Reseachers Call For Less Addictive MMOs

[maximara]

"Because your games are so addictive, we have helpfully suggested ways to help the game devs make the game worse/less fun."

While this guy may be blowing some hot air, he does give a fair warning.

The study warned that if MMO makers don't do something to address the issue, governments may be forced to legislate usage limits.

Everyone knows how concerned the parenting/out-of-touch politicians are. This will undoubtedly come up in congress in the coming years.

It won't come in the US Congress because the Supreme Court has ALREADY ruled on it:

Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, 564 U.S. 08-1448 (2011)

Video games enjoy ALL the protection of the First Amendment meaning that the only censorship option would be under obscenity law which Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15 (1973) made very narrow.

"Psychological studies purporting to show a connection between exposure to violent video games and harmful effects on children do not prove that such exposure causes minors to act aggressively. Any demonstrated effects are both small and indistinguishable from effects produced by other media."

"Reading Dante is unquestionably more cultured and intellectually edifying than playing Mortal Kombat. But these cultural and intellectual differences are not constitutional ones. Crudely violent video games, tawdry TV shows, and cheap novels and magazines are no less forms of speech than The Divine Comedy ? Even if we can see in them ?nothing of any possible value to society ? they are as much entitled to the protection of free speech as the best of literature."

I should be mention that even California's District Court saw this and stomped the law into the ground before it could even be enacted.

Finally the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (D5 for short) does NOT recognize Video Game addition..so as far as the D5 is concerned it does NOT exist.

 

[Riobux]

Firstly:

Nottingham Trent University Professor Mark Griffiths said that while the proportion of gamers who develop problems will likely remain constant, "As online games get better and better and increasing numbers of people discover them, the number of addicts is most probably going to rise."

This guy knows what the hell he is talking about. Put simply, his life work is on about gambling and addiction. If anyone can find a non-bias psychologist who has studied gambling and addiction (which is very much relevant to this due to the same psychological processes) and is better than Mark Griffiths, go for it. Unlike what has been claimed here:

It's okay
This researched stemmed from Derby and Nottingham Trent 'Universities'
Basically two of the shittest Uni's in the UK
It basically means nothing

The BBC didn't just round up any old psychologists who is willing to say stuff at the podium, and therefore only poor shitty universities volunteered. They at least did their homework. While I can't speak for the other psychologists, I can vouch for Giffiths as having a clue based on his track-history of research.

Secondly: Asking for less addictive MMOs is like begging for alcohol and gambling to be less addictive. It just doesn't make any sense at all.

 

[Fdzzaigl]

I support this actually, many of the grindy and tiered reward setups actually make these games more addictive, because you're pressured to "keep up" with your peers by continuously upgrading your gear etc.

A more creative game would actually be less addictive in my opinion. Example in case for me would be GW2, a game that definitely did some very new things, but never got me as addicted as WoW did.

 

[BoogieManFL]

I'm all for less grind, but I'll be damned if someone else puts limits on what I can and can't do. I can manage myself fine and I'll not be punished because of a few weak willed people who can't. If people can smoke and drink themselves crazy free of constraint, then they can fuck right off about my internet and gaming time.

I've played WoW since release day. And I ONLY play because I have good guild mates who are fun to play and talk with. If enough of them were to quit, so would I.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

snip^

Yes, I know they've already ruled on it. That just means that it cannot win or become law, but it WILL NOT stop congress from trying anyways. Congress used to pass hundreds of laws (major and minor) a year, but since the 2000s it has trickled down to a quarter of that because they keep picking fights they can't win, wasting everyone's time and taxes.

 

[Kahani]

"Researchers suggest making games less fun so that people don't want to play them as much."

There's so much wrong with that I don't even know where to start pointing and laughing.

 

[gunny1993]

This is why no one listens to social scientists, they spend tons of money researching the obvious.

Fuck off. That's really all I have to say to them.

It's okay
This researched stemmed from Derby and Nottingham Trent 'Universities'
Basically two of the shittest Uni's in the UK
It basically means nothing

So basically they're just trying to drum up controversy to get some ink and hopefully a little more cash with that?

From what I hear, at least in the UK, that's basically what universities need to do these days to get noticed and therefore, get funding. A certain uni near me has a quota on the number of papers it's staff has to produce each year (otherwise they will get "marked down", I imagine). It wouldn't surprise me if this is something similar...some university staff needing to make their quota by the end of the year so decided to do some "research" on these game video things that people like to watch these days.

It's the same for every single university and non self funded research group in the world, most grants have certain requirements, such as publishing papers.

 

[SecondSince]

I don't see MMO's as addictive. To me they are just gigantic timesinks.

I've tried quite a few MMO's over the years and not one has made me stick with it for more than 3 months at best. Could it be that they are confusing actual addiction with the 'need' to spend extreme amounts of time to reach endgame of an MMO. And then once you've reached it i can imagine a lot of people don't want to leave their hard work so they continue to play.

I have no idea if this is even remotely true, it's just what i have seen in my own circle of gamers i know.

 

[frizzlebyte]

I know how addiction works.

Really? This statement...

It's their on fault.

...indicates otherwise. Googling how addictive substances affect and alter the brain might be a worthwhile activity for you.

Yes, I have zero lenience for people whose destructive behavior causes harm to others.

Why? Are they incapable of rehabilitation? With help these people might come to realize how badly their mistakes hurt people and turn their life around.

 

[4RM3D]

...indicates otherwise. Googling how addictive substances affect and alter the brain might be a worthwhile activity for you.

Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes... the effects are common knowledge. And still people get addicted to it. Why? Drinking away the sorrow? Escaping reality? Whatever, I really don't give a damn if they drink themselves to death, as long as they don't take other people with them.

Addiction... you have only yourself to blame.

Why? Are they incapable of rehabilitation? With help these people might come to realize how badly their mistakes hurt people and turn their life around.

Let me rephrase that a tad different: Yes, I have zero lenience for people whose continuing destructive behavior causes harm to others.

If such a person reaches the point where they are causing harm, they still need to realize it and be willing to change. Maybe with the help of other people. If so, then I have no problem. Heck, I am even willing to help them get their shit together. They still deserve a second chance. But if they continue to screw up... that's a different story.