From pokemon, to my substantial ms-dos collection, and of course age of empires (to name a few), it was fair to say I was your everyday casual gamer. That was until I stumbled upon the world that is online gaming.
I soon transformed from a cool calm and collected 100mouse-click a minute computer user, to a clicking over-use syndrome, keyboard slamming, microphone blaring hermit - all thanks to a game called league of legends (short for LoL). Posting my total game time from the last couple of years would enforce my point, but to retain what dignity I have left I may just leave that out.
Anyway I've been really interested to find the root of this evil that has turned a harmless pokemon trainer into a merciless online bandit and although I've jumped the gun a tad, an awesome resource was an article from Rock, Paper, Shotgun (reading 10) titled "What Is The Truth About Gaming Addiction" - http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2007/11/12/what-is-the-truth-about-gaming-addiction/, where a quote from Einstein "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" was used. Now for those of you that play the all-time consuming LoL you will disagree immediately because for me this is what makes the game so immersive. Not one single game could repeat itself, and one can always improve on their previous performance - it is a game where like Kevin was mentioning in our last lecture, you will NEVER complete, master, or be the best. And this fatal mix of a competitive natured young lad meeting a game that will provide endless hours of challenges is a recipe for disaster.
Would be stoked if anyone else shared similar experiences about possibly playing a game a little too much (for reassurance), and what drives you to continue this love/hate relationship with whatever your game of choice is.
I love how there is always emotional damage behind addiction. What is to say that a perfectly normal kid from a normal family can't just be too involved with the digital advancements and tech comin out that they end up feeling the next wave of interest lies in playing endless hours gaming and building up their skills in the online-networked world.
ReplyDeleteHaha I suppose, and the gaming addiction lecture just goes to prove it. We only call it addiction as video-games are connoted as negative influences on society and so I suppose I'm just really aware of societies need to become the educated elite, as opposed to sitting in your room playing video games. Not to say I'm with societies views, I love a good game here and there, but what I guess I'm trying to say is that I need to manage my intake. See a bit more of the world
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