Games Might Kill You

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Games Might Kill You Game Addiction This page intentionally left blank Game Addiction The Experience and the Effects NEILS CLARK and P. SHAVAUN SCOTT McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Clark, Neils. Game addiction : the experience and the effects / Neils Clark and P. Shavaun Scott. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7864-4364-2 softcover : 50# alkaline paper 1. Video game addiction. 2. Video games—Psychological aspects. 3. Video games and children. 4. Video games and teenagers. I. Scott, P. Shavaun. II. Title. RC569.5.V53C53 2009 616.85'84—dc22 2009012386 British Library cataloguing data are available ©2009 Neils Clark and P. Shavaun Scott. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Cover illustration ©2009 Brand X Pictures Manufactured in the United States of America McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com NEILS: To Alysa Majer SHAVAUN: To Mike, for ensuring I am never without the means to enact every random creative thought, and for forcing me to do the things I swear I have no time to do. And to Matt & Dan, for teaching me how to be a highly competent elf. This page intentionally left blank TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface (by Neils Clark) 1 ONE—The Digital Living Room 7 TWO—Media Experience and Real Illusion 27 THREE—Why They Play 55 FOUR—Anatomy of a Game Addiction 91 FIVE—Games Are Not Babysitters 115 SIX—The Road Ahead 143 Afterword (by P. Shavaun Scott) 163 Appendix A. Helpful Activities During the Process of Change 167 Appendix B. Learning the Lingo 169 Appendix C. Commonly Used Internet and Gamer Slang 177 Appendix D. Seeking Help in an Unfamiliar World 183 Chapter Notes 187 Bibliography 195 Index 201 vii That which is dreamed Can never be lost, can never be un-dreamed. ... Only the phoenix arises and does not descend. And everything changes. And nothing is truly lost. —Neil Gaiman For the probability of error increases with the scope of the undertaking, and any man who sells his soul to synthesis will be a tragic target for a myriad merry darts of specialist critique. “Consider,” said Ptah-Hotep five thousand years ago, “how thou mayest be opposed by an expert in council. It is foolish to speak on every kind of work.”—Will Durant PREFACE by Neils Clark I stared transfixed. A six-hundred-dollar computer monitor sat on a dingy hardwood floor, and I knew that I had been hunched over it for the better part of that day, most of the week, and all that summer. I was play- ing one video game twenty hours a day, and it seemed normal up until that night. There was probably an hour of silent staring. I left for gradu- ate school the next week, without a computer and unable to shake that night’s feeling of shock. My name is Neils, and even though I’ll tell you a little bit about the people I’ve murdered, the woman I married, and the millions that I’ve made in video games, this book isn’t strictly about any one person’s story. This book was born out of an attempt to make sense of gaming addictions through research. As it matured, it became clear that tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people around the world were killing, working, marrying, and feeding on video games. Their stories, in many cases told through their eyes, are used to augment and clarify the game-effects research accumulating across fields that rarely attempt communication, let alone collaboration. Right now there’s really no way to know whether video games, tele- vision, or even the world’s massive entertainment culture will be a force for positive or negative change. What we do know is that things are chang- ing. An eleven-year-old Vietnamese boy strangled an 81-year-old woman for the equivalent of five U.S. dollars, then buried her under a thin layer of sand in front of his house. Questioned by police, he said that he needed the money for items in a video game. This coin has two sides. An eight- year-old Norwegian boy saved his younger sister’s life by putting his own life at risk, threatening an attacking moose and then feigning death once 1 P REFACE it began attacking him. Questioned later, he said that he learned those skills in a video game. For me, starting to play too much didn’t have much to do with the usual explanations; my excesses weren’t attributable to some manic imbal- ance, nor a childhood that was too psychologically traumatic to mention. My childhood was charmed. Though I can’t say for certain where prob- lems with gaming started, I do remember one summer when I was about nine. My friend down the street, Jason, had a brand new Super Nintendo. I remember greeting him at the door, sitting down to play for a few hours and then refusing to get up when everyone left to play with water guns. Something about Mario seduced me—God only knows what. The thing that I do remember is Jason’s father coming home. I remember the hot sting of embarrassment when he asked why I wasn’t playing with his son. I don’t remember my reply—but I do remember what he did: Nothing. This book is neither pro-games nor anti-games. Above all it’s about how we experience games and what they really mean to us. What’s hap- pening can’t be solved by just loving or hating the technologies surround- ing the worlds online. We have to understand them and, as much as possible, enter this next generation with more personal responsibility in using them and more professional understanding in making them. What’s drawn a few types of people of my generation into games—is already pulling almost the entirety of the coming generation into the offspring of games. We can’t take back any of these technologies and addiction is just one blip on the radar of how they will change our world. But for better or for worse? I don’t think that gamers are bad, because I don’t think that I am bad. Gamers have experiences the