Gaming addiction

[Starhunter]

What drives addictions to cyber games?

Most games are battles on some level, from fun to extremely violent.

Males are far more involved than females.

We don't want to discuss in too much detail the industry or its impact on society, as important as these are,
but in particular the reasons for its appeal to users,

for the sake of objectivity in tackling what may be beneficial in some cases, but as a whole, a detrimental time wasting device, robbing families of their social needs.

[neo-x]

I am a what you would call a gamer so be specific and ask away.

[FlawedIntellect]

Actually, females are rather significant contributers to the gaming industry these days.
Unfortunately, they tend to get a some flak with some rather ridiculous "gamer girl" stereotypes, where it's assumed that they're only playing games to get attention. (However, there are very few that are like that.)

There are a wide variety of reasons why people play games, and that is part of the reason for why there are many different game genres. (For games, the genre is typically defined by the central gameplay mechanics. Examples: Turn-based Strategy, Real-time Strategy, Puzzle, Platformer, Fighting game, Role Playing Game, 3rd Person Action game, etc...)

Also, games are treated as a hobby by most people.
Not to mention that while most games are single-player, there are still some prominent games with multiplayer modes, so in fact, some games can actually be used as a stage for family interaction to take place. By the way, not all multiplayer game modes are simply competitive. Some have both competitive and co-operative game modes.

Games are, more or less, a form of escapism and entertainment. (This applies to all games, not just video games.)
Many have read books or watched movies for similar reasons.

The main draw of games is their interactivity. Unfortunately, a lot of modern games tend to try to pretend that they are movies, which basically means that they interrupt gameplay with cutscenes, and sometimes a bit too much. there are good and bad ways of using cutscenes, and most cutscenes are used for exposition dumps when the environment and some interactive mechanics could serve the same role.

But eh...

[RickD]

All veedeo games are teh evil! If you play video games backwards, the devil comes out. And if you listen to Stairway to Heaven backwards at the same time, all of hell's minions are cut loose!

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

What drives addictions...?

The need to escape. The need to quiet the tumult in your head. Addictions, be they to gaming, to alcohol, to porn, to Trancendental Meditation, to yoga, to food, to what have you, all adictions have this benefit in common: the noise in your life goes away and you can relax. For a moment. A very short moment. The more your addiction progresses, the shorter that moment becomes.

Another thing: primary addictions usually are accompanied by secondary addictions, like the alcoholic who is also into smoking pot. Or the porn addict also into drinking. And the food addict also hooked TV, and so on.

FL

[Danieltwotwenty]

What drives addictions...?

The need to escape. The need to quiet the tumult in your head. Addictions, be they to gaming, to alcohol, to porn, to Trancendental Meditation, to yoga, to food, to what have you, all adictions have this benefit in common: the noise in your life goes away and you can relax. For a moment. A very short moment. The more your addiction progresses, the shorter that moment becomes.

Another thing: primary addictions usually are accompanied by secondary addictions, like the alcoholic who is also into smoking pot. Or the porn addict also into drinking. And the food addict also hooked TV, and so on.

FL

FL is right, I myself had a gaming addiction along with drugs, booze etc....

I was trying to escape my mind and mask a pain that I hadn't dealt with, but also I was lonely and the mmorpg World of Warcraft was my outlet for many years.

Unfortunately I did all this at the expense of my family.

[Starhunter]

So some of the benefits would be to create a 'place' to zone out, or time out, from the often overwhelming stimuli or lack of interest in everyday life, a time to focus, which for instance is a relief for ADHD's? And there is the social aspect, with multi-playing, can produce lasting friendships.

You've also pointed out, the many types of games, from strategy/skills to probably adrenalin junky stuff, and the appeals of the industry to nearly all.

Would you say that most games require attention/engagement, either by observation, skills, cunning, and determination?
Are games more forgiving than real life because you can restart?

Is it just about winning on some level or is there more to it, seeing that many players will spend more time setting up a game or programming than actually playing it? A desire to be able to constructively change things maybe?

[Danieltwotwenty]

So some of the benefits would be to create a 'place' to zone out, or time out, from the often overwhelming stimuli or lack of interest in everyday life, a time to focus, which for instance is a relief for ADHD's? And there is the social aspect, with multi-playing, can produce lasting friendships.

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with playing games, there was a lot of good friendships formed by my online gaming, one girl even witnessed to me and was one of the people drawing me back to God. For myself however it was a dangerous trap, I have an addictive personality type and now that I know this I abstain from a lot of things, except maybe dark chocolate.

You've also pointed out, the many types of games, from strategy/skills to probably adrenalin junky stuff, and the appeals of the industry to nearly all.

Would you say that most games require attention/engagement, either by observation, skills, cunning, and determination?
Are games more forgiving than real life because you can restart?

