Addiction in games or myth?

Addiction in games or myth?...

I found Wednesdays lecture to be quite interesting with regards to what addiction is and whether or not it would apply to video games. I have read through most of the blogs relating to this question and though that it might make more sense for me to make a list which supports that video games can actually make a positive impact in your life.

1.     -Video games can make you more creative. (A study conducted by Michigan State University published online in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, suggests that kids who play video games tend to be more creative.)

2.      -Video games can help improve your vision. (Researchers at Nottingham University found that certain video games could help people with vision problems.)

3 -Video games can help improve your decision-making skills.  (Fast action video games "help train people to make quick, accurate decisions in all aspects of life, new findings suggest.")

     -Video games improve your attention span. (studies show that video games can help increase your attention span, improving people's driving skills and abilities to multi-task.)

5.      -Gaming can sharpen your memory. (researchers are using video games in rehab programmes to help slow or reverse the "cognitive decline that comes with ageing.")

6.   -   Playing games can improve hand-eye coordination. (the new Wii game proves this)

7.      -Video games make learning fun. (video games challenge and workout the brain in different ways.)

8.      -Gaming makes you a better employee.  (The University of Colorado’s Business Denver School found that using video games for on-the-job training created employees who did their jobs better and retained information longer than employers who used less interactive and more passive teaching methods.)

9.      -Video games strengthen familial bonds. (Brigham Young University's School of Family Life found that girls who played video games with their parents (key part is with their parents), "were more connected to their families and had better mental health than those who played on their own or with friends.")

Obviously there's a healthy limit to anything and  if you're avoiding or delaying your real life obligations to play video games then you really should consider limiting your game time since your lifestyle could be seen as unhealthy. Through my list of positive reasons as to why gaming could be good for you and is not seen as addictive , we could conclude that an hour or so of game play a day might actually be good for you.

The advert that was shown in class was most interesting since that can be seen as fully contradiction the list I just compiled. It in fact placed videogamers in a most unsavoury stereotype and implied many things relating to why gaming is bad for you and how it most certainly can be seen as addictive. I know this clip was made in humorous manner but it can be interpreted in both ways. For and against gaming.

But what makes a game addictive? Are there certain characteristics that make some games more addictive than others? Why are some teens more susceptible than others to this kind of addiction?

As with any addiction, video game or "gaming" addiction is usually a multi-faceted issue. For starters, video games are designed to be addictive. Not "addictive" in the clinical sense of the word, but game designers are always looking for ways to make their games more interesting and increase the amount of time people will spend playing them. There are Web sites devoted to gaming design where gamers try to answer the question, "What makes a video game addictive?" They want you - once you log in or pick up that controller - to never want to stop playing.

Therefore , games are designed to be just difficult enough to be truly challenging, while allowing players to achieve small accomplishments that compels them to keep playing. Knowing this, the design of video games is similar to the design of gambling within casinos, which will allows players to have small "wins" that keeps them playing. There are several "hooks" that are also built into games with the intent of making them "addictive".

So all in all I think it fair to say that the player is the one in control of their time , chosing whether to play the game and how long for and that if the game itself is truly exciting , thrilling and engages with the player then they will be spending more time playing this game not because they addicted, but because they chose to and are actually having fun.
Cheers.