likes of which very few people in our history have been afforded, wherein they can play the parts of good, evil, or morally grey characters. The theatre is digital, but the other puppeteers still bleed when their hearts and minds are cut too deeply. Gamers have had incred- ible experiences; they could do incredible things. In his book on “the virtual worlds exodus,” Ted Castronova was sur- prised that the crew of the starship Enterprise, in the famous television show Star Trek: Next Generation, only used the holodeck every so often. If you’re not familiar with the holodeck, it was the ultimate video game: It was pho- torealistic, all of the senses were stimulated, and it could recreate any 2 Preface (by Neils Clark) scenario imaginable. In a simple room, real-feeling and convincing events could be re-created. With the ability to enter their favorite experiences as much as they wanted, whenever they wanted, Castronova uses economic theories to say that there’s no reason for the crew to have been anywhere but the holodeck. Since we already have this technology in today’s games, he says, real life will have to compensate by becoming more satisfying— otherwise nobody is going to spend time running the real-life starship. Peo- ple won’t engage in society as we know it, because it “won’t be for them.” Wrong. I’ve played with the people who can’t leave today’s Holodeck, and it’s rarely a happy scene. I’ve seen a friend—a doctor—give up one of the world’s most prestigious residencies only to move into one of Cal- ifornia’s most run-down suburbs. I’ve smelled people who left their dor- mitory rooms to buy Husky burgers, but not to attend their final exams or to relieve themselves. Some of my best friends in real life started out as my favorite rivals in video games. I’ve met some gamers who will leave profoundly positive marks on this world, but I’ve seen many more who are consumed by the game and then matriculated into the establishment. They don’t demand that life become more exciting, that it better suit their needs. They lose themselves, accepting the rank and file when they were just months from saving lives as doctors and establishing themselves as pro- fessionals. And that’s without a holodeck. That’s today. The crew of the starship Enterprise uses the holodeck responsibly because they understand how it works. They know the risks, and they know how to balance reality with entertainment. That knowledge is not free. It is a hard-won understanding that most regular video game play- ers don’t have yet—just like we don’t have phasers, warp speed or any- thing else from the Star Trek universe. We’re just not there. Most people today don’t understand that video games are here to inspire us to make a better reality. They use today’s entertainment to replace reality, rather than to feel its cool uncertainty or face its subtle antagonists.
Recommended publications
  • Theescapist 103.Pdf
    originally a mass of badly dressed Call and its wide open world. Michael Escapist Forum: I very much respect characters became a group of Zenke speaks to a few radiomen at the the hard work Richard has done over the individuals, individuals selling stuff and forefront of the MMOG podcast movement. years, but I have a very hard time For me, it started way back in 1999. It talking about killing things bigger than And Dana Massey explains what Blizzard reconciling what he’s saying here with was February; I was 15. A friend of mine rats. A guy dressed like a wizard did right with World of Warcraft, but his new chosen medium. had me over to take a look at a new summoned a demon right next to me, worries none of the other players in the game he just got: Ultima Online. He then named it “a” and told it to follow field learned the correct lesson. MMOs are a poor vehicle for telling a showed me an ugly little isometric view him. Then a woman wearing nothing but story. While all MMOs HAVE a story, the of a town called Britain, though I a robe stole the sword I had in my Enjoy! players are usually so busy squabbling couldn’t figure out why - no fog or guys backpack. The whole place teemed with over mechanics or questing for loot that in furry hats. The area he referred to as possibility, and I was hooked. Yours, they couldn’t care less about WHY the bank was overrun with people, real they’re doing it.
    [Show full text]
  • In- and Out-Of-Character
    Florida State University Libraries 2016 In- and Out-of-Character: The Digital Literacy Practices and Emergent Information Worlds of Active Role-Players in a New Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Jonathan Michael Hollister Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION IN- AND OUT-OF-CHARACTER: THE DIGITAL LITERACY PRACTICES AND EMERGENT INFORMATION WORLDS OF ACTIVE ROLE-PLAYERS IN A NEW MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE ROLE-PLAYING GAME By JONATHAN M. HOLLISTER A Dissertation submitted to the School of Information in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016 Jonathan M. Hollister defended this dissertation on March 28, 2016. The members of the supervisory committee were: Don Latham Professor Directing Dissertation Vanessa Dennen University Representative Gary Burnett Committee Member Shuyuan Mary Ho Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii For Grandpa Robert and Grandma Aggie. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to my committee, for their infinite wisdom, sense of humor, and patience. Don has my eternal gratitude for being the best dissertation committee chair, mentor, and co- author out there—thank you for being my friend, too. Thanks to Shuyuan and Vanessa for their moral support and encouragement. I could not have asked for a better group of scholars (and people) to be on my committee. Thanks to the other members of 3 J’s and a G, Julia and Gary, for many great discussions about theory over many delectable beers.
