Cracked.com - 5 Creepy Ways Video Games are Trying to get you addicted

[Cactuscat222]

This was a great article... it reminds me of how sad it was when I played Runescape for hours on end, pathetic... It took me a long time to get out of this addiction, and Im damn sure glad I finally did. Also read this if you have the time, it's a real eye-opener for all you MMO addicts out there... Link: http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html

Uh, I think most of the people in this topic already READ that article, since it's the one the entire topic is about... o.O

Biggest topic epic fail ever. Looks like someone didn't even bother to read your first post Chaos, haha.

[stick d00d]

Lmao oops copy-pasted the wrong link... ugh... here is the real link :S
http://kotaku.com/5384643/i-kept-playing--the-costs-of-my-gaming-addiction

[Trogdor]

Though sobering, that was a very interesting read. When it boils down to it, endorphins = potential revenue, so I'm not too surprised the gaming industry has taken it this far.

With that said, I can relate to a lot of stuff mentioned in that article, since I used to play WoW with my friends about 3 - 4 years ago (I always played it at his house since my computer was shit). Everything in that article is completely true, even the whole "light shooting out of your crotch" bit. Luckily for me, the grinding got unbearable around level 55, and it was at that point I just stopped. However, a few of my other friends still played, and it was eerie how I could slowly watch them retreat into that world, watching their physical appearance slowly deteriorate, becoming less available for social outings, etc. I remember feeling especially bad for my friend's dad, namely because he was the only one in the house who didn't play WoW (his wife and three children did). Sure, the LAN parties were always fun. My friend's older sister would invite a bunch of her friends over with their computers for raids, and I'd just walk around and watch each of them. However, I still wonder how different it would be if my computer could've actually handled WoW back then, and how much harder it would've been to quit, or if I was even able.

The most ironic thing is that as I'm writing this, a free 14-day WoW trial disk is sitting not one foot away from me. It came with some of the Diablo 2 CDs the very same friend lent me a couple of weeks ago (we're playing Diablo 2 instead of WoW now). I know all too well not to put that disk into my computer, thanks to my previous experience with it. That being said, I probably still wouldn't be able to run it even if I wanted to. I'm still using the same piece-of-crap computer that refuses to die.

Incidentally, the whole reason how I came about Stick Online was to quell a previous MMO addiction (RuneScape, of all MMO's...) around the Spring of '07. I was looking for some casual free-to-play MMO's (almost like a chain smoker looking for some nicotine gum) and the one that stuck out from the rest was Stick Online. After reading the description about playing a stick character in a simple 2D world and seeing a few pictures, I figured that was casual enough for me. So I proceeded to download it, played it for about 10 minutes, thought "This is perfect!", and the rest is history.

[Pat]

I knew spending hours on a game to get an item was worth it. Next time I'm trying to get something in a game that takes forever I'll know that its just like me mining to find diamonds.

[Lingus]

http://kotaku.com/5384643/i-kept-playing--the-costs-of-my-gaming-addiction

Yea. That could have been me. Thankfully had a girlfriend who wouldn't put up with that bullshit. And now, several years later, I'm glad I have her instead of a video game. If I didn't quit playing, my life would be quite different by now.

we're playing Diablo 2 instead of WoW now

Hah. I hope you aren't fooling yourself into thinking that's not as addictive as WoW. For me, D2 was even more addictive. I used to play all night long, go to sleep around 7am, and sleep most of the day. I'd do that for weeks on end. And I played D2 for a few years. I had several level 99 characters and countless level 50+. That was the one and only game I ever bought virtual items for. Which is hard to even admit.

The way the runs are designed are meant to keep you playing just long enough, and then when you complete the run, it wasn't quite long enough to call it quits so you go on to the next. It's different than WoW's 6+ hour instance runs, but imo probably more effective at keeping you playing.

Incidentally, the whole reason how I came about Stick Online was to quell a previous MMO addiction (RuneScape, of all MMO's...) around the Spring of '07. I was looking for some casual free-to-play MMO's (almost like a chain smoker looking for some nicotine gum) and the one that stuck out from the rest was Stick Online. After reading the description about playing a stick character in a simple 2D world and seeing a few pictures, I figured that was casual enough for me. So I proceeded to download it, played it for about 10 minutes, thought "This is perfect!", and the rest is history.