I think it all depends on your maturity level, can you distinguish between what's real and what's not, in saying that games can condition our brains to behave in certain ways, like for example games take advantage of the reward system in our brains, when we achieve something in game our brain releases good chemicals, these releases can be addictive and cause us to feel depressed if we don't get these constant achievements in real life.

Is it just about winning on some level or is there more to it, seeing that many players will spend more time setting up a game or programming than actually playing it? A desire to be able to constructively change things maybe?

I think there can be lots of different levels of interaction within a game and all types of interactions can have addictive elements, but if you know what to watch out for and you have good willpower there should be no problem. Be aware of your weaknesses and know your strengths, what may be good for one person may not be good for another. Don't build a stumbling block for yourself and don't let things become an idol.

[FlawedIntellect]

The reasons people play games, aside from the purpose of entertainment value, tends to differ from person to person.

Also, not all games are very forgiving. Just because one can restart, that doesn't make the game any easier.

Yes, games do require something engaging to keep the player interested. Though what keeps the game engaging depends on the game.

For RPGs and JRPGs, it's usually the story and character progression. For platformers and action games, it's the necessary skill, and the challenge, which come from creative level design and enemy encounters, all supported by well-implemented gameplay mechanics.

For fighting games, it's the complexity of the gameplay mechanics, the necessary skill, and character-specific abilities.

For multiplayer, both competitive and co-operative, it's a matter of skill.

JRPGs tend to be less skill-focused in most cases and more strategic, where one has to figure out a foe's strengths and weaknesses in order to spam magic or physical attacks to victory! (Though there have been approaches that try to hybridize more action-oriented combat with menu-based special abilities.)

The more active forms of gameplay tend to border on adrenaline-junkie skill-based antics, while games with more passive forms of gameplay generally tend to be more cerebral with focus on puzzles and/or character progression and navigating through menus to figure out enemy weaknesses.

Be warned that some action games do require some thinking, such as puzzle solving and figuring out which skills, tools, and weapons are more useful for what situation. (Namely, old-school First Person Shooters, and action-RPG hybrids.)

It's primarily a way of resolving boredom.

There's one genre I haven't covered above, and that is survival horror, which while involving active gameplay, is usually less action focused and is more focused on puzzles and resource management.

[Starhunter]

Try not to get too hung up on "good bad" in this topic, because the reasons people get into gaming are not simple, as you all said - varied, and as variant as games to suit,
and we'll find out something interesting about ourselves.

So generally all these activities can be described as interaction.

In a situation where there are other people in the house, what would make game interactivity be the choice?

It could be just a time management thing, a time to work, talk, and a time to play. Or people can be too much in each others face, or have too many problems, or are happier on their own, or want things we don't have the energy for,

how is the energy we put into games different from the energy we might need for say an ordinary conversation, or work?

[FlawedIntellect]

Well, games can be both good and bad for relationships, depending on one's tolerance levels for losing in the game (in the instance of competitive play) or for troll-ish humor (which happens in both co-operative and competitive play.)
Games can be great for encouraging teamwork to solve puzzles or other problems, or even to help a game's difficulty be more manageable. Some games are more specifically designed around co-op play, and require communication between players to accomplish tasks (such as puzzle solving and navigation, and uncovering enemy weaknesses.)

In short, games are a way for people to bond and learn more about each-other. (Each person has a different playstyle. One's playstyle can shed light onto someone's personality and sense of humor.)

Competitive play works better for people who are intent on building skill at a game or who want to demonstrate their skills.

Also, unless your friends can shrug off losing at a game, don't play Mario Cart. The dreaded Blue Shell is overpowered and will rob a player of first place. Not even falling into second place will shake off the Dreaded Blue Shell. (Only an invincibility star can shake it off.)

[Starhunter]

Why the strong tendencies to resolve something, whether it be a mind testing puzzle or confusing battle,

Why the need to overcome, to fulfill, to complete, to immerse oneself, to go on a quest, to construct, plan, achieve, control, create, seek, and even get lost?

Are there some people who go into an online battle to be annihilated by experts? Yes, not looking for a win but defeat.

What is with all these different needs, which are not necessarily resolved or acted out in real life, but a game does it for them?

Are these needs worthy of attention or should we just bag them as evil addictions?

[RickD]

Hi. My name is Rick, and I'm addicted to Flappy Bird.

[Starhunter]

I don't know the game, but it sounds like you have to fly like crazy to make it?

Why are we far less inclined to take risks, put energy, planning, speed and skill into real life?

Is life so unpredictable and unrewarding that, if you want the feeling of success - play a game?

We deserve to succeed don't we?

[FlawedIntellect]

Hi. My name is Rick, and I'm addicted to Flappy Bird.

Have you lost your mind, Rick? That game is terrible! How about you play a real game? There's a port of X-Com for mobile devices. It's a turn-based strategy game. X-Com actually has substance as a game. (And it will challenge you.)