    [Show full text]
  • Virtual Worlds, Real Leaders: Online Games Put the Future of Business Leadership on Display
    cyan mag yelo black MAC Virtual Worlds, Real Leaders: Online games put the future of business leadership on display A Global INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION NEW ORCHARD ROAD, ARMONK, NY 10504 Innovation ® © International Business Machines Corporation 2007 Outlook All Rights Reserved 2.0 Report SERIOSITY, INC. 2370 WATSON CT., SUITE 110, PALO ALTO, CA 94303 ™ 881832IMPO.Cover1832IMPO.Cover NNC4C4 66/20/07/20/07 112:15:522:15:52 AAMM cyan mag yelo black MAC 881832IMPO.Cover1832IMPO.Cover NNC2C2 66/20/07/20/07 112:16:082:16:08 AAMM mag yelo CG11 MAC GIO 2.0 Report “ If you want to see what business leadership may look like in three to fi ve years, look at what’s happening in online games.” — Byron Reeves, Ph.D.,≠ the Paul C. Edwards Professor of Communication at Stanford University and Co-founder of Seriosity, Inc. 1 881832IMPO.Text1832IMPO.Text NN0101 66/20/07/20/07 112:51:412:51:41 AAMM cyan mag yelo black MAC Game On As the business world becomes more distributed and virtual, do online games offer lessons on the future of leadership? 2 881832IMPO.Text1832IMPO.Text NN0202 66/20/07/20/07 112:51:422:51:42 AAMM cyan yelo black CG11 MAC GIO 2.0 Report What’s next? It’s the simple question that businesses spend millions trying to answer every year, all with the goal of learning what the business world of the future will look like. But there are some elements of this future that are already falling into place. For example, we know that business is becoming increasingly global.
    [Show full text]
  • Vampire Storytellers Handbook (3Rd Edition)
    Vampire Storytellers Handbook 1 Vampire Storytellers Handbook By Bruce Baugh, Anne Sullivan Braidwood, Deird’re Brooks, Geoffrey Grabowski, Clayton Oliver and Sven Skoog Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................................4 The Most Important Part... ............................................................................................................................................................6 ...And the Most Important Rule .....................................................................................................................................................6 How to Use This Book...................................................................................................................................................................7 The Game as it is Played..............................................................................................................................................................7 Cool, Not Kewl ..............................................................................................................................................................................9 Violence is Prevalent but Desperate...........................................................................................................................................10 Vampire Music ............................................................................................................................................................................10
    [Show full text]
  • What Is the Future of Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming? Richard Slater (00804443) What Is the Future of Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming?
    What is the future of Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming? Richard Slater (00804443) What is the future of Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming? Richard Slater (00804443) An undergraduate dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of CS335 - The Computing Dissertation module of BSc (Hons) Computer Science. I (Richard Slater) hereby certify that the content of this document has been produced solely by me in person according to the regulations set out by the University of Brighton, as such it is an original work. I so declare that any reference to non-original document or material has been properly acknowledged. Document Data Total Word Count 8944 Word Count 8090 excluding footnotes and annexes Modified 26 February 2004 By Richard Slater Revision 78 a PDF version of this document is available at http://www.richard-slater.co.uk/university/dissertation Page 1 of 28 What is the future of Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming? Richard Slater (00804443) 1) Table of Contents 1) Table of Contents................................................................................................... 2 2) Abstract................................................................................................................ 3 3) Introduction........................................................................................................... 4 3.1) Terms and Definitions.......................................................................................4 3.2) Quality of references........................................................................................5
    [Show full text]
  • Dwinteraus-Manual
    1988by 5~ DEMON'S WINTER DATA CARD FOR VERSIONS Commands: The keyboard commands are keyed to the first letter of the item ATARI ST, IBM PC, AMIGA, C-64 being activated. For instance, in order to enter the "Marketplace· within a city, you use the "M" key. This is true throughout the game. ATARI ST VERSION Load.Ing Instructions: Before beginning play, please make a backup copy of AMIGA VERSION the disks for play use. The disks have no physical protection so you may use the Loading Instructions: Before beginning play, please make a backup copy of normal TOS c.opy program for making these backups. Once the copies have the disks for play use. The disks have no physical protection so you may use the been made , simply put your master disks away and use the copies for play.· normal Workbench copy program for making these backups. Once the copies have been made, simply put your master disks away and use the cop'ies for play. To load your game of Demon's Winter, turn on your computer and insert your backup copy of the Game Disk. Double-click on the disk A icon and a normal To load your game of Demon's Winter, turn on your computer and boot to Kick­ TOS window will appear. Double-click on the DEMON.PRG icon that appears in start v1 .2 or later. Insert your backup copy of the Game Disk and the game will the that window and the game will load. The next menu that you will see offers load automatically.