That sounds like me after coming off of WoW. I agree SO is perfect because there are no long periods of time that you have to stay glued to the computer. There's no runs or instances. You grind, you grind, and you grind. As soon as you want to stop, you can. No consequences. Incidentally, that's exactly how Torchlight is (although, that's because it's single player).

[Trogdor]

Hah. I hope you aren't fooling yourself into thinking that's not as addictive as WoW. For me, D2 was even more addictive. I used to play all night long, go to sleep around 7am, and sleep most of the day. I'd do that for weeks on end. And I played D2 for a few years. I had several level 99 characters and countless level 50+. That was the one and only game I ever bought virtual items for. Which is hard to even admit.

Surprisingly, I can only play it for a couple of hours before it gets monotonous. I can't use Battle.net, so that also may be a factor. The only time where I'll stay up until 4am+ is when me and a couple of friends are all playing LAN at someone's house. When we used to play WoW, we wouldn't even sleep. We've definitely matured from our experience of WoW, and I feel we're much more responsible at handling other similar games because of it.

Incidentally, that's exactly how Torchlight is (although, that's because it's single player).

That's exactly the reason why I love single player RPG's. There's no commitment, no race against faceless strangers, no grinding, no PvP. You can pick it up and play whenever you want, and if you have to do something, just save it and leave. It's like immersing yourself into a whole new world without the side-affects. Though I've never played Torchlight, I still have my copy of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion that I play almost weekly. If I ever miss the social aspect of MMO's, I'll drop into SO for a bit and chat while helping others kill mobs. It's like having the best of both worlds.

[Cactuscat222]

Geez, you guys are talking like WoW is some form of gateway drug that everyone tries for awhile. xD

I still think its a perfectly reasonable game that people can play without getting addicted - and if you do, but you learn like Lingus and Trogdor did, then I think you should be able to go back to it with a mindset that you can give up the game when needed. Unless you truly feel that you would get stuck on it again.

Of course, I'm biased because I play WoW currently, but I had a brief period when I started again where I would play and play to just get everything done - solved that though by making myself realize there is no pressure for myself to get all of those daily grinds done, and if I miss a day, oh well.

[Lingus]

The problem I have with WoW is that, while there are perfectly acceptable tasks in the game which do not require a lengthy amount of time to perform, all of the really fun content takes hours. And it's not just the amount of time, it's the fact that it all must be done in one sitting or you've wasted all of the time up to the point that you leave. If you start a dungeon run and leave after an hour, you've wasted that hour because you can't pick back up at that point of the dungeon. You have to start over. If you can never devote the 6+ hours it takes to form a decent group, go through the dungeon, most likely have to run back to the dungeon after dying... you will never complete the dungeon. It is that kind of gameplay that kept me glued to the screen even while other things were happening in my life around me. There is no way for me to simply pick up the game and just accept that I will never get the most out of the game. I'd rather just not pay for it.

So yes, some people can certainly play and not get addicted. Some people can even figure out how to play the game efficiently enough, and gather enough online friends to help them, that they can take advantage of the content I'm referring to. But the game was designed specifically to have this effect. And it is does this more than any other game before it. I've played several MMOs, and none of them required you to devote this amount of uninterrupted time to complete a single task.

[ARTgames]

Iv have yet to played a game that im addicted to.

[stick d00d]

Incidentally, the whole reason how I came about Stick Online was to quell a previous MMO addiction (RuneScape, of all MMO's...) around the Spring of '07. I was looking for some casual free-to-play MMO's (almost like a chain smoker looking for some nicotine gum) and the one that stuck out from the rest was Stick Online. After reading the description about playing a stick character in a simple 2D world and seeing a few pictures, I figured that was casual enough for me. So I proceeded to download it, played it for about 10 minutes, thought "This is perfect!", and the rest is history.

This is exactly how I felt. I got so tired of playing Runescape because of how boring/repetitive it got and I found when I played it all I did was grind exp constantly to get to 99 in stats. I havent played Runescape in like 2 years or so and it feels good to be away from a game that pulls you in like that and basically drains the life out of you. This may be over exaggerating but its pretty much what it does. I never once have played WoW and seeing all the stuff said about it, I'm glad I didn't waste more time/money then I did on Runescape.

And just to add-on I feel the same way you did about SO... its a pretty calm/relaxed game and the community (for the most part) is mature and pretty chill.

[VolcomPunk]

I love this article. I've often times thought about why I wasted a bit of time on Runescape or on World of Warcraft, but that sums it up perfectly and more in-depth than I could have.


I will definitely show this to some of my gamer friends.  :D