Gaming Addicts and MMOs

Over the years video games have become increasingly detailed and popular throughout society. The characters in these games are more realistic and games as a whole tend to have better graphics and challenges than what were previously available. Not all gamers are addicts but, for some, gaming becomes an uncontrollable addiction. This may be because the people who become ‘addicted’ to games are presupposed to addiction. Gaming addicts often have reasonable intentions, thinking that they are able to control when they will cease playing, but like other addicts they struggle to stop. This becomes a cycle where the addict believes that next time things will be different and that they will have the self-restraint to stop, but they do not. When completing challenges and goals the player receives a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction which leads to this addicting behaviour dominating and ruling the addict’s life.

One such game is the Massively Multiplayer Online game (MMO), World of Warcraft. Games like this are hugely popular as they present strategical elements and challenges as well as a social online community. Online gaming communities allow the gamer to socialise with friends, share information, meet people and learn new things. According to John Walker, “It also enables self-exploration and discovery as users extend and idealize their existing personalities or try out new ways of relating to one another that can positively affect real life relationships.” These are all aspects of MMOs and help aid in their popularity. When discussing gaming addiction, however, these social aspects tend to be forgotten or cast aside. When taking these aspects into account, MMOs can be compared with cults and the gamers with their members.

One reason that some become so addicted to MMOs like World of Warcraft is because these games have no finish. When one completes a game they often receive a sense of pride and accomplishment. In MMOs, however, this sense of accomplishment and pride presents itself in a different way – one receives it with each new level one gains, item one receives, and challenges one completes. As one gets this sense more frequently it makes online games more addictive. As games become more and more advanced gaming addicts will likely rise and perhaps, in the future, gaming addiction will become a diagnosable condition.

Wanda Hart