    [Show full text]
  • The Presentation of Self in Massively Multiplayer Online Games, to Investigate How Players Create and Maintain Versions of Self in These Environments
    The Presentation of Self in Massively Multiplayer Online Games Alexander D. Meredith A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Nottingham Trent University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy October 2014 Copyright Statement This work is the intellectual property of the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the owner of the Intellectual Property Rights. 1 Abstract This thesis examined the presentation of self in Massively Multiplayer Online games, to investigate how players create and maintain versions of self in these environments. Key research questions concerned the motivation for engaging in these behaviours, the impact of such activities on their offline lives and for those that did not engage in the active presentation of self, why they did not do this. There were three studies in the thesis, employing a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The first study consisted of interviews (n=29), analysed using Grounded theory, and the second an online focus group (n=13 participants) explored using thematic analysis. These results were combined to create a theoretical model for the presentation of self in MMOs. Based on these concept statements a third study (n=408) was created, using an online questionnaire design. Results indicated that a five factor model was the most satisfactory means of explaining the presentation of self in MMOs – with Presentation of the Existing Self, Social Interaction, Gaming Aesthetics, Presenting Different Sides of the Self, and Emotional Impact as the salient factors.
    [Show full text]
  • Mud Connector
    Archive-name: mudlist.doc /_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ /_/_/_/_/ THE /_/_/_/_/ /_/_/ MUD CONNECTOR /_/_/ /_/_/_/_/ MUD LIST /_/_/_/_/ /_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ o=======================================================================o The Mud Connector is (c) copyright (1994 - 96) by Andrew Cowan, an associate of GlobalMedia Design Inc. This mudlist may be reprinted as long as 1) it appears in its entirety, you may not strip out bits and pieces 2) the entire header appears with the list intact. Many thanks go out to the mud administrators who helped to make this list possible, without them there is little chance this list would exist! o=======================================================================o This list is presented strictly in alphabetical order. Each mud listing contains: The mud name, The code base used, the telnet address of the mud (unless circumstances prevent this), the homepage url (if a homepage exists) and a description submitted by a member of the mud's administration or a person approved to make the submission. All listings derived from the Mud Connector WWW site http://www.mudconnect.com/ You can contact the Mud Connector staff at [email protected]. [NOTE: This list was computer-generated, Please report bugs/typos] o=======================================================================o Last Updated: June 8th, 1997 TOTAL MUDS LISTED: 808 o=======================================================================o o=======================================================================o Muds Beginning With: A o=======================================================================o Mud : Aacena: The Fatal Promise Code Base : Envy 2.0 Telnet : mud.usacomputers.com 6969 [204.215.32.27] WWW : None Description : Aacena: The Fatal Promise: Come here if you like: Clan Wars, PKilling, Role Playing, Friendly but Fair Imms, in depth quests, Colour, Multiclassing*, Original Areas*, Tweaked up code, and MORE! *On the way in The Fatal Promise is a small mud but is growing in size and player base.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Video Games-Wikipedia
    History of video games From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Atari VCS was a popular home video game console in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Pictured is the four-switch model from 1980–1982. An Atari CX40 joystick controller, with a single button The history of video games goes as far back as the early 1950s, when academic computer scientists began designing simple games and simulations as part of their research or just for fun. At M.I.T. in the 1960s, professors and students played games such as 3D tic-tac-toe and Moon Landing. These games were played on computer such as the IBM 1560, and moves were made by means of punch cards. Video gaming did not reach mainstream popularity until the 1970s and 1980s, when video arcade games and gaming consoles using joysticks, buttons, and other controllers, along with graphics on computer screens and home computer games were introduced to the general public. Since the 1980s, video gaming has become a popular form of entertainment and a part of modern popular culture in most parts of the world. One of the early games was Spacewar!, which was developed by computer scientists. Early arcade video games developed from 1972 to 1978. During the 1970s, the first generation of home consoles emerged, including the popular game Pong and various "clones". The 1970s was also the era of mainframe computer games. The golden age of arcade video games was from 1978 to 1982. Video arcades with large, graphics- decorated coin-operated machines were common at malls and popular, affordable home consoles such as the Atari 2600 and Intellivision enabled people to play games on their home TVs.
    [Show full text]
  • Real|Unreal: Crafting Actuality in the Documentary Videogame
    Real|Unreal: Crafting Actuality in the Documentary Videogame Cynthia Katherine Poremba A Thesis In the Doctoral Humanities Program Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada 1 ii Abstract Real|Unreal: Crafting Actuality in the Documentary Videogame Cindy Poremba, PhD, Concordia University, 2011 Real|Unreal examines the emerging phenomenon of documentary videogames— specifically, how gamemakers might craft a stronger understanding of actuality in these works. To do so, gamemakers must first find ways of reclaiming indexicality within a digital medium, and second understand how games work as expressive, meaning-making frames. Using a framework based on theoretical work primarily drawn from documentary and game studies, Real|Unreal presents an analysis of three documentary videogames that pick up key aspects of the indexical/expressive relationship: JFK Reloaded, which uses an algorithm as the indexical grounding in a re-engagement of a well-known archive; games in the commercial Brothers in Arms series which, by juxtaposing extensive archival and making-of documentation with third-person gameplay, create a phenomenological shift in which we view the later as-real; and Escape from Woomera, which enables an experience-centered performative inquiry within a re-created environment. In conjunction with these three analytic case studies, it presents a fourth practice-based case consisting of topical design sketches within the context of an original documentary videogame, with a goal of moving beyond known methods and exposing practical challenges of documentary game creation. By interweaving framework, analysis and creation, Real|Unreal gives documentary videogame creators the theoretical, analytic, creative and pragmatic support needed to further exploration of the genre.
    [Show full text]
  • Causes, Magnitude and Implications of Griefing in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games
    Causes, Magnitude and Implications of Griefing in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games LEIGH SIMON ACHTERBOSCH This thesis is submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Information Technology) Faculty of Science and Technology Federation University Australia PO Box 663 University Drive, Mount Helen Ballarat, Victoria 3353 Australia Submitted in April 2015 Abstract Abstract This thesis presents findings from research into the global phenomenon known as griefing that occurs in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). Griefing, in its simplest terms, refers to the act of one player intentionally disrupting another player’s game experience for personal pleasure and potential gain. For too long it has been unknown how pervasive griefing is, how frequently griefing occurs and, in particular, the impact on players that are subjected to griefing. There has also been limited research regarding what causes a player to perform griefing. This thesis addresses these concerns by answering the research question “What are the causes and implications of griefing in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, and what magnitude of griefing exists in this genre?” Mixed method research was employed using the “Sequential Explanatory Strategy”, in which a quantitative phase was followed by a qualitative phase to strengthen the findings. The quantitative phase consisted of a survey that attracted 1188 participants of a representative player population. The qualitative phase consisted of interviews with 15 participants to give more personalised data. The data was analysed from the perspectives of different demographics and different associations to griefing. The thesis contributed original findings regarding the causes, magnitude and implications of griefing in MMORPGs.
    [Show full text]
  • Program Management Through the Lens of a Massive Multiplayer Online Gamer: a Pilot Study
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics Theses Organizational Dynamics Programs 5-1-2012 Program Management Through the Lens of a Massive Multiplayer Online Gamer: A Pilot Study Casey L. Sofchak-Scott University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/od_theses_msod Sofchak-Scott, Casey L., "Program Management Through the Lens of a Massive Multiplayer Online Gamer: A Pilot Study" (2012). Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics Theses. 62. https://repository.upenn.edu/od_theses_msod/62 Submitted to the Program of Organizational Dynamics in the Graduate Division of the School of Arts and Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania. Advisor: Ana Reyes This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/od_theses_msod/62 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Program Management Through the Lens of a Massive Multiplayer Online Gamer: A Pilot Study Abstract Learning can occur through many media types. This thesis explores the possibility that guild leaders in the Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) video game World of Warcraft learn and use similar skills to those that professional program managers learn and use in the corporate world. I evaluate World of Warcraft literature, present guild member interviews and use online forums to compare gaming leadership attributes to
    [Show full text]