Fascinating read - it's an article on the MMORPG industry, and Sony in particular.
(Beware, of course, as Sony is likely to run 'Star Wars: Galaxies' the exact same way):
EQ = crack?
by Xander 3 Replies latest social entertainment
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Xander
Alright, I'll throw a bone out for discussion, and why I posted this here...
Everquest and other MMORPGs are generally considered 'addictive'. Not in a chemical way, of course.
It's a behavioral addiction. Like kleptomania, sex, etc. You CAN live without it, but at the same time, you can't realize that.
And the parellels to something else are erie....
- You start out playing, and have some degree of fun.
- You start making friends, and playing with them, investing ever more time in the game.
- At some point....at some point, it stops being fun. You lose the sight of why you started in the first place.
- YET....you can't stop now. You've spent too much time in it. You know too many people with it. You just CAN'T throw that all away.
- And so...you keep playing. Sinking MORe time into it. Meeting MORE people who ALSO can't leave...etc, etc.
It's weird how easily we can fall into such traps - or, perhaps, should it be said, it is uncanny how well large corporations understand human nature, and can take advantage of it for profit?
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Xander
The following quote from the thread is notably damning:
Sony and other commercial online game products create a rewards feedback loop that makes the addictive qualities of the game much, much worse. You get just enough artificially scarce rewards to keep you hooked. The company must know at some level that this increases the chances that an addictive personality will be hooked, and that's another permanent $12.95 a month income to the company.
Sound familiar?
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gsx1138
I was addicted to Asheron's Call for about 2 years. It got to a point where I almost lost my job. The games require huge amounts of time to get anywhere but the socialization is what keeps you coming back. As of now I play Dark Age of Camelot but I'm able to not play it for weeks to months at a time. You just have to decide what is most important in your life. If it is a game then so be it if not then learn to curb the habit.