have a gaming habit into basement-dwelling hermits can help us to make great MMOs without resorting to Skinner box methods, and improve gaming for everyone involved. Helping to solve the problems that (certain) games have a hand in, rather than dismissing as stupidity any and all criticism of games, however well-founded, will go a long way towards the acceptance of our hobby in mainstream culture that we seem to be looking for.

 

[Azellus]

I will admit to being addicted to games but that is because of a few things regarding where I live.

1. It's a village... there is nothing to do...
2. I have friends over Xbox live and such and no friends in my village due to bullying issues but I wont get into that.
3. I do go into college but still it's not really any good it all kinda sucks
4. And this one I can probably see some people maybe declining this (sorry if I'm wrong I kinda have some paranoia issues) but "My Life My Rules."

It's not a ruining my life thing but I'm just saying there is nothing to do

 

[TheXRatedDodo]

People get addicted for the same reasons that people get addicted to anything, be it Food, Sex, Alcohol, Smoking or pretty much anything that exists.

If something exists, someone is going to get addicted to it, it's simply human nature.

Much ado about nothing and society at large trying to push against their own nature, and people wonder why depression rates are rising, Christ on a fucking bike..

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Gaming machanics and how some just make the player not want to leave the game?

I think I've heard of those. They're called good games.
But we shouldn't need to worry, they haven't made one of those in years.

I don't agree but I have to admit that was funny

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

I fail to see any common sense in this study. I mean I know many people, myself included that can get totally absorbed in reading a book, however there is never seen a study into reading addictions, I'm sure the same principles apply to games

 

[Aurgelmir]

I'm confused as to whether I'm addicted... I easily game for 50+ hours a week but I can easily stay away from pretty much all technology for a few weeks or longer.

STUDY THAT ONE, BBC PEOPLE D:

Compare that to how much some people watch TV, and its not so bad.

I personally feel I get less tired when playing 3 hours in the evening as opposed to watching meaningles TV, because its interactive.

 

[Netrigan]

There's certainly some games that do everything possible to keep people playing even if they're not having fun. I fell prey to Mafia Wars which has keeping up with the Jones mechanic. It actually pulled me in with the ease of exploits allowing leveling at will. Once they effectively blocked me from doing it I gradually pulled out of it. And it is always a laugh to hear people talk about skill in relation to the game.

I'm usually pretty good about avoid proper games that rely too heavily on grinding as I get pretty bored of endlessly repeating easy tasks to level up. Ultima 6 was probably the last game I did that for any length of time. Online Red Dead Redemption doesn't really suck me in too hard because of the leveling system and relative lack of content. I might hit a hideout a couple of times but I'll move on pretty quickly.

 

[noble cookie]

This sounds like a usual, everyday gaming related media hate.

 

[SimuLord]

I'm confused as to whether I'm addicted... I easily game for 50+ hours a week but I can easily stay away from pretty much all technology for a few weeks or longer.

STUDY THAT ONE, BBC PEOPLE D:

I'm with you on that. Gaming is my preferred means of filling my spare time, but when I HAVE no spare time, I don't get the shakes and have to game lest my soul explode.

 

[manythings]

You can induce psychological dependency and compulsions with the right tricks. Video game addiction exists in the same way as TV addiction, work out addiction (Bigorexia) and even addiction to buying shit.

EDIT: Also thinking it has anything to do with a "Weak will" or being stupid is fucking stupid in and of itself.

You have no basis for that final statement. Having a weak will can certainly work to tip the scales from habit to obsession to addiction, as a person becomes increasingly dependent on the subject of the habit/obsession/addiction. A weak will is simply an unwillingness to go without the comfort of a psychological addiction, or an unwillingness to deal with the withdrawal symptoms of a physical/chemical addiction.

You cannot just "wish away" the psychological component of addiction, which comes straight down to a person's willpower. Willpower is a skill that can be taught and bolstered... or neglected and atrophied. Recognizing this isn't the same as "blaming" every addict for their addiction, or removing all compassion for the addict. It's simply recognizing that the subject of the addiction isn't always the root cause for the addiction.

Using techniques of conditioning, you can induce new habits and automated responses, and some of these can become addictions. You can't, however, make someone addicted. You can provide the environment and reinforcers, sure, but that's about it. You might cite any number of experiments done with animals to demonstrate the kind of control conditioning can have, but you forget that we, as people, have access to something those animals do not--the ability to recognize and resist manipulation, if we are willing.

The concept of a weak will was invented to give people a sense of moral superiority over others. EVERYONE has their vice, the only reason everyone isn't mired in it is because they haven't encountered it.

To blame everything on an abstract Unicorn of the mind is daft at the best of times. People want to point at someone who has a problem and say "At least I'm better than them". People are assholes and they will do anything they cann to elevate themselves beyond others.

Another interesting point on the concept of will is that Hypnotists, conjurers and mentalists love people with "Strong wills" because they are never as watchful as people aren't so sure of themselves.

 

[Vivace-Vivian]

Maybe they should look at screen time PERIOD. Watching TV for eight hours is not any better then gaming for eight